Patents by Inventor Ralf Greim

Ralf Greim 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: 8221065
    Abstract: A blade of a turbomachine, especially of a steam turbine, is characterized in that the chord length (sm) in the middle region of the blade airfoil is shorter than the chord lengths (s0, S1) in the tip-side region or root-side region of the blade airfoil. As a result of this, a distribution of a Zweifel parameter over the longitudinal extent of the blade airfoil is achieved which minimizes the losses of a blade cascade of the blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian, Ivan McBean, Simon-Pierre Monette
  • Patent number: 8167548
    Abstract: A steam turbine is provided having a rotor which rotates around a machine axis, and a stator which concentrically encompasses the rotor with clearance, between which an annular passage is formed which is exposed to throughflow by steam in the axial direction and in which a multiplicity of rotor blades, which are fastened on the rotor, and fixed stator blades are arranged in a plurality of stages, wherein the stator blades of the last stage have a sweep with a sweep angle which changes in sign over the relative blade height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Mourad Lakehel
  • Publication number: 20110164970
    Abstract: The invention relates to a stator blade (4) of a turbomachine, especially of a steam turbine, which has the following geometric features. A lean curvature, a swept curvature, a twist in the radial direction of the respective blade (4), a hub-side circumferential step (14) which in the direction of flow (15) falls away inwards and radially to the rotational axis (8) of the turbomachine, a chord length (s) of the blade which varies over the radial extent of the stator blade (4), and also a cross-sectional profile of the blade (4) which varies over the radial extent of the stator blade (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian, Mourad Lakehel, Carsten Mumm
  • Patent number: 7934904
    Abstract: A diffuser and exhaust system is provided for a turbine having an axial-radial diffuser and an exhaust hood including diffuser inner and outer flow guides that extend from an inlet to an outlet. The exhaust hood includes two throats or flow passages between the diffuser outlet and an exhaust hood side wall. The outer flow guide includes a recess, at one of the said two flow passages. The flow passage is positioned in relation to a point in the exhaust hood in the direction of the tangential flow velocity vector, where the point in the exhaust hood is farthest away from the exhaust hood outlet. The recess prevents a re-acceleration of the flow within the exhaust hood and affects an increase in the performance of the diffuser and exhaust hood system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Lale Demiraydin, Ralf Greim
  • Publication number: 20100284801
    Abstract: A blade (31) of a turbomachine, especially of a steam turbine, is characterized in that the chord length (sm) in the middle region of the blade airfoil (34) is shorter than the chord lengths (s0, s1) in the tip-side region (35) or root-side region (33) of the blade airfoil. As a result of this, a distribution of the Zweifel parameter over the longitudinal extent of the blade airfoil is achieved which minimizes the losses of a blade cascade of the proposed blades.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2008
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian, Ivan McBean, Simon-Pierre Monette
  • Patent number: 7740451
    Abstract: The blades of a turbomachine comprise airfoils, which are bent such that the lean angle (?), defined as the angle which the stacking line of the airfoil includes with the radial direction, and measured in the direction of rotation (?), is variable along the width of the flow channel and decreases from the hub towards the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian, Ivan William McBean
  • Patent number: 7670109
    Abstract: A turbine (100) of a turbine installation, especially a steam turbine of a steam turbine installation, includes at least one radial or diagonal turbine stage (120) with radial or diagonal inflow and axial outflow, and also at least one axial turbine stage (121-125) with axial inflow and axial outflow. The at least one radial or diagonal turbine stage (120) forms the first stage of the turbine (100) and the at least one axial turbine stage (121-125) is arranged downstream of the radial or diagonal turbine stage (121) as an additional stage of the turbine. The at least one radial or diagonal turbine stage (120) has a higher temperature resistance than the at least one axial turbine stage (121-125). The turbine (100) makes it possible to significantly increase the process temperature of the steam turbine installation, wherein measures for increasing the temperature resistance need only to be adopted for components of the radial or diagonal turbine stage (120).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian
  • Publication number: 20090263241
    Abstract: A diffuser and exhaust system is provided for a turbine having an axial-radial diffuser and an exhaust hood including diffuser inner and outer flow guides that extend from an inlet to an outlet. The exhaust hood includes two throats or flow passages between the diffuser outlet and an exhaust hood side wall. The outer flow guide includes a recess, at one of the said two flow passages. The flow passage is positioned in relation to a point in the exhaust hood in the direction of the tangential flow velocity vector, where the point in the exhaust hood is farthest away from the exhaust hood outlet. The recess prevents a re-acceleration of the flow within the exhaust hood and affects an increase in the performance of the diffuser and exhaust hood system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2009
    Publication date: October 22, 2009
    Applicant: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD
    Inventors: Lale DEMIRAYDIN, Ralf Greim
  • Publication number: 20090257866
    Abstract: The invention relates to a stator blade (4) of a turbomachine, especially of a steam turbine, which has the following geometric features. A lean curvature, a swept curvature, a twist in the radial direction of the respective blade (4), a hub-side circumferential step (14) which in the direction of flow (15) falls away inwards and radially to the rotational axis (8) of the turbomachine, a chord length (s) of the blade which varies over the radial extent of the stator blade (4), and also a cross-sectional profile of the blade (4) which varies over the radial extent of the stator blade (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Applicant: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian, Mourad Lakehel, Carsten Mumm
