Patents by Inventor Richard Jon Chevrette
Richard Jon Chevrette 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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Patent number: 9683450Abstract: A steam turbine inlet assembly and method of constructing the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, an annular ring is provided, along with a body affixed to a distal face of the annular ring and extending distally therefrom. The body portion has a curved entrance geometry at the proximal end adjacent the annular ring, and transitions to a substantially polygonal exit geometry at a distal end.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2013Date of Patent: June 20, 2017Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Daniel Ross Predmore, Richard Jon Chevrette, Michael Christopher Jones, Erik Eduardo Lopez Partida, Sean Allen Smith
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Publication number: 20140271139Abstract: A steam turbine inlet assembly and method of constructing the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, an annular ring is provided, along with a body affixed to a distal face of the annular ring and extending distally therefrom. The body portion has a curved entrance geometry at the proximal end adjacent the annular ring, and transitions to a substantially polygonal exit geometry at a distal end.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 13, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Daniel Ross Predmore, Richard Jon Chevrette, Michael Christopher Jones, Erik Eduardo Lopez Partida, Sean Allen Smith
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Patent number: 8668450Abstract: An upper steam guide segment may be a height limiting clearance for a lift of the upper exhaust hood of a steam turbine. The upper steam guide segment for a steam turbine is made detachable from a steam guide. The upper steam guide segment is bracketed to a butterfly plate fixedly attached to an upper exhaust hood of the steam turbine. The upper steam guide segment is supported by the butterfly plate when detached from the full steam guide. During a lift of the upper exhaust hood, the steam guide segment will also be lifted with the upper exhaust hood, resulting in a lower clearance height for the lift.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2010Date of Patent: March 11, 2014Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Richard Jon Chevrette
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Patent number: 8662821Abstract: A removable steam inlet assembly and lifting fixture for a steam turbine are provided to facilitate lifting of the upper exhaust hood of the steam turbine. The removable steam inlet assembly is detached from the steam inlet of the turbine inner casing for the lift and mounted to the upper exhaust hood with a lifting fixture. Detaching and removal of the steam inlet assembly substantially lowers the clearance height for the lift, allowing lower turbine building height with significant cost savings.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2010Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Richard Jon Chevrette
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Publication number: 20120171010Abstract: A removable steam inlet assembly and lifting fixture for a steam turbine are provided to facilitate lifting of the upper exhaust hood of the steam turbine. The removable steam inlet assembly is detached from the steam inlet of the turbine inner casing for the lift and mounted to the upper exhaust hood with a lifting fixture. Detaching and removal of the steam inlet assembly substantially lowers the clearance height for the lift, allowing lower turbine building height with significant cost savings.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2010Publication date: July 5, 2012Inventor: Richard Jon Chevrette
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Publication number: 20120171031Abstract: An upper steam guide segment may be a height limiting clearance for a lift of the upper exhaust hood of a steam turbine. The upper steam guide segment for a steam turbine is made detachable from a steam guide. The upper steam guide segment is bracketed to a butterfly plate fixedly attached to an upper exhaust hood of the steam turbine. The upper steam guide segment is supported by the butterfly plate when detached from the full steam guide. During a lift of the upper exhaust hood, the steam guide segment will also be lifted with the upper exhaust hood, resulting in a lower clearance height for the lift.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2010Publication date: July 5, 2012Inventor: Richard Jon Chevrette
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Publication number: 20120163961Abstract: A flexible housing is arranged along an axial centerline of a rotor shaft of a steam turbine. The flexible housing extends between an exhaust hood endcover and a seal end packing housing on a separate supporting standard. The flexible housing includes a top cover portion and a bottom cover portion with a flanged horizontal joint that permits removal and replacement without need to remove the exhaust hood cover and the rotor shaft. The flexible housing encloses the rotor shaft with a first cylindrical element and a second cylindrical element of a different radius joined with an thin member that flexes to absorb expansion and contraction of the turbine exhaust hood.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2010Publication date: June 28, 2012Inventor: Richard Jon Chevrette
