Siemens Energy, Inc.

Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation

Siemens Power Generation, Inc.

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Peter Jon Clayton

Jiping Zhang

Joseph David Hurley

Robert John Nelson

Randy Edward Whitener

William R McCown

William Cannon Gardner

Albert C Sismour, Jr

Thomas Leonard Schuchart

Larry L Zeller

Justin Nathaniel England

Stephen Thomas Soto

Thomas L Schuchart

Robert R Messel

Louis F Hackstie

Yanxia Sun

Justin England

Melissa A Batis-Carver

Louis J Turek

Alexander D Oyler

Henk vanRavenswaay

Dennis Reed Seeley

Jr Albert C Sismour

William C Gardner

A generator seal assembly for preventing leakage of coolant in a generator is presented. The seal assembly includes a coolant side seal ring having a plurality of coolant side seal ring segments. The coolant side seal ring segment includes a seal fluid channel and radial holes circumferentially distributed along the seal fluid channel from leading edge to trailing edge through which seal fluid enters the seal fluid channel. Additional radial holes are circumferentially distributed along the seal fluid channel in a region near leading edge. Additional seal fluid enters the seal fluid channel in the region near leading edge through the additional radial holes such that pressure of seal fluid in the region is increased higher than pressure of the coolant to prevent leakage of the coolant in the region near leading edge due to ration of generator shaft.

Generator seal assembly

Controlling a shaft of a turbine generator, wherein the turbine generator includes a static excitation system and wherein the shaft is being driven in a first rotational direction at a predetermined speed. Controlling the shaft includes detecting a torsional oscillation of the shaft, calculating a control signal based on the torsional oscillation, and using the control signal, controlling an amount of power drawn by the static excitation system from the turbine generator.

Using static excitation system to reduce the amplitude of torsional oscillations due to fluctuating industrial loads

A method for controlling coupling between a first machine including a first rotating shaft having an associated first positional phase angle defined by a first shaft indicia and a second machine including a second rotating shaft having an associated second positional phase angle defined by a second shaft indicia. A rotational speed and rotational angle of the first shaft are monitored, and rotation of the second shaft is controlled by bringing the second shaft to a predetermined rotational speed relative to the first shaft speed. Acceleration of the second shaft is controlled such that the second shaft indicia is within a predetermined angle relative to the first shaft indicia upon the second shaft being brought to the predetermined rotational speed, at which point the first and second shafts are coupled such that the second shaft indicia is within the predetermined angle relative to the first shaft indicia.

Method for controlling coupling of shafts between a first machine and a second machine using rotation speeds and angles

Inspecting a retaining ring of a dynamoelectric machine includes placing an optical device in a stationary component of the dynamoelectric machine and directing the optical device toward a radial view of the retaining ring. An image is obtained and transmitted of a circumferential portion of the retaining ring, using the optical device during rotation of the rotor. Identification is made of a location of one or more stress cracks forming and visible at the circumferential portion of the annular edge. Further, a structural condition is determined for at least one location on the retaining ring using a metric to identify a value of the metric exceeding a predetermined acceptable value of the metric.

Retaining ring online inspection apparatus and method

A system and method of monitoring vibrations, in a machine having a rotating element, where composite vibration signals are measured and filtered into discreet vector components associated with machine operating frequency. The filtered vectors are then evaluated to obtain a mean and standard deviation, whereupon a further value is obtained and compared to the prior values. Trip conditions may be set to initiate certain actions based on the meeting of the conditions. Additional data related to operating conditions of the machine may be analyzed in conjunction with the vibration data to be considered as providing a cause for vibration anomalies that may be observed. The operating, conditions of the machine may be displayed on a computer display in association with the discreet vector components, for example in a second level folder to the first level folder of the discreet vector components.

Machine vibration monitoring

A generator rotor core () carrying superconducting windings () and having a shield () over the superconducting windings () to prevent external magnetic fields from impinging the windings. Axial shield edges () mate with corresponding features of the rotor core () or with structures affixed to or supported by the core () to support the shield ().

