Labyrinth Seal Patents (Class 415/173.5)
  • Patent number: 11927099
    Abstract: The composite seal structure includes a carrier ring and a seal element housed in an annular groove formed between a circumferential outer wall and two side walls of the carrier ring. The seal element has a first region in surface-to-surface contact with the annular groove and a second, seal-ing region protruding from the annular groove. A fastening arrangement couples the seal element and the carrier ring to one another. The fastening arrangement comprises a plurality of fastening pins circumferentially arranged around the axis of the carrier ring. Also disclosed is a method for manufacturing the seal structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Nuovo Pignone Tecnologie—S.R.L.
    Inventors: Emanuele Rizzo, Massimiliano Tempestini
  • Patent number: 11746661
    Abstract: A turbine blade having cooling holes formed therein and a turbine including the same are provided. The turbine blade includes an airfoil having a leading edge and a trailing edge formed thereon and a cooling passage defined for flow of a cooling fluid therethrough, and a cooling hole configured to communicate between the cooling passage and outside in the airfoil and having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the cooling hole includes an expanded portion and a grooved portion formed in the outlet, the grooved portion being recessed from the expanded portion toward the trailing edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Inventors: Ye Jee Kim, Hyung Hee Cho, Minjoo Hyun, Hee Seung Park, Seungyeong Choi, Taehyun Kim
  • Patent number: 11692490
    Abstract: An inner shroud block component for a gas turbine. The inner shroud block has a radially inward facing surface with an abradable material applied thereto. The abradable material includes a zone of ridges that extend radially inwardly from the radially inward facing surface to minimize the clearance between the inner shroud block and the blade tip of a turbine blade. The abradable material may be ceramic and may be abraded by the blade tip if contact occurs between the blade tip and the inner shroud block. The zone of ridges extend along the radially inward facing surface in parallel to a direction of rotation of the turbine blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: DOOSAN HEAVY INDUSTRIES & CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jae Bin Lee, David Ohlschwager, Gene Chong
  • Patent number: 11560806
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle assembly for use in a turbine engine is provided. The assembly includes an inner barrel and a turbine nozzle support ring. The inner barrel has a forward end and an aft end. The turbine nozzle support ring includes an annular body that defines a forward end, an opposite aft end, an inner surface, and an opposite outer portion. The forward end of the annular body is coupled to the aft end of the inner barrel. The annular body includes a first arcuate segment and a second arcuate segment removably coupled to the first arcuate segment. The first arcuate segment has a first arcuate length and the second arcuate segment has a second arcuate length. The second arcuate length is shorter than the first arcuate length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Christopher Paul Cox
  • Patent number: 11319825
    Abstract: A sealing device seals a gap between an outer circumferential surface of a rotor and an inner circumferential surface of a stator. The sealing device includes a sealing ring provided on the stator and having a free-cutting material, in which a convex portion and a concave portion are alternately formed in an axial direction, on a surface facing the rotor; a plurality of radial fins protruding radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the rotor; and oblique fins which obliquely protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the rotor toward both ends of the free-cutting material of the sealing ring in the axial direction from the outside of the both ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI POWER, LTD.
