Abstract: An intermediate-stage seal carrier for a high-pressure jet-engine turbine includes a supporting area for vane retainers, wherein the supporting area includes only one annular wall upstream of and abutting the vane retainers.

Abstract: A variable pitch aircraft propeller control uses a two-speed planetary gearbox between a turbine engine and an adjustable pitch propeller. For maximum efficiency, the rotation rate of the propeller is high at aircraft take-off to generate maximum static thrust. However, when at high altitude and at high speed, the propeller rotation rate is reduced to hold the vector sum of the aircraft forward speed and the propeller rotational tip speed at the speed that results in the highest efficiency for the propeller. The two-speed transmission supplies these two gear ratios. At takeoff and low altitude flight, a low gear ratio is used. At high altitude, a high gear ratio is used. The gear ratio maybe manually selected by the pilot, or automatically changed by the propeller controller to obtain the best combined efficiency for the engine and the propeller.

Abstract: One or more fan blades extend radially from a hub that is freely rotatable relative to a main drive shaft. The hub is coupled to the drive shaft so that, when the drive shaft is moved through an orbital path in a cyclical motion, the hub moves in a twirling action. As the hub twirls, a weighted distal end of the blade travels through an arcuate path to generate angular momentum sufficient to carry the blade through an uninterrupted rotational motion. The fan blade is structured and disposed to push a large volume of air as it rotates, thereby creating a steady current of airflow with minimal energy consumption.

Abstract: An offshore wind turbine is disclosed wherein the power transmission in the nacelle is cooled by means of a liquid conducted to the nacelle from the tower on which the nacelle is pivotally arranged around a vertical yawing axis. The liquid transfers heat to the seawater near the turbine which is used as a heat sink of low temperature and enormous heat capacity as compared to traditional air cooling. The liquid is conducted in a closed circuit and the cooling system may comprise more than one cooling circuit. The flow of cooling-liquid may be conducted between the tower and the nacelle through a heat transfer unit having a first part that is stationary with respect to the tower and a second part that is stationary with respect to the nacelle. The parts have at least one annular passageway for a liquid flow defined between abutting surfaces of the parts.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to improve the efficiency of a turbomachine blade provided with a reinforced hole for accommodating a damping element. To this end, the raised end faces (12, 13) of the marginal region (11), reinforced toward the hole (10), of the blade body (4) are formed with an acute angle (&agr;) open toward the leading edge (5) of the blade body (4) and/or with an acute angle (&bgr;) open toward the blade tip (9).

Abstract: A ceiling fan having a down rod assembly, a motor, fan blades, an upper body, a hub assembly, and a cage. The cage provides an open enclosure for protecting the motor. The hub includes a hub canister and a hub cover. A lighting kit includes a lighting fixture within the hub canister and a lighting cover that is interchangeable with the hub cover.

Abstract: A pumping system including a pump having an inlet and an outlet, an inlet conduit connected to the inlet of the pump for the inlet flow of fluid to the pump. A delivery conduit connected to the outlet of the pump for the outlet flow of fluid from the pump. A point of bleeding at least part of the outlet flow. A mechanism of increasing the velocity head of bleed fluid flow, and a mechanism to inject a flow responsive to the condition of bleed fluid flow into the inlet conduit whereby in operation the injected flow increases at least the velocity head of inlet flow of fluid to the pump.

Abstract: A thermal turbo machine is provided for the attachment of guide vanes on its stationary housing with guide vane carriers with a guide vane platform, from which braces extend towards a band that is suspended in a recess in the stationary housing. In particular, part of the axially adjoining heat shield segments form part of the guide vane platform, and the braces are arranged in a V shape. The braces and the guide vane platform furthermore include a first material, and the band of a second material, whereby the first material has a higher coefficient of expansion than the second material. The guide vane carrier according to the invention has the advantage that the radial blade clearance for the guide vanes and at the same time the radial blade clearance for the rotating blades is minimized for different operating conditions of the turbo machine.

Abstract: An airfoil, a method of manufacturing an airfoil, and a system for cooling an airfoil is provided. The cooling system can be used with an airfoil located in the first stages of a combustion turbine within a combined cycle power generation plant and involves flowing closed loop steam through a pin array set within an airfoil. The airfoil can comprise a cavity having a cooling chamber bounded by an interior wall and an exterior wall so that steam can enter the cavity, pass through the pin array, and then return to the cavity to thereby cool the airfoil. The method of manufacturing an airfoil can include a type of lost wax investment casting process in which a pin array is cast into an airfoil to form a cooling chamber.

Abstract: This centrifugal blower fan wheel has extruded-aluminum airfoil blades. The preferred blades have two hollow regions, separated by an angled mid-load support beam, inside the blade. The nose section of the blade (at the leading edge) and the tail section of the blade (at the trailing edge) have open semi-circular grooves which face the adjacent hollow sections and are designed to accept thread cutting or thread forming screws for attachment of the blade to a ring-shroud and back-plate.