Rotor winding shield for a superconducting electric generator

A rotor pole crossover connection joint for use in a rotating electrical machine is disclosed. The connection joint integrally couples a bottom rotor coil strap to a rotor pole crossover connector with a single piece connector that reduces, distributes or otherwise tolerates stress concentrations in the connector. A corresponding method of forming a rotor pole crossover connection and a rotor assembly including a rotor pole crossover connection joint are also disclosed.

Rotor pole crossover connection

Support structures () for attaching superconducting conductors () to a rotor () of an electrical machine (). The support structures () are mechanically configured to transfer loads exerted on the superconducting conductors () during both normal and transient operation of the rotor (). The mechanical configuration and material of the support structures () further present a thermal path that is longer than the physical distance between the superconducting conductors () and the rotor () thereby minimizing heat flow from the warm rotor () to the cold superconducting conductors ().

Superconducting coil support structures

Apparatus for applying torsional vibration to a rotating machine is provided. In one exemplary embodiment the apparatus includes a permanent magnet machine () connected to the rotating machine () and configured to generate a three-phase AC output voltage. A converter () may be coupled to receive the three-phase AC output voltage from the permanent magnet machine to supply a DC load current. An electrical load () (or exciter) may be coupled to the converter to receive the load current. An oscillator () is connected to the converter to provide an oscillation signal for modulating the load current from the converter. Modulated load current causes variable loading of the permanent magnet machine thereby creating an oscillatory torque in the permanent magnet machine (). The oscillatory torque causes torsional vibration in the rotating machine. Various components of the apparatus for applying torsional vibration may be part of a field-deployed power generating system.

Torsional shaker apparatus for inspecting rotatable power generation machinery

An interconnecting assembly for a rotor assembly of a dynamoelectric machine is provided. The interconnecting assembly may be part of a conductive path generally extending from a radially inward section of the rotor assembly to a winding located at a radially outward section of the rotor assembly. The interconnecting assembly may be made up of a flexible member () comprising a bend (). The interconnecting assembly may be further made up of a connector () connected to the flexible member to pass axial and radial forces that develop during operation of the machine. The positioning of the connector relative to the flexible member may be arranged so that an effect of an axial force on a radius of curvature of the bend and an effect of a radial force on that radius of curvature are opposed to one another. This leads to lower peaks of mechanical stress at the flexible member () (e.g., J-strap), which in turn leads to a relatively more durable and reliable conductive path for the rotor assembly of the dynamoelectric machine.

Generator rotor lead path for connecting to a field winding

An interconnecting assembly () for a rotor assembly of a dynamoelectric machine is provided. The interconnecting assembly may be part of an electrically conductive path generally extending from a radially inward section of the rotor assembly to a top winding of a stacked winding () located at a radially outward section of the rotor assembly. The interconnecting assembly may include a first connecting member () connected to a radial lead () at the inward section of the rotor assembly. This first connecting member is made up of multiple conductive leaves and includes a flexible bend () positioned to provide a resilient-connection relative to at least a radial direction. The interconnecting assembly may further include a second connecting member () mechanically connected to the first connecting member by way of the resilient connection. This second connecting member is electrically connected to the first connecting member and to the top winding. The second connecting member may include a stiffener () for providing support relative to an outer portion of the bend to increase stiffness and prevent buckling of the bend due to a centrifugal force that develops during operation of the machine.

Generator rotor conductive path for connecting to a top-turn of a winding

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for applying a uniformly-distributed pattern of stripes () on a component () of a large rotary machinery, such as an industrial generator. A method is provided that comprises measuring the circumferential area of the component () with a measuring element (). The precise circumference is indicated and a desired number of pattern segments is determined. The circumference is divided by this number to produce equally spaced segments. This is then transferred to the rotor shaft () by marking on the measuring element () the number of segments and making a copy of the markings onto a second strip (). These strips are then aligned on the circumferential area and cross strips () are placed at each of the segment marks (). The segment areas not covered by the cross strips () are then painted in a color that is optically distinguishable from the non-painted regions. An optical probe () is then able to scan the stripes to detect torsional forces in the rotor shaft.

Growing community of inventors

Casselberry, FL, United States of America

Peter Jon Clayton