Casing And Spaced Housing With Space Vented To Working Fluid Patents (Class 415/108)
  • Patent number: 8092146
    Abstract: An active tip clearance control (ATCC) apparatus of an aircraft gas turbine engine is situated within a pressurized core case of the engine. First and second portions of bypass air flow passing through the respective compressed core compartment and the ATCC apparatus, are isolated from one another in order to improve both the ATCC performance and bypass air duct performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Pierre-Yves Legare, Stephen Mah
  • Patent number: 8061971
    Abstract: A cooling system for a turbine includes a blower configured to generate a cooling gas flow to be passed through a rotor cavity of the turbine; piping configured to deliver the cooling gas flow to the turbine; and at least one valve configured to control the cooling gas flow. The piping is operatively connected to the rotor of the turbine. A method of cooling a turbine includes generating a cooling gas flow with a blower to be passed through a rotor cavity of the turbine; and delivering the cooling gas flow to the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eric Roush, Mark W. Flanagan, Ian David Wilson, George Frey, John Raymond Hess
  • Patent number: 8011879
    Abstract: A transition channel between a first turbine section and a second turbine section for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The channel includes a first radially external annular wall including ring sector elements housed inside an annular ring and orifices for injecting a fluid into the channel in order to re-energize the boundary layer thereof, a second radially internal annular wall, and a fluid supply device arranged between the space outside the ring and the injection orifices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Jean-Michel Guimbard, Philippe Jean-Pierre Pabion, Eric Schwartz, Jean-Luc Soupizon
  • Patent number: 8002515
    Abstract: Disclosed is a shroud for a turbomachine including at least one support structure and at least one inner shroud disposed at a gas path of a turbomachine. The at least one inner shroud and the at least one support structure have at least one gap therebetween. The at least one gap alternates between at least one restrictive gap and at least one unrestrictive gap and is capable of creating at least one pressure loss mechanism to reduce a hot gas flow in the at least one gap. Further disclosed is a turbomachine and a method for reducing ingestion of hot gas in a turbomachine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Iain Robertson Kellock, Charles Alan Bulgrin, Tagir Robert Nigmatulin, Ralph Chris Bruner
  • Patent number: 7922466
    Abstract: The invention relates to a radial fan (1), preferably a high-speed radial fan, comprising a blower wheel (8), a housing (2) which receives a rotor (6) and a stator (5) of an electrical drive (4) of the blower wheel shaft (7), and a cooling system. The aim of the invention is to develop one such radial fan in terms of the cooling system required. To this end, paths (30, 37) for a first cooling medium (K1) and a second cooling medium (K2) are provided in the housing (2), the second cooling medium (K2) being cooled by the first cooling medium (K1) as provided for by the housing (2), and the paths (30, 37) are separated from each other by intact material walls (40) of the housing (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Gebr. Becker GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Radermacher, Frank Diedrichsen, Achim Von Kathen
  • Patent number: 7909569
    Abstract: The turbine support case comprises a first annular portion, a second annular portion, and a third annular portion connected between the first and the second portion. The third portion has an average wall thickness smaller than an average wall thickness of the first and the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Eric Durocher, Martin Jutras
  • Publication number: 20110033281
    Abstract: A steam turbine 10 is provided with a double-structure comprising an inner casing 20 and an outer casing 21. A turbine rotor 22, in which plural stages of moving blades 24 are circumferentially implanted, is operatively disposed in inner casing 20. A diaphragm outer ring 25 and a diaphragm inner ring are disposed along the circumferential direction in inner casing 20. Stationary blades 27 are circumferentially provided between diaphragm outer ring 25 and the diaphragm inner ring, so that diaphragm outer ring 25, the diaphragm inner ring and stationary blades 27 form a stage of stationary blades. The stages of the stationary blades are arranged alternately with the stages of moving blades 24 in the axial direction of turbine rotor 22. A cooling medium passage 40 for passing a cooling medium CM which is supplied through a supply pipe 45 is formed between inner casing 20 and diaphragm outer ring 25.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Inventors: Asako INOMATA, Katsuya YAMASHITA, Kazuhiro SAITO, Takao INUKAI, Kunihiko WADA, Kazutaka IKEDA, Takeo SUGA
  • Patent number: 7885065
