Patents by Inventor Hidekazu Uehara
Hidekazu Uehara has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20170328232Abstract: A clearance-control-type seal structure including a plurality of arc-shaped grooves (23) formed side by side in the axial direction with respect to an inner circumferential surface of a housing (22) of a turbine; and abradable seal rings (11, 12) having fitting parts (11a, 12a) that are fitted into the grooves so as to leave a prescribed gap, that have extended parts (11b, 12b) that are exposed from the housing in the radial direction toward the inside and expand in the axial direction, and that, during operation, due to back pressure inside the grooves, receive a force that moves in the radial direction toward the inside. One extended part has a protruding part extending even further in the axial direction toward the upstream side, and the other extended part has formed in an outer circumferential surface of a downstream-side end part thereof a recessed part that corresponds to the protruding part.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2015Publication date: November 16, 2017Applicant: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Kohei OZAKI, Hidekazu UEHARA, Shin NISHIMOTO
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Patent number: 9791046Abstract: A rotary machine has a housing that houses a fluid in a supercritical state, a rotary shaft that penetrates the housing, rotation rings that rotate integrally with the rotary shaft, and stationary rings that contact the rotation rings when the rotary shaft is stopped, the stationary rings being positioned in a state in which sealing gaps are defined between the rotation rings and the stationary rings when the rotary shaft rotates, a circulating pipe path that supplies a portion of the fluid to inlet portions of the sealing gaps, a temperature-adjusting device that adjusts a temperature of the fluid in the circulating pipe path, and a control unit that controls operation of the temperature-adjusting device so as to heat the inlet portions of the sealing gaps to a predetermined temperature before the rotary shaft is driven.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2011Date of Patent: October 17, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Takumi Hori, Hiroshi Funakoshi, Manabu Maeda, Hidekazu Uehara, Kazuhiko Yamashita, Zenichi Yoshida
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Patent number: 9677669Abstract: Disclosed is a shaft seal device comprising: a seal body made by layering a plurality of thin-plate seal pieces in the circumferential direction of the rotor, and a housing that is fixed to the stator, holds the seal body so as to surround the same from radially outside, and includes a first facing surface that faces the high-pressure-side edge of the seal body and a second facing surface that faces the low-pressure-side edge of the seal body. The high-pressure-side clearance between the seal body and the first facing surface is smaller than the low-pressure-side clearance between the seal body and the second facing surface, and a slope part that slopes gradually toward the high-pressure side toward the tip end, which is on the rotor side, is formed in the low-pressure-side edge of each thin-plate seal piece of the seal body.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2014Date of Patent: June 13, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Hidekazu Uehara, Shin Nishimoto, Tanehiro Shinohara, Hiroharu Oyama
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Patent number: 9677410Abstract: A shaft sealing device and a rotary machine equipped therewith are provided with a sealing body configured by stacking a plurality of thin sealing pieces; and a low-pressure-side side sealing plate in which a plate surface facing the low-pressure side is pressed against an inner wall surface of the housing facing the direction of the axis by means of the pressure of a fluid applied from a high-pressure side to the low-pressure side. A protrusion for blocking a downward flow toward the inside of the low-pressure-side side sealing plate in the radial direction along the low-pressure side of the sealing body is formed on the inside of the low-pressure-side side sealing plate in the radial direction, and a communication path for guiding the downward flow blocked by means of the protrusion to a low-pressure-side region is formed on the housing.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2011Date of Patent: June 13, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Tanehiro Shinohara, Hidekazu Uehara, Shin Nishimoto, Takashi Nakano
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Patent number: 9644744Abstract: Disclosed is a shaft sealing device including: a housing in which an annular recessed portion is formed and which is fixed to a stator; a sealing body, a radially outer portion of which is accommodated by the annular recessed portion; and a high pressure-side sealing plate that is disposed along the sealing body in a high pressure region. An inflow groove is formed in any member of the housing, the high pressure-side sealing plate, and the sealing body such that a fluid flows through the sealing body from a low pressure region during a non-normal operation in which pressure in the high pressure region is higher than pressure in the high pressure region. A communication path is formed in the housing such that the inflow groove and a space in the high pressure region communicate with each other via the communication path.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2013Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Shin Nishimoto, Hidekazu Uehara, Takashi Nakano, Tanehiro Shinohara
