General Electric Company

William James Sumner

Mark Edward Burnett

David Alan Caruso

Catherine Mary Graichen

James Harvey Vogan

Stephen G Ruggles

Cuong V Dinh

John Clifton Williams

Kenneth Elmer Robbins

James Patrick Quaile

Joseph Mark Serafini

Mary Clarkeson Phillips

Stephen K Tung

Dan Duncan

Peter Schofield

Chris Robin Bron

Robert J Lindinger

David Edwin Kautzmann

Brian William Marriner

John David Alaksiewicz

Covers on bucket tips are provided with an access slot along a circumferentially facing edge of the cover at a location where moisture removal grooves of the bucket will intersect with the cover. Machine tooling is then applied to form the grooves along the suction side and adjacent the leading of the bucket. The machining runs out through the access slot forming grooves along the side edge of the bucket cover within the slot. The axial extent of the covers overlying leading and trailing edges of the buckets is maintained while enabling moisture removal by centrifugal action.

Moisture removal grooves on steam turbine buckets and covers and methods of manufacture

A method and system of evaluating a turbine component comprises obtaining data relating to respective surface conditions at a plurality of different surface locations of the turbine component and calculating the total profile efficiency loss for the turbine component based on the data. Calculating the total profile efficiency of the turbine component may include calculating the local profile efficiency loss percentage for each of the surface conditions at the different surface locations (and/or sub-areas of the different surface locations) and calculating an average of the local profile efficiency loss percentages, each of the local efficiency loss percentages being weighted by respective predetermined weight factors. The turbine component may be a nozzle or a bucket and each of the turbine component's surface locations may be an admission suction surface, an admission pressure surface, a discharge suction surface or a discharge pressure surface.

System and method for evaluating efficiency losses for turbine components

This disclosure describes a system and method for providing efficiency and cost analysis for a power generation unit. The system of this disclosure includes a current condition data acquisition logic that acquires a plurality of current condition variables for the power generation unit. A design constants acquisition logic acquires a plurality of design constants for the power generation unit; and an analysis logic calculates a operational efficiency of the power generation unit. The method provides efficiency and cost analysis for a power generation unit. The method includes the steps of acquiring a plurality of current condition variables for the power generation unit, and acquiring a plurality of design constants for said power generation unit. With the current condition variables and design constants, the method calculates an operational efficiency of the power generation unit.

System and method for providing efficiency and cost analysis during steam path audits

Applicants have identified and unexpected mechanism which contributes to solid particle erosion of the trailing edge of spaced apart aerodynamically shaped nozzle partitions in an axial fluid flow turbine. Particles entrained in the fluid flow pass through passages between nozzle partitions, strike rotating buckets and rebound upstream to impinge upon the suction side of the nozzle partitions in the trailing edge region. Accordingly, a nozzle partition includes a protection device disposed over at least a portion of the suction side of the nozzle partition, preferably from the trailing edge to the throat, for preventing solid particle erosion of the partition.

Means and method for reducing solid particle erosion in turbines

A stage of an axial flow turbine includes a plurality of spaced apart buckets and a plurality of spaced apart nozzle partitions, each plurality respectively circumferentially aligned about and axially spaced from each other along a rotor of the turbine. The nozzle partitions are circumferentially spaced such that a minimum throat extends a predetermined radial distance from the root, thereby forming a converging-diverging flow passageway between nozzle partitions. The trailing edge of the nozzle partitions are disposed to include axial and tangential lean with respect to the rotor. Buckets include a plurality of covers respectively connecting the tips and having a single outward radially extending sealing rib on the radially outer surface of each cover, wherein each rib is tangentially aligned with respective adjacent ribs. Buckets are overtwisted to compensate for untwist at operational speed to achieve optimum efficiency. Buckets are circumferentially spaced to provide a converging-diverging channel therebetween and include lashing for providing mechanical coupling at operational speed.

Stage for a steam turbine

Growing community of inventors

Ballston Spa, NY, United States of America

William James Sumner