Patents by Inventor Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier

Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier 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).

  • Patent number: 9267385
    Abstract: A strip seal and method of configuration thereof for sealing portions of components of a gas turbine exposed to pressure pulsations. The strip seal has a sealing face that is configured to follow the contours of first portions of the components. The strip seal further has a pressure face that has a sinusoidal curvilinear shape with respect to the sealing face. The pressure face is configured to prevent localized movement of strip seal by configuring pressure face on its first side to contact sealing face at a plurality of points, on its second side to contact second portions of the components at a plurality of points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD
    Inventors: Ulrich Robert Steiger, Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier
  • Patent number: 9097119
    Abstract: A gas turbine is provided having a secondary combustion chamber and a first guide vane row of a low-pressure turbine, the row being arranged directly downstream of the chamber. The radially outer boundary of the secondary combustion chamber is formed by at least one outer wall segment, which is secured on at least one support element arranged radially outwardly. The flow path of the hot gases is bounded radially outwardly, in the region of the guide vane row, by an outer platform which is secured at least indirectly on at least one guide vane support. A substantially radially extending gap-shaped cavity having a width in the range of 1-25 mm in the axial direction in the inlet region is arranged between the wall segment and the outer platform. At least one step element, which reduces the width by at least 10% in at least one step, extending substantially perpendicularly to the direction of flow of the hot gas in the cavity, is arranged in the inlet region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD.
    Inventors: Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier, Marc Widmer, Selma Zahirovic, Paul Marlow
  • Publication number: 20150001815
    Abstract: A strip seal and method of configuration thereof for sealing portions of components of a gas turbine exposed to pressure pulsations. The strip seal has a sealing face that is configured to follow the contours of first portions of the components. The strip seal further has a pressure face that has a sinusoidal curvilinear shape with respect to the sealing face. The pressure face is configured to prevent localized movement of strip seal by configuring pressure face on its first side to contact sealing face at a plurality of points, on its second side to contact second portions of the components at a plurality of points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Ulrich Robert Steiger, Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier
  • Patent number: 8721281
    Abstract: A cooled blade for a gas turbine includes a blade airfoil extending between leading and trailing edges in a flow direction and on suction and pressure sides is delimited by a wall, which include an interior space in which cooling air flows towards the trailing edge in the flow direction and discharges to the outside in the region of the trailing edge. The pressure-side wall terminates at a distance in front of the trailing edge in the flow direction, forming a pressure-side lip, such that the cooling air discharges from the interior space on the pressure side. Multiple ribs subdivides the interior space, parallel to the flow direction, into a plurality of parallel cooling passages which create a high pressure drop and in which turbulators are arranged for increasing cooling. Before the outlet, multiple flow barriers are provided in the cooling air flow path, distributed transversely to the flow direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Jörg Krückels, Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier, Brian Kenneth Wardle
  • Patent number: 8534675
    Abstract: A strip seal and method of configuration thereof for sealing two adjacent non-rotating gas turbine hot gas components exposed to pressure pulsations. The strip seal has at least two clamping projections distributed along discrete points of the strip seal length that extend out from a pressure face of the strip seal. The location of the projections are defined by two ratios. The first ratio, of less than 25, is the strip seal length extending free of clamping projections from any one of the ends of the strip seal to a clamping projection to the ratio of strip seal thickness. The second ratio, of less than 200, is the ratio of the strip seal length extending free of clamping projections between any two projections to the thickness of the strip seal. This seal arrangement ameliorates detrimental effects of induced resonance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier, Ulrich Steiger, Ulrich Rathmann
  • Patent number: 8353663
    Abstract: A gas turbine is provided that includes a rotor which is rotatable around an axis and equipped with rotor blades, and which is concentrically enclosed at a distance by a casing, which is equipped with stator blades, forming an annular hot gas passage. Rings with stator blades and rotor blades are arranged in a manner alternating in the axial direction. Between adjacent stator blades, heat shield segments are arranged, which delimit the hot gas passage on the outside in a region of the rotor blades and are cooled by impingement cooling where a cooling medium from an outer annular cavity flows into the heat shield segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Tanguy Arzel, Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier, Martin Schnieder
  • Patent number: 8303257
    Abstract: An arrangement between blade elements in a blade row in a turbine is described. Each blade element has at least one shroud element and a blade airfoil which abuts on, and is connected to, the shroud element, and essentially extends radially with regard to a principal axis of the blade row. When installed, the shroud element sides, which extend circumferentially, abut on the respectively adjacent shroud element of the respectively adjacent blade element, each forming an essentially radial gap. At least one blade element has a projection which projects into the shroud element of the abutting blade element and extends in the circumferential direction, and at least one blade element has a recess which accommodates such a projection. In the region of the projection or recess there is a stepped region of the radial gap, and the guiding of the radial gap in this stepped region is a labyrinth seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier, Ulrich Rathmann, Carlos Simon-Delgado
  • Publication number: 20120020787
