Between Blade Supported Radial Tip Ring And Static Part Patents (Class 415/173.6)
  • Patent number: 7544041
    Abstract: A pump has a one piece combined floating wear ring and liquid director that includes an upper ring portion received over an impeller hub and a curved lower portion that separates the pump impeller and suction chambers and directs liquid from the suction chamber inlet port to the impeller inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Wayne/Scott Fetzer Company
    Inventors: Philip A. Mayleben, Buford A. Cooper
  • Publication number: 20090142188
    Abstract: A seal assembly (116) mounted within a rotationally fixed static outer support structure (14) for engagement with an annular seal face surface (172) located upon a fan-turbine rotor assembly. The seal assembly provides minimal leakage of core airflow when the airflow is turned and diffused by the diffuser section (74) to increase the engine operating efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2004
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Inventors: Gabriel L. Suciu, James W. Norris, Craig A. Nordeen, Brian Merry
  • Patent number: 7527477
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a rotor blade is provided. The method includes providing a rotor blade that includes a tip shroud having a portion of increased cross-sectional thickness relative to adjacent portions of the tip shroud. The increased cross-sectional thickness section extends across substantially an entire circumferential width of the tip shroud. The increased cross-sectional thickness section defines a pair of opposite interlock surfaces that each form a portion of a respective side of the pair of opposite tip shroud sides used for interlocking the tip shrouds of two adjacent rotor blades on the rotor. The method also includes removing a portion of the increased cross-sectional thickness section between the pair of opposite tip shroud sides to facilitate enhancing the efficiency of the rotor blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brian Norton, Francis Bobie, John Heyward, Dwayne Burnett
  • Patent number: 7524162
    Abstract: A rotor for a rotating machine, in particular a steam turbine includes at least one subregion composed of a metal structure having a reduced density and including a multiplicity of finely distributed cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventor: Martin Reigl
  • Patent number: 7513743
    Abstract: A turbine blade (10) including an airfoil (12), the airfoil (12) including an airfoil outer wall (16) having pressure and suction sidewalls (18, 20) joined together at chordally spaced apart leading and trailing edges (22, 24) extending radially outwardly from a blade root (14) to a blade tip surface (30). A continuous squealer tip rail (40) extends radially outwardly from and substantially continuously around the blade tip surface (30) forming a radially outwardly open squealer pocket (46). The squealer tip rail (40) includes an aft portion (54) adjacent to the trailing edge (24). The aft portion (54) traverses the blade tip surface (30) between the pressure and suction sidewalls (18, 20) in a curved undulating path to define alternating forward and rearward facing pockets (56, 58, 60, 62). Each of the forward and rearward facing pockets (56, 58, 60, 62) includes a cooling hole (64a, 64b, 64c, 64d) in fluid communication with a cooling fluid circuit (49) within the airfoil (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventor: George Liang
  • Publication number: 20090053042
    Abstract: A gas turbine including a casing and a shroud ring, the gas turbine including an attachment device rigidly attached to the casing and at least one of the shroud ring and a duct attached to the shroud ring, wherein the device allows the shroud ring to expand and contract independent of the casing and provides limited net axial growth of the shroud ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2007
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ian David Wilson, Bradley James Miller, Eric Scicchitano, Christopher Sean Bowes, Kenneth Damon Black
  • Publication number: 20090053045
    Abstract: A gas turbine assembly includes a shroud that includes a plurality of interconnected shroud segments, wherein each one of the shroud segments comprises an arcuate base formed of a first metal material. The arcuate base is made up of an annular member having an axial component and a pair of upstanding ribs having flanges, wherein the arcuate base further comprises a high temperature capable material layer disposed on a surface of the arcuate base so as to define an inner diameter of the shroud segment (i.e., the hot gas path side or environmental side).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2007
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Daniel Nowak, Poornathresan Krishnakumar, Richard L. Zhao, Melbourne James Myers, Christopher Hans Trangsrud
  • Patent number: 7481615
    Abstract: A fan and shroud assembly has a rotatable hub and plural blades extending outward from the hub. A shroud surrounding the fan controls air blast resulting from rotation of the fan. The shroud includes a guide ring spaced a predetermined distance from the periphery of the fan. The ends of the blades are connected together. The guide ring includes continuous circular undulations having alternate differing radii of curvature to reduce air swirl along the periphery of the fan. The undulations surround the fan periphery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corp.