    Inventors: Kohei Ozaki, Hidekazu Uehara, Azumi Yoshida, Toyoharu Nishikawa, Eiji Konishi, Shin Nishimoto
  • Patent number: 11225874
    Abstract: A rotor blade is provided for a turbine engine. This rotor blade includes an airfoil extending longitudinally between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil extends spanwise to a tip. The airfoil is configured with a plurality of projections arranged longitudinally along the tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Michael A. Weisse
  • Patent number: 11215066
    Abstract: A sealing ring element of a turbomachine includes: a sealing portion with a first area and a second area, with the inner surface of a first area being at the same radial distance from the axis of the turbomachine. The sealing portion includes an annular cavity which opens into an inner surface of the second area and extends into the first area, the annular cavity defining an upstream lateral wall and/or a downstream lateral wall forming an angle which is strictly between 0 and 90°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Cyrille Telman, Olivier Arnaud Fabien Lambert, Laurent Pierre Joseph Ricou
  • Patent number: 11143202
    Abstract: A blower device includes a motor having an output shaft and a housing; a fan rotationally driven by the motor; and a shroud having a shroud body with a fan installation hole, and a motor mounting part for mounting the motor arranged inside the fan installation hole when viewed in an axial direction of the output shaft. The motor mounting part includes an inner cylinder surrounding a periphery of the motor from a radial outer side of the output shaft; an outer cylinder surrounding the inner cylinder from the radial outer side; and spokes connecting the inner and the outer cylinders. The inner cylinder includes a top wall covering the motor from above while the shroud is fixed. A back end edge of the top wall, which is located on a positive pressure side when the fan is rotated, is located closer to the positive pressure side than the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBA Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Nagase, Hidetake Ota
  • Patent number: 11098731
    Abstract: A compressor for a turbine engine includes a shroud having a grooved section including a plurality of groove segments extending radially into a shroud surface. A rotor assembly rotatably supported in the shroud includes a rotor hub and a plurality of rotor blades. Each rotor blade extends radially from the rotor hub and terminates at a blade tip, which is spaced from the shroud surface by a tip gap and defines a non-constant clearance region between a leading edge position and a medial chord position along the blade chord at the minimum tip clearance. The rotor blades generate an aft axial fluid flow through the shroud and the grooved section is formed in the shroud surface upstream of the medial chord positon within the non-constant clearance region for resisting a reverse axial fluid flow through the tip gap when the compressor section is operated at near stall conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Timothy Gentry, Bruce David Reynolds, Nick Nolcheff
  • Patent number: 11015465
    Abstract: A compressor section includes a shroud surface and a rotor with a blade tip that opposes the shroud surface. The rotor is configured to rotate within the shroud about an axis of rotation. Moreover, the compressor section includes a serration groove that is recessed into the shroud surface. The serration groove includes a forward portion with a forward transition and a forward surface that faces in the downstream direction. The forward transition is convexly contoured between the shroud surface and the forward surface. The serration groove includes a trailing portion with a taper surface and a trailing transition. The taper surface tapers inward as the taper surface extends from the forward surface to the trailing transition. The trailing transition is convexly contoured between the taper surface and the shroud surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Bruce David Reynolds, John Repp, David Richard Hanson, Nick Nolcheff, Darrell K James
  • Patent number: 10941942
    Abstract: A combustor of a gas turbine engine and a turbine shroud for a turbine of a gas turbine engine are disclosed. The combustor is configured to ignite a mixture of compressed air and fuel in a combustion chamber included therein. The turbine shroud is configured to direct products of the combustion reaction toward a plurality of rotatable turbine blades of the turbine to cause the plurality of turbine blades to rotate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., Rolls-Royce High Temperature Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Ted J. Freeman, Wayne S. Steffier
  • Patent number: 10914318
    Abstract: A rotary component for a gas turbine engine defining a central axis extending along an axial direction, a radial direction extending perpendicular to the axial direction, and a circumferential direction perpendicular to both the central axis and the radial direction. The rotary component includes a plurality of rotor blades operably coupled to a rotating shaft extending along the central axis and an outer casing arranged exterior to the plurality of rotor blades in the radial direction and defining an annular gap between a tip of each of the plurality of rotor blades and the outer casing. The outer casing includes a plurality of features on an interior surface of the outer casing. A first feature of the feature(s) defines a first casing thickness, and a second feature positioned at least partially circumferentially or axially from the first feature defines a second casing thickness different than the first casing thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Joseph Capozzi, Aspi Rustom Wadia
