Abstract: A seal assembly and a rotary machine, such as a steam turbine, containing such seal. A stator circumferentially surrounds a row of rotor blades. The stator includes an upstream tooth-seal region, a downstream brush-seal region, and an intervening fluid expansion chamber all radially near the blade tips. Debris in the fluid stream is broken down into smaller particles by the tooth-seal region, and the smaller particles are slowed down by the fluid expansion chamber such that minimal damage is caused to the downstream bristles in the brush seal region.

Abstract: Brush seals are retrofitted into existing turbine labyrinth seal rings to create a fail-safe seal design at locations wherever labyrinth seals are currently used, including interstage shaft seals, rotor end seals, bucket (or blade) tip seals and spill strips. Brush seals, per se, when used in place of labyrinth seals, can result in considerable span reductions of steam turbines, or machines with more turbine stages for a given span. Application to end packings results in the potential elimination of gland sealing/exhauster systems. Brush seal life can be improved by retrofitting brush segments to labyrinth seal segments that are either spring-backed, or use pressure loads to obtain design clearances only after steady state operating conditions are achieved. The brush seals are provided with backing plates shaped like labyrinth teeth, resulting in a fail-safe design.

Abstract: A brush seal is mounted between rotary and stationary components in a flow stream having solid particles. A gap is formed through the brush seal bristles and a deflector plate is disposed to catch and deflect solid particles on the upstream side of the brush seal to direct the particles through the gap to the downstream side of the brush seal. In this manner, the solid particles of the flow stream do not erode or otherwise deteriorate the brush seal bristles or ancillary parts of the brush seal. The deflector plates may be directed axially upstream, at an angle to a plane passing through the brush seal or may comprise an arcuate configuration directed upstream.

Abstract: A brush seal segment useful, when circumferentially arrayed with other such segments, to seal the gap between a rotor and a surrounding casing of a rotary machine such as a steam turbine. An annular backing plate has a rim radially-inwardly bounding together upstream-facing and downstream-facing surfaces. Canted bristles abut the upstream-facing surface. The rim is designed to allow the bristles to recover from a rotor rub. In one design, the rim acts as a labyrinth-seal tooth and is shaped to deform, under a radial force, longitudinally away from the upstream-facing surface. In another design, the rim has a more-inwardly projecting second portion near a radially-aligned edge, and only this second portion acts as a labyrinth-seal tooth.

Abstract: A combined labyrinth/brush seal is provided in a seal between rotating and stationary components. The seal includes a plurality of arcuate sealing segments, each having one or more labyrinth teeth extending radially toward the surface of the rotating component. As original equipment or retrofit, a brush seal is provided among the labyrinth teeth in a slot formed in the sealing face of the seal segment. In one form, backing and/or forward plates for the brush seal have a tongue extending into an axially extending groove of the seal segments to prevent relative radial movement of the brush seal and seal ring segments. The end faces of the brush seal and seal ring segments may be bored and filled with weld material to prevent relative circumferential movement. Where a single radially extending slot is provided in the sealing ring segment, the brush seal may be stitch-welded to the seal ring segment along opposite sides of the brush seal.

Abstract: A brush seal, which may be used in gas or steam turbine rotor applications, includes a packet of bristles attached to a seal housing. A seal member is slideably-attached to the seal housing, has a planar first surface portion parallel to, and slideably in contact with, a first surface of the seal housing, and has a planar second surface portion which is parallel to, and slideably in contact with, a first side of the bristle packet. A mechanical spring is positioned in compression between the seal housing and the seal member.

Abstract: A steam turbine having a shaft and a first (e.g., high-pressure) turbine section. A first embodiment also includes a first bearing longitudinally spaced apart from the first turbine section and further includes a first brush-seal assembly, having bristles, longitudinally positioned between the first turbine section and the first bearing and radially positioned proximate the shaft. The steam turbine is devoid of any backup seal to the bristles. In a second embodiment, a second brush seal assembly is positioned between the first and second (e.g., intermediate-pressure) turbine sections which lack any intervening bearing.

Abstract: A combined labyrinth/brush seal is provided in a seal between rotating and stationary components. The seal includes a plurality of arcuate sealing segments, each having one or more labyrinth teeth extending radially toward the surface of the rotating component. As original equipment or retrofit, a brush seal is provided among the labyrinth teeth in a slot formed in the sealing face of the seal segment. In one form, backing and/or forward plates for the brush seal have a tongue extending into an axially extending groove of the seal segments to prevent relative radial movement of the brush seal and seal ring segments. The end faces of the brush seal and seal ring segments may be bored and filled with weld material to prevent relative circumferential movement. Where a single radially extending slot is provided in the sealing ring segment, the brush seal may be stitch-welded to the seal ring segment along opposite sides of the brush seal.