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Patent number: 9593588Abstract: An inner wall surface of a low-pressure-side side plate opposite to a lateral surface of a thin plate is formed along a direction crossing an axial direction of a rotating shaft such that a gap between the inner wall surface and the thin plate gradually decreases from a radially inner side toward a radially outer side of the low-pressure-side side plate.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2013Date of Patent: March 14, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Hitoshi Morimoto, Keizo Tsukagoshi, Junichiro Masada, Tatsuji Takahashi, Masato Araki, Tanehiro Shinohara, Hidekazu Uehara
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Publication number: 20170022838Abstract: In a seal structure that seals a gap between a first structure and a second structure which faces the first structure in a radial direction and rotates relative to the first structure, one of the first structure and the second structure has a base surface and a step surface that protrudes toward the other side from the base surface, and the other is provided with: a first fin which extends toward the step surface and forms a first gap between the step surface; a second fin that, on the downstream side of the first fin, extends toward the base surface and forms a second gap between the base surface; and a protrusion part that is disposed between the first fin and the second fin and that divides a leak flow, into a first vortex along the first fin and a second vortex along the second fin.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2014Publication date: January 26, 2017Inventors: Yoshihiro KUWAMURA, Kazuyuki MATSUMOTO, Hiroharu OYAMA, Yoshinori TANAKA, Toyoharu NISHIKAWA, Hidekazu UEHARA, Shin NISHIMOTO
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Patent number: 9534690Abstract: This leakage prevention seal is provided with: a first seal ring which surrounds a rotating shaft and which is in circumferential contact with the surface of a housing which faces the upstream side; a second seal ring, which, on the upstream side of the first seal ring, surrounds the rotating shaft and which is in circumferential contact with the first seal ring; and a heat-driven section which, when high-temperature pressurized water reaches the heat-driven section, reduces the diameter of both the first seal ring and the second seal ring and causes the inner peripheral surfaces of both the first seal ring and the second seal ring to be in contact with the rotating shaft. The circumferential positions of both a first range between the first seal ring and the rotating shaft and a second range formed by the second seal ring are different.Type: GrantFiled: December 24, 2013Date of Patent: January 3, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Hidetaka Kafuku, Hidekazu Uehara, Yukihiro Sakaguchi
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Publication number: 20160341058Abstract: A seal structure (2) for sealing a gap between a first structure body (10) and a second structure body (51). The seal structure includes: a peripheral surface formed on one of the first structure body and the second structure body; a plurality of seal fins (5) provided at intervals in the axial direction so as to form clearances (m) together with the peripheral surface and protrusions that form re-adhesion edges between pairs of axially adjacent seal fins; the re-adhesion edges being locations at which leak currents (SL) re-adhere that have passed through a clearance (mA) of an upstream seal fin; and the protrusions forming first cavities in which eddies (B1) are created that flow along the upstream seal fin toward the second structure body, and second cavities in which currents (B2) are created that cause a contraction current effect on a clearance (mB) of a downstream seal fin.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2015Publication date: November 24, 2016Inventors: Toyoharu NISHIKAWA, Yoshihiro KUWAMURA, Hiroharu OYAMA, Yoshinori TANAKA, Shin NISHIMOTO, Kazuyuki MATSUMOTO, Hidekazu UEHARA
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Publication number: 20160334020Abstract: A rotary machine (100) includes a rotor (5) that rotates about an axis, a seal housing (30) that is disposed so as to face an outer peripheral surface of the rotor (5), and a seal body (10) that includes a plurality of thin plates (20) extending inward from the seal housing (30) in a radial direction and laminated in a circumferential direction. One thin plate (20) of the plurality of thin plates (20) has a shape in which the thin plate comes into contact with the other thin plates (20) provided on front and rear sides in a rotational direction in a state in which the thin plate does not come into contact with the rotor (5).Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2015Publication date: November 17, 2016Inventors: Kohei OZAKI, Hidekazu UEHARA, Shin NISHIMOTO
