Ansaldo Energia S.p.a.

Ansaldo Gie S.r.l.

Loris Falavigna

Alberto Torre

Carlo Bima

Method and system, in which a pair of pre-existing steam turbo-units, a first one of which is formed by a first steam turbine and a first electric generator connected on a first common shaft and a second one of which is formed by a second steam turbine and by a second electric generator connected on a second common shaft, are coupled to one another in a system configuration of a cross-compound type; in which high-pressure and medium-pressure sections of the first turbine are replaced with a single high-pressure section made in such a way as to maintain the pre-existing foundations, and in which high-pressure and medium-pressure sections of the second turbine are replaced with a single medium-pressure section made in such a way as to maintain the pre-existing foundations. A single supercritical boiler supplies in cascaded fashion one and the same flow of steam to the new high-pressure and medium-pressure sections set on the first shaft and on the second shaft, respectively. A single piping downstream of the new medium-pressure section collects the flow of steam and supplies it in parallel, via a branch thereof intercepted by a regulation valve, to the pre-existing low-pressure sections of both of the shafts.

Method and system for operative reconversion of pairs of pre-existing steam turbo-units

A turbine, intended to be used in a plant of the geothermal type, comprises an apparatus for the choking of the control stage. The latter provides closure means for closing at least one nozzle of the first stage of the turbine, the said nozzles facing a final section of a feed pipe of the said turbine. Also provided are control means for controlling the said closure means, capable of causing the said closure means to assume at least one position of rest and one working position in which they are disposed to close the at least one nozzle in the vicinity of the final section of the said feed pipe.

Apparatus for choking the control stage of a steam turbine and steam turbine

A process for sealing the rotor of a turbine which uses wet geothermal steam under pressure in which the said rotor is provided with a plurality of adjacent labyrinth sealing rings interposed with passages which extend radially of the rotor itself. The process provides at least one step in which a flow of steam is introduced into one of the said radial passages and made to pass through the labyrinth of at least one of the said sealing rings, being throttled with a drop in pressure and reduction in temperature. The portion of steam which has been throttled is collected through another of the said radial passages and exhausted or recycled to the turbine at an intermediate stage having the same pressure as the steam. The pressure and temperature values reached by the steam after throttling are such as to maintain it in a wet state. In this way, as the steam always stays wet, the salts in the original geothermal steam remain dissolved and are not deposited, thus allowing the seals to operate correctly.

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Genoa, Italy

Loris Falavigna