Method and apparatus for cooling shaft seals
First Claim
1. A turbine generator system, comprising:
- a hydrogen inner-cooled generator having a stator with a cylindrical core and a rotor mounted for rotation on a shaft within said cylindrical core;
a turbine coupled to said shaft at one end of said generator;
an exciter coupled to said shaft at the other end of said generator;
a pair of seals each of which surround said shaft at both ends of said generator for substantially minimizing a leakage of hydrogen therefrom, each of said pair of seals having a hydrogen side and an air side;
first oil supply means for supplying oil to said hydrogen side of each of said pair of seals;
second oil supply means for supplying oil to said air side of each of said pair of seals; and
heat exchanger means coupled to said first and second oil supply means for exchanging heat therebetween.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus for cooling shaft seals of a turbine-generator system which includes a hydrogen inner-cooled generator having a stator with a cylindrical core and a rotor mounted for rotation on a shaft within the cylindrical core, a turbine coupled to the shaft at one end of the generator, an exciter coupled to the shaft at the other end of the generator, and a pair of seals each of which surround the shaft at both ends of the generator for substantially minimizing a leakage of hydrogen therefrom. Each of the seals includes a seal ring with a hydrogen side and an air side, and a closed loop oil supply is provided for each such side. One closed loop oil supply supplies oil to the hydrogen side of each of the seals, and another closed loop oil supply supplies oil to the air side of each of the seals, and both oil supplies are coupled within a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the two closed loop oil supplies.
25 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A turbine generator system, comprising:
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a hydrogen inner-cooled generator having a stator with a cylindrical core and a rotor mounted for rotation on a shaft within said cylindrical core; a turbine coupled to said shaft at one end of said generator; an exciter coupled to said shaft at the other end of said generator; a pair of seals each of which surround said shaft at both ends of said generator for substantially minimizing a leakage of hydrogen therefrom, each of said pair of seals having a hydrogen side and an air side; first oil supply means for supplying oil to said hydrogen side of each of said pair of seals; second oil supply means for supplying oil to said air side of each of said pair of seals; and heat exchanger means coupled to said first and second oil supply means for exchanging heat therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. In a turbine-generator system of the type which includes a hydrogen inner-cooled generator having a stator with a cylindrical core and a rotor mounted for rotation on a shaft within the cylindrical core, and a pair of seals each of which surround the shaft at respective ends of the generator to substantially minimize a leakage of hydrogen from the generator, each seal having a hydrogen side and an air side, the improvement comprising in combination therewith:
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first closed loop oil supply means for supplying oil to the hydrogen side of each seal; second closed loop oil supply means for supplying oil to the air side of each seal; and heat exchanger means coupled to said first and second closed loop oil supply means for exchanging heat therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of cooling shaft seals in a turbine-generator system of the type which includes a hydrogen inner-cooled generator having a stator with a cylindrical core and a rotor mounted for rotation on a shaft within the cylindrical core, and a pair of shaft seals each of which surround the shaft at respective ends of the generator to substantially minimize a leakage of hydrogen from the generator, each seal having a hydrogen side and an air side, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing first closed loop oil supply means for supplying oil to the hydrogen side of each seal; providing second closed loop oil supply means for supplying oil to the air side of each seal; and providing heat exchanger means coupled to said first and second closed loop oil supply means for exchanging heat therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A method of minimizing leakage of hydrogen from a turbine-generator system having a hydrogen inner-cooled generator with stator, a shaft and shaft seals, each of the shaft seals having a first annular chamber proximate to the stator and a second annular chamber that is longitudinally spaced from the first annular chamber of its respective shaft seal remote from said stator, comprising the steps of:
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providing a first closed loop of oil to the first annular chambers; providing a second closed loop of oil to the second annular chambers; providing heat exchanger means for exchanging heat between said first and second closed loops; monitoring the temperature of said oil in said first closed loop downstream of said heat exchanger means; monitoring the temperature of said oil in said second closed loop upstream of said heat exchanger means; and providing means for controlling the flow of oil in said first and second closed loops. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification