Patents by Inventor Kazuo Uematsu

Kazuo Uematsu has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6367242
    Abstract: In a recovery type steam cooled gas turbine, dew condensation is prevented when feeding steam in a starting operation of the gas turbine, and penetration of high temperature combustion gas into a steam cooling passage is prevented. Also, residual steam is removed in the stopping operation of the gas turbine. The gas turbine (1) has moving and stationary blade steam cooling passages (4a, 4b). The steam from steam cooling pipes (9, 10) flows through these passages to cool them. The steam after cooling is recovered. In the starting operation of the gas turbine, air from a compressor (2) flows through a valve (15) and a flow rate regulator (7). Also, a portion of the air is subjected to a temperature adjustment in a temperature adjuster (5) and flows through three-way valves (11, 12) to a steam cooling passage (4a, 4b) to be discharged through three-way valves (13, 14) and a flow rate regulator valve (8) to warm the passages (4a, 4b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uematsu, Katsunori Tanaka, Kazuharu Hirokawa
  • Publication number: 20020037216
    Abstract: A shaft structure of a rotor tail end of a gas turbine in which a steam passage for supplying and recovering a steam for cooling rotor blades of the gas turbine extends along a center axis of the rotor assembly of the gas turbine is provided, wherein a center hole of the rotor tail end coaxial to the center axis of the steam passage is formed in the rotor tail end. Provision is also made of a thermal sleeve between the steam passage and the inner surface of the center hole of the rotor tail end, so that a thermal insulation gas layer is formed between the inner surface of the center hole of the rotor tail end and the thermal sleeve. The thermal insulation gas layer is isolated gas-tightly and liquid-tightly from the outside.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Publication date: March 28, 2002
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takeaki Oya, Kazuharu Hirokawa, Tadateru Tanioka, Tanehiro Shinohara, Katsunori Tanaka, Kazuo Uematsu
  • Patent number: 6315518
    Abstract: In a stationary blade of a gas turbine, the pressure resisting strength can be decreased by using low-pressure cooling air, and effective cooling can be performed by means of a simple construction. An inside shroud 1 and an outside shroud 2 are cooled by cooling air passing through an impingement plate. A trailing edge portion of a blade portion 6, which is thin in shape, is cooled by cooling air flowing in an air passage 10. Part of this air is discharged through a hole 12 on the side of the inside shroud 1 as inside seal air for a combustion gas passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uematsu, Kiyoshi Suenaga
  • Publication number: 20010023580
    Abstract: Provided is turbine plant using methanol as fuel in which working fluid is compressed by compressor 1 and led into combustor 2. A mixture of H2 and CO2 as fuel added with O2 is burned to generate high temperature gas, which works at high temperature turbine 3, flows through heat exchangers 4, 5 and returns partly to the compressor 1 and enters partly low pressure turbine 7 of bottoming system to work. Condensed water from condenser 9 of the bottoming system is pressurized by pressure pump 10 and flows through the heat exchangers 4, 5 to become high temperature steam and to work at high pressure turbine 6. Exhaust gas thereof is mixed into the combustor 2. A mixture of methanol and water is supplied into reformer 13 to absorb heat from the heat exchanger 4 to be reformed into H2 and CO2, which is supplied into the combustor 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Publication date: September 27, 2001
    Inventors: Hideaki Sugishita, Hidetaka Mori, Ichiro Fukue, Kazuo Uematsu
  • Patent number: 6282883
    Abstract: Easy plant starting is provided in a hydrogen burning turbine plant for burning hydrogen and oxygen to generate high temperature steam for driving a turbine. There is constructed a semi-closed cycle such that low temperature steam from compressor 1 enters combustion chamber 2, hydrogen and oxygen are burned in the combustion chamber 2 to become high temperature steam for driving turbine 3, and the steam provides exhaust heat at heat exchanger 4 and then returns to low pressure compressor 1-1. Steam from midway of the heat exchanger 4 enters low pressure turbine 6 for work therein, and is condensed to water. The water from condenser 7 is heated at heat exchangers 4-4, 4-3, 4-2 to become steam for driving high pressure turbine 5, and returns to the combustion chamber 2 through the heat exchanger 4. An a auxiliary boiler is provided at inlet side of the compressor 1, and the high temperature steam generated at the combustion chamber 2 at the starting time is diluted and supplied into the turbine 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uematsu, Takashi Sonoda
  • Patent number: 6260348
    Abstract: Provided is turbine plant using methanol as fuel in which working fluid is compressed by compressor 1 and led into combustor 2. A mixture of H2 and CO2 as fuel added with O2 is burned to generate high temperature gas, which works at high temperature turbine 3, flows through heat exchangers 4, 5 and returns partly to the compressor 1 and enters partly low pressure turbine 7 of bottoming system to work. Condensed water from condenser 9 of the bottoming system is pressurized by pressure pump 10 and flows through the heat exchangers 4, 5 to become high temperature steam and to work at high pressure turbine 6. Exhaust gas thereof is mixed into the combustor 2. A mixture of methanol and water is supplied into reformer 13 to absorb heat from the heat exchanger 4 to be reformed into H2 and CO2, which is supplied into the combustor 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Sugishita, Hidetaka Mori, Ichiro Fukue, Kazuo Uematsu
  • Patent number: 6257830
    Abstract: In a steam cooling system proposed heretofore, high-pressure steam is supplied into an internal space of a blade for effecting cooling thereof with the high-pressure steam to thereby recover heat energy. This system however suffers from problems concerning the strength of the blade and the like. The present invention solves these problems and provides a gas-turbine blade which does not suffer from problems concerning the strength thereof nor problems concerning the flow of high-pressure steam. To this end, a coolant flow passage is formed within the blade extending in the longitudinal direction of the blade, and reinforcing ribs which interconnects a dorsal wall and a ventral wall of the blade is disposed within the coolant flow passage so as to extend in the flow direction of the coolant. Hence, the strength of the blade can be ensured without any obstacle to the flow of the coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Matsuura, Kiyoshi Suenaga, Sunao Aoki, Kazuo Uematsu, Hiroki Fukuno, Yasuoki Tomita
  • Patent number: 6244039
    Abstract: A combined cycle plant includes a heat exchanger (3) for recovering heat into compressed air or gas turbine fuel to be supplied into gas turbine (01). The plant is arranged such that steam is used as high temperature side working medium of the heat exchanger (3). Thus, the heating medium supply passage can be made of ordinary steam piping and piping cost is reduced. Also, gas turbine exhaust gas is led directly into a waste heat recovery boiler (02), so that gas turbine efficiency and combined efficiency can be enhanced and plant manufacturing cost is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Sugishita, Yoshiaki Tsukuda, Kazuo Uematsu, Eiji Akita
  • Patent number: 6212873
    Abstract: The invention provides a gas turbine combined cycle structured such that an intermediate cooling device for cooling a compression air discharged from a low pressure compressor, so as to reduce a load of a high pressure compressor, is provided. The gas turbine combined cycle in accordance with the invention is structured such as to branch water from a condenser to a steam generating device for generating steam. Exhaust gas discharged from a steam turbine is condensed to water. Compression air discharged from a low pressure compressor is cooled by being supplied to an intermediate cooling device, and is then supplied to a high pressure compressor. Steam which heats and operates the steam turbine is generated by the heat recovered by the cooling of the compression air in the intermediate cooling device. Accordingly, there can be obtained a gas turbine combined cycle having the advantage of the conventional intermediate cooling type gas turbine combined cycle, but exhibiting an improved combined efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Sugishita, Hidetaka Mori, Yoshiaki Tsukuda, Kazuo Uematsu, Eiji Akita
  • Patent number: 6205762
    Abstract: A combined cycle power plant includes a combination of a gas turbine plant and steam turbine plant. The gas turbine cooling steam temperature is adjusted appropriately so that the gas turbine can be made of easily obtainable material. Steam supplied from the intermediate pressure evaporator is mixed into the cooling steam supply passage for supplying therethrough exhaust steam from the high pressure steam turbine into the gas turbine high temperature portion as cooling steam. Thus, cooling steam temperature is lowered without lowering of the entire efficiency, and material of less heat resistant ability becomes usable as material forming the gas turbine high temperature portion to be cooled. Thus, design and manufacture of the gas turbine may be satisfied by less expensive and easily obtainable material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uematsu, Kazuharu Hirokawa, Hidetaka Mori, Hideaki Sugishita
  • Patent number: 6189892
    Abstract: A high differential pressure type end rotor seal that is applicable to a steam cooled type gas turbine with the aim to reduce steam leakage to a minimum without being affected by deviation of fins due to thermal elongation. An end rotor rotational seal of a double strip seal type is structured such that fins (3,5) on a stator side (1) and fins (4,6) on a rotor side (2) are arranged in a confronting arrangement and an alternating arrangement. A fin-to-fin pitch (P) is set in a range of 2 to 6 mm and a clearance (C) between apexes of the fins is set in a range of 0.3 to 1.0 mm, thereby a high differential pressure type rotational seal is obtained having minimum steam leakage without being affected by deviation of fins due to thermal elongation between the stator side and the rotor side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uematsu, Rintaro Chikami, Kazuharu Hirokawa
  • Patent number: 6186740
    Abstract: In a gas turbine cooling blade, cooling passages are defined by ribs formed therein. The cooling blade comprises an insert fitted in one of the cooling passages at the front edge of the blade, a plurality of nozzles formed in the front face of the insert and used to spray an impact jet of a refrigerant against the inner surface of the front edge of the blade, thereby cooling the inner surface, and a passage formed between the rear face of the insert and the rib and communicating with a rear-side flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichiro Takeishi, Kiyoshi Suenaga, Kazuo Uematsu