  • Patent number: 10760499
    Abstract: A rotor for a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of radially extending blades, each having a remote blade tip defining an outer tip surface, and a leading edge defined between opposed pressure and suction side airfoil surfaces. A shroud circumferentially surrounds the rotor, and a radial distance between an inner surface of the shroud and the outer tip surface of the blades defines a radial tip clearance gap therebetween. The tip of each of the blades has a pressure side edge formed at the intersection between the outer tip surface and the pressure side airfoil surface, and a suction side edge formed at the intersection between the outer tip surface and the pressure side airfoil surface. The suction side edge has a larger radius of curvature than the pressure side edge, thereby reducing the amount of tip leakage flow through the radial tip clearance gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Hien Duong, Jason Nichols, Vijay Kandasamy
  • Patent number: 10648484
    Abstract: A compressor for a turbine engine includes a shroud having a grooved section including a plurality of groove segments extending radially into a shroud surface. A rotor assembly rotatably supported in the shroud includes a rotor hub and a plurality of rotor blades. Each rotor blade extends radially from the rotor hub and terminates at a blade tip, which is spaced from the shroud surface by a tip gap and defines a non-constant clearance region between a leading edge position and a medial chord position along the blade chord at the minimum tip clearance. The rotor blades generate an aft axial fluid flow through the shroud and the grooved section is formed in the shroud surface upstream of the medial chord position within the non-constant clearance region for resisting a reverse axial fluid flow through the tip gap when the compressor section is operated at near stall conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Timothy Gentry, Bruce David Reynolds, Nick Nolcheff
  • Patent number: 10612407
    Abstract: A blade outer air seal (BOAS) segment according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a seal body having a radially inner face that circumferentially extend between a first mate face and a second mate face and axially extend between a leading edge face and a trailing edge face, wherein a radial position of the radially inner face varies at a given axial position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M. Lutjen, Michael J. Bruskotter
  • Patent number: 10415591
    Abstract: A compressor may include an airfoil configured to rotate about an axis. The airfoil may have a span measured radially from a root of the airfoil to a tip of the airfoil. A compressor case may be radially adjacent to the airfoil. The airfoil and the compressor case may define a clearance between the tip of the airfoil and a radially inner surface of the compressor case. A ratio of the clearance to the span may be between 1.5 to 2.5 percent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert W Fessenden, Abhir A Adhate, Yuan Dong, Sean Nolan, Li Xing Pan
  • Patent number: 10393132
    Abstract: A compressor (10) configured for use in a gas turbine engine (12) and having a rotor assembly (14) with a pumping system (16) positioned on a rotor drum (18) to counteract reverse leakage flow at a gap (20) formed between one or more stator vane tips (22) and a radially outer surface (24) of the rotor drum (18). The pumping system (16) may be from pumping components (26) positioned radially inward of one or more stator vane tips (22) to reduce, if not completely eliminate, reverse leakage flow at the stator vane tips (22). In at least one embodiment, the pumping component (26) may be formed from one or more cutouts (28) in the outer surface (24) of the rotor drum (18). In another embodiment, the pumping component (26) may be formed from at least one pumping fin (30) extending from the radially outer surface (24) of the rotor drum (18). In at least one embodiment, rows (32) of pumping components (26) may be aligned with rows (34) of stator vanes (36) within the compressor (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Kok-Mun Tham
  • Patent number: 10072670
    Abstract: Provided is a fan shroud assembly and, more specifically, a fan shroud assembly including a swirling airflow-preventing saw-teeth which is arranged along a predetermined inner circumferential surface of a ventilating part while maintaining a predetermined gap from an end portion of a blade of a fan or an end portion of a fan band of the fan and are formed in a saw-toothed shape, in which both a first area in which the swirling airflow-preventing saw-teeth are formed and a second area from which the swirling airflow-preventing saw-teeth are removed are formed, thereby generating a swirling airflow of ventilated air due to a reduction in pressure fluctuation and thus effectively reducing noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HANON SYSTEMS
    Inventors: Woo Youl Jung, Cha You Lim, Yong Sung Kwon, Kyung Seok Cho
  • Patent number: 9988907
    Abstract: A turbocharger including a wheel having suction surfaces and hub surfaces contoured to reduce secondary flow. The suction surfaces are radially contoured with a sinusoidal component, and further have a chamfered edge at the shroud edge. The hub end-walls are contoured both streamwise and cross-stream with sinusoidal components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Honeywell International, Inc.
