AXIAL RETENTION DEVICE FOR TURBINE SYSTEM
An axial retention device for a turbine is disclosed. The axial retention device includes a latch associated with a mating surface of one of a turbine component and a support structure. The latch has an outward bias and includes an axial load surface. The axial retention device further includes a pocket defined in a mating surface of the other of the turbine component and the support structure. The pocket is configured to accept the latch therein and includes a mating axial load surface. Engagement of the latch and the pocket allows the axial load surface and the mating axial load surface to interact, preventing axial movement of the turbine component with respect to the support structure in at least one direction.
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The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to turbine systems, and more particularly to axial retention devices for retaining turbine components within turbine systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTurbine systems are widely utilized in fields such as power generation. For example, a conventional gas turbine system includes a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. During operation of the gas turbine system, various components in the system are subjected to high temperature flows, which can cause the components to fail. Since higher temperature flows generally result in increased performance, efficiency, and power output of the gas turbine system, the components that are subjected to high temperature flows must be cooled to allow the gas turbine system to operate at increased temperatures. Thus, cooling medium may be flowed through the gas turbine system to cool the various components.
Further, to obtain optimal performance and efficiency of a turbine system, the high temperature flows and cooling medium flows should be generally confined from one another. For example, in the turbine of a turbine system, turbine components are generally provided with cooling medium independent of the high temperature flow to prevent ingestion of the high temperature flow therein during operation. Additionally, sealing devices may be utilized to shield the turbine components from leakage of the high temperature flow, and further to prevent the escape of the cooling medium.
In many cases, the sealing devices and turbine components are mounted in the turbine to annular support structures. The sealing devices and turbine components may further be positioned circumferentially and axially with respect to each other to prevent leakage of the high temperature flow and escape of the cooling medium. However, in many cases, the sealing devices and/or turbine components may shift, slide, or become disengaged with respect to the support structures, thus potentially allowing leakage therein or escape therefrom. This leakage and/or escape can reduce the performance and efficiency of the turbine system, and may further be harmful to the system. Thus, in most cases, the sealing devices and turbine components should not shift, slide, or become disengaged with respect to the support structures.
Thus, an improved retention device for retaining sealing devices and/or turbine components within support structures would be desired in the art. For example, an axial retention device that prevents axial movement of the sealing devices and/or turbine components with respect to the support structures would be advantageous.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONAspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one embodiment, an axial retention device for a turbine is disclosed. The axial retention device includes a latch associated with a mating surface of one of a turbine component and a support structure. The latch has an outward bias and includes an axial load surface. The axial retention device further includes a pocket defined in a mating surface of the other of the turbine component and the support structure. The pocket is configured to accept the latch therein and includes a mating axial load surface. Engagement of the latch and the pocket allows the axial load surface and the mating axial load surface to interact, preventing axial movement of the turbine component with respect to the support structure in at least one direction.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Thus, the system as shown may include a compressor 12, a combustor 14, and a turbine 16. The compressor 12 and turbine 16 may be coupled by a shaft 18. The shaft 18 may be a single shaft or a plurality of shaft segments coupled together to form shaft 18.
The turbine 16 may include a plurality of turbine stages. For example, in one embodiment, the turbine 16 may have three stages, as shown in
As shown in
The buckets 22, 24, 26 and sealing devices 30 must be retained in the turbine 16. Thus, various support structures 32 may be provided in the turbine 16 for mating with and supporting various turbine components 34, such as the sealing devices 30 and/or buckets 22, 24, 26. The support structures 32 may be, for example, rotor disks 36 configured to mate with the buckets 22, 24, 26. Alternatively, the support structures 32 may be, for example, spacer rim structures 38 configured to mate with the sealing devices 32.
As shown, the turbine components 34 and support structures 32 may include mating appendages 40 and cavities 42 for mating the turbine components 34 and support structures 32 together. For example, in some embodiments, the appendages 40 may be dovetails, and the cavities 42 may be shaped and sized to receive the dovetails therein. In general, the turbine components 34 are mated to the support structures 32 by sliding the appendages 40 into the cavities 42 along a generally axial axis 44, as shown in
Thus as shown in
Further, as discussed above, a plurality of turbine components 34 may be disposed in an annular array about the support structure 32. In some embodiments, each turbine component 34 may include an independent latch 52 or define an independent pocket 54 configured to mate with an independent latch 52 or independent pocket 54 included or defined in the support structure 32. In other embodiments, however, as shown in
The turbine component 34 may define a mating surface 56, and the support structure 32 may define a mating surface 58. The mating surfaces 56, 58 may be defined on the appendage 40 and in the cavity 42, or may be defined adjacent the appendage 40 and cavity 42, as shown in
The pocket 54 according to the present disclosure may be configured to accept the latch 52 therein. For example, the pocket 54 may be sized and shaped to accommodate at least a portion of the latch 52 therein, and may further have various features for engaging and interacting with the latch 52, as discussed below.
