General Electric Company

Kenneth Elmer Robbins

Norman Arnold Turnquist

Christopher Edward Wolfe

Osman Saim Dinc

Robert Harold Cromer

George Ernest Reluzco

Daniel Richard Cornell

James H Moore

Edward H Miller

Stephen G Ruggles

Cuong V Dinh

John Clifton Williams

William James Sumner

Klaus Manfred Retzlaff

Stephen K Tung

Dan Duncan

A method for overhauling a steam turbine to increase its power without increasing its overall length. Existing seal assemblies containing seals other than brush seals are replaced with longitudinally-shorter replacement seal assemblies having only brush seals. An existing turbine section, such as a high-pressure turbine section, is replaced with a longitudinally-longer replacement turbine section having additional stages (i.e., additional rows of rotating buckets or blades).

Method for overhauling a steam turbine to increase its power

A steam turbine having a shaft and a first (e.g., high-pressure) turbine section. A first embodiment also includes a first bearing longitudinally spaced apart from the first turbine section and further includes a first brush-seal assembly, having bristles, longitudinally positioned between the first turbine section and the first bearing and radially positioned proximate the shaft. The steam turbine is devoid of any backup seal to the bristles. In a second embodiment, a second brush seal assembly is positioned between the first and second (e.g., intermediate-pressure) turbine sections which lack any intervening bearing.

Steam turbine having a brush seal assembly

An improved combined cycle plant with a gas turbine, a steam turbine and a generator arranged in tandem on a single shaft system in the order aforementioned, including a single thrust bearing with rigidly coupled rotor members. A thrust bearing for the shaft system is supported in a bearing standard keyed to the foundation on the side of the steam turbine toward the gas turbine to restrain axial movement. The thrust bearing is preferably located in the compressor inlet of the gas turbine. The steam turbine comprises a first casing with the hihg pressure section supported in a bearing standard keyed to the foundation adjacent the thrust bearing. The second casing with the low pressure section is keyed to the foundation at its outlet in the center of the exhaust hood. In a preferred arrangement with a single flow low pressure turbine section, the second casing combines an intermediate pressure turbine section adjacent the generator receiving steam from the reheater. In a modified arrangement with a double flow low pressure section, the intermediate pressure turbine section turbine section is combined with the high pressure turbine section in the first casing.

Single shaft combined cycle turbine

Ventilation apparatus for creating a fluid flow through the interhub spacing between the hubs of adjacent turbine wheels which are not integral with the rotor of the turbine includes an outward radial extension of the hub of the downstream wheel and/or a roundoff of the hub of the upstream wheel and/or a displacement of the axis of the hub of the upstream wheel from the axis of the hub of the downstream wheel for increasing the static pressure over a first predetermined arcuate portion of the interhub spacing in an ancillary fluid flow between the hubs and a seal circumferentially surrounding the hubs. Also, either alone or in combination with the static pressure increasing devices, static pressure reduction apparatus includes an outward radial extension of the hub of the upstream wheel and/or a roundoff of the hub of the downstream wheel and/or a displacement of the axis of the hub of the upstream wheel from the axis of the hub of the downstream wheel for decreasing the static pressure over a second predetermined arcuate portion of the interhub spacing in the ancillary flow. Preferably, the first predetermined arcuate portion is disposed diametrically opposite to the second predetermined arcuate portion.

Ventilation of turbine components

A stage of an axial flow turbine includes a plurality of spaced apart buckets and a plurality of spaced apart nozzle partitions, each plurality respectively circumferentially aligned about and axially spaced from each other along a rotor of the turbine. The nozzle partitions are circumferentially spaced such that a minimum throat extends a predetermined radial distance from the root, thereby forming a converging-diverging flow passageway between nozzle partitions. The trailing edge of the nozzle partitions are disposed to include axial and tangential lean with respect to the rotor. Buckets include a plurality of covers respectively connecting the tips and having a single outward radially extending sealing rib on the radially outer surface of each cover, wherein each rib is tangentially aligned with respective adjacent ribs. Buckets are overtwisted to compensate for untwist at operational speed to achieve optimum efficiency. Buckets are circumferentially spaced to provide a converging-diverging channel therebetween and include lashing for providing mechanical coupling at operational speed.

Stage for a steam turbine

Growing community of inventors

Burnt Hills, NY, United States of America

Kenneth Elmer Robbins