    Inventor: Se-Young Park
  • Fan
    Patent number: 7438522
    Abstract: A fan has an air conveying conduit (16) and a fan wheel (22) arranged therein, which wheel is rotatable about a central axis (25) and is formed with a central hub (20; 120) having an outer periphery (27) on which fan blades (26) are mounted. These extend with their radially outer rims (40) as far as a surface (17) that is substantially coaxial with the central axis (25) and delimits the air conveying conduit (16) externally. The blades (26) have a profile similar to an airfoil profile. A flow element (42) is provided along the radial outer edge (40) of a fan blade and serves as an obstacle to a compensating flow proceeding around that radial outer edge (40) from the delivery side to the intake side, and likewise has, in cross section, an airfoil profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: EBM-Papst St. Georgen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Georg Eimer
  • Patent number: 7425115
    Abstract: A thermal turbomachine is disclosed having at least one row of rotor blades. At least one first rotor blade has a greater radial length than the others and at the blade tip is equipped with a first abrasive layer. At least one rotor blade which has a shorter radial length than the first rotor blade is equipped with a second abrasive layer at the blade tip. The first abrasive layer has a better cutting capacity and a lower thermal stability than the second abrasive layer. During commissioning of the thermal turbomachine, the first abrasive layer is in contact with the abradable layer of the stator, and during continuous operation of the thermal turbomachine the second abrasive layer is in contact with the abradable layer of the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Nicolas Campino Johnson, Matthias Hoebel, Jonas Hurter, Christoph Niederberger
  • Patent number: 7422413
    Abstract: The present invention is a shroud tip clearance control ring for use in a gas turbine engine in which a rotary blade and a shroud ring form a gap that forms a blade outer air seal, and where the shroud ring is formed of two shroud segment halves, each shroud segment including a pin located near an end of the segment, the pins being slidably within slots formed on the casing, and a drive member moves along a direction in which the pins are moved along the slots to change a radius of the shroud ring in a way such that the radius remains substantially the same along a 360 degree angle of the shroud ring. The drive member includes two positions, one that places the shroud ring in a radially inward position, and another position that places the shroud ring in a radially outward position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Alfred P Matheny
  • Patent number: 7396205
    Abstract: A rotor blade having a wing and beam construction for a tip shroud is disclosed. Various construction details are developed for providing a transition zone that extends from the suction side and pressure side of the airfoil to provide a flow path surface of the shroud. In one detailed embodiment, the transition zone over substantially all of its extent between the leading edge region and the trailing edge region is contoured to extend to the sides of the wings to provide a spanwise taper that extends to the side of the wing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan P. Dube, Eric D. Gray
  • Patent number: 7367776
    Abstract: A turbine engine stator assembly in juxtaposition across a radial gap with a rotary blading assembly includes a radially movable shroud and a gap control member made of at least one shape memory alloy (SMA). The SMA is selected and preconditioned to deform pre-selected amounts to change the radial length of the gap during engine operation responsive to temperature about the SMA. A fluid flow means delivers fluid to the SMA at pre-selected temperatures during engine operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Albers, Rafael Ruiz, Marcia Boyle, Christopher Charles Glynn
  • Publication number: 20080101923
    Abstract: The present invention concerns the field of turbomachines, in particular the cooling of the ring sectors (1) of a turbine (8) of a turbomachine (9). It more specifically concerns a turbine ring sector (1) comprising: a wall (11) bounding an aerodynamic flowpath (5) in which gases flow from the upstream region (52) toward the downstream region (53), and a multiperforated plate (2), situated on the opposite side of the aerodynamic flowpath (5) with respect to the wall (11), said multiperforated plate (2) comprising a bottom (21, 121, 221, 321) and side walls (22, 23), the distance between the wall (11) of the ring sector (1) and the bottom (21, 121, 221, 321) of the multiperforated plate (2) defining a gap (7) which is progressive in an axial direction, from the upstream region (52) toward the downstream region (53). According to the invention, the value of the gap situated at the upstream region (52) is below the value of the gap situated at the downstream region (53).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Applicant: SNECMA
    Inventors: Erwan Daniel BOTREL, Claire Dorin
  • Patent number: 7338255
    Abstract: A turbo-type fluid machine comprises a mouth ring part provided between a shroud of an impeller and a pump casing and having a seal function. The mouth ring part comprises an impeller ring on a side of the shroud of the impeller and a casing ring provided on a side of a non-rotating body wall surface of the casing. The impeller ring is structured to have a stepped portion that is in the form of a staircase with at least two steps to be small in diameter toward a suction side of the impeller and large in diameter toward an outlet of the impeller. The casing ring is labyrinth-shaped to comprise a projection and a recess. A narrow clearance part having a narrow radial clearance is formed between the projection and the impeller ring. A flow passage spatial portion defining an enlarged portion of the narrow radial clearance is formed by the recess and the stepped portion of the impeller ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shusaku Nabesaka, Sadashi Tanaka, Shinsuke Sakurai