    Abstract: Provided is a fan motor apparatus. The fan motor apparatus includes a rotor and a stator. The rotor includes a blade. The stator includes a rotor supporting mechanism, a supporting member, and a vibration insulation member. The rotor supporting mechanism rotatably supports the rotor. The supporting member supports the rotor supporting mechanism. The vibration insulation member is provided between the rotor supporting mechanism and the supporting member. The stator is capable of regulating relative movement of the rotor supporting mechanism and the supporting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Sachiko Kaneko, Yuji Shishido, Takashi Mochida, Hideo Niikura, Atsushi Kikuchi, Makoto Chiyoda
  • Patent number: 7798767
    Abstract: A valve (6) for supplying the external air to the inside of an upper casing (5a) is provided to the upper casing (5a), and when the operation of a gas turbine is stopped, the external air is introduced from the upper casing (5a) to the inside of the casing (5). When the external air is introduced from the upper casing (5a), the upper casing (5a) is cooled to prevent thermal deformation of the casing (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kondo, Koichi Ishizaka, Yoshifumi Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 7775758
    Abstract: An apparatus for adjusting a thrust load on a rotor assembly of a gas turbine engine includes an impeller rear cavity defined between a rear face of an impeller of the rotor assembly and a stationary wall spaced axially apart from the rear surface of the impeller. A pressurized air flow with a tangential velocity is introduced into the impeller rear cavity at a tip of the impeller to pressurize the cavity. Means are provided in the cavity for directly interfering with the tangential velocity of the pressurized air flow to affect an average static pressure of the pressurized air flow within the cavity in order to adjust the thrust load on the rotor assembly caused by the average static pressure in the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventor: Pierre-Yves Legare
  • Patent number: 7766610
    Abstract: Annular or ring-segment-shaped cavities (2, 7) which are formed in particular in multi-shell (11; 12, 13) casings of turbomachines are preferably provided with suitable means for compensating for forming temperature stratifications. According to the invention, an overflow passage (14) connects two points of the cavity to one another which are situated in different circumferential positions. Arranged in the overflow passage (14) is an ejector (17) which can be operated with a motive fluid and which serves to drive a flow through the overflow passage from an upstream end (15) to a downstream end (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Armin Busekros, Darran Norman, Matthias Rothbrust
  • Patent number: 7762764
    Abstract: A turbomachine, especially a steam turbine (10), has an inner casing (15a) and an outer casing (17a), which concentrically encompass a rotor which is rotatable around a machine axis, wherein the outer casing (17a) encloses the inner casing (15a) with a radial space (d), and at least the inner casing (15a) is divided in a parting plane (22) into two casing halves (15a) which can be releasably interconnected by flanges (18) which are attached to the casing halves (15a), and wherein the casing halves (15a) of the inner casing (15a) have a thickening (20) in the region between the flanges (18). A change of the interspace between the casings is largely avoided by the outer casing (17a), in the region of the thickening (20) of the inner casing (15a), being adapted to the thickening (20) so that the radial space (d) between inner casing (15a) and outer casing (17a) outside the flanges (18, 19) is largely constant over the casing circumference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventor: Philip John Peel
  • Patent number: 7722314
    Abstract: A method and system for assembling a turbine is provided, wherein an annular nozzle carrier is positioned radially inwardly from a casing such that a cavity is defined between the nozzle carrier and the casing. The method and system also includes a flange that is extended from at least one of a leading edge of the annular casing and a leading edge of the nozzle carrier, and a seal ring that is extended between the nozzle carrier and the casing such that the seal ring seals the cavity, wherein the seal ring is positioned between the flange and at least one of the nozzle carrier and the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Steven Sebastian Burdgick
  • Patent number: 7682130
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for cooling a housing of a gas turbine and/or of a combustion chamber, in particular of a gas turbine, comprising: a cooling gas supply device with a cooling gas outlet, out of which a cooling gas stream flows when the cooling gas supply device is in operation, and with a cooling gas inlet, via which the cooling gas stream flows back to the cooling gas supply device when the cooling gas supply device is in operation; and a cooling gas path which is led through the housing in the circumferential direction of the latter and which connects a first housing connection to a second housing connection. So that a circumferential temperature difference of the housing can be set independently of an average temperature of the housing, the cooling device is equipped with a switching device for reversing the flow direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventor: Zdenko Jurjevic
  • Publication number: 20090324384
    Abstract: A gas turbine having at least one compressor, at least one combustion chamber, and at least one turbine, the or each compressor and/or the or each turbine having a rotor that includes rotor blades surrounded by a stationary housing, and a run-in coating being assigned to the housing is disclosed. The gas turbine includes at least one channel which is configured to apply a pressure prevailing on the high-pressure side of the blades of a rotor to a low-pressure side of the same in the area of a gap between the radially outer ends of the blades and the housing and thereby prevent a flow through the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: MTU AERO ENGINES GMBH
    Inventors: Peter Seitz, Roland Huttner, Karl-Heinz Dusel
  • Publication number: 20090162188
    Abstract: A screen member, for a vent assembly including a housing with an inner side, has a base ring and a screen coupled to the base ring. The attachment mechanism is unitarily formed with the base ring to enable readily removal of the screen member. A plurality of cantilevered extending members form part of the attachment mechanism. The extending members include a retaining member on its distal end to secure the screen member in the cut out of the housing. Also, a spacer is on at least one extending member to reduce the play between the extending members and the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Inventor: Penny Milks
  • Patent number: 7527468
    Abstract: A fan array fan section in an air-handling system includes a plurality of fan units arranged in a fan array and positioned within an air-handling compartment. One preferred embodiment may include an array controller programmed to operate the plurality of fan units at peak efficiency. The plurality of fan units may be arranged in a true array configuration, a spaced pattern array configuration, a checker board array configuration, rows slightly offset array configuration, columns slightly offset array configuration, or a staggered array configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Huntair, Inc.
    Inventor: Lawrence G. Hopkins
  • Patent number: 7520721
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system for aligning and sealing a turbine shell assembly an first shell assembly including at least one first shell segment, a second shell assembly including a tongue extending therefrom, a groove defined by the first shell assembly, the groove configured to mate with the tongue extending from the second shell assembly, at least one key structure disposable in the groove, the at least one key structure being associable with at least one surface of the at least one first shell segment, and at least partially sealable with a sealing surface of the tongue, and a tapered surface of the groove that is associable with at least a portion of the at least one key structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael Thomas Hamlin, Michael Earl Montgomery
  • Patent number: 7513736
    Abstract: Wind energy plant with an aeration equipment for a rotor hub, with a cup-shaped element which has a bottom and a circumferential side wall, and a pipe-shaped connection piece, directed into an inner space of the rotor hub, the cup-shaped element being kept in front of an entrance opening of the connection piece such that the entrance opening is arranged in the interior of the cup-shaped element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Nordex Energy GmbH
    Inventors: Henrik Jannasch, Uwe Kroh
  • Publication number: 20090081023
    Abstract: A wind collector including a number of upright columns being arranged in a closed geometric form. A roof is affixed to the tops of the columns. A number of horizontal beams connect each adjacent pair of columns together beneath the roof. Each of the beams has an inner surface and an opposed, outer surface. A plurality of movable panels is suspended from the horizontal beams. Each of the panels is hingedly connected, at the top thereof, to one of the beams and, at the bottom thereof, normally contacts and presses downwardly upon the inner surface of another one of the beams whereby passing winds swing the bottoms of the panels inwardly and enter the wind collector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Inventor: Dennis P. Caldwell
  • Patent number: 7503179
    Abstract: An exemplary thermal air exhaust system includes circumferentially extending exhaust passages to exhaust thermal control air from an annular region between an outer casing and a distribution manifold encircling an axially extending portion of the casing after the thermal control air has been sprayed on at least one thermal control ring attached to the outer casing and/or onto the outer casing by spray tubes with spray holes. Baffles attached to base panels of the distribution manifold and contoured to form the exhaust passages between the baffles and base panels. The exhaust passages having exhaust passage inlets formed by radially facing exhaust holes through the baffles and exhaust passage outlets formed by circumferentially facing exhaust passage outlets between the baffles and the base panels. Thermal control air is sprayed on at least one thermal control ring and/or onto the outer casing and then circumferentially exhausted through the exhaust passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Scott Anthony Estridge, Roger Francis Wartner, Michael Terry Bucaro
