Abstract: A fixture and method for assembling axial entry buckets with complex geometry to a rotor wheel is provided. The fixture features an inner and an outer split ring shaft clamp, which is bolted together around the rotor wheel packing diameter and provides a mounting base. The transfer ring mounts around and abutting the rotor wheel. The transfer ring includes a circumferential slot to accept bucket-holders. The bucket holders loaded with turbine buckets, inserted onto the transfer ring and moved circumferentially around the transfer ring to align the turbine buckets to slots on the rotor wheel. Pressure is applied to spiral the buckets from the bucket-holders into final position in slots on the rotor wheel.

Abstract: A fixture and method for assembling axial entry buckets with complex geometry to a rotor wheel is provided. The fixture features an inner and an outer split ring shaft clamp, which is bolted together around the rotor wheel packing diameter and provides a mounting base. The transfer ring mounts around and abutting the rotor wheel. The transfer ring includes a circumferential slot to accept bucket-holders. The bucket holders loaded with turbine buckets, inserted onto the transfer ring and moved circumferentially around the transfer ring to align the turbine buckets to slots on the rotor wheel. Pressure is applied to spiral the buckets from the bucket-holders into final position in slots on the rotor wheel.

Abstract: Tangential entry dovetail cantilever load sharing is described herein. In one embodiment, a turbine bucket dovetail is provided that facilitates substantially even distribution of centrifugal loads on a plurality of hooks that define the bucket dovetail.

Abstract: A nozzle box includes first and second nozzle box halves which are bolted together. Each nozzle box half includes a nozzle ring segment that carries nozzles along its entire 180° arc, so that when the nozzle box halves are joined together a nozzle box is formed with no discontinuities of nozzles around its 360° circumference. The nozzles carried on each nozzle ring segment communicate with inlet ports, and associated passages which are perpendicular to the nozzle box exit plane.

Abstract: A rotor shaft of a steam turbine is provided with a dovetail-shaped groove. A plurality of inserts are received in the groove through an entry slot at a predetermined circumferential location. Each insert has a sealing surface which, when all inserts are disposed in the groove, form a continuous sealing surface about the rotor shaft. Pins are employed to retain the final insert and, hence, all inserts in the groove by connecting the final insert either to the rotor shaft or to adjacent inserts. In this manner, heat generated by the brush seal bristles bearing on proud portions of the rotor sealing surface is substantially uniformly distributed about the inserts prior to any heat transfer to the rotor. To the extent heat is transferred to the rotor, the temperature distribution is substantially uniform whereby bowing of the rotor due to differential circumferential heating by brush seal contact with proud portions of the rotor is avoided.

Abstract: In an opposed flow high pressure section, intermediate pressure section steam turbine (10), an annular section divider (142) is located axially between the high pressure section (HP) and the intermediate pressure section (IP), and substantially eliminates conventional inner shell sections. Thus, the turbine has only a single outer shell to which the blades of the turbine stages outside the divider 142 are operatively sealed. The section divider (142) incorporates partial arc steam admission chambers (150); supports a nozzle plate assembly (146); and includes integral steam packing (156) to seal the rotor interface.