  • Patent number: 7326033
    Abstract: A turbomachine blade is disclosed having a shroud element, wherein plastic deformations and lifting of the shroud element on one side result during operation under centrifugal load. This load may result in high-temperature creep of the blade. A sealing strip which is arranged on the shroud element can be configured with a thickness varying in a circumferential direction. The mass of the shroud element and thus the asymmetrical centrifugal load and the lifting of the shroud element on one side resulting therefrom can be reduced by material removal at regions lying on the outside in the circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Andreas Boegli, Alexander Mahler, James Ritchie, Slawomir Slowik
  • Patent number: 7290982
    Abstract: The distributor sectors (25) of a turbomachine are secured adjacent to a casing (31) with sealing sectors (32) alternating with them in the axial direction. The distributor sectors (25) are provided with force resistant faces (37; 39) through which forces exerted on the distributor sectors are transmitted to the casing. The inner surface of the casing (31) is smoother and is not fitted with any hooks; consequently, this casing (31) is less complicated to make and is less mechanically stressed to retain the 10 distributor sectors, and the distributor sectors may be installed by a purely axial movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Snecma Moteurs
    Inventors: Patrick J. Girard, Sebastien A. Imbourg, Philippe J. Pabion, Jean-Luc Soupizon
  • Patent number: 7287956
    Abstract: The turbine includes a diaphragm having a seal carrier mounted in opposition to seal teeth carried by the rotary component. The seal carrier includes a seal face having a coating of abradable material enabling the rotary component to abrade the material from the seal face. The seal carrier is removable from the diaphragm and is carried by an axial extension integral with or removable from the outer diaphragm ring. A spring may be interposed between the seal carrier and the stationary component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, Sterling Ray Hathaway, David Orus Fitts, Ron W. Korzun, Laurence Scott Duclos, William Edward Adis, Mark William Kowalczyk, Bernard Arthur Couture
  • Patent number: 7273353
    Abstract: A turbine blade for use in a gas turbine engine is provided. The turbine blade includes an airfoil portion having a tip end, a shroud attached to the tip end, which shroud has an outer surface, and a knife edge attached to an outer surface of the shroud. The knife edge has a pair of cutter blades disposed substantially over an axis of the airfoil portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan P. Dube, Richard H. Page
  • Patent number: 7273347
    Abstract: A gas turbine blade (1) has a shroud (3) which is cooled by different cooling mechanisms in various regions (A, B, C) according to the different thermal load. In a first region (A), in a fin (8), bores are provided, by which a convective cooling of the fin and a film cooling of the hot gas side of the fin are implemented. A second region (B) is cooled by impingement cooling by a cooling air stream from a duct in the radially opposite stator housing. A third region (C) has a plurality of bores running parallel which run from a cooling duct of a cooling system for the blade leaf to the radially outer surface of the shroud. A cooling air stream flowing through these bores causes a convective cooling of this region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventor: Ulrich Rathmann
  • Patent number: 7255531
    Abstract: A tip shroud rail for a tip shroud of at least one turbine rotor blade, the tip shroud rail comprising a base integrally attached to the tip shroud, a top distally positioned from the base, an upstream surface, and a downstream surface, wherein the tip shroud rail has a height, h, as measured from the base to the top, and a width, w, as measured from the upstream surface to the downstream surface, wherein the width, w, of the tip shroud rail, as measured at the top, is greater than the width, w, of the tip shroud rail, as measured at one-half the height, h/2, of the tip shroud rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Watson Cogeneration Company
    Inventor: Steve G. Ingistov
  • Patent number: 7244099
    Abstract: A multi-vane centrifugal fan has a fan housing and an impeller. The impeller includes a plurality of vanes arranged with a prescribed spacing in the circumferential direction and fixed to a hub rotatably driven around a shaft core. The impeller further includes an annular member for reinforcement that is provided on a side of the vanes opposite the hub. The fan housing has a bell mouth with a recessed part that is provided around a circumference of an air suction port of the fan housing. The recessed part has air suction port side end parts positioned on the side of the vanes opposite the hub and rotatably inserted in the recessed part without having a shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahiro Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 7186074
    Abstract: A drum-type rotor carries an annular row of moving blades having root portions held within a slot in the periphery of the rotor. A turbine casing surrounds the rotor and carries a static blade assembly with an annular row of static blades which, together with the annular row of moving blades, constitutes an impulse turbine stage. The static blade assembly has a radially inner static ring confronting a periphery of the rotor with a seal acting therebetween. The static blade assembly has an outer static ring which has a substantially greater thermal inertia and stiffness then the inner static ring and is capable of sufficient radial sliding relative to the casing so as to accommodate relative thermal expansion and contraction of the outer static ring and the turbine casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Alstom Technology, Ltd.
    Inventors: David Paul Blatchford, Richard Martin Bridge, Philip David Hemsley, Alan Hesketh, Adrian Lord
  • Patent number: 7186078
    Abstract: A shroud segment for being incorporated in a gas turbine engine so as to suppress influence of hot combustion gas on a turbine case of the gas turbine engine is provided with a back plate having first and second plate portions formed in an arc shape and supported by the turbine case, a touching member integrally formed on an inner surface of the back plate for touching with a rotating turbine blade, a pair of first seal slots for receiving a pair of first spline seal plate, a pair of second seal slots for receiving a pair of second spline seal plate and a pair of seal gaps respectively communicating with the first seal slots and the second seal slots. The seal gaps are respectively provided with abutment surfaces recessed from front surfaces of the second seal slots so as to receive front ends of the first spline seal plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Agamu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7134838
    Abstract: A rotor blade having a wing and beam construction for a tip shroud is disclosed. Various construction details are developed for providing the shroud with a depression in the shroud and a transition zone that extends from the suction side and pressure side of the airfoil to provide a flow path surface of the shroud. In one detailed embodiment, the tip shroud has a depression generally outwardly of the airfoil and generally following the curve of the pressure and suction sides of the airfoil from the leading edge region to the trailing edge region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2006
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan P. Dube, Eric D. Gray
  • Patent number: 7114921
    Abstract: A cooling fan includes a cylindrical boss portion, a plurality of blades extending from the boss portion in a radial direction and a ring member integrated with radial outside edges of the blades. The ring member has an axial dimension smaller than an axial dimension of the blade at the radial outside edge, with respect to an axial direction of the boss portion. The ring member has an extending portion extending in a form of bell toward an upstream position of the blades with respect to an air flow. The extending portion is disposed such that a base point connecting to a body portion of the ring member is arranged in a range that begins at a point 25% and ends at a point 85% of a distance from an upstream end of the radial outside edge of the blade with respect to the axial dimension of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Iwasaki, Takuya Usami
  • Patent number: 7094023
    Abstract: A turbine blade for use in a gas turbine engine is provided. The turbine blade includes an airfoil portion having a tip end, a shroud attached to the tip end, which shroud has an outer surface, and a knife edge attached to an outer surface of the shroud. The knife edge has a pair of cutter blades protruding outwardly from the knife edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan P. Dube, Richard Page
  • Patent number: 7094032
    Abstract: A shroud for use with a turbine blade is disclosed wherein the shroud provides at least one knife edge with at least one tooth for cutting a groove in a compliant rub strip that minimizes wear on the knife edge. The tooth is positioned along the knife edge inward of the ends of the knife edge and a distance from an airfoil stackline such that the moment created by the tooth mass and its effect on shroud bending stress is significantly reduced, thereby resulting in increased turbine blade durability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Inventor: Richard Seleski
  • Fan
    Patent number: 7086825
    Abstract: A fan is provided for use with a casing having a bellmouth and a conduit portion. The fan has a hub, a number of blades extending from the hub, and a shroud. In cooperation with the casing and the conduit portion surrounding the shroud, the shroud has means for generating a separation bubble effective to limit a recirculation flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Carrier Corporation
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Peter R. Bushnell, Xavier Girod
  • Patent number: 7070388
    Abstract: An inducer rotor rotatably mountable in an inducer for pressurizing fluid traveling through the inducer. The inducer rotor includes a hub. The hub has a central axis and a plurality of blades extending radially outward from the hub. Each blade extends from a root portion that is next to the hub, to a tip portion that is opposite the root. The rotor further includes a shroud extending circumferentially between each pair of adjacent blades within the plurality of blades. The shroud has an inner surface facing the central axis and an outer surface that is opposite the inner surface. Between the inner and outer surface of the shroud is defined a thickness. The shroud thickness varies circumferentially around the shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Sen Y. Meng, David H. Loh