  • Publication number: 20090053039
    Abstract: A blower wheel housing for an air conditioning system is formed of a single molded element having a base section and a nozzle section with included vanes having complex shapes. This is accomplished by employing a pair of mold core elements which together form a cavity into which a plastic material is injected to form the cover with its integral nozzle and vanes, and the mold core elements are then withdrawn in opposite directions but at an angle to the direction normal to the two mold core elements to thereby accommodate the complex shapes of the vanes. In one embodiment, the top wall of the nozzle is disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal plane of the cover, and the mold core elements are also withdrawn in a plane that is parallel to this wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shafi N. Khan, Robert S. Simeone
  • Patent number: 7484926
    Abstract: A steam turbine power plant which is provided with an extra-high-pressure turbine 100, a high-pressure turbine 200, an intermediate-pressure turbine 300 and a low-pressure turbine 400, and has high-temperature steam of 650° C. or more introduced into the extra-high-pressure turbine 100, wherein the extra-high-pressure turbine 100 has an outer casing cooling unit which cools an outer casing 111, and a turbine rotor 112, an inner casing 110 and a nozzle box 115 of the extra-high-pressure turbine 100 are formed of an Ni base heat-resisting alloy, and the outer casing 111 is formed of a ferrite-based alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takeo Suga, Ryuichi Ishii, Takeo Takahashi, Masafumi Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20090022611
    Abstract: A cooling fan includes a fan housing (30) having a central tube (34) extending upwardly therefrom; the central tube has a bottom, annular protrusion (31). A bearing (61) is received in the central tube and mounted on the protrusion. A stator (20) is mounted around the central tube. A rotor (10) includes a shaft (18) having a free end (186) extending through the bearing and defining a notch (184) therein. A locking washer (63) engages into the notch of the shaft to limit movement of the shaft along an axial direction thereof. A balance structure (62) is arranged between the locking washer and the bearing. The balance structure is made of magnet and exerts a downwardly pulling force on the shaft to prevent the rotor from moving upwardly when the rotor is rotated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2007
    Publication date: January 22, 2009
    Applicants: FU ZHUN PRECISION INDUSTRY (SHEN ZHEN) CO., LTD., FOXCONN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: LI BEI, ZHI-CHENG YANG, YONG-KANG ZHANG, YING-MIN HUANG
  • Publication number: 20080159848
    Abstract: A high location installation type air conditioner includes a body casing (3) for accommodating a fan (5), a fan motor (9), and a heat exchanger (4), and a top plate (32) forming a top surface of the body casing (3) for suspending the fan (5), the fan motor (9), and the heat exchanger (4). The top plate (32) includes a plurality of radial reinforcing ribs extending from a central portion of the top plate (32) at which the fan motor (9) is supported to a peripheral portion of the top plate (32) at which the heat exchanger (4) is supported. The plurality of reinforcing ribs include a reinforcing rib (32a?) protruding from a front surface of the top plate (32) and a reinforcing rib (32a) protruding from a rear surface of the top plate (32) to improve rigidity of the top plate (32).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2006
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Inventor: Jihong Liu
  • Patent number: 7377742
    Abstract: A method for assembling a gas turbine engine includes coupling a rotor assembly including a plurality of rotor blades about a rotatable main shaft of the gas turbine engine. The main shaft is aligned in an axial direction of the gas turbine engine. A shroud assembly is coupled to the gas turbine engine. The shroud assembly includes a plurality of shroud segments circumferentially coupled about the rotor assembly such that a shroud spacing gap is formed in the axial direction between adjacent shroud segments. A cooling fluid source is coupled to each shroud segment such that cooling fluid is channeled through each shroud segment into a corresponding shroud spacing gap to facilitate positive purge flow through the shroud spacing gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jason David Shapiro, Daniel Demers, Robert Patrick Tameo, Tyler F. Hooper, Robert Alexander Nicoll, Douglas Patrick Probasco
  • Patent number: 7347661
    Abstract: A casing arrangement of a gas turbine includes a casing member, which is formed to extend at least partially around the component. The casing member defines a fluid flow path for the flow of a cooling fluid therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Rolls Royce, plc
    Inventors: Anthony B. Phipps, Paul H. Edwards, Adrian L. Harding, Mark A. Halliwell
  • Patent number: 7329084