Abstract: A plurality of arcuate circumferentially spaced supply and return manifold segments are arranged on the rim of a rotor for respectively receiving and distributing cooling steam through exit ports for distribution to first and second-stage buckets and receiving spent cooling steam from the first and second-stage buckets through inlet ports for transmission to axially extending return passages. Each of the supply and return manifold segments has a retention system for precluding substantial axial, radial and circumferential displacement relative to the rotor. The segments also include guide vanes for minimizing pressure losses in the supply and return of the cooling steam. The segments lie substantially equal distances from the centerline of the rotor and crossover tubes extend through each of the segments for communicating steam between the axially adjacent buckets of the first and second stages, respectively.

Abstract: A gas turbine has buckets rotatable about an axis, the buckets having angel wing seals. The seals have outer and inner surfaces, at least one of which, and preferably both, extend non-linearly between root radii and the tip of the seal body. The profiles are determined in a manner to minimize the weight of the seal bodies, while maintaining the stresses below predetermined maximum or allowable stresses.

Abstract: A centrifugal compressor for a turbo-fan engine includes a shroud covering the edges of vanes of a compressor wheel mounted on an outer shaft with a clearance &agr; left therebetween. A vertical section of the shroud includes an upstream portion extending in an axial direction, and a downstream portion curved radially outwards and extending from a downstream end of the upstream portion. The thickness of the downstream portion is increased gradually from the upstream side toward the downstream side. Thus, it is possible to prevent the variation of the clearance &agr; defined along the downstream portion of the shroud which exerts a large influence on the compression performance, thereby suppressing the reduction in performance due to the thermal expansion of the shroud.

Abstract: A casing design for rotating machinery that includes two semi-cylindrical shaped shell sections. Each of the sections includes a machined flange adapted to receive fasteners. The two sections are attached together through fasteners passing through the machined flanges.

Abstract: The heating apparatus and method for the nose fairing of a rotating blade assembly has an electrical generator connected to a heating element attached to the interior of the forward end of the nose fairing. The electrical generator has a rotor with conductor windings attached to the aft end of the rotating blade assembly hub housing. The stator of the electrical generator is attached opposite the rotor on the support structure for the hub housing with stator magnets spaced from and opposite the rotor windings. When the hub housing is rotated by for example airflow through the blades of the rotating blade assembly the rotor moves relative to the stator thereby creating an induced current in the windings. This converts the rotational energy to electrical energy to power the heater to heat the nose fairing to inhibit the formation of ice thereon.

Abstract: A frame (4a) is provided around the perimeter of the air outlet (2a) of the fan (6). The frame (4a) includes a plurality of board-shaped ribs (41, 41 . . . ) extending radially outward from the vicinity of the center of the frame (4a) in the direction of the radius of the fan (6). The frame (4a) also includes a plurality of cylindrical ribs (42, 42 . . . ) integrated with the plurality of board-shaped ribs (41, 41 . . . ), and arranged concentrically around the rotation axis (O-O′) of the fan (6) at predetermined intervals in the direction of the radius of the fan (6). The board-shaped ribs (41) are curved outward in the direction of rotation of the fan (6) and inclined in the direction of air flowing from the fan (6).

Abstract: The life of a downstream part disposed in a hot gas stream having a cooling medium injected into the stream through multiple orifices in a first upstream part is enhanced by changing the location, configuration or direction of flow of the cooling medium through the orifices. This change alters the temperature distribution of the flow field, affecting the second downstream part thereby enhancing its life. Properties of the cooling medium may also be changed, i.e., temperature and/or mass flow, to alter the temperature distribution of the flow field affecting the second downstream part to enhance its part life.

Abstract: A compressor rotor assembly including an impeller including an impeller stem, the stem including a first coupling end having a first face and at least one arcuate coupling tab along the first face; the impeller stem further comprising a bore that extends inwardly from the first face, the bore having an interior wall that is tapered. The rotor assembly further comprising a pinion shaft having a second coupling end with a second face and at least one arcuate coupling slot along the second face; and a hub extending outwardly from the second face, the hub including a tapered outer wall; the first and second coupling means and the hub and bore are adapted to be mated when the impeller and pinion shaft are assembled to prevent relative displacement of the stem and shaft.

Abstract: A centrifugal compressor includes first and second impellers coupled to opposite ends of a drive shaft. Each impeller includes a hub with a plurality of blades on a front face. The blades compress a fluid, while forcing the fluid off an outer periphery of the hub. At least one of the impellers includes a plurality of uniformly shaped pressure attenuating grooves provided around its outer periphery. The pressure attenuating grooves reduce an axial load applied to the impeller, and act to balance the overall resultant axial load applied to the drive shaft by the two impellers, thereby reducing wear on thrust bearings engaging the rotating drive shaft.

Abstract: A fan head-swinging device includes a speed reducer and a DC motor. The speed reducer consists of plural gears engaging with each other. The DC motor is fixed behind a housing of a fan, having a spindle fixed on with a small gear engaging with one of the plural gears of the speed reducer. So the shaft of that gear may rotate with a very slow speed suitable to the fan head to swing right and left for a proper angle by controlling the DC motor.