    Inventor: Cheng Xu
  • Patent number: 9863251
    Abstract: A turbomachine stage includes guide vanes and an airfoil platform forming a guide vane cascade, and rotor blades and an airfoil platform forming a rotor blade cascade. Airfoil platforms have cascade regions extending between circumferentially adjacent airfoils, and gap regions which radially and/or axially bound an axial gap extending axially between the guide vane cascade and the rotor blade cascade. A contour of at least one of these gap regions varies in the radial and/or axial direction around the circumference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventors: Inga Mahle, Jochen Gier, Kai Koerber, Karl Engel
  • Patent number: 9765639
    Abstract: A turbine stage for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The turbine stage includes a turbine disk and a turbine diaphragm, forming a cavity there between. The turbine stage also includes an exit flow discourager comprised of at least two teeth. The teeth may be located radially apart from each other, each tooth including a length extending in the axial direction and a width extending in the radial direction. A channel is formed between the teeth and an axially adjacent surface. A recirculation region may be formed in between each pair of teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated
    Inventors: Yong Weon Kim, Kidon Lee
  • Patent number: 9726027
    Abstract: A turbine includes: a blade body having a blade provided at one of a rotor rotatably supported and a stator provided around the rotor and extending in a radial direction and a shroud extending in a circumferential direction at a tip portion in the radial direction of the blade; and an accommodating concave body provided at another one of the rotor and the stator, extending in the circumferential direction, accommodating the shroud with a gap interposed therebetween, and relatively rotating with respect to the blade body, wherein a leakage flow leaked from a main flow flowing along the blade flows into the gap; and wherein the shroud is provided with a guide curved surface formed between a peripheral surface facing the accommodating concave body and a trailing edge end portion formed closer to a main flow side in a downstream side of the leakage flow than the peripheral surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kuwamura, Kazuyuki Matsumoto, Hiroharu Oyama, Yoshinori Tanaka, Masaaki Matsuura, Asaharu Matsuo
  • Patent number: 9644639
    Abstract: The centrifugal compressor described includes an impeller shroud which encloses the impeller and has a curved shroud surface that extends between an inducer portion and an exducer portion. The compressor includes one or more circumferential grooves in the shroud body within the exducer portion. Each groove has opposed wall segments spaced apart therefrom. The wall segments are inclined at a nonzero groove angle relative to a normal of the shroud surface in a direction opposite the fluid flow path along the shroud surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Hien Duong, Vijay Kandasamy
  • Patent number: 9638051
    Abstract: A turbomachine bucket may include an airfoil, a shank coupled to the airfoil, and an angel wing coupled to the shank, the angel wing having an axially extending tip sized to seal with a plurality of discouragers, each discourager having a different axial extent. Various methods for modifying an angel wing to accommodate different sized discouragers are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gareth William David Lewis, Andrew Daniel Grafitti, Jonathan Matthew Lomas, Felipe Roman-Morales, Ronald Lee Souther
  • Patent number: 9429022
    Abstract: A turbine includes an annular turbine blade body disposed on a flow path, a diaphragm outer ring installed at a tip side of the annular turbine blade body via a clearance, and seal fins formed to protrude from the diaphragm outer ring and configured to form small clearances with the annular turbine blade body, wherein dead water region-filling sections are formed in cavities in which main vortexes are generated, such that a dead water region that the main vortexes cannot reach is filled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Matsumoto, Yoshihiro Kuwamura, Hiroharu Oyama, Yoshinori Tanaka, Yukinori Machida, Asaharu Matsuo
  • Patent number: 9404378
    Abstract: A seal configuration includes a housing and a rotatable member rotationally mounted relative to the housing. The rotatable member has at least one portion defining an outer perimetrical face that is configured to contact the housing during operational conditions that cause a radial dimension of the at least one portion to increase. The at least one portion has opposing axial surfaces with each of the opposing axial surfaces being dimensionally axially nearer to the other of the opposing axial surfaces immediately radially inwardly of the outer perimetrical face than a furthest part of the outer perimetrical face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Richard Johns, Eric David Roush
  • Patent number: 9404370
    Abstract: An exhaust-gas turbocharger component (10) having at least one flow-conducting component surface (11) and having a discontinuity structure (12) which is formed on the component surface (11). The discontinuity structure (12) has a multiplicity of punctiform depressions (13) which are arranged separately from one another on at least one part of the component surface (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventors: Timo Scheuermann, Stefan Ebert
  • Patent number: 9388701