    Abstract: Suitable means for driving a flow are arranged in annular or ring-segment-shaped cavities that are formed in particular in multi-shell casings of turbomachines. Arranged inside the cavity are ejectors that are supplied via suitable means with a motive-fluid flow which in turn excites the flow, preferably a circumferential flow or a helical flow. The invention is suitable in particular for avoiding casing distortions when turbomachines are at rest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Rolf Dittmann, Jonas Hurter, Robert Marmilic, Pierre Meylan, Ernst Pauli
  • Patent number: 7296964
    Abstract: Solid particle erosion in a steam turbine is minimized by diverting through holes in appendages of outer rings of the diaphragms, a portion of the steam from the steam flow path thereby bypassing downstream rotating components. The hole through the first stage appendage lies in communication with a passage through a downstream outer ring of a following stage such that the diverted solid particle containing steam may be extracted from the steam flow path and passed to the feed water heater of the turbine. The hole in the second stage appendage diverts steam from between the first and second stages and about the second stage. Solid particle erosion in various regions, i.e., the trailing edge of the stator vanes, along the surfaces of the buckets and in the regions of the cover and its connection with the buckets as well as the sealing devices are thereby minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Michael Earl Montgomery
  • Patent number: 7273348
    Abstract: A method for aligning an inner shell of a turbine assembly with an outer shell of the turbine assembly along a transverse centerline of the turbine assembly perpendicular to an axial centerline of the turbine assembly includes positioning a first gib key assembly with respect to the transverse centerline. The first gib key assembly is connected to a first end surface of the inner shell to form a first groove within the first gib key assembly. A projection formed on a first end of the outer shell mateably engages the first groove formed within the first gib key assembly to align the inner shell with the outer shell along the transverse centerline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeyaruban Amirtharajah, Thomas W. Swart, Michael Hamlin, Michael Earl Montgomery
  • Patent number: 7273345
    Abstract: Means for driving a flow are arranged in cavities which are formed, in particular, in multishell casings of turbo engines. In one embodiment, within the cavity, ejectors are arranged which are supplied via suitable means with a propellant flow which, in turn, activates the flow, for preference a circumferential flow. Preferably, during the operation of the turbo engine a propelling fluid which is colder than the fluid content of the cavity is injected via the ejectors. In this way, at the same time, the cavity is cooled and an equalization of the temperature of the fluid content of the cavity is brought about.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Andrew Birrell, Armin Busekrose, Olatunde Omisore
  • Patent number: 7260892
    Abstract: A method facilitates the assembly of a stator assembly for a turbine engine. The method includes providing a cantilevered shell including a first end and a second end, and coupling a second member within the turbine engine. The method also includes coupling the shell to a frame such that the shell extends circumferentially around at least a portion of the second member such that a non-uniform circumferential radial gap is defined radially between the second member and the shell using methods other than directing machining of an inner surface of the shell, and wherein the non-uniform circumferential radial clearance gap becomes substantially uniform during operation of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jan Christopher Schilling, Daniel Edward Mollmann, Barry Lynn Allmon, Anthony Durchholz
  • Patent number: 7189053
    Abstract: A fan arrangement comprises a fan (10) having a fan housing (30) within which is arranged a blower wheel (18) which, in operation, moves air from an intake side of the fan (10) to a delivery side. Arranged radially outside the fan housing (30) is a surrounding mounting frame (34) that serves to support the fan housing (30). A membrane (32), made of an elastic material, elastically connects the fan housing (30) and mounting frame (34) to one another and is formed with through holes or apertures (33) that, in the event of a closure of the output or delivery side of the fan arrangement (40), enable a return flow, from the delivery side to the intake side of the fan arrangement (40), of air moved by the blower wheel (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: ebm-papst St. Georgen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Arno Winkler, Peter Metzger
  • Patent number: 7165934
    Abstract: A steam turbine including a rotor rotatable about an axis and a casing concentrically surrounding the rotor. A reduction in the starting times and reduced production costs may be achieved in that the casing includes a high-mass hollow-cylindrical basic carrier and a plurality of shells concentrically surrounding the basic carrier. The shells are each produced from a bent metal sheet and interspaces capable of being filled with steam are defined between adjacent ones of the plurality of shells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Alstom Technology, Ltd.