  • Patent number: 7070387
    Abstract: A housing including an outer casing provided with bearer hooks for stator rings and sealing rings. The hooks are discontinuous angularly and joined to a casing by tenon and mortise assemblies. The hooks and the casing may therefore be made in different materials, the hook material having good resistance to heating and the other material lending itself better to machining and forming. Ventilation, clearance piloting and heat protection are facilitated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Snecma Moteurs
    Inventors: Francois Crozet, Daniel Didier, Christian Ducrocq, Sebastien Imbourg, Laurent Palmisano, Jean-Marc Rongvaux, Andrë Verbrugge
  • Patent number: 7066714
    Abstract: An improved rotor assembly shroud includes at least one reinforcing flange on the upper surface of the shroud. The strength provided by the reinforcing flange allows for a smaller shroud thickness resulting in a net reduction of shroud mass. The lower shroud mass reduces the centrifugal stress on the rotor assembly blade during operation. The strength provided by the reinforcing flanges also significantly reduces the centrifugal bending stress on the shroud during operation. The shroud mass may be further reduced by tapering the shroud leading and trailing edges or, for shrouds incorporating a damper, by providing a damper cavity with a lower diameter surface defining an opening therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Jeff H. Miller, Xinhong J. Zheng, Steven P. Grota, Khin C. Phui
  • Patent number: 7001145
    Abstract: A rotary machine includes a rotatable rotor, buckets radially mounted on and spaced apart about the rotor, a stationary stator/casing disposed about and radially outward from the rotor defining an annular gap between the casing and tips of the buckets, and an abradable seal member provided to the bucket tip portions and disposed within the annular gap such that during differential growth of the rotor and buckets relative to the casing the seal member abrades in response to contact with a base seal member provided to the stator casing. Thereby, clearance between the stator casing and bucket tips is minimized between the moving bucket tips with the stator casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bernard Arthur Couture, Farshad Ghasripoor, Mark William Kowalczyk
  • Patent number: 6969231
    Abstract: A sealing assembly for disposition in a rotary machine is disposed between a rotary component and a stationary component of the rotary machine. The sealing assembly includes at least one sealing strip affixed by caulking to one of the rotary and stationary components. An abradable portion is disposed on another of the rotary and stationary components and is positioned radially opposite to the at least one sealing strip. The abradable portion includes a thermal spray coated material, and the thermal spray coated material includes Cobalt, Nickel, Chromium, Aluminum, Yttrium (CoNiCrAlY) and further includes a material selected from the group consisting of hexagonal boron nitride, a thermoset polymer, and combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Farshad Ghasripoor, Norman Arnold Turnquist, Bernard Arthur Courture, Ronald Wayne Korzun
  • Patent number: 6966752
    Abstract: A jacket ring for the low-pressure-turbine region of a gas turbine, having a plurality of lined-up segments which are arranged between a moving blade ring with a shroud band and the casing of the gas turbine, which carry a run-in lining and which hold guide blades in a positive-locking manner, wherein each segment comprises a hot-gas-side seal carrier and a casing-side securing element, the seal carrier and the securing element are at the greatest possible distance from one another and only have common contact points which are as small as possible, and the securing element is axially supported directly on the casing of the gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventors: Walter Gieg, Helmut Groess, Klemens Hain
  • Patent number: 6962482
    Abstract: A shroud segment for being incorporated in a gas turbine engine having a turbine case and a rear turbine case connected with a rear end of the turbine case so as to suppress influence of hot combustion gas on the turbine case and the rear turbine case, is provided with a back plate formed in an arc shape and supported by the turbine case, a touching member integrally formed on an inner surface of the back plate for touching with a rotating turbine blade; and a jet shield extended from a rear end of the back plate and slanted radially inward so as to shield the rear turbine case from a jet of the hot combustion gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Agamu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6962484