    Abstract: A turbine (1) of the present invention comprises that at one part of a tip part (51) of the blade (50) and an area (11a) of the structure (11) corresponding to the tip part (51) of the blade, a stepped part (52) is formed, a seal fin (15) is provided at the another part of the tip part (51) of the blade and the area (11 a) of the structure (11), a cavity (C) is formed between the tip part (51) of the blade and the area (11a) of the structure (11) and between the seal fin (15) and a partition wall (54, 15). The seal fin (15) comprises a fin main body part (16), and a space restriction part (17). Thus, the present invention provides a high performance turbine in which the leakage flow rate is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kuwamura, Kazuyuki Matsumoto, Hiroharu Oyama, Yoshinori Tanaka, Asaharu Matsuo
  • Patent number: 9309776
    Abstract: An assembly and method are provided for sealing a compressor in a gas turbine engine. The method comprises forming an annular groove in a compressor casing such that the groove extends circumferentially about a rotor that is housed within the casing. The compressor casing is then coupled to the rotor such that the compressor casing extends circumferentially about the rotor. A plurality of arcuate seal segments are then inserted into the annular groove without removing the rotor from the compressor casing such that the plurality of seal segments extend circumferentially about the rotor to facilitate sealing a gap that is defined between the rotor and the compressor casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sanji Ekanayake, Alston Ilford Scipio, Raymond Henry Goetze, Peter Samuel King, Douglas Corbin Warwick
  • Patent number: 9249667
    Abstract: A system includes a turbomachine that includes a stator and a rotor. The rotor is configured to rotate about a rotational axis relative to the stator. In addition, the rotor includes a least one rotary blade, and the at least one rotary blade has a patterned structure of beams and cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Patrick Daniel Noble, Joseph Anthony Weber, Donald Earl Floyd, II
  • Patent number: 9181814
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine stator segment has a shroud band and a plurality of blade sections. Each of the blade sections has a first section with a first thickness, second section with a second thickness and a fairing section transitioning between the first and second section. The second section thickness is less than the first section thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: United Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Hope C. Rowley, Paul W. Baumann, Edwin M. Worth, Carl S. Richardson
  • Patent number: 9103352
    Abstract: A ventilator for use in air-conditioning and refrigeration technology has a housing of plastic material in a one-part configuration having integrally formed therein an inlet nozzle, cylinder-shaped flow guiding means, outlet guide vanes, and a diffusor. A drive motor is arranged in the housing. An impeller wheel is rotatably supported about a central axis in the housing and driven by the drive motor. A protective screen is connected to the housing. A motor support is connected by the outlet guide vanes to the housing. The impeller wheel has vanes with radially outwardly positioned vane ends, wherein the vane ends are embodied as flow elements (winglets). The flow elements are spaced at a minimal spacing relative to a sidewall of the housing. The drive motor is an external rotor motor that is embodied either as an alternating current asynchronous motor (AC) or an electronically commutated direct current motor (EC).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Ziehl-Abegg AG
    Inventors: Omar Sadi, Andreas Gross, Lothar Ernemann, Frieder Lörcher
  • Patent number: 9080459
    Abstract: The present application provides a stage of a gas turbine engine. The stage may include a bucket, a shroud facing the bucket, and a forward step honeycomb seal on the shroud. The forward step honeycomb seal may include a forward step portion and one or more linear portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Rohit Chouhan
  • Publication number: 20150118032
    Abstract: A seal system for sealing a seal gap in a turbomachine includes: a rotor component; a stator component, the sealing gap extending between the rotor component and the stator component; first seal strips and second seal strips each projecting into the seal gap and forming at least one seal strip package; first seal strip grooves in the rotor component that receive the first seal strips; second seal strip grooves in the stator component that receive the second seal strips; and a relief groove in the rotor component arranged in front of the seal strip package, and after the seal strip package. Every relief groove is at least two times wider than, and at most six times wider than, the first and second seal strip grooves and at least two times deeper than, and at most six times deeper than, the first and second seal strip grooves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Emil Aschenbruck, Carsten Bennewa
  • Patent number: 9016692
    Abstract: In sealing rings for a labyrinth seal that are arranged on a rotationally symmetrical component and in frictional contact with a stationary run-in layer, a part of the sealing ring (8) that contacts the run-in layer is in the form of a wear protection ring segment (15) that is built up on a truncated sealing ring (14) and which includes a metal matrix (16) with wear protection particles (13) embedded therein. The manufacture of the wear protection ring segment is carried out by laser build-up welding, wherein the proportion of wear protection particles contained in the metal powder flow supplied to the laser beam can be controlled and increased in an edge or tip region of the sealing ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventors: Thomas Haubold, Andreas Kohns
  • Publication number: 20150086343
