Abstract: A dynamoelectric machine including a stator core mounted on keybars. The keybars are in turn supported on spring bars which are fastened to the frame of the machine. The mounting arrangement permits relative movement between the core and the frame and between the keybars and the adjacent spring bars so as to minimize transmission of vibration from the core to the frame. The core is cooled by causing gas under pressure to be forced radially inwardly through first passages in the stator core and radially outwardly through second passages in the core, these first and second passages alternating along the length of the stator. In order to prevent leakage of cooling gas between the inflowing gas stream and the outflowing gas stream which would otherwise reduce the amount of cooling gas flowing through the aforementioned stator core passages, a plurality of baffles are positioned on the spring bars in regions where such leakage might otherwise occur.

Abstract: The useful life of a turbomachine part is affected by cyclic stresses which occur in the turbomachine part as a result of heating and cooling the turbomachine part. Each thermal cycle is comprised of a maximum heating stress and a maximum cooling stress which may occur during turbomachine start-up, load changes, shut-downs, or boiler excursions. The maximum heating stress and the maximum cooling stress for each cycle may be combined to define a stress range. The actual stress range for each cycle is compared with a calculated stress range curve for the turbomachine part to determine the amount of life expended during the cycle for the turbomachine part. This value may be expressed as a percent of life expended for the cycle. The life expended for each cycle is accumulated to provide an output indicative of the total percent life expended for the turbomachine part according to its operating history.

Abstract: A shut-off valve may control the flow of high-pressure fluid in an on or off manner. The valve includes a valve housing having an axial bore therethrough with a valve member slidable therein. The valve member is formed with a hemispherical poppet which, in one position, is seated between a valve inlet port and a valve outlet port. The valve member is floatably mounted within the axial bore so as to render the hemispherical poppet self-aligning with respect to the valve seat. The valve is remotely actuated by a valve actuating fluid.

Abstract: Steam turbine hydraulic control system utilizing hydraulic fluid more dense than water accumulates any moisture present as vapor over the fluid reservoir. A detector for such moisture vapor which indicates unacceptable moisture admixed with the hydraulic fluid is connected in gas flow relationship with fluid reservoir at a level above the fluid level. A detector element, preferably a polished ferrous metal plate which readily rusts in the presence of water vapor, is maintained in a detector chamber having transparent portions, allowing for visual inspection to detect rusting and, hence, the presence of moisture in the hydraulic fluid.

Abstract: A reverse flow cooled dynamoelectric machine is provided with guide vanes and a guide vane mounting assembly comprising means for mounting and positioning the guide vanes, and means for directing the flow of cooling gas from the fan to the cooler. A fan nozzle ring is attached to the machine stator. An outer vane support ring is fixed to the fan nozzle ring and is provided with a circumferentially extending dovetail recess along its inner face. An inner vane support ring is spaced radially inwardly from the outer support ring and is also provided with a dovetail recess along its inner face. A plurality of guide vanes having inner and outer dovetail end portions mating with the dovetail recesses of the inner and outer support rings are held in place by the support rings. An annular rub strip is disposed adjacent to the outer support ring and is fixed to the fan nozzle ring. The rub strip includes a serrated inner face which, with the tips of the fan blades, produces a seal.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a valve operator which may be used for controlling an inlet valve to a steam turbine. The valve operator has a trip position for rapidly closing the steam inlet valve and a reset position whereby the position of the steam inlet valve may be hydraulically controlled. The valve operator includes a manual operator and a remote powered operator. A trip relay and a reset pilot are fluidly interconnected so that the valve operator must be reset after each trip. The valve operator also includes a valve position feedback mechanism.

Abstract: A reactor core includes a plurality of laminations of trapezoidal shape forming the legs of the core. These legs are arranged in generally rectangular configuration with air gaps provided at the corners of the core. These air gaps extend diagonally of the core legs and are formed between the inclined faces of adjacent ends of the trapezoidal-shaped core legs. End plates each having a longitudinal section extending parallel to and fixed to one of the legs and having flanges at each end of the longitudinal section extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal section are provided for maintaining the legs of the core in assembled relation and for effecting adjustment of the air gaps. The end plates include elongated openings in the flanges thereof for permitting movement of each of the end plates, and the leg to which it is affixed, relative to the remainder of the core for varying the size of the diagonal air gaps.

