Valve arrangement for a power plant

• US 20030035720A1
• Filed: 03/29/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Gerdes, Ralf, Padfield, Roger, Suter, Franz
• Granted Patent: US 6,638,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 415/145
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/145 by means of valves, e.g. for steam turbines valves in general F16K
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/02 the working fluid being an unheated pressurised gas

Abstract

The invention relates to a valve arrangement (1), in particular for a power plant. A housing (2) contains a shut-off valve (3) for shutting off a fluid flow, a control valve (4) for controlling the fluid flow through a housing outlet (8) and a bypass valve (5) for controlling the fluid flow through a bypass (13). This bypass (13) branches off from the housing (2) between the shut-off valve (3) and the control valve (4).

Claims

1. A valve arrangement, in particular for a power plant, having a housing (2) through which a fluid can flow and in which a shut-off valve (3) for shutting off the fluid flow and, downstream thereof, a control valve (4) for controlling the fluid flow through a housing outlet (8) and a bypass valve (5) for controlling the fluid flow through a bypass (13;

13′

) branching off between control valve (4) and shut-off valve (3) are arranged.

2. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing outlet (8) communicates with a high-pressure space (15) of a turbine (14), in particular of a steam turbine or an air turbine, and wherein the bypass (13;

13′

) communicates with an intermediate-pressure space or with a low-pressure space (17) of the turbine (14).

3. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the housing outlet (8) is connected to an inner casing (16), containing the high-pressure space (15), of the turbine (14), and wherein the bypass (13;

13′

) is connected to an outer casing (18), containing the low-pressure space (17), of the turbine (14).

4. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the turbine (14) is an air turbine of an air-storage power plant.

5. The valve arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bypass has a bypass line (13) connected to the housing (2).

6. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the bypass line (13) has a nozzle element (20) at its discharge end (19), through which nozzle element (20) the bypass fluid flow discharges from the bypass line (13) and enters a target space (17).

7. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the nozzle element (20) has a flange (23) which can be attached to a target-space casing (18) containing the target space (17).

8. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the nozzle element (20) has an inflow nozzle (25) which projects into the target space (17).

9. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the inflow nozzle (25) has a spherical or hemispherical nozzle body (26) which is curved into the target space (17) and has a plurality of discharge openings (27).

10. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the discharge openings (27) are arranged on the nozzle body (26) in a spatially distributed manner.

11. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the discharge openings (27) extend in different directions.

12. The valve arrangement as claimed in one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the discharge openings (27) extend essentially radially with respect to a common center point (29) and/or wherein each discharge opening (27) extends essentially perpendicularly to a tangential plane (28) which, in the target space (17), is tangent to the nozzle body (26) in the orifice region of the respective discharge opening (27).

13. The valve arrangement at least as claimed in claims 7 and 8, wherein

the flange (23) is designed as a ring and has a cylindrical sleeve (24) radially on the inside,

the inflow nozzle (25) is formed on the discharge end of a cylindrical tube (30) or has a cylindrical tube (30),

the tube (30) being arranged concentrically in the sleeve (24),

the sleeve (24) being connected to the tube (30) in a section facing away from the target space (17),

a cylindrical space (31) which is open toward the target space (17) being formed radially between tube (30) and sleeve (24).

14. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 13 or claims 9 and 13, wherein the flange (23) is welded to its sleeve (24) and/or the nozzle body (26) is welded to the tube (30).

15. The valve arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bypass has a bypass line (13′

) integrated in the housing (2).

16. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 15, wherein the bypass line (13′

) encases the housing outlet (8).

17. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein the bypass line (13′

) is formed by a radial gap (33) between a diffuser (34), leading to the housing outlet (8), of the control valve (4) and a housing section (35) containing the diffuser (34).