    Abstract: A device for sealing a high pressure region in a turbomachine from a low pressure region; the turbomachine has one or more statoric parts and one or more rotoric parts; the device comprises a labyrinth seal having a first plurality of grooves and a second plurality of grooves; the first plurality of grooves is disposed in a helical pattern and the second plurality of grooves is disposed in a cylindrical pattern; the labyrinth seal is disposed between at least one of the one or more rotoric parts of the turbomachine and at least one of the one or more statoric parts of the turbomachine between the high pressure region and the low pressure region of the turbomachine; the helical pattern has a helix angle less than or equal to 10°, wherein a stabilization effect of the turbomachine is obtained and leakage due to the second plurality of grooves is negligible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventors: Emanuele Rizzo, Antonio Pelagotti
  • Publication number: 20150086342
    Abstract: In a centrifugal pump for delivering liquids in a motor vehicle, annular webs project into a gap seal between a housing part and a cover disc of a rotor. The webs are arranged on both components of the housing part and of the cover disc and delimit chambers which accelerate, decelerate and divert a flow. In this way, the gap seal has a high throttling action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventor: Peter Köppler
  • Patent number: 8984895
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for a gas turbine spool design combining metallic and ceramic components in a way that controls clearances between critical components over a range of engine operating temperatures and pressures. In a first embodiment, a ceramic turbine rotor rotates just inside a ceramic shroud and separated by a small clearance gap. The ceramic rotor is connected to a metallic volute. In order to accommodate the differential rates of thermal expansion between the ceramic rotor and metallic volute, an active clearance control system is used to maintain the desired axial clearance between ceramic rotor and the ceramic shroud over the range of engine operating temperatures. In a second embodiment, a ceramic turbine rotor rotates just inside a ceramic shroud which is part of a single piece ceramic volute/shroud assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: ICR Turbine Engine Corporation
    Inventors: James B. Kesseli, Matthew Stephen Baldwin
  • Patent number: 8936431
    Abstract: A shroud for a turbine and a method of assembling is provided. The turbine includes a housing, a rotatable shaft and a bucket extending outward therefrom. The shroud includes an alignment member which is coupled to the housing, wherein the alignment member includes a first end, a second end and a body extending between the first and second ends. The second end includes an arcuate portion to facilitate fluid flow downstream from the bucket. The shroud further includes a seal coupled to the body to facilitate sealing a gap defined between the bucket and the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rohit Chouhan, Sumeet Soni
  • Patent number: 8932001
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods and apparatus for providing a labyrinth seal. In an example embodiment, a method is provided for sealing a flow path between a stationary element and a rotating element of a turbomachine. The method can include disposing at least one fixture on an inner surface of a stationary element associated with the turbomachine; disposing a packing ring linked via a spring element to the fixture wherein the packing ring comprises at least one bore; and disposing, according to a predetermined profile, a plurality of interdigitated packing ring teeth and rotor teeth intermediate to the packing ring and the rotating element; wherein the bore, packing ring teeth, and rotor teeth, cooperate to counter a moment associated with one or more axial forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Xiaoqing Zheng, Hrishikesh Deo, Binayak Roy
  • Publication number: 20150003973
    Abstract: An outer rim seal arrangement (10), including: an annular rim (70) centered about a longitudinal axis (30) of a rotor disc (31), extending fore and having a fore-end (72), an outward-facing surface (74), and an inward-facing surface (76); a lower angel wing (62) extending aft from a base of a turbine blade (22) and having an aft end (64) disposed radially inward of the rim inward-facing surface to define a lower angel wing seal gap (80); an upper angel wing (66) extending aft from the turbine blade base and having an aft end (68) disposed radially outward of the rim outward-facing surface to define a upper angel wing seal gap (80, 82); and guide vanes (100) disposed on the rim inward-facing surface in the lower angel wing seal gap. Pumping fins (102) may be disposed on the upper angel wing seal aft end in the upper angel wing seal gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Kok-Mun Tham, Eric Schroeder, Jamie Meeroff, Samuel R. Miller, Jr., John J. Marra, Christian X. Campbell
  • Publication number: 20140356143
    Abstract: A structural assembly for a fluid-flow machine includes: a main flow path boundary and at least one row of relatively rotating blades with a gap existing between blade ends of the at least one row of blades and the main flow path boundary. At least one secondary flow duct has in the main flow path boundary one opening each at ends spaced apart in the flow direction, such that the secondary flow duct is connected to the main flow path via the two openings. The structural assembly has at least two components connected to one another, i.e. at least one support component and at least one connecting component, where the support component at least partially forms the main flow path boundary and where the connecting component forms or surrounds at least one part-section of the secondary flow duct.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Volker GUEMMER
  • Patent number: 8870531