  • Patent number: 6120245
    Abstract: A cooling structure around the output shaft of an L-shaped vertical gas turbine, for cooling the output shaft effectively by a natural ventilation. A gas generator 5 is arranged horizontally whereas an output turbine 1 is arranged vertically, and a pump or the like is driven by an output shaft 3. A cylinder 20 is fitted in a space 12 between the output shaft 3 and a cylindrical casing 13 and is fixed at a cylindrical flange 20a. Cooling air 30 is caused to flow upward from between the cylinder 20 and the output shaft 3 by the ejector effect of an exhaust gas from below a baseplate 8 and by the vacuum in the casing and then to flow downward from the upper end of the cylinder 20 between the cylinder 20 and the cylindrical casing 13, so that it flows out from the lower portion into the package. The output shaft of the L-shaped vertical type gas turbine having a compact narrow space is effectively cooled therearound by the natural ventilation without providing any fan or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uematsu, Masahiro Masuda, Seiji Maeda
  • Patent number: 6098398
    Abstract: In a hydrogen combustion turbine plant employing a topping bleed cycle, a low temperature hydrogen combustion turbine bleeds part of exhaust from a third turbine to cool a first turbine, thereby achieving a high efficiency in a desired temperature range while curtailing a cost increase without involving the addition of accessory instruments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uematsu, Hidetaka Mori, Hideaki Sugishita, Herbert Jericha
  • Patent number: 6089012
    Abstract: A steam cooled gas turbine system in a combined power plant, constituted such that gas turbine blade cooling steam and combustor tail pipe cooling steam are bled from an outlet of a high pressure turbine, passed through a fuel heater for heat exchange with fuel, sprayed with water to be cooled to predetermined temperatures, and then supplied to cooling areas, whereby the cooling steam supply temperatures can be maintained at predetermined values during partial load operation as well as rated operating to achieve effective cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Hideaki Sugishita, Sunao Aoki, Hidetaka Mori, Kazuo Uematsu, Kazuharu Hirokawa
  • Patent number: 6079946
    Abstract: In the cooling system for the gas turbine blade, the apparatus of the present disclosure ensures cooling of the trailing edge part of the blade for which machining is difficult, while aiming at improvement of the thermal efficiency. The steam cooling structure for carrying out heat recovery-type steam cooling is employed to the leading edge part and the central part of the blade where machining is easy because of its large thickness, and the convection cooling end film cooling are employed for the trailing edge part of the blade where the thickness is small, using steam cooling and air cooling at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Suenaga, Sunao Aoki, Kazuo Uematsu
  • Patent number: 6065931
    Abstract: A gas turbine moving blade, which has a blade root section, a wing section, and a platform section, comprises a refrigerant supply port provided in the blade root section, a refrigerant recovery port provided in the blade root section, a serpentine passage provided in the wing section and communicating with the refrigerant supply port and the refrigerant recovery port, and a convection-cooling passage provided in the platform section and allowing sealing air and a refrigerant for cooling the platform section by convection to pass therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Suenaga, Yoshikuni Kasai, Kazuo Uematsu
  • Patent number: 6019573
    Abstract: In a steam cooled type gas turbine, taking the effect of efficiency and power output into consideration, a rear stage is sufficiently cooled by air in place of cooling all of the stages by steam. In a rotor of the gas turbine having a steam cooled moving blade, a moving blade disposed in a front stage is cooled by steam, and a moving blade disposed at the rear stage is cooled by cooling air through a stationary blade disposed in front of the moving blade at the rear stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uematsu, Kiyoshi Suenaga
  • Patent number: 6007299
    Abstract: In a recovery type steam-cooled gas turbine, a steam passage leading to a moving blade is provided on a central side of a rotor for reducing leakage of the steam. Cooling steam 70 of a low temperature and high pressure is led into moving blades 1, 2 through supply side steam passages 12, 13 and steam passages 15, 16. After being used for cooling, it flows into a cavity 22 through steam passages 16, 17 to be recovered as recovery steam 71 of a high temperature and low pressure at a rotor end 20 through recovery side steam passages 19, 21. The cooling steam 70 of low temperature and high pressure passes on an inner side of the recovery steam 71 in the rotor, hence there are fewer places from where the high pressure steam leaks outside as compared with the prior art, in which the high pressure steam is supplied from the outer side in the rotor, and the leakage amount of steam is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuo Uematsu
  • Patent number: 5988890
    Abstract: A rotor shaft that is supported by a deep groove ball bearing a radial load and a unidirectional thrust load, and by a cylindrical roller bearing for bearing a radial load. Also, a pretension applying means is provided for applying a pretension to the rotor shaft in the same direction as the thrust load which is borne by the deep groove ball bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uematsu, Tadao Yashiki, Kouichi Akagi