Abstract: Bucket covers for the buckets of a rotating component of a turbomachine are in radial opposition to a stationary component containing a circumferentially extending brush seal having bristles extending into engagement with sealing surfaces of the covers as the covers rotate by the bristles. The leading edges of the covers for the buckets in the plane of rotation and in the plane containing the brush seal have ramps or rounded surfaces which minimize the wear on the bristles and degradation of the performance of the seal as the bucket covers are rotated past the brush seal.

Abstract: A labyrinth brush seal combination for a rotating machine comprising an arcuate segment of predetermined axial extent carrying a plurality of axially spaced, circumferentially and radially extending tapered seal teeth, and at least one circumferentially extending array of discrete bristles carried by the segment at a predetermined axial location therealong and projecting beyond the radial extent of the teeth, the bristles having an elongated, flexible carrier strip slidably and removably received within a slot in the segment.

Abstract: A brush seal which, among other applications, may be used for sealing a steam leakage gap between the shrouded free end of steam-turbine buckets (blades) of a steam-turbine rotor and a circumferentially surrounding steam-turbine stator. In a first embodiment, the brush seal includes first and second bristle packets having, respectively, first and second bristles, wherein the second bristles are more abrasive than the first bristles. In a second embodiment, the brush seal includes a bristle packet having bristles which are more abrasive proximate their free ends than not proximate their free ends.

Abstract: A brush seal which, among other applications, may be used for sealing a steam leakage gap between a steam turbine rotor and a steam turbine casing. A brush seal backing plate has a surface which includes adjacent first and second areas. First and second bristle packets contact and generally cover, respectively, the first and second areas. A first anti-hysteresis plate is positioned between and contacts the first and second bristle packets, is aligned generally perpendicular to the backing plate, and is proximate and generally spaced apart from the backing plate. The anti-hysteresis plate restores the bristles which would otherwise become set in a non-sealing position against the backing plate because of transient events such as thermal differential growth or relative movement of the rotor and casing.

Abstract: This invention is directed in general to a locomotive diesel engine, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for performance based assessment of a locomotive diesel engine.

Abstract: A brush seal which, among other applications, may be used for sealing a steam leakage gap between the shrouded free end of steam-turbine buckets of a steam-turbine rotor and a circumferentially surrounding steam-turbine stator. In a first embodiment, an unflexed brush seal includes bristles having a generally straight first portion secured to a backing plate and a coextensive and generally straight second portion with a free end. The second portion makes a greater angle, than that of the first portion, with respect to a directed reference line. In a second embodiment, the first and second portions are curved, wherein a tangent line to the second portion makes a greater angle than a tangent line to the first portion.

Abstract: A locomotive control system for performance assessment of a locomotive engine includes a controller and at least one sensor coupled to the controller. The at least one sensor is located proximal to the locomotive engine so as to gather actual performance data from the locomotive engine. The controller monitors locomotive current operating conditions and utilizes the current operating conditions to calculate predicted performance. The controller compares the predicted performance output based upon the current operating conditions with the actual performance data to monitor any substantial deviations therefrom.

Abstract: A brush seal is comprised of arcuate seal segments having ends cut in a radial direction with bristles "canted" at an approximate 45.degree. angle relative to radii of the segments, leaving triangular regions adjacent one end of each segment devoid of bristles at the segment interfaces. The brush seals are retrofit into conventional labyrinth seals with the backing plate for the bristles comprising a labyrinth tooth profile extending fully 360.degree. about the seal, including those areas where bristles are not present. The sealing capacity is not substantially degraded, while affording significant sealing improvements over conventional labyrinth seals. Additionally, when retrofit into labyrinth seals with radial movement, the individual labyrinth seal segments are free to move radially independently of one another during transients.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for inspecting X-ray and corpuscular beam, e.g., electron or ion beam, lithography masks for defects. The apparatus includes a stage to support the mask in the path of a corpuscular inspection beam projected from a beam source above the stage, an emitter surface below the stage for emitting secondary radiation resulting from the impingement of the inspection beam that has passed through the mask onto the emitter surface, a detector arranged to receive the secondary radiation to generate image signals corresponding to this secondary radiation, and an image storage device to receive and store the image signals. The stage is moved in a stepwise fashion to bring individual mask fields that can be scanned by the beam in a single step into the beam path until all of the fields of a given mask have been scanned. The image signal of the actual mask is compared to a stored reference to detect defects which may also be repaired by the same apparatus according to preferred embodiments.

Abstract: An electro-optical scanner for detecting variations in a web and generating output signals representative of the variations is provided with discriminator logic and alarm circuitry that indicates when the output signals shift from a value exceeding a predetermined positive (negative) threshold value to a value beyond a predetermined negative (positive) threshold value within a prescribed minimum period of time as an occurrence of an abrupt change in web density and processing circuitry for determining and indicating when the number of such occurrences per unit time exceeds a threshold or predetermined number.