    Abstract: This arrangement relates to a moving blade (1), cast in one piece, for a turbomachine, in particular a turbine or compressor, comprising an aerodynamically shaped profile body (2) which has a shroud band (5). The shroud band (5) projects beyond the profile body (2) in the circumferential direction (6) and has a fin (12). The fin (12) possesses a base portion (14), a transitional portion (15) and a sealing portion (16). An axially measured wall thickness decreases in a transitional portion (15) from the base portion (14) to the sealing portion (16). To avoid a porous structure in the base portion (14), two depressions (17), which reduce the wall thickness of the base portion (14), are integrally molded on the outside of the base portion (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology LTD
    Inventors: Herbert Brandl, Alexander Hoffs
  • Patent number: 6939104
    Abstract: A turbine blade including a head at its peripherally outer end, and on the outside face thereof at least one wiper is formed having a first end portion and a second end portion, with a wiper tip extending between the two end portions. The first portion situated on the suction side of the blade is taller than the second end portion to form a sawtooth effect between the wipers of two adjacent blades mounted on a turbine rotor. The tip of each wiper presents a convex surface between the first portion and the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Snecma Moteurs
    Inventors: Giot Chantal, Jean-Luc Soupizon
  • Patent number: 6926495
    Abstract: A sealing system for reducing a gap between a tip of a shrouded turbine blade and a stationary shroud of a turbine engine. The sealing system includes one or more seal lands extending from a shrouded turbine blade toward a stationary shroud of a turbine engine. During operation of the turbine engine, the seal lands straighten and extend towards the stationary shroud of the turbine engine, thereby reducing the leakage of air past the shrouded turbine blades and increasing the efficiency of the turbine engine. The sealing system may also include one or more protrusions extending from the stationary shroud towards the tips of the shrouded turbine blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventor: Ihor S. Diakunchak
  • Patent number: 6913445
    Abstract: A tip shroud for use with a bucket of a turbine. The tip shroud may include a seal rail with a middle portion and a cutter tooth mounted about the middle portion of the seal rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas B. Beddard, Carlos A. Collado
  • Patent number: 6908288
    Abstract: Methods for repairing and manufacturing a gas turbine blade, and the gas turbine blade repaired and manufactured with such methods are presented with, for example, the repair method comprising providing a gas turbine blade, the blade comprising a blade tip and a blade body; removing at least one portion of the blade tip; providing at least one freestanding tip insert; and disposing the at least one tip insert onto the gas turbine blade body such that the at least one tip insert replaces the at least one removed portion of the blade tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Melvin Robert Jackson, Aaron Todd Frost, Shyh-Chin Huang, Charles Gitahi Mukira, Thomas Robert Raber, Raymond Alan White
  • Patent number: 6896482
    Abstract: A turbine includes, in an exemplary embodiment, an outer housing, a turbine shaft rotatably supported in the outer housing, and a plurality of turbine stages located along the turbine shaft. Each turbine stage includes a diaphragm attached to the casing, a rotor having a plurality of buckets and a bucket cover fixedly attached to the turbine shaft, and a packing ring mounted in a first circumferentially extending groove in said diaphragm. The packing ring includes a seal shroud and a sealing means and is positioned adjacent the turbine shaft. The seal shroud is fabricated from a first material having a first coefficient of expansion, and the is diaphragm fabricated from a second material having a second coefficient of expansion. The first and second materials are selected so that at a first temperature a gap between the turbine shaft and the diaphragm is larger than at a second higher temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: William Thomas Parry
  • Patent number: 6874990
    Abstract: A fan-shroud structure 10 includes a fan 12 mounted for rotation about an axis B. The fan has a plurality of blades 20 with tips of the blades being coupled to an annular band 22. A shroud 26, including an annular labyrinth seal 28, is disposed generally adjacent to the annular band thereby defining a gap 30 between the annular band and the seal. The seal has a corrugated profile and is constructed and arranged to provide resistance to air flow as air swirls and flows back into the gap and to minimize air leakage across the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive Inc.
