Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention include turbine blades and systems employing such blades. Various particular embodiments include a turbine blade having: an airfoil having: a suction side; a pressure side opposing the suction side; a leading edge spanning between the pressure side and the suction side; and a trailing edge opposing the leading edge and spanning between the pressure side and the suction side, wherein the trailing edge defines a radial throat distribution between the airfoil and an adjacent airfoil; and a base connected with a first end of the airfoil along the suction side, pressure side, trailing edge and the leading edge.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention include turbine blades and systems employing such blades. Various particular embodiments include a turbine blade having: an airfoil having: a suction side; a pressure side opposing the suction side; a leading edge spanning between the pressure side and the suction side; and a trailing edge opposing the leading edge and spanning between the pressure side and the suction side, wherein the trailing edge defines a radial throat distribution between the airfoil and an adjacent airfoil; and a base connected with a first end of the airfoil along the suction side, pressure side, trailing edge and the leading edge.

Abstract: A method for enhancing one or more performance parameters of a gas turbine having at least one row of clocked airfoils may generally include choosing a first, a second and a third row of airfoils where the third row is clocked relative to the first row. An unsteady computational fluid dynamics model may be used to determine at least one wake parameter of a working fluid flowing from the second row of the airfoils to the third row of the airfoils. At least one design parameter of the airfoils of the second row may be modified, and the unsteady computational fluid dynamics model may then be used to determine the effect of the airfoil design parameter modification on the at least one wake parameter. The effect on the wake parameter may be compared to a predetermined target range.

Abstract: A method of clocking a turbine is disclosed in which the leading edge of clocked downstream airfoils are bathed by either a low total pressure wake, or a cooled low total temperature wake, or both, by reshaping at least the leading edge of an airfoil along the airfoils' span or radial distance. The improvement is due to the fact that gas turbine wakes tend to be non-linear, such that a straight clocked downstream airfoil will receive a benefit of low total temperature or pressure over a portion of its span, while a restacked airfoil receives a benefit over a greater portion of the airfoil span from turbine hub to casing.

Abstract: Clocking of downstream turbine airfoils can provide significant thermal and other performance benefits. The benefit from clocking the downstream airfoils is improved by skewing the airfoil wakes in the upstream turbine airfoils so that an increase in the amount of the radial spans of the clocked, downstream airfoils are impacted by the upstream wakes. This is achieved by skewing the upstream wakes using vortexing and restacking of the upstream airfoils so that the upstream wakes impact a mid-span portion of one clocked, downstream airfoil and two outer span portions of an adjacent clocked, downstream airfoil.

Abstract: A method for enhancing one or more performance parameters of a gas turbine having at least one row of clocked airfoils may generally include choosing a first, a second and a third row of airfoils where the third row is clocked relative to the first row. An unsteady computational fluid dynamics model may be used to determine at least one wake parameter of a working fluid flowing from the second row of the airfoils to the third row of the airfoils. At least one design parameter of the airfoils of the second row may be modified, and the unsteady computational fluid dynamics model may then be used to determine the effect of the airfoil design parameter modification on the at least one wake parameter. The effect on the wake parameter may be compared to a predetermined target range.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the removal of grease collected in a hydro-mechanical grease interceptor via a pump which may be activated by a programmable timer. In an embodiment, a hydro-mechanical grease interceptor includes a tank having a tank inlet and a tank outlet; a tray positioned inside the tank; and a pump located inside the tank, the pump having a pump inlet and a pump outlet, wherein the pump inlet is located within the tray at a level below the tank outlet. The interceptor may include a timer coupled to the pump to control operation of the pump.

Abstract: A boiler wall tube tool for clamping together for welding adjacent ends of boiler wall tube segments in a boiler wall having narrowly spaced apart tubes. The tool includes a base with a tube engaging recess, and a pair of clamp members that attach to the base. The base has cutouts and notches to facilitate a welder's observation of the welding process. Each of the pipe clamp members includes a parallel pair of guides that are insertable between adjacent tubes of a boiler wall and are attachable by nuts and bolts to opposite sides of the base. A header that joins the guides has a threaded bore. A saddle block mounted for sliding movement between the guides is attached by a swivel nut to a clamp screw that is mounted within the threaded bore. Each saddle block is recessed for engaging an exterior surface of one of two aligned tube segments.

Abstract: An intermetallic composite and method of making an intermetallic composite is disclosed comprising a porous titanate preform of the formula ?xTiyOz, where ? represents an element reduceable by molten aluminum to form an aluminate of the formula ?iAjOk. Adding aluminum and heating the preform sufficient to melt the aluminum results in formation of a post-combustion intermetallic composite comprising both titanium aluminide and 68 -aluminate.

Abstract: An interceptor for removing grease from an effluent stream containing grease and water may be queried remotely to check it status. An output signal indicative of the amount of grease is transmitted over a telephone line to a telephone or computer or other remote station, or wirelessly to a remote receiver. The status is preferably also indicated locally with visual and/or audible signals. The grease depth level sensor is preferably a capacitive level sensor operative to sense the amount of water in the body of effluent thereby to determine the amount of grease in the body of effluent. The interceptor may include electric circuitry for effecting manual or automatic calibration of the sensor. The sensor may be adapted to be retrofitted to an existing tank made from either metal or plastic.

Abstract: The present invention relates to apparatus for removing grease from an effluent stream containing grease and water. A separation tank defines a separation chamber. An effluent inlet connected with the separation tank permits flow of the effluent stream into the chamber to form a body of effluent in the separation chamber. A grease depth level sensor is used in determining the amount of grease in the body of effluent.

Abstract: An electronic directory and entry control system includes, in different embodiments, a scheme for cooling a liquid crystal display ("ILCD") and an interface for a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf ("TDD"). Because entry control systems are commonly installed outdoors under uncontrollable temperature conditions, and because LCDs are typically inoperable in high temperatures, a first embodiment of the present system utilizes a solid-state thermoelectric cooling device to maintain the LCD within a preferred temperature range. Further, because entry control systems typically rely on verbal communications between a visitor and a tenant in determining whether the visitor should be admitted, such systems are often of no use when hearing-impaired individuals visit. Accordingly, a second embodiment of the present system allows for TDD use in communication between hearing-impaired visitors and tenants.