    Abstract: The invention provides a turbine machine rotor having blades of composite material, the rotor comprising an assembly disk, a plurality of composite material blades mounted on the assembly disk via their roots and each provided at its free end with a platform, and a metal shroud positioned on the blade platforms concentrically around the assembly disk and including labyrinth teeth that project radially outwards in order to abrade an abradable material carried by a casing surrounding the rotor, the casing being held stationary both axially and circumferentially relative to the blade platforms and being suitable for moving radially outwards in operation relative to the blade platforms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Stephane Pierre Guillaume Blanchard, Julien Mateo, Stephane Otin
  • Patent number: 8844936
    Abstract: According to one embodiment of the disclosure, an annular seal generally includes a hollow member having two ends and an inner surface. The hollow member has a number of depressions formed in and extending around its inner surface. Each of the depressions having a depth that is a function of its distance from one of the two ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: The Texas A&M University System
    Inventor: Dara W. Childs
  • Patent number: 8834107
    Abstract: The present application provides a tip clearance control system for reducing an airflow through a turbo machine. The tip clearance control system may include a casing shroud and a tip shroud positioned within the casing shroud. The tip shroud may include a first step at a leading edge and a second step adjacent to the first step. The casing shroud and the tip shroud may define a first cavity therebetween downstream of the second step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lakshmanan Valliappan, Moorthi Subramanivan
  • Patent number: 8834096
    Abstract: In an axial flow gas turbine efficient cooling and a long life-time can be achieved by providing the outer blade platforms (45) with a plurality of outer teeth (46a-c) running parallel to each other in the circumferential direction and being arranged one after the other in the direction of the hot gas flow. The teeth (46a-c) are divided into first and second teeth (46a; 46b-c), the second teeth (46b-c) being located downstream of the first teeth (46a), the first teeth (46a) are opposite to a downstream projection (33) of the adjacent vanes (21) of the turbine stage (TS), and the second teeth (46b-c) are opposite to the respective stator heat shields (27).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventor: Alexander Anatolievich Khanin
  • Patent number: 8807927
    Abstract: A flow control assembly is provided, including a member and a wall. The member has a surface, a flow diverting member and a rail member. The rail member is situated upstream of the flow diverting member. The flow diverting member and the rail member each project from the surface of the member. The flow diverting member has a distal end. The wall is disposed in relation to the member to create a clearance gap between the distal end of the flow diverting member and the wall. A fluid path is created between the member and the wall, and flows from an upstream section and through the clearance gap. A first chamber and a second chamber are defined by the wall and located upstream of the clearance gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ramesh Kempanna Babu, Rohit Chouhan, Santhosh Kumar Vijayan
  • Patent number: 8800133
    Abstract: Gas turbine engine systems involving rotor bayonet coverplates and tools for installing such coverplates are provided. In this regard, a representative turbine assembly for a gas turbine engine includes: a turbine disk operative to mount a set of turbine blades; and a coverplate having an annular main body portion and a spaced annular arrangement of tabs extending radially inwardly from the main body portion with open-ended gaps being located between the tabs, the tabs being operative to secure an inner diameter of the coverplate to the turbine disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph T. Caprario, Daniel J. Griffin
  • Patent number: 8784046
    Abstract: The turbine is provided with a blade (50) and a structure body (11) which rotates relatively with respect to the blade (50). A stepped part (52A) having a step surface (53A) is installed at one of the leading end of the blade (50) and the structure body (11) corresponding to the leading end thereof, while a seal fin (15A) which extends toward the stepped part (52A) to form a small space (H) is installed at the other of them. A cavity (C1) is formed between the blade (50) and the structure body (11) and also between the seal fin (15A) and the partition wall which faces thereto in the rotating shaft direction of the structure body (11) on the upstream side. When a distance of the cavity (C1) between the partition wall and the seal fin (15A) is given as a cavity width (W), and a distance between the seal fin (15A) and the end edge (55) of the stepped part (52A) in the rotating shaft direction on the upstream side is given as (L), at least one of the distances (L) satisfies the following formula (1). 0.7H?L?0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kuwamura, Kazuyuki Matsumoto, Hiroharu Ooyama, Yoshinori Tanaka, Asaharu Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8784045
    Abstract: A seal assembly including first and second components; a seal arranged between the first and second components to seal a secondary flow region from a primary flow region; and a second recess portion provided on a surface of the second component between the seal and the primary flow region, the second recess portion further being arranged to receive a first portion of a flow from the secondary flow region and being configured to promote a second flow feature within the second recess portion, wherein the second recess portion is set back from the surface of the second component such that a second portion of the flow from the secondary flow region bypasses the second recess portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Tatjana Zoric, James D. Godwin