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Patent number: 9488279Abstract: Provided is a method of fabricating a shaft sealing device, in which a plurality of thin plate pieces arranged in a circumferential direction of a rotation shaft are provided and base ends of the thin plate pieces are mutually connected, the method including a stacking step of stacking the plurality of thin plate pieces in one direction, a connecting step of mutually connecting the base ends of the plurality of stacked thin plate pieces to form a stacked body, and a first smoothing step of bringing one lateral end surface of two lateral end surfaces of the stacked body formed by each end portion in a width direction of the plurality of thin plate pieces in contact with a flat surface to smooth the other lateral end surface.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2011Date of Patent: November 8, 2016Assignees: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., EAGLE INDUSTRY CO., LTD.Inventors: Hidekazu Uehara, Tanehiro Shinohara, Takashi Nakano, Shin Nishimoto
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Publication number: 20160281520Abstract: A shaft sealing device (10) includes a plurality of leaves (20) that is arranged in a periphery of a rotating shaft (50) and divides a space around the rotating shaft into two spaces in an axial direction of the rotating shaft, and a side seal plate that is arranged on one side of the leaf in the axial direction and has an opposite surface facing a side end on one side of the leaf. The leaf and/or the side seal plate has a friction reducing portion for reducing a friction force between the opposite surface and a surface of the side end.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2014Publication date: September 29, 2016Inventors: Azumi YOSHIDA, Hidekazu UEHARA, Kohei OZAKI, Shin NISHIMOTO
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Publication number: 20160258536Abstract: Disclosed is a shaft sealing device including: a housing in which an annular recessed portion is formed and which is fixed to a stator; a sealing body, a radially outer portion of which is accommodated by the annular recessed portion; and a high pressure-side sealing plate that is disposed along the sealing body in a high pressure region. An inflow groove is formed in any member of the housing, the high pressure-side sealing plate, and the sealing body such that a fluid flows through the sealing body from a low pressure region during a non-normal operation in which pressure in the high pressure region is higher than pressure in the high pressure region. A communication path is formed in the housing such that the inflow groove and a space in the high pressure region communicate with each other via the communication path.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2013Publication date: September 8, 2016Inventors: Shin NISHIMOTO, Hidekazu UEHARA, Takashi NAKANO, Tanehiro SHINOHARA
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Patent number: 9404375Abstract: A shaft seal device includes a seal piece-laminated body with a plurality of thin seal pieces laminated in a circumferential direction along a rotating shaft. Outer ends of the plurality of thin seal pieces in the radial direction are connected to each other. Inner ends of the thin seal pieces in the radial direction are formed as free ends. A small gap is formed between each adjacent pair of the thin seal pieces. A small gap is formed between the rotating shaft and the seal piece-laminated body. A wear-resistant treatment layer is formed on a surface of a portion of each of the thin seal pieces close to the inner end.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2011Date of Patent: August 2, 2016Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Hidekazu Uehara, Tanehiro Shinohara, Takashi Nakano, Shin Nishimoto
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Patent number: 9399925Abstract: A seal structure partitions a high-pressure portion and a low-pressure portion including spring-back seal rings on the high-pressure side, including ACC seal rings and fins on the low-pressure side. The ACC seal rings have an adjustable movable seal ring which is a movable seal ring that is movable in a substantially radial direction at a portion thereof and which partitions a high-pressure side steam chamber and a medium-pressure side steam chamber with the fins and a circumferential surface, and including a pressure equalizing pipe that connects the low-pressure side of the adjustable movable seal ring to a high-pressure outlet portion, is provided with an adjusting pipe that connects, on the high-pressure side steam chamber side of the ACC seal rings, a high-pressure dummy to the same high-pressure outlet portion as the medium-pressure side steam chamber, and an open/close valve in the adjusting pipe.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2009Date of Patent: July 26, 2016Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Takashi Nakano, Shin Nishimoto, Hidekazu Uehara
