The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 22, 1999
Filed:
Apr. 17, 1997
James S Smith, Old Lyme, CT (US);
Glenn N Levasseur, Colchester, CT (US);
John H Chapman, Groton, CT (US);
Daniel J Link, No. Stonington, CT (US);
Kevin M Didona, East Lyme, CT (US);
Electric Boat Corporation, Groton, CT (US);
Abstract
A turbine air sealing and condenser air removal system for use in steam plant equipment is arranged to increase steam plant efficiency, reduce oxygen concentration in condensate being returned to the steam generators, and simplify system arrangement and maintenance. This system incorporates dry running shaft seals at the high and low pressure turbine shaft glands. The turbine shaft glands are exhausted to a vacuum header which is exhausted by vacuum pumps. Air from the condenser is also exhausted to the common vacuum header. Non-rotating air seals on the turbine such as valve stem seals, which must only accommodate linear movement, can incorporate metallic bellows or conventional packings to prevent air leakage into the steam path or steam leakage out into the surrounding environment. The bellows seals may also incorporate stem glands which are exhausted to the turbine exhaust trunk to minimize the internal pressure of the bellows and prevent catastrophic failure which might occur if the bellows were to be pressurized with high pressure steam.