General Electric Company

Robert Harold Cromer

Norman Arnold Turnquist

Osman Saim Dinc

Christopher Edward Wolfe

Bharat S Bagepalli

David Robert Skinner

George Ernest Reluzco

James E Maynard

Frederick George Baily

Lawrence Edward Rentz

Martin Francis O'Connor

Kenneth Elmer Robbins

Daniel Richard Cornell

Ronald John Placek

Minyoung Lee

Imdad Imam

Anthony Holmes Furman

Abdul-Azeez Mohammed-Fakir

Richard Jon Chevrette

Gregory Allan Crum

Paul Thomas Marks

William Theodore Bechtel

Edward Arthur Dewhurst

R Paul Chiu

James Louis Lawen, Jr

Kenneth Burrell Potter

John E Barnes

Maz Sutcu

Joseph Robert Toth

Henry Joe Wiersma

Roger Jordan Carr

Rudolf Matthias Markytan

Mark David Seminatore

Jennifer Elise Gill

Patrick Robert Dunne

James Robert Maynard

Osman Saim Dine

Stephen H Nielsen

A transition piece seal assembly includes a transition piece seal support having a first flange for supporting a transition piece seal, and a second flange adapted for mounting in an adjacent nozzle; and at least one spring seal element having a mounting flange adapted to engage the second flange of the transition piece seal support, and a flex portion having a free edge adapted to engage a forward face of the nozzle.

Combination transition piece floating cloth seal and stage 1 turbine nozzle flexible sealing element

A brush seal is comprised of arcuate seal segments having ends cut in a radial direction with bristles &ldquo;canted&rdquo; at an approximate 45&deg; angle relative to radii of the segments, leaving triangular regions adjacent one end of each segment devoid of bristles at the segment interfaces. The brush seals are retrofit into conventional labyrinth seals with the backing plate for the bristles comprising a labyrinth tooth profile extending fully 360&deg; about the seal, including those areas where bristles are not present. The sealing capacity is not substantially degraded, while affording significant sealing improvements over conventional labyrinth seals. Additionally, when retrofit into labyrinth seals with radial movement, the individual labyrinth seal segments are free to move radially independently of one another during transients.

Combined brush seal and labyrinth seal segment for rotary machines

A method of cooling a transition duct end frame in a gas turbine includes the steps of a) directing cooling air into the end frame from a region external of the transition duct and the impingement cooling sleeve; and b) redirecting the cooling air from the end frame into the annulus between the transition duct and the impingement cooling sleeve.

Cooling air recycling for gas turbine transition duct end frame and related method

A seal arrangement for a rotary machine, such as a turbine, includes a main seal segment such as a labyrinth seal segment, a brush seal segment disposed in a slot in the main seal segment and having a layer of bristles secured between upstream and downstream plates of the brush seal segment, and at least one passage radially formed through the main seal segment to communicate a balancing pressure from a pressure source located exteriorly of an outer periphery of the main seal segment to a cavity defined in the downstream plate of the brush seal segment at a downstream side of the layer of bristles of the brush seal segment.

Seal arrangement for a rotary machine such as a turbine

A method for making a brush-tooth seal, such as a brush-tooth seal which is attachable to a turbine stator, includes obtaining a seal carrier having a groove and having seal teeth and obtaining a brush seal having bristles with tips. The brush seal is engaged in the groove and then attached to the seal carrier. Then, the tips of the bristles of the attached and engaged brush seal are cut, such as with an electric discharge machining (EDM) wire, at a predetermined distance from the longitudinal axis of the seal carrier.

Method for making a brush-tooth seal

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 number of sealing segments,mounts a brush seal about a rotor. The tips of the brush seal,are maintained out of contact with the rotor surface throughout the entire operating range of the turbomachinery. Thus, the increase in temperature resultant from rubs between the bristle tips and the rotor,which effectively increase vibrations of the turbomachinery are eliminated. Brush seals are therefore maintained out of contact with the rotor throughout the entire operating range of the turbomachinery and thus do not affect the dynamic behavior of the rotor.

Brush seals for steam turbine applications

A fuel nozzle centering assembly and method employ bodies of a substantially wearable and sacrificial material mounted to an outer periphery of a tip of a burner fuel nozzle for a gas turbine combustor. The tip of the fuel nozzle extends through an opening of an annular collar attached to a liner of a main combustion chamber of the gas turbine combustor and an outer periphery of the tip is disposed radially inwardly from the annular collar such that the bodies of sacrificial material are disposed between the outer periphery of the fuel nozzle tip and the annular collar of the liner and space the fuel nozzle tip from the liner collar. The bodies of material prevent the fuel nozzle tip from contacting the liner collar during assembling of the fuel nozzle into the liner. The bodies wear away substantially upon initial operation of the combustor such that the bodies will reduce contact with the liner collar during further operation of the combustor and the fuel nozzle tip will remain spaced from and out of contact with the liner collar during operation of the combustor.