    Inventor: Martin Reigl
  • Patent number: 7114914
    Abstract: A device for controlling the clearance between the tips of rotary blades and a stationary ring assembly of a gas turbine, the device comprising a circular control box having at least two annular air circulation strips that are spaced apart from each other in the axial direction, each having a plurality of perforations in order to modify the temperature of the stationary ring assembly by discharging air, an annular air feed channel radially spaced from the air circulation strip, at least one air duct for feeding the feed channel with air, and a plurality of hollow distribution spacers connecting the air feed channel to the air circulation strips in order to feed the strips with air while enabling the air that has been discharged against the stationary ring assembly to flow between the feed channel and the circulation strips in order to be evacuated therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Snecma Moteurs
    Inventors: Alain Gendraud, Delphine Roussin, David Audeon
  • Patent number: 7108478
    Abstract: An airhandling unit for an HVAC system includes a cabinet having an electric motor driven centrifugal blower disposed therein. The blower includes a scroll or volute type blower housing which may be formed of opposed releasably connectable housing parts. The blower housing parts include opposed sidewalls with axially extending compound curved portions which cooperate with an end wall which is configured to have portions which are not of substantially constant increasing radial distance from the blower impeller axis of rotation. However, a constantly increasing airflow cross-sectional flow area is provided within the blower housing for blower discharge air. The disposition of the blower housing sidewalls with respect to the cabinet walls provides improved airflow distribution for air flowing into the blower air inlet openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: American Standard International Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen S. Hancock
  • Patent number: 6988869
    Abstract: The invention relates to a turbine installation, especially a steam turbine installation. The inventive turbine installation comprises at least two partial turbines, each of the partial turbines having a rotor disk that extends along the main axis. Said rotor disks are rigidly interlinked to a shafting. At least one of the partial turbines has an inner housing that concentrically encloses the rotor disk and that is mounted so as to be axially displaceable in a bearing area. To allow for an axial displacement a push element transmits the axial force and is linked with the inner housing. In order to allow the inner housing to be axially displaced as easily as possible, the bearing area has a bearing device with a static friction and/or sliding friction that is so low that the axial misplacement that spontaneously occurs when the static friction is overcome during displacement of the inner housing is smaller 2 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Detlef Haje
  • Patent number: 6971842
    Abstract: An exhaust hood for a turbine includes a shell casing, an external support structure, conical corner plates, and a butterfly plate. The shell casing includes an inner surface and an outer surface. The external support structure is coupled to the shell casing outer surface, and provides structural support to said shell casing. The butterfly plate is coupled to the shell casing inner surface for channeling flow into the exhaust hood and subsequently into the condenser. The butterfly plate has a substantially elliptically-shaped cross-sectional profile that facilitates reducing flow separation losses of steam flowing therethrough into the exhaust hood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alexander Kenneth Luniewski, Michael Thomas Hamlin, Robert Allen Cantelupe, Raymond Kenneth Overbaugh, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6962480
    Abstract: A turbine scroll retention ring may comprise a retainer ring, a plurality of ring fingers, and a plurality of ring joggles. The turbine scroll retention ring may surround and be attached to a radial nozzle. The ring joggles may allow for thermal growth variations between the radial nozzle and the turbine scroll retention ring. The radially outer end portions of the ring fingers may be in contact with a turbine scroll component (for example, an aft scroll ring), such that the turbine scroll retention ring may force contact between the turbine scroll component and the radial nozzle. The finger joggles of the ring fingers may allow for thermal growth variations between the radial nozzle and the turbine scroll component. The turbine scroll retention ring may provide constant axial loading to the aft scroll ring during all engine operating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Honeywell International, Inc.