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Publication number: 20160010751Abstract: Disclosed is a shaft seal device comprising: a seal body made by layering a plurality of thin-plate seal pieces in the circumferential direction of the rotor, and a housing that is fixed to the stator, holds the seal body so as to surround the same from radially outside, and includes a first facing surface that faces the high-pressure-side edge of the seal body and a second facing surface that faces the low-pressure-side edge of the seal body. The high-pressure-side clearance between the seal body and the first facing surface is smaller than the low-pressure-side clearance between the seal body and the second facing surface, and a slope part that slopes gradually toward the high-pressure side toward the tip end, which is on the rotor side, is formed in the low-pressure-side edge of each thin-plate seal piece of the seal body.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2014Publication date: January 14, 2016Inventors: Hidekazu UEHARA, Shin NISHIMOTO, Tanehiro SHINOHARA, Hiroharu OYAMA
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Publication number: 20160010749Abstract: This leakage prevention seal is provided with: a first seal ring which surrounds a rotating shaft and which is in circumferential contact with the surface of a housing which faces the upstream side; a second seal ring, which, on the upstream side of the first seal ring, surrounds the rotating shaft and which is in circumferential contact with the first seal ring; and a heat-driven section which, when high-temperature pressurized water reaches the heat-driven section, reduces the diameter of both the first seal ring and the second seal ring and causes the inner peripheral surfaces of both the first seal ring and the second seal ring to be in contact with the rotating shaft. The circumferential positions of both a first range between the first seal ring and the rotating shaft and a second range formed by the second seal ring are different.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 24, 2013Publication date: January 14, 2016Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Hidetaka Kafuku, Hidekazu Uehara, Yukihiro Sakaguchi
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Patent number: 9103223Abstract: A shaft sealing device is provided in an annular space between a rotor and a stator surrounding an outer periphery of the rotor, and divides the annular space in the direction of an axis of the rotor into a high-pressure region and a low-pressure region. The shaft sealing device includes a seal body obtained by stacking a plurality of thin plate sealing pieces in a circumferential direction of the rotor; and a high-pressure side plate that extends from the stator toward the radial inner side so as to run along the high-pressure side of the seal body, and is segmented into a plurality of portions in the circumferential direction, and includes a rigidity imparting member configured to impart rigidity in the direction of the axis to a portion of the surface of the high-pressure side plate that faces the high-pressure region.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2012Date of Patent: August 11, 2015Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Hidekazu Uehara, Tanehiro Shinohara, Yukihiro Hashimoto, Shin Nishimoto, Takashi Nakano, Masato Araki, Keita Takamura
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Publication number: 20150221400Abstract: The shaft sealing structure includes a seal ring that has abutment portions formed by dividing the seal ring along the axial direction and that is provided around a main shaft in a ring-like manner; a support member that is provided in the seal ring along the circumferential direction of the main shaft; and a thermoswitch that is connected to the support member between the abutment portions and that presses the support member toward the center of the main shaft when the temperature rises to a temperature higher than that during normal operation, in which the seal ring is fixed at a position separated from the main shaft during the normal operation and is moved by the support member toward the center of the main shaft when the temperature rises to a temperature higher than that during the normal operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2013Publication date: August 6, 2015Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Kentarou Saeki, Hidekazu Uehara, Akihiko Umeda, Masaru Sakai, Hiroshi Kuzumi, Yasuhiro Ikeda, Toshihiko Matsuo, Takanobu Otani, Hiroomi Sakuma, Hitoshi Ito, Yasushi Takayama, Tomoki Hanada, Yuji Harada
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Patent number: 9091348Abstract: A shaft sealing apparatus is installed in an annular space between a rotor and a stator in a rotating machine and divides the annular space into a low-pressure side region and a high-pressure side region in an axial direction of the rotor. The shaft sealing apparatus includes a seal body formed by stacking a plurality of thin seal pieces, which extend from the stator toward a radial inner side of the rotor, in a circumferential direction of the rotor, and lateral plates having a surface facing the axial direction and curved and extending in a circumferential direction of the annular space. The seal body is welded to the surfaces of the lateral plates which face the axial direction so that the seal body follows a curved shape of the lateral plates.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2013Date of Patent: July 28, 2015Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Tanehiro Shinohara, Hidekazu Uehara, Shin Nishimoto, Hiroharu Oyama, Takashi Nakano