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:
May. 15, 2012
Filed:
Jan. 08, 2009
Mark W. Flanagan, Greenville, SC (US);
Mark W. Flanagan, Greenville, SC (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
A turbine power generation system, comprising a stator including a shroud and a rotor rotatably situated within the shroud, wherein the shroud is structured such that the inner diameter of the inner surface of the shroud reduces when the inner surface is exposed to a thermal load. The reduction of the inner diameter allows a minimum blade-casing clearance to be achieved during steady-state operation instead of during transient operations. Blade-casing clearance is configured to be greatest at when the engine is in a cold, stationary position. The clearance is further configured to decrease as thermal load increases until a steady-state, thermal equilibrium is achieved. The clearance grows during shutdown as the stator and rotor begin to cool.