General Electric Company

Power Technology, Incorporated

Michael Raymond Kolk

John Matthew Sassatelli

Edward T Vitone, Jr

Virgil Vaillancourt

John B Haven

Gary Charles Popham

An apparatus and method suitable for supporting a cylindrical component. The apparatus includes a pedestal having an upper surface with a semispherical concave shape, and a carriage supported on the upper surface of the pedestal. The carriage has a lower surface and an oppositely-disposed upper surface with elements for contacting and rotatably supporting the cylindrical component. The lower surface of the carriage engages the upper surface of the pedestal and has a semispherical convex shape complementary to the semispherical concave shape of the upper surface of the pedestal. The apparatus further includes a reservoir at and recessed in the upper surface of the pedestal, and a feature for delivering a lubricant to the lubricant reservoir. The lower surface of the carriage and the upper surface of the pedestal define an enclosure around the reservoir.

Self-aligning support assembly and method for rotatable cylindrical components

A steam turbine has multiple valves for introducing steam into a steam turbine. Each of the input valves introduce steam flow around the entire the 360 degree arc. The set of nozzles are each divided into a plurality of chambers. Each set of chambers extends around the full arc of the turbine. Each set has a valve. The chambers are designed so that all valves are open when the turbine is running at maximum output. The chambers are sized such that valve throttling losses are minimized when the turbine is at its normal operating condition.

Multi-valve arc inlet for steam turbine

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Ashburnham, MA, United States of America

Michael Raymond Kolk