    Inventor: Sylvain Nadeau
  • Patent number: 6860718
    Abstract: A geothermal turbine comprises a turbine casing, a turbine rotor shaft, a plurality of nozzle diaphragm outer rings fixed to the turbine casing, a plurality of nozzle diaphragm inner rings located radially inside the nozzle diaphragm outer rings, a plurality of nozzles placed between the nozzle diaphragm outer rings and the nozzle diaphragm inner rings, which form a steam passage, a plurality of rotor blades mounted on the turbine rotor shaft, which face the nozzles and form a blade cascade in a circumferential direction, a shroud arranged on tip of the rotor blade, an overhang attached to the nozzle diaphragm outer ring, which extends downstream of the nozzles and has an inner surface facing radially outside the shroud, and a plurality of sealing fins which protrude radially outward from the shroud and face the overhang.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Atsuhide Suzuki, Toshihiro Fujiwara, Masataka Fukuda, Kazuaki Ikeda, Toshihiro Matsuura, Osamu Watanabe, Hisao Fujihashi, Kentaro Takagi
  • Patent number: 6854958
    Abstract: A hydraulic turbine is adapted to introduce oxygen into a water flowing through a water passageway of a turbine. The turbine has a circumferential chamber formed between a rotating band and a stationary discharge ring. The chamber has a gas admission aperture for receiving an oxygen containing gas into the chamber. A downstream end portion of the band has a plurality of spaced apart vanes providing chamber outlet passageways between the vanes and through the band. The vanes are configured to rotate with the band and to draw the oxygen containing gas and water from the chamber through the outlet passageways in the band and into the water passageway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Canada Inc.
    Inventor: Normand Desy
  • Patent number: 6830437
    Abstract: An assembly that includes a CMC article, and a method of forming the assembly, so as to reduce the likelihood during a transient thermal condition of the CMC article becoming interlocked with the worn shank of a fastener used to secure the article to its support structure. The CMC article has oppositely-disposed first and second surfaces, a hole through the article and intersecting the first and second surfaces so as to define oppositely-disposed first and second openings at the first and second surfaces, respectively, and continuous chamfers along the entirety of the first and second openings. The assembly further includes a support structure adjacent the article, and a fastener received in the hole of the CMC article and securing the CMC article to the support structure. The location of the chamfers at the perimeter of each opening eliminates a relatively sharp edge that could interlock with the worn shank of the fastener during a thermal excursion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Ralph Cairo, Paul Stephen Dimascio, Christopher Grace
  • Patent number: 6830426
    Abstract: A set of seals is installed on the impeller of a centrifugal pump that allows a low viscosity fluid to be injected into a chamber between the impeller shroud and the casing sidewall. A seal ring, with a number of grooves formed in it is installed on the tip of the impeller. Another seal ring is mounted at the leading edge of the eye of the impeller. The gas is picked up by the grooves in the impeller tip ring inside diameter and is compressed by centrifugal force to a higher pressure than the discharge pressure of the impeller. It is then injected into the pumpage stream. The eye ring seals have pockets or grooves and inject gas at a low volume into the eye of the impeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Inventor: David T. Stilcs
  • Patent number: 6805530
    Abstract: The shroud includes a seal extending continuously between leading and trailing edges of the shroud at the tip of the airfoil. A cutter tooth is provided substantially medially of the shroud and in substantial radial alignment with a line through the center of mass of the airfoil. In this manner, any moment arm generated by movement of the shroud is eliminated or minimized to reduce the stresses in the fillet region between the shroud and the airfoil tip and hence increase the creep life of the bucket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: John Paul Urban
  • Patent number: 6733232
    Abstract: An improved turbine blade having a tip configured to provide a reduced blade tip clearance between the blade tip and the inside of a turbine casing and to provide an improved flow path for the discharge of cooling air from the turbine blade tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Watson Cogeneration Company
    Inventors: Steve Ingistov, Robert Pistor
  • Publication number: 20030194312
    Abstract: Steam turbine buckets have radially projecting tenons received in openings of covers. The covers are provided with a profiled surface, with recesses or radially outwardly projecting teeth, or both, to form a gap between the cover and a stationary component having increased pressure drop with resulting decreased leakage flow and reduced potential for solid particle erosion. In the profiled cover surface, the outer surface of the tenon and outer surface of the cover are machined to form the recesses or teeth, affording a flush cover/tenon design with improved sealing efficiencies and reduced solid particle erosion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2002
    Publication date: October 16, 2003
    Inventors: Mark Edward Burnett, Daniel Randolph Trembley, Maurice David Fournier