The latch 52 according to the present disclosure may have a generally outward bias. “Outward” refers to a direction generally radially away from an associated base component or surface, such as a turbine component 34 or support structure 32. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, as shown in
Further, in some exemplary embodiments, the axial retention device 50 may include a spring 62, or a plurality of springs 62. The springs 62 may provide the outward bias. In embodiments wherein the latch 52 has a pivot point 60, the springs 62 may be located, for example, at the pivot point 60 or spaced from the pivot point 60. It should be understood, however, that the outward bias need not be provided by springs, and rather that the outward bias may be provided by any suitable biasing, tensioning, or preloading device.
In exemplary embodiments, as shown in
As shown, the latch 52 may include an axial load surface 70, and the pocket 54 may include a mating axial load surface 72. As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In another embodiment, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
Further, in some embodiments as shown in
Beneficially, the axial retention device 50 of the present disclosure may prevent axial movement of turbine components 34 with respect to support structures 32 in one or more directions. This prevention of axial movement may advantageously prevent or reduce the potential leakage of high temperature flow and/or escape of cooling medium between the turbine component 34 and support structure 32.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
Claims
1. An axial retention device for a turbine, the axial retention device comprising:
- a latch associated with a mating surface of one of a turbine component and a support structure, the latch having an outward bias, the latch including an axial load surface; and
- a pocket defined in a mating surface of the other of the turbine component and the support structure, the pocket configured to accept the latch therein, the pocket including a mating axial load surface,
- wherein engagement of the latch and the pocket allows the axial load surface and the mating axial load surface to interact, preventing axial movement of the turbine component with respect to the support structure in at least one direction.
2. The axial retention device of claim 1, the mating surface of the one of the turbine component and the support structure associated with the latch defining a cavity therein, and wherein the latch is mounted in the cavity.
3. The axial retention device of claim 1, wherein the latch is pivotable about a pivot point.
4. The axial retention device of claim 1, further comprising a spring, the spring providing the outward bias.
5. The axial retention device of claim 4, wherein the spring is a plurality of springs.
6. The axial retention device of claim 1, further comprising a stop associated with one of the turbine component and the support structure, the stop configured to interact with the other of the turbine component and the support structure such that axial movement of the turbine component with respect to the support structure is prevented in two directions.
7. The axial retention device of claim 1, wherein the axial load surface is a plurality of axial load surfaces and the mating axial load surface is a plurality of mating axial load surfaces, and wherein engagement of the latch and the pocket allows the plurality of axial load surfaces and the plurality of mating axial load surfaces to interact, preventing axial movement of the turbine component with respect to the support structure in two directions.
8. The axial retention device of claim 1, the other of the turbine component and the support structure defining an access hole, the access hole providing access to the latch for releasing the latch from the pocket, allowing axial movement of the turbine component with respect to the support structure in the at least one direction.
9. The axial retention device of claim 8, the latch including a sealing surface configured to seal the access hole when the latch and pocket are engaged.
10. The axial retention device of claim 1, wherein the latch is associated with the mating surface of the support structure and the pocket is defined in the mating surface of the turbine component.
11. The axial retention device of claim 1, wherein the turbine component is a sealing device and the support structure is a spacer rim structure.
12. The axial retention device of claim 1, wherein the turbine component is a bucket and the support structure is a rotor disk.
13. A turbine, comprising:
- a support structure, the support structure having a mating surface;
- at least one turbine component, the turbine component having a mating surface;
- a latch associated with the mating surface of one of the at least one turbine component and the support structure, the latch having an outward bias, the latch including an axial load surface; and
- a pocket defined in the mating surface of the other of the at least one turbine component and the support structure, the pocket configured to accept the latch therein, the pocket including a mating axial load surface,
- wherein engagement of the latch and the pocket allows the axial load surface and the mating axial load surface to interact, preventing axial movement of the at least one turbine component with respect to the support structure in at least one direction.
14. The turbine of claim 13, the mating surface of the one of the at least one turbine component and the support structure associated with the latch defining a cavity therein, and wherein the latch is mounted in the cavity.
15. The turbine of claim 13, wherein the latch is pivotable about a pivot point.
16. The turbine of claim 13, further comprising a spring, the spring providing the outward bias.
17. The turbine of claim 13, further comprising a stop associated with one of the at least one turbine component and the support structure, the stop configured to interact with the other of the at least one turbine component and the support structure such that axial movement of the at least one turbine component with respect to the support structure is prevented in two directions.
18. The turbine of claim 13, the other of the at least one turbine component and the support structure defining an access hole, the access hole providing access to the latch for releasing the latch from the pocket, allowing axial movement of the at least one turbine component with respect to the support structure in the at least one direction.
19. The turbine of claim 13, wherein the latch is associated with the mating surface of the support structure and the pocket is defined in the mating surface of the at least one turbine component.
20. The turbine of claim 13, wherein the at least one turbine component is two turbine components.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 12, 2010
Publication Date: Apr 12, 2012
Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY (Schenectady, NY)
Inventors: Thomas Raymond Farrell (Simpsonville, SC), Gary Charles Liotta (Simpsonville, SC)
Application Number: 12/902,561
International Classification: F04D 29/34 (20060101);