Abstract: A turbine bucket adapted to be supported on a turbine or rotor wheel includes an airfoil portion extending radially relative to a longitudinal axis of the rotor wheel and having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side and a suction side. At least one tip shroud extends in opposite circumferential directions, the shroud having a first hard face adapted to engage a mating second hard face on a shroud extending circumferentially from an adjacent bucket. The first hard face defined by a surface portion that varies circumferentially with an increasing radius as measured from the longitudinal axis of the rotor wheel.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward systems including a turbomachine blade tip shroud having a pressure side portion and a suction side portion. The pressure side portion and the suction side portion are divided by a mean camber line of a turbomachine blade, and the pressure side portion has a greater surface area than the suction side portion.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward systems including a turbomachine blade tip shroud having a pressure side portion and a suction side portion. The pressure side portion and the suction side portion are divided by a mean camber line of a turbomachine blade, and the pressure side portion has a greater surface area than the suction side portion.

Abstract: Turbine frequency tuning, fluid dynamic efficiency, and performance can be improved using a particular profile for a turn of a cooling passage in an airfoil. By blending aspects of baseline and bulb contours into a blended turn with a non-uniform profile, mechanical and/or thermal stress can be reduced in the turn and in an airfoil including the turn, particularly on an outflow side of the turn. Stresses on the airfoil can be reduced using a turn profile that is a blend of a baseline profile and a bulb profile and that can be described by the airfoil core profile.

Abstract: A rotor blade including an airfoil portion and a root portion, and an internal cooling circuit having flow passages in the root portion and the airfoil portion, wherein the internal cooling circuit includes: a first flow passage; and a non-integral plug. The plug may include a plug channel configured to correspond to a desired level of coolant flow through the first cooling passage. The plug may be connected to the rotor blade in a fixed blocking position relative to the first flow passage.

Abstract: A damper pin for damping adjacent turbine blades coupled to a rotor shaft includes an elongated body having a center portion disposed between a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion, center portion and second end portion define an outer surface of the elongated body. The outer surface is configured to contact with a groove defined between the adjacent turbine blades. The elongated body defines a slot that extends radially inwardly through the outer surface and axially through the elongated body.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention include turbine buckets and systems employing such buckets. Various particular embodiments include a turbine bucket having: a base including: a casing having at least one exhaust aperture on an outer surface of the casing; and a core within the casing, the core having: a serpentine cooling passage; and at least one outlet passage fluidly connected with the serpentine cooling passage and the exhaust aperture, wherein the at least one outlet passage permits flow of a coolant from the serpentine cooling passage to the at least one exhaust aperture on the outer surface of the casing; and an airfoil connected with the base at a first end of the airfoil, the airfoil including: 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.

Abstract: Turbine frequency tuning, fluid dynamic efficiency, and performance can be improved using an airfoil profile and/or an endwall contour including at least one of a pressure side bump, a pressure side leading edge bump, or a suction side trough. In particular, by including two endwall bumps on the pressure side and a trough on the suction side combined with a particular airfoil profile, performance can be further improved.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention include turbine buckets and systems employing such buckets. Various particular embodiments include a turbine bucket having: a base; and an airfoil connected with the base at a first end of the airfoil, the airfoil including: a casing 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, the casing including an aperture on the leading edge; and a core within the casing, the core having a serpentine shape for supporting the casing and a leading edge passage fluidly connected with the aperture on the leading edge of the casing.

Abstract: A cooling arrangement for a gas turbine engine includes a discharge channel for airflow from a compressor, a first cooling channel, and at least one aperture providing communication between the flow of air through the discharge channel and the first cooling channel. A restrictor device in the aperture regulates the flow of air between the discharge channel and the first cooling channel. The restrictor device deforms to vary air flowing through the aperture in response to a physical condition of the engine. This physical condition of the engine may be that of the temperature of air flowing through the discharge channel or the power output of the gas turbine engine. The restrictor device may be a boreplug, which may be a two-way shape memory alloy.

Abstract: An interior cooling configuration formed within an airfoil of a blade of a combustion turbine engine is provided. The interior cooling configuration may include a first flow passage and a second flow passage that have a side-by-side configuration for a segment, and multiple lateral crossover passages extending between and fluidly connecting the first flow passage to the second flow passage. The crossover passages may be staggered.

Abstract: A turbine rotor blade is provided. The turbine rotor blade includes an airfoil, an airfoil tip, a tip shroud, and a fillet about an intersection of the airfoil tip and the tip shroud. The fillet defines a fillet profile variable about the intersection as a function of aerodynamic airflow about the intersection.

Abstract: A cooling arrangement for a gas turbine engine. The cooling arrangement comprises a discharge channel for air flow from a compressor, a first cooling channel and at least one aperture providing communication between the flow of air through the discharge channel and the first cooling channel. A restrictor device in the aperture regulates the flow of air between the discharge channel and the first cooling channel. The restrictor device deforms to vary air flowing through the aperture in response to a physical condition of the engine. This physical condition of the engine may be that of the temperature of air flowing through the discharge channel, the restrictor device responding to regulate the flow of air based on that temperature. The restrictor device may be a two-way shape memory alloy.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward systems including a turbomachine blade tip shroud having a pressure side portion and a suction side portion. The pressure side portion and the suction side portion are divided by a mean camber line of a turbomachine blade, and the pressure side portion has a greater surface area than the suction side portion.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward systems including a turbomachine blade tip shroud having a pressure side portion and a suction side portion. The pressure side portion and the suction side portion are divided by a mean camber line of a turbomachine blade, and the pressure side portion has a greater surface area than the suction side portion.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present application include a gas turbine system. The system may include a rotor wheel and one or more impeller vanes radially disposed on the rotor wheel. The system may also include one or more fluid passages defined by adjacent impeller vanes. The one or more fluid passages may be radially disposed across the rotor wheel. Moreover, the system may include one or more shape memory alloy valves disposed within each of the fluid passages. The one or more shape memory alloy valves may be configured to change shape to control a flow of fluid through the fluid passages.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward systems including a turbomachine blade tip shroud having a pressure side portion and a suction side portion. The pressure side portion and the suction side portion are divided by a mean camber line of a turbomachine blade, and the pressure side portion has a greater surface area than the suction side portion.

Abstract: A turbomachine system includes a turbomachine that includes a rotor that includes a rotational axis, a first rotating segment having a first mating axial mount coupled to a first axial mount of the rotor in a first installed position and a first pin configured to insert into a first inserted position in both a first slot in the rotor and a first mating slot in the first rotating segment. The first pin in the first inserted position is configured to block axial movement of the first mating axial mount relative to the first axial mount. The turbomachine also includes a second rotating segment having a second mating axial mount coupled to a second axial mount of the rotor in a second installed position. The second rotating segment in the second installed position is configured to block removal of the first pin.

Abstract: A rotating airfoil component of a turbomachine, in which the component has an airfoil aligned in a spanwise direction of the component, a shank, and a platform therebetween oriented transverse to the spanwise direction. The platform has an outer radial surface adjacent the airfoil, and at least one recessed region defined in its outer radial surface. The recessed region extends opposite the spanwise direction from a platform plane that contains portions of the outer radial surface that are upstream and downstream from the recessed region. The recessed region is contiguous with an end wall of the platform and extends therefrom toward the airfoil. The recessed region defines a surface shape whose boundary is contained by the platform plane, and has a profile shape that extends from the end wall toward the airfoil. The recessed region is sized and shaped to increase the stiffness of the platform.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention include turbine buckets and systems employing such buckets.