    Inventors: Ly D. Nguyen, James L. Hadder, Gregory O. Woodcock, Stony Kujala
  • Patent number: 6821083
    Abstract: A casing (12) for a steam turbine section has a housing (14) installed therein for a bearing supporting a rotor for buckets. A housing support structure (10) includes a pair of horizontally extending struts (T1-T2) extending from a side (18) of the casing to the housing and a second pair of struts (T3, not shown) extending from the opposite side of the casing to the housing. The struts are in fluid communication with the interior of the housing and the atmosphere and both support the housing within the casing and vent the interior of the housing. Vertical struts (T4-T6) also extend between the casing and the housing. A foundation plate (20) is installed beneath the casing, and a pair of gibs (28) are installed on opposite sides of the casing along the longitudinal centerline thereof to strengthen the casing and prevent tilting of components within the casing when a vacuum within the casing is present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Norman D Lathrop, Douglas C. Hofer, Edward J Sharrow, John Keeling, Robert J. Sherwood, Christen A. Vitrone
  • Patent number: 6790002
    Abstract: The present invention solves problems of securing high-temperature strength at elevated temperatures and of preventing steam leakage that arise when high-pressure, high-temperature steam is used for driving a steam turbine, and problems of preventing the occurrence of rubbing due to the suppression of the excessive elongation difference and of minimizing steam leakage from shaft seals. A double-wall casing structure is arranged at an area corresponding to stages from a high-pressure first stage (7) to a predetermined high-pressure stage arranged on an upstream side of a high-pressure final stage (8); and a single-wall casing structure is arranged at an area corresponding to stages which follows said predetermined high-pressure stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Morikazu Kitazawa, Masataka Kikuchi, Kazuo Aoyagi, Nobuo Okita, Hiroyuki Oohira
  • Patent number: 6691019
    Abstract: A method for controlling distortion of a turbine case (“case”) includes measuring a temperature distribution for the case that includes thermal gradients. The method further includes modeling thermal stresses on the case induced by the thermal gradients, calculating an out of roundness index (“index”) resulting from the thermal stresses, and comparing the index with at least one distortion limit to determine whether the case has a satisfactory or an unsatisfactory index. The temperature distribution is controlled for an unsatisfactory index to produce the satisfactory index. A system for controlling distortion of the turbine case includes a thermal measurement system, for measuring the temperature distribution, and a computer configured for modeling the thermal stresses, calculating and comparing the index with the distortion limit, and controlling the temperature distribution for an unsatisfactory index to produce the satisfactory index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Charles Erklin Seeley, Ramanath Iyer Ramakrishnan, James Patrick Claeys, Martel Alexander McCallum, Anthony Constantine Thermos, Hsin-Pang Wang, Weiping Wang
  • Publication number: 20040018081
    Abstract: A low pressure turbine casing has a conical annular shell circumscribed about a centerline. A forward flange depends from a forward end of the annular shell and a forward hook extends aftwardly from the forward flange. First and second rails having first and second hooks, respectively, extend aftwardly from the annular shell. First and second cooling holes extend through the first and second rails, respectively. Cooling air feed holes extend through the forward flange. The first and second cooling holes may be radially disposed through the first and second rails, respectively, with respect to the centerline or disposed through the first and second rails at an oblique angle with respect to the centerline. A low pressure turbine casing and shroud assembly further includes a first annular cavity in fluid flow communication with the first cooling holes and the second cooling holes. A second annular cavity is in fluid flow communication with the first and second cooling holes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2002
    Publication date: January 29, 2004
    Inventors: Henry Calvin Anderson, Frederick J. Zegarski, James Edward Thompson, Tod Kenneth Bosel, Kurt Thomas Hildebrand