Abstract: An improved apparatus is provided to cool the flux shields of dynamoelectric machines. In one embodiment of this invention, cooling fins are attached to a flux shield at localized areas of heating of the flux shield referred to as hot spots to reduce the temperatures there to acceptable levels. These fins may be provided with a tapered portion which minimizes the fluid losses associated with the flow of cooling gas over the fins. In another embodiment of the present invention, an annular rim, bored to provide cooling gas passages therethrough, is fixed to the flux shield along an inner portion thereof, to effect the transfer of heat from the flux shield to a flow of the cooling gas through the passages. Finally, in a third embodiment of the present invention, an electrically non-conducting annular baffle is disposed around the flux shield adjacent an inner surface thereof to direct a flow of cooling gas across the inner surface of the flux shield thereby cooling the same.

Abstract: In a prime mover control system, control over the prime mover is dependent, in part, upon the validity of a reference signal to the control system. Circuitry is provided between a reference signal generator and the control system whereby under normal conditions the reference signal to the control system is the same as the output of the reference signal generator. However, if the reference signal generator output becomes invalid, then a stored reference signal may be substituted for the reference signal generator output by switching from a first signal channel to an alternate second signal channel, each channel selectably interconnecting the reference signal generator and the control system.

Abstract: A butterfly valve comprises a valve disc mounted on and rotatable with a shaft disposed across the inner diameter of a cylindrical valve casing, said shaft being rotatably supported at each end by a bearing within the valve casing. Fluid flow through the valve casing is controlled by rotating the valve disc from a fully open position through a fully closed position. A shaft seal and bearing is disclosed which prevents leakage of the controlled fluid out of the valve casing axially along the valve disc shaft even under conditions of shaft flexure. Moreover, the shaft seals adjust to the shaft flexure to obviate binding between the shaft and shaft seals.

Abstract: A combined stop and intercept valve is provided for controlling steam flow from a high-pressure steam turbine to a low-pressure steam turbine and comprises a substantially cylindrical casing having two identical butterfly discs fixed to rotatable shafts and disposed within the casing one immediately downstream of the other. Under normal operating conditions, both the stop (upstream) and intercept (downstream) valves are opened providing a relatively unrestricted passage for the flow of steam. During a turbine overspeed condition when the turbine speed reaches 103% of rated speed, the intercept valve closes substantially all the way. The stop valve backs up the intercept valve. Should the turbine speed reach 108% of rated speed, the stop valve closes completely shutting off the flow of steam to the low-pressure turbine. When opened, the discs partially overlie each other so that any wakes in the steam flow produced by the stop disc will not cause the intercept disc to flutter.

Abstract: An improved moisture separator suitable for a nuclear steam turbine-generator power plant is disclosed. The separator is of the type having wiggle plate or inertial-type moisture separator elements aranged in axially disposed banks within a generally horizontal, cylindrical vessel, sealed at both ends. Wet steam inlets are provided below the horizontal axis of the vessel and dry steam outlets are placed above the axis. Impingement baffles are provided for each steam inlet; these baffles are disposed between the wet steam inlets and the moisture separator elements. An axially extending trough is provided for directing condensate from the moisture separator elements to a hotwell. The trough is substantially enclosed to provide a sheltered collection area for the condensate and prevent the reentrainment of condensate in the steam flowing through the separator.

Abstract: In an off-gas recombiner for a nuclear power plant, a preheater, catalyst bed and condenser are arranged in close proximity to each other within an outer shell. Fluid communication between these components is provided by passages of short length and large cross sectional area defined by the outer shell, a semicylindrical vessel liner and a duct or transition piece. In operation, off-gas from a main power plant condenser mixed with dilution steam enters the recombiner vessel, is heated by the preheater, passed through the catalyst bed where free oxygen and hydrogen are recombined into water vapor, and cooled by the condenser where the water vapor is condensed to a liquid. The liquid is returned to the power plant feed water stream while the remaining non-condensable gases are fed to other treatment apparatus. The outer shell is insulated from the heated gases by the stream of inlet off-gas flowing through a passage defined by the outer shell and the vessel liner.