  • Publication number: 20090123276
    Abstract: A steam turbine is provided having a rotor which rotates around a machine axis, and a stator which concentrically encompasses the rotor with clearance, between which an annular passage is formed which is exposed to throughflow by steam in the axial direction and in which a multiplicity of rotor blades, which are fastened on the rotor, and fixed stator blades are arranged in a plurality of stages, wherein the stator blades of the last stage have a sweep with a sweep angle which changes in sign over the relative blade height.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD
    Inventors: Ralf GREIM, Mourad LAKEHEL
  • Publication number: 20090031726
    Abstract: A steam turbine installation (1), especially for electricity generation, includes a steam path (2) in which a steam generator (4) and a steam turbine (3) are arranged. In order to reduce the risk of erosion for components which are arranged in the steam path (2), for example blades of the steam turbine (3), an inertial separator (6) is arranged in the steam path (2) between the steam generator (4) and the steam turbine (3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Timothy Stephen Rice
  • Publication number: 20080213091
    Abstract: A steam turbine (10), especially in the form of a double-flow low-pressure steam turbine, includes a rotor (11) which is rotatably mounted around an axis (21) and which is concentrically enclosed with a spacing by an inner casing (13), forming annular steam passages (28, 29), and which has a multiplicity of rotor blades (12) which project into the steam passages (28, 29), wherein the inner casing (13) supports a multiplicity of stator blades (12) which project into the steam passages (28, 29) and which, for feeding steam to the steam passages (28, 29), has an inlet duct (15) which is directed around the axis (21) and tapers in the flow cross section. With such a steam turbine, the production is simplified by the inner casing (13) being formed as a welded construction, in which blade carriers (14), which delimit the steam passages (28, 29) and are produced as cast parts, are welded to additional forged or rolled steel elements (20) for fastening the stator blades (12?).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Inventors: Heinrich Lageder, Lucjan Lukasik, Ralf Greim, Thomas Schreier, Michael Fischer
  • Publication number: 20080152501
    Abstract: The blades of a turbomachine comprise airfoils, which are bent such that the lean angle (?), defined as the angle which the stacking line of the airfoil includes with the radial direction, and measured in the direction of rotation (?), is variable along the width of the flow channel and decreases from the hub towards the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD.
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian, Ivan William McBean
  • Patent number: 7320574
    Abstract: A turbomachine has, on its inner casing (5) and on its shaft, recesses into which shrouds of rotor blades and/or of guide vanes (2a) protrude. The recesses are configured with wave-shaped contouring arrangements (10), which extend over their periphery. The contouring (10) extends over axially extending regions of the recess and consists of periodic elevations and depressions (14, 15) in the radial direction. They can also be effected on the radially extending regions of the recess and on the shrouds. The undulation-shaped contouring arrangements are used to counteract existing pressure fields and to reduce performance losses due to mixing processes between the leakage flow and the main flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian, Axel Pfau
  • Publication number: 20070207032
    Abstract: A turbine (100) of a turbine installation, especially a steam turbine of a steam turbine installation, includes at least one radial or diagonal turbine stage (120) with radial or diagonal inflow and axial outflow, and also at least one axial turbine stage (121-125) with axial inflow and axial outflow. The at least one radial or diagonal turbine stage (120) forms the first stage of the turbine (100) and the at least one axial turbine stage (121-125) is arranged downstream of the radial or diagonal turbine stage (121) as an additional stage of the turbine. The at least one radial or diagonal turbine stage (120) has a higher temperature resistance than the at least one axial turbine stage (121-125). The turbine (100) makes it possible to significantly increase the process temperature of the steam turbine installation, wherein measures for increasing the temperature resistance need only to be adopted for components of the radial or diagonal turbine stage (120).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2007
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian
  • Publication number: 20050100439
    Abstract: A turbomachine has, on its inner casing (5) and on its shaft, recesses into which shrouds of rotor blades and/or of guide vanes (2a) protrude. The recesses are configured with wave-shaped contouring arrangements (10), which extend over their periphery. The contouring (10) extends over axially extending regions of the recess and consists of periodic elevations and depressions (14, 15) in the radial direction. They can also be effected on the radially extending regions of the recess and on the shrouds. The undulation-shaped contouring arrangements are used to counteract existing pressure fields and to reduce performance losses due to mixing processes between the leakage flow and the main flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Publication date: May 12, 2005
    Applicant: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian, Axel Pfau
  • Patent number: 6270315
    Abstract: To reduce the number of stages of a turbine and, associated therewith, the overall length and the costs, blading having high stage-specific enthalpy transfer is to be used. In this case, the disadvantages of conventional highly loaded blading, such as increased secondary flow losses due to blades of large chord length and comparatively small height and the design of the turbine in the complicated chamber type of construction, are to be avoided. Resulting from these requirements is a highly loaded slim blade type of construction having considerable deflection. A turbine having blading according to the invention is characterized by a loading parameter RBL, which in the HRBL blading according to the invention, in contrast to conventional types of construction, is greater than 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG
    Inventors: Ralf Greim, Said Havakechian, Harald Romer, Peter Szincsak