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Patent number: 8112862Abstract: Methods for assembling a first rotor and a second rotor having non-complementary flange openings may include providing mating elements at substantially the center on corresponding rotor flanges, coupling dowels into each of a plurality of circumferentially spaced flange openings in one rotor flange, and mating the mating elements and extending the dowels through corresponding flange openings in the other rotor flange. The rotors are then progressively drawn closer by threading a threaded collar onto each dowel while ensuring alignment between the rotor flanges. Once the flanges contact, machining the flange openings makes them complementary. Once the dowels are removed, the rotors can be coupled by a fastener in each set of complementary flange openings.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2009Date of Patent: February 14, 2012Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Richard Jon Chevrette
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Patent number: 7641200Abstract: Disclosed is a variable clearance packing ring arrangement including a packing ring, wherein the packing ring includes a sealing face. The variable clearance packing ring arrangement also includes an actuating arrangement internal to the packing ring.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2005Date of Patent: January 5, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Richard Jon Chevrette
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Publication number: 20080042367Abstract: Disclosed is a packing ring segment for providing a seal between a stationary component and a turbine shaft of a rotary machine, including an actuating arrangement disposed within the packing ring segment, and a resilient beam-type element included in the actuating arrangement, the resilient beam-type element radially outwardly biasing the packing ring segment away from the turbine shaft.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2006Publication date: February 21, 2008Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventor: Richard Jon Chevrette
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Patent number: 7201560Abstract: A packing ring holder assembly for packing seal segments about a steam turbine rotor includes a nozzle box and a holder cooperable to form a dovetail for securing packing ring segments to the nozzle box. A spring is interposed between the nozzle box and packing ring segment to bias the latter radially inwardly for sealing with the rotor. The holder includes a shoulder for preventing axial movement of the spring in one direction.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2004Date of Patent: April 10, 2007Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Charles Thomas O'Clair, Richard Jon Chevrette, Carl A. Greco, Jeyaruban Amirtharajah
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Patent number: 6695316Abstract: A rotary machine has stationary upper and lower housings with circumferential grooves and a rotatable component, as well as annular sealing segments movable toward and away from the rotating components between large and small clearance positions. To prevent circumferential displacement of the lower side segments by gravity forces and to enable the lowermost segment in the lower housing to move vertically between inner and outer clearance positions, the side segments of the lower housing are supported by brackets resting on a support surface forming part of the horizontal midline at the juncture of the upper and lower housings. Consequently, the gaps between the lower ends of the side segments and the opposite ends of the lower segment in the open position of the segments remains, enabling the lower segment to move radially vertically inwardly upon closing the seals.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2001Date of Patent: February 24, 2004Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Daniel Michael Popa, Richard Jon Chevrette, Christopher Edward Wolfe, George Horner Kirby, III
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Patent number: 6651986Abstract: A rotary machine has a stationary component with circumferential grooves and a rotatable component, as well as annular packing or sealing ring segments movable toward and away from the rotating component. To prevent circumferential displacement of the lower side packing ring segments by gravity forces and enable the lowermost segment in the lower housing to be moved radially inwardly, the side segments of the lower housing are supported adjacent the casing midline in a manner preventing downward movement and enabling horizontal movement. In an exemplary embodiment, the lower side packing ring segment is elongated so as to extend above the horizontal joint of the housing and a key bar extends from a key bar groove in the housing to engage a corresponding groove in the segment. The key bar may be disposed to define a seal key for the horizontal joint.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2002Date of Patent: November 25, 2003Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Richard Jon Chevrette, David Robert Skinner, George Horner Kirby, II, Christopher Edward Wolfe
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Publication number: 20030141669Abstract: A rotary machine has a stationary component with circumferential grooves and a rotatable component, as well as annular packing or sealing ring segments movable toward and away from the rotating component. To prevent circumferential displacement of the lower side packing ring segments by gravity forces and enable the lowermost segment in the lower housing to be moved radially inwardly, the side segments of the lower housing are supported adjacent the casing midline in a manner preventing downward movement and enabling horizontal movement. In an exemplary embodiment, the lower side packing ring segment is elongated so as to extend above the horizontal joint of the housing and a key bar extends from a key bar groove in the housing to engage a corresponding groove in the segment. The key bar may be disposed to define a seal key for the horizontal joint.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2002Publication date: July 31, 2003Inventors: Richard Jon Chevrette, David Robert Skinner, George Horner Kirby, Christopher Edward Wolfe
