Abstract: Power is produced from high presser geothermal fluid by separating the fluid into high pressure steam and high pressure brine, expanding the high pressure steam in a high pressure turbogenerator for producing power and heat depleted steam, and separating liquid from the heat depleted steam thereby producing dried heat depleted steam at a pressure and temperature lower than the pressure and temperature of the high pressure steam. The liquid so separated, and the high pressure brine are combined in a flash chamber which produces steam which is combined with the dried heat depleted steam and expanded in a lower pressure turbogenerator for producing additional power. Optionally, some of the high pressure steam is used to reheat the dried heat depleted steam and the steam produced by the flash chamber before such steam is expanded in the lower pressure turbogenerator.

Abstract: Moving blading for a steam turbine, the blading comprising blades (1) having respective bodies (3) provided with caps or fins (4), said caps or fins (4) on adjacent blades coming into contact at least during rotation of the blading over a plane surface which is substantially parallel to the radial axis (Z'Z) of the blade and giving rise to blade body twisting by virtue of said contacts (7, 8), the blading being characterized in that, in addition to the contacts (7 and 8) between adjacent caps or fins (4), it includes a link which is provided by means of additional contacts (A, A') free to slide rectilinearly in a plane corresponding to the plane of each cap or fin (4) along an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation OO' of the blading, said additional contacts (A, A') being situated at a relatively large distance from said contacts (7, 8) which give rise to twisting. The invention improves the vibration properties of the blades.

Abstract: IP or HP casing for a turbine designed for cogeneration of electric power and heat for district heating purposes, comprising blades carried by a rotor (31) rotating in a stator (32), an inlet steam admission (8'), two exhausts (12' and 17') at different pressures p.sub.1 and p.sub.2 (p.sub.2 >p.sub.1) feeding a LP section (4) of the turbine, and two further exhausts (15', 20') at pressures p.sub.1 and p.sub.2 feeding two district heating heat exchangers (22, 23) arranged in series, each of said exchangers providing substantially half of the heating output. Turbine efficiency is improved by providing a single flow (27) from the steam inlet (8'), which is then split into two partial flows (28) with substantially equal steam flow rates as of a flow-splitting point located far enough from the two exhausts at pressure p.sub.2 (17', 20') so that changes in flow rates have little or no effect on the steam pressure at said flow-splitting point.

Abstract: A guide blade set for diverging jet streams in a steam turbine which has blades (2) disposed between a floor plate (3) and a ceiling plate (4) and whose concave and convex surfaces are constituted by substantially rectilinear generator lines (l, m, n), wherein said generator lines (l, m, n) of the blades (2) form an angle of about 90.degree.+.theta./2 with the ceiling plate (4) and with the floor plate (3), where .theta. is the angle of divergence of the jet stream.

Abstract: Valve for adjusting the rate of flow of a gaseous fluid, comprising a valve body (1) having a side inlet (2) and an outlet (3), an obturator (10) movable in translation within a housing (4) and bearing on a seat (18) when the outlet (3) is shut off, said housing (4) being fastened within the body (1) by means (5) located externally of the fluid flow path. The mobile obturator (10) has a front part (9) in the form of a hollow cylinder surrounding with limited clearance a nose-piece (7) attached to the housing (4) by rigid arms within the housing (4). The front surface (17) of the nose-piece (7) extended by the front surface (16) of the obturator (10) and the front part (6) of the housing (4) are of an aerodynamic shape. Reduction of the effects of unsteady forces on the obturator across the full range of openings without head losses when fully open.

Abstract: The diffuser is symmetrical about an axis AA' and has a flared outer wall (2,3) going from an axial inlet to an outlet. The outer wall is divided into an upstream portion (2) and a downstream portion (3) by a circular bleed slot (1) disposed symmetrically about the axis. The profile of the outer wall is such that, in operation, the direction of fluid flow along the outer wall is from the inlet towards the outlet, both over the upstream portion, and over the downstream portion. Further, it is so arranged that the pressure gradient measured at the surface of the wall and along the direction of fluid flow is negative upstream from the bleed slot and positive downstream therefrom. This ensures that only a small percentage of the fluid flow needs to be bled off to achieve desirable flow conditions, thereby providing good diffuser efficiency.

Abstract: A set of blades for a turbine which includes a group of blades disposed between an upper plate (12) and a lower plate (11) which delimit a group of passages (3). Said set of blades includes ducts (13,14) provided in the upper plate (12) and/or in the lower plate (11), each duct opening at one end in the neighborhood of the convex surface of a blade and level with the constriction (6) of the passage and at the other end at a point situated upstream from said set of blades. Reduction of the low pressure on the convex surfaces only adjacent the upper plate (12) and the lower plate (11), reducing secondary losses, while pressure distribution remains optimum in the zone of good flow of the passage.

Abstract: A set of blades for a turbine which includes a group of blades disposed between an upper plate (12) and a lower plate (11), the group of blades defining a group of passages (3). The set of blades includes ducts (13,23) in the upper plate (12) and/or in the lower plate (11), said ducts leading, from one end situated at a point in the neighborhood of the concave surfaces of the blades, at the constriction (10) of the passage, to its other end located at a point downstream from the set of blades. A reduction in the high pressure on the concave surfaces in only two zones, one vertically above the lower plate (12) and the other vertically below the upper plate (11), reduces secondary losses, while the distribution of the pressure remains optimum in the part of the passages where the flow is non-turbulent.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for operating a power generating assembly which assembly comprises a steam generator and a turbine, and said method comprises controlling the quantity of heat released by the steam generator by a signal which is representative of the difference between the predicted stresses which will exist at the instant to+T on that part of the turbine which undergoes the greatest thermal stress and the maximum permissible stress on this same part at the same instant, to being the present instant and T being a period of time close to the time constant of the power production assembly.

Abstract: An exhaust device for a condensable-fluid axial-flow turbine, comprising an annular diffuser with an axial input situated at the output of the last stage of the turbine and a substantially radial output leading to a condenser which is divided into two zones, in one of which the pressure is lower than in the other, the outer wall of the diffuser with respect to the input flow into the duct having a circumferential suction slot which removes a fraction of the flow in the diffuser towards the lower-pressure part of the condenser, said wall further having a shape such that the pressure gradient measured at its surface in the flow direction is negative or zero at all points.

Abstract: In a turbine for a compressible fluid in which the fluid flow leaving the tepenultimate stage is separated into two coaxial flows, the inner flow passes through both the penultimate and the final stages of the turbine while the outer flow passes through the final stage only. This high efficiency arrangement for the last stages of a high power turbine exploits the advantages made available by using titanium as the blade material.