    Abstract: A cooled blade for a gas turbine includes a blade airfoil extending between leading and trailing edges in a flow direction and on suction and pressure sides is delimited by a wall, which include an interior space in which cooling air flows towards the trailing edge in the flow direction and discharges to the outside in the region of the trailing edge. The pressure-side wall terminates at a distance in front of the trailing edge in the flow direction, forming a pressure-side lip, such that the cooling air discharges from the interior space on the pressure side. Multiple ribs subdivides the interior space, parallel to the flow direction, into a plurality of parallel cooling passages which create a high pressure drop and in which turbulators are arranged for increasing cooling. Before the outlet, multiple flow barriers are provided in the cooling air flow path, distributed transversely to the flow direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD
    Inventors: Jörg KRÜCKELS, Thomas HEINZ-SCHWARZMAIER, Brian Kenneth WARDLE
  • Patent number: 8043050
    Abstract: A gap seal (9) radially seals a gap (8) which extends axially and radially between two blades (1, 2) of a turbomachine which are adjacent in the circumferential direction (3). The two blades (1, 2) have, in each case, an axially extending longitudinal slot (10, 11), which is open towards the gap (8), on its respective blade root (6, 7). A band-form or strip-form sealing element (12) engages with its longitudinal sides (13, 14) in the two longitudinal slots (10, 11) and bridges the gap (8). The one blade (1) has a projection (15) on its blade root (6), which projects from the blade root (6) in the circumferential direction (3) and extends in the circumferential direction (3) and radially, at least in the region of the respective longitudinal slot (10), and bridges an axial longitudinal end of the gap (8) in the process. The other blade (2) has a step-shaped recess (16) on its blade root (7), complementary to the projection (15) of the one blade (1) and in which the projection engages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier, Sven Olmes, Ronald Wifling
  • Publication number: 20110171013
    Abstract: A gas turbine is provided that includes a rotor which is rotatable around an axis and equipped with rotor blades, and which is concentrically enclosed at a distance by a casing, which is equipped with stator blades, forming an annular hot gas passage. Rings with stator blades and rotor blades are arranged in a manner alternating in the axial direction. Between adjacent stator blades, heat shield segments are arranged, which delimit the hot gas passage on the outside in a region of the rotor blades and are cooled by impingement cooling where a cooling medium from an outer annular cavity flows into the heat shield segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Tanguy ARZEL, Thomas HEINZ-SCHWARZMAIER, Martin SCHNIEDER
  • Publication number: 20110171039
    Abstract: A blade arrangement of a gas turbine, with at least one blade which in the radial direction projects into a hot gas passage arranged concentrically to an axis, and terminates in a blade tip which with a clearance lies opposite a heat shield which delimits the hot gas passage. The blade and the heat shield are movable in relation to each other in the circumferential direction, and the blade tip and the heat shield are covered with coatings, which enable a directed cutting of the blade tip into the heat shield. By such a blade arrangement, a reduction of the clearance as a result of cutting in is simply achieved by the heat shield having a porous thermal barrier coating as an outer, abradable coating, and by the blade tip being provided with a homogenous, metallic cover coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2011
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD
    Inventors: Thomas HEINZ-SCHWARZMAIER, Thomas DUDA, Alexander SCHNELL
  • Publication number: 20100187762
    Abstract: A strip seal and method of configuration thereof for sealing two adjacent non-rotating gas turbine hot gas components exposed to pressure pulsations. The strip seal has at least two clamping projections distributed along discrete points of the strip seal length that extend out from a pressure face of the strip seal. The location of the projections are defined by two ratios. The first ratio, of less than 25, is the strip seal length extending free of clamping projections from any one of the ends of the strip seal to a clamping projection to the ratio of strip seal thickness. The second ratio, of less than 200, is the ratio of the strip seal length extending free of clamping projections between any two projections to the thickness of the strip seal. This seal arrangement ameliorates detrimental effects of induced resonance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Thomas HEINZ-SCHWARZMAIER, Ulrich STEIGER, Ulrich RATHMANN
  • Publication number: 20100119371
    Abstract: An arrangement between blade elements in a blade row in a turbine is described. Each blade element has at least one shroud element and a blade airfoil which abuts on, and is connected to, the shroud element, and essentially extends radially with regard to a principal axis of the blade row. When installed, the shroud element sides, which extend circumferentially, abut on the respectively adjacent shroud element of the respectively adjacent blade element, each forming an essentially radial gap. At least one blade element has a projection which projects into the shroud element of the abutting blade element and extends in the circumferential direction, and at least one blade element has a recess which accommodates such a projection. In the region of the projection or recess there is a stepped region of the radial gap, and the guiding of the radial gap in this stepped region is a labyrinth seal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2009
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD
    Inventors: Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier, Ulrich Rathmann, Carlos Simon-Delgado
  • Publication number: 20080247867
    Abstract: A gap seal (9) radially seals a gap (8) which extends axially and radially between two blades (1, 2) of a turbomachine which are adjacent in the circumferential direction (3). The two blades (1, 2) have, in each case, an axially extending longitudinal slot (10, 11), which is open towards the gap (8), on its respective blade root (6, 7). A band-form or strip-form sealing element (12) engages with its longitudinal sides (13, 14) in the two longitudinal slots (10, 11) and bridges the gap (8). The one blade (1) has a projection (15) on its blade root (6), which projects from the blade root (6) in the circumferential direction (3) and extends in the circumferential direction (3) and radially, at least in the region of the respective longitudinal slot (10), and bridges an axial longitudinal end of the gap (8) in the process. The other blade (2) has a step-shaped recess (16) on its blade root (7), complementary to the projection (15) of the one blade (1) and in which the projection engages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventors: Thomas Heinz-Schwarzmaier, Sven Olmes, Ronald Wifling