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Publication number: 20030103845Abstract: An inner shell of a steam turbine has discrete arcuate steam outlet ports through an axial face. In axial opposition is a nozzle ring including a pair of nozzle ring segments joined at a horizontal midline. At the midline joint, split partitions are employed to provide a full 360° discharge through the nozzle ring. The split partitions are split in an axial direction to define discrete partition portions in each of the nozzle ring segments adjacent the midline joint.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2001Publication date: June 5, 2003Inventors: Michael Thomas Hamlin, Dennis Roger Ahl, James Harvey Vogan, Tai Joung Kim, Jeffrey Louis Palmer, Thomas Joseph Farineau, Richard Jon Chevrette, George Edward Hilt
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Publication number: 20030057653Abstract: A rotary machine has stationary upper and lower housings with circumferential grooves and a rotatable component, as well as annular sealing segments movable toward and away from the rotating components between large and small clearance positions. To prevent circumferential displacement of the lower side segments by gravity forces and to enable the lowermost segment in the lower housing to move vertically between inner and outer clearance positions, the side segments of the lower housing are supported by brackets resting on a support surface forming part of the horizontal midline at the juncture of the upper and lower housings. Consequently, the gaps between the lower ends of the side segments and the opposite ends of the lower segment in the open position of the segments remains, enabling the lower segment to move radially vertically inwardly upon closing the seals.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 21, 2001Publication date: March 27, 2003Inventors: Daniel Michael Popa, Richard Jon Chevrette, Christopher Edward Wolfe, George Horner Kirby III
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Patent number: 6065754Abstract: A variable clearance packing ring includes a plurality of circumferentially extending segments disposed in a generally dovetail-shaped slot in the stationary component of a machine having a rotor rotatable about an axis, the packing ring including an arcuate seal face in opposition to the rotor and axially extending flanges within the dovetail slot. Pins project axially from opposite sides of the stationary component for location between the flanges and sealing faces of the segments. A centering ring is mounted on the pins for each segment and has a coefficient of thermal expansion greater than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the segment.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 1998Date of Patent: May 23, 2000Assignee: General Electric Co.Inventors: Robert Harold Cromer, Norman Arnold Turnquist, Stephen H. Nielsen, Richard Jon Chevrette
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Patent number: 6022027Abstract: A rotary machine has a stationary component with circumferential grooves and a rotatable component, as well as annular sealing segments movable toward and away from the rotating component. To prevent circumferential displacement of the lower side annular segments by gravity forces and enable the lowermost segment in the lower housing to be moved radially inwardly, the side segments of the lower housing are supported adjacent the casing midline in a manner preventing downward movement and enabling radial inward and outward movement. Generally Z-shaped clips are disposed in the dovetail groove of the stationary component with the tab at the upper end of the clip engaging a stop on the stationary component and the radially inwardly directed tab on the lower end of the clip engaging in a recess of the segment. Consequently, the segment, upon radial inward movement, pivots the clip about an axis adjacent the casing midline, enabling radial inward and outward movement and preventing circumferential displacement.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 1997Date of Patent: February 8, 2000Assignee: General Electric Co.Inventors: Richard Jon Chevrette, David Robert Skinner, Victor John Knorowski
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Patent number: 5980204Abstract: A turbine diaphragm for accommodating a rotor, comprising a diaphragm body having a radially inner bore and an inwardly recessed dovetail groove; a plurality of packing ring segments, each having a dovetail located within the dovetail groove; wherein the dovetail groove includes a hook portion which defines a radial opening into the groove and wherein the hook portion includes surfaces establishing a hook diameter having a center defined by the center of the rotor; and wherein the hook portions are radially outwardly extended by discrete elements installed axially in opposite directions through the diaphragm and projecting into the dovetail groove.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 1998Date of Patent: November 9, 1999Assignee: General Electric Co.Inventor: Richard Jon Chevrette
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Patent number: 5709388Abstract: A rotary machine has a stationary component with circumferential grooves and a rotatable component, as well as annular sealing segments movable toward and away from the rotating component. To prevent circumferential displacement of the lower side annular segments by gravity forces and enable the lowermost segment in the lower housing to be moved radially inwardly, the side segments of the lower housing are supported adjacent the casing midline in a manner preventing downward movement and enabling horizontal movement. Consequently, the gap between the lower ends of the side segments and the lower segment in the open position of the segments remains, enabling the lower segment to move radially inwardly upon closing the seals.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 1996Date of Patent: January 20, 1998Assignee: General Electric Co.Inventors: David Robert Skinner, Victor John Knorowski, Martin Francis O'Connor, Richard Jon Chevrette, Thomas William Swart