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:
Feb. 03, 2004
Filed:
Oct. 17, 2000
Robert Russell Mayer, Schenectady, NY (US);
Bharat Sampathkumaran Bagepalli, Niskayuna, NY (US);
Mahmut Faruk Aksit, Troy, NY (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
A seal is provided around a shaft extending through a cavity in a hydrogen cooled generator. The seal includes a plurality of brush seal structures adapted to reduce flow to/from the cavity to a level where the risk of creating an explosive mixture of gases is minimized. In an embodiment of the invention, a series of brush seals are provided to interface with the rotary shaft so as to define a seal for minimizing the flow of hydrogen out of the cavity. In one preferred embodiment, the seal is composed of first and second brush seal assemblies, each of which is comprised of a plurality of brush seal structures. In another embodiment, spring(s) are provided to urge the brush seal structures into sealing engagement with the rotor. If deemed necessary or desirable, a vent outlet is provided in a cavity wall remote from the hydrogen atmosphere, to remove hydrogen that has leaked through the brush seals.