Abstract: A vibration detection probe holder for use in measuring the vibration of a shaft employed in rotating machinery such as turbines or generators comprises a stationary probe housing fixed to a bearing bracket or other suitable stationary member. Upon initial assembly, the housing is accurately positioned in close proximity to the shaft. This probe housing is provided with stop means which determine the exact location of a vibration detection probe when such a probe is inserted in the housing, thereby obviating any risk of contacting the rotating shaft with the probe should such an insertion be required while the shaft is rotating. The stop means also ensure that any replacement probe will be located the same distance from the rotating shaft as the probe initially provided in the holder thereby ensuring continuing accurate readings obtained from any such replacement probes.

Abstract: An axial flow turbine incorporating an exhaust hood for receiving exhaust steam from the turbine and directing this exhaust steam through a discharge opening in the hood in a direction essentially normal to the axis of the turbine is disclosed. The exhaust hood includes a first set of guide vanes arranged in an exhaust duct connected to the turbine adjacent the last stage buckets thereof. These vanes are curved to provide a relatively smooth transition of steam flow from an axial direction to a generally radial direction. A guide ring circumferentially surrounds the first set of guide vanes and a plurality of secondary vanes are circumferentially spaced around this guide ring. Steam which is discharged radially from the first set of vanes to the secondary vanes is directed by the secondary vanes to the discharge opening of the exhaust hood.

Abstract: A capacitance displacement type measuring probe for measuring the vibration of a dynamoelectric machine including a dynamoelectric machine with helical grooves in its collector ring is disclosed. The probe measures the vibration of the dynamoelectric machine by measuring the change in capacitance of a capacitor established by the probe and the collector ring. The probe has a parallelogram sensing face which includes a sensing electrode having a parallelogrammed sensing surface whose axial length is of a predetermined dimension to coact with the parameters of the collector ring. The axial length of the sensing surface is formed such that the sensing surface scans a constant total high and total low area on the collector as the collector rotates. To measure vibration the probe is deployed at a fixed point in space with its parallelogrammed sensing face in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the rotating member to form a capacitor.

Abstract: A dynamoelectric machine load package has an acoustically isolated enclosure for reducing the amount of structure-borne and air-borne vibration and noise reaching the surrounding environment. Bearing pedestals for supporting a rotating shaft of a rotating field winding of a dynamoelectric machine and a reduction gear for driving the rotating shaft are firmly mounted on a load package base which is firmly attached to a foundation. The enclosure and a stationary armature of the dynamoelectric machine are independently resiliently mounted on the load package base. The enclosure is free to vibrate independently of the load package so that vibrations are not directly transmitted from the load package to the enclosure and are not directly transmitted from the enclosure to the load package base. Acoustic damping material is applied to interior walls of the enclosure.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for applying controlled electromagnetic force to a test specimen such as a turbine bucket to induce vibration in the specimen. The force is applied by means of an electromagnetic field produced by an electromagnet. A controlled power source supplies current to the electromagnet to maintain the applied force at a predetermined magnitude over a predetermined range of frequencies. A comparator controls the power source in response to a sensor signal representative of the frequency and magnitude of the face actually applied so as to maintain at a minimum the difference between this signal and a reference signal representative of a desired frequency and magnitude. Tuning means are provided to nullify capacitive reactance of the electromagnet which would otherwise tend to limit the current supplied by the power source as frequency is increased.

Abstract: A testable protective system for an operating system is provided with redundant trip components serially connected to redundant lock-out components. The trip components are signalled by fault sensors which monitor critical conditions of the operating system. These trip components produce an output indicative of such conditions, which output is fed to certain actuated devices which may either correct the condition or shut down the operating system until the cause of the problem can be determined and the necessary repairs made. When it is desired to test one of these trip components, the operator activates the corresponding lock-out component and performs the necessary test. The activation of this lock-out component has an effect of making the protective system output signal (the output to the actuated devices to correct the fault or shut the system down) independent of the output of that trip component when it is being tested.

Abstract: According to the invention electrically conductive paths are provided between the coil armor and the core laminations of dynamoelectric machines by placing a semiconducting elastomeric material between the coil sides and the walls of the core slots. The elastomeric material is of a type which has a controlled resistance and will deform sufficiently under pressure to flow into the irregularities between the coil side and the slot walls, and in so doing provide conductive paths for electric charge to flow from the armor to the core laminations. This material must be capable of retaining its strength, elasticity, conductivity, etc., and remaining in place between the coils and core under vibration, coolant flow, electric stresses, repeated temperature changes, etc., for the operating life of the machine. Preferably, these paths will be heat conductors as well.