Fuel nozzle centering device and method for gas turbine combustors

Circumferentially extending sealing segments (,) are disposed about a rotary component (,) and have seal face (,) carrying a plurality of labyrinth seal teeth (,) and a brush seal (,). The segments are movable between large and small clearance positions relative to the rotor at start-up and steady-state operating conditions, respectively. In one form, springs (,) bias the segments radially outwardly at start-up and steam pressure displaces the segments to the small clearance positions at steady-state operations. In a further embodiment, springs bias the segment for movement to the small clearance position, the extent of movement being determined by thermal expansion of centering rings mounting the segments to the stationary components.

Positive biased packing ring brush seal combination

A turbine brush seal protection device includes an annular substrate having an outer periphery and defining a slot open at the outer periphery. The slot is for receiving a portion of an annular brush seal of a gas turbine subassembly during installation of a gas turbine and such that the annular substrate at least partially covers the annular brush seal of the gas turbine subassembly. The annular substrate at the outer periphery and within the slot thereof is removably mounted to a stationary portion of the gas turbine subassembly. A turbine brush seal protection method includes the steps of providing the annular substrate, placing the annular substrate over a portion of an annular brush seal of a gas turbine subassembly such that the seal portion is inside the slot of the annular substrate during installation of a gas turbine and the annular substrate at least partially covers the annular brush seal of the gas turbine subassembly, mounting the annular substrate at the outer periphery and within the slot thereof to a stationary portion of the gas turbine subassembly, and removing the annular substrate from the stationary portion of the gas turbine subassembly before completion of installation of the gas turbine subassembly.

Turbine brush seal protection device and method

A seal is provided between relatively moving parts and includes plural layers of woven material such as metal, polymer or ceramic materials. The layers are secured to one another and to a first part of the relatively moving first and second parts and extend freely from that first part into engagement with the second part. The woven material layers accommodate shape variations between the parts. In a further form, bristles are disposed between layers of woven material and secured at one end to one part. The free ends of the bristles and the free marginal portion of the woven material project toward the second part in sealing engagement therewith.

Hybrid labyrinth and cloth-brush seals for turbine applications

A brush seal includes a plurality of bristles in a circumferential array secured to a fixed component and about a rotary component. The bristles are cantilevered toward the rotary component at an angle to the radii of the rotary component with the bristle tips engaged against the rotary component. The bristles are supported by plates on opposite axial sides of the bristles. The plates have channels for directing fluid under pressure into the channels and against the bristles to deflect or bend the bristles toward the rotary component so that the tips of the bristles bear against the surface of the rotary component, enhancing the seal.

Positive pressure-actuated brush seal

Brush seals are retrofitted into existing turbine labyrinth seal rings to create a fail-safe seal design at locations wherever labyrinth seals are currently used, including interstage shaft seals, rotor end seals, bucket (or blade) tip seals and spill strips. Brush seals, per se, when used in place of labyrinth seals, can result in considerable span reductions of steam turbines, or machines with more turbine stages for a given span. Application to end packings results in the potential elimination of gland sealing/exhauster systems. Brush seal life can be improved by retrofitting brush segments to labyrinth seal segments that are either spring-backed, or use pressure loads to obtain design clearances only after steady state operating conditions are achieved. The brush seals are provided with backing plates shaped like labyrinth teeth, resulting in a fail-safe design. Also, the use of existing labyrinth teeth as bristle backing plates results in a brush seal with diminished susceptibility to hysteresis when compared to conventional brush seal designs. Low friction coatings can also be used to reduce brush seal hysteresis. Incorporation of brush seals in labyrinth seal rings that are either spring-backed or held in place by pressure forces results in extremely low brush seal wear.

Brush seals and combined labyrinth and brush seals for rotary machines

A brush seal is comprised of arcuate seal segments having ends cut in a radial direction with bristles 'canted' at an approximate 45.degree. angle relative to radii of the segments, leaving triangular regions adjacent one end of each segment void of bristles at the junction of the segments. The brush seals are retrofit into conventional labyrinth seals with the backing plate for the bristles comprising a labyrinth tooth profile extending fully 360.degree. about the seal, including those areas where bristles are not present or only in the areas where bristles are not present. A support is provided at the juncture of the segments and to which support proximal ends of additional bristles are secured to project at an approximate 45.degree. angle relative to the segments at their juncture. Those additional bristles fill in the triangular region void of bristles when the support is secured to the end of the segment having the void whereby a full 360.degree. array of sealing bristles are provided.

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Johnstown, NY, United States of America

Robert Harold Cromer