General Electric Company

Robert Walter Hausler

Michael Thomas Hamlin

Thomas Joseph Farineau

James Rollins Maughan

Michael Earl Montgomery

Dennis Roger Ahl

Charles Thomas O'Clair

Mark Edward Braaten

James Michael Stagnitti

Patrick Anthony Razzano, Jr

An apparatus for routing fluid in a steam turbine is provided. The steam turbine includes a stage comprising a plurality of buckets secured to a rotor. The rotor is configured to rotate in response to a first volume of fluid flowing from an inlet passageway past the plurality of buckets. The apparatus includes a member having a fluid passageway extending therethrough. The fluid passageway includes a first end in fluid communication with a discharge side of the stage of the steam turbine. A second volume of fluid comprising a portion of the first volume of fluid is received into the fluid passageway at the discharge side of the stage and is discharged out of an outlet of the fluid passageway. The outlet is in fluid communication with a region between an upstream side of the stage and a sealing member disposed against the rotor. The region receives a third volume of leakage fluid from the upstream side of the stage. The second volume of fluid discharged out of the outlet both reduces the third volume of leakage fluid entering the region and increases the first volume of fluid flowing past the plurality of buckets to increase an amount of torque of the rotor.

Apparatus and method for controlling leakage in steam turbines

A nozzle box includes first and second nozzle box halves which are bolted together. Each nozzle box half includes a nozzle ring segment that carries nozzles along its entire 180&deg; arc, so that when the nozzle box halves are joined together a nozzle box is formed with no discontinuities of nozzles around its 360&deg; circumference. The nozzles carried on each nozzle ring segment communicate with inlet ports, and associated passages which are perpendicular to the nozzle box exit plane.

Two-piece steam turbine nozzle box featuring a 360-degree discharge nozzle

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Balston Spa, NY, United States of America

Robert Walter Hausler