  • Publication number: 20030210981
    Abstract: A blower unit for an air conditioner includes a case accommodating a blower wheel and a blower motor driving the blower wheel, a cover coupled to one side of a lower portion of the case to form a cooling path so that some of cooling air blown by the blower wheel is input to the cooling path and flows in the cooling path toward a lower portion of the blower motor, and a coupling unit detachably coupling the cover and the case by sliding the cover in one direction with respect to the case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2003
    Publication date: November 13, 2003
    Applicant: HALLA CLIMATE CONTROL CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jun Gyeong Kim
  • Patent number: 6641363
    Abstract: A stage of turbine blades (40) in a gas turbine engine (10) is surrounded by an array of shroud segments (42). The upstream ends of the segments (42) have plenum chambers (54) into which cooling air is fed from a compressor (12) via one hole (66) of a pair of holes, the other being numbered (68). Air from the plenum chambers (54) passes out to film cool the interior surface of each respective segment (42). Air from holes (68) passes out to convection cool the exterior surface of each segment (42), which effect is enhanced by the provision of ribs (80) and fences (82).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: David W Barrett, Philip D Robinson
  • Patent number: 6607352
    Abstract: A turbo machine, especially a steam turbine, has a main axis, an inner housing, an outer housing, a top region, and a bottom region. Between the outer housing and the inner housing a radial gap is formed, which has a narrow part in the bottom region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Laurence Crane, Edwin Gobrecht, Joe Hannon, Volker Simon
  • Publication number: 20030152455
    Abstract: An engine casing (16) encloses a rotor (15) and has a wall the inner surface (17) of which has slots (20) therein. An abradable lining (19) is attached to the inner surface (17) of the wall and extends across the slots (20). The abradable lining (19) is fluid permeable so that in operation a fluid passes through the lining (19) and recirculates in the slots (20). Recirculation of the fluid within the slots (20) increases the aerodynamic efficiency of the rotor (15).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2003
    Publication date: August 14, 2003
    Inventor: Malcolm R. James
  • Patent number: 6547516
    Abstract: A bracket includes a housing and a cover attached to the housing. The housing includes a base and first and second side walls extending from opposite sides of the base. The base forms a number of first sills to define a receiving space for engagingly receiving a fan therein. The first side wall forms a pair of first tabs. The second side wall forms a secure plate. The cover forms a pair of second tabs pivotablly attached to the first tabs of the first side wall. A latching plate extends from the cover opposite the second tabs for engaging with the secure plate of the second side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yung Chuan Liu
  • Patent number: 6478534
    Abstract: A turbine casing has an inner casing and an outer casing which surrounds the inner casing to form an intermediate space. In order to avoid a casing distortion, a forced flow of a medium located within the intermediate space is provided. A method is also described which relates to avoiding a temperature based casing distortion during the shut-down of a turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: Siemnes Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Boris Bangert, Edwin Gobrecht, Norbert Henkel, Uwe Zander
  • Patent number: 6406252
    Abstract: The steam turbine has an exhaust-steam casing that can be adapted to various combinations of an inlet casing, connected upstream of the exhaust-steam casing, and a condenser especially simply while maintaining favorable flow properties of the exhaust steam. To this end, the outer jacket of the exhaust-steam casing has a first jacket part in the shape of a cylindrical jacket, which is connected via a stiffening ring to a second jacket part in the shape of a conical jacket. A guide element in the shape of a conical jacket is arranged on the stiffening ring in order to direct the exhaust-steam flow inside the outer jacket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Helmut Kühn