Method and apparatus for eliminating thermal bowing and axial thrust loads of steam turbine rotors

• US 6,517,314 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2001
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Baily, Fredrick George, Turnquist, Norman Arnold, Wolfe, Christopher Edward, Burnett, Mark Edward, Caruso, David Alan, Brisson, Bruce William
• Primary Examiner(s): Look, Edward K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCoy, Kimya N
• Application Number:
  US09/985,638
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 415/173.5, 415/173.6, 415/173.7, 415/174.5, 415/230, 277/355
• US Class Current: 415/173.7
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 11/001 for sealing space between stator blade and rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/56 Brush seals
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3288 Filamentary structures, e.g. brush seals

Abstract

In a steam turbine, a combined brush and labyrinth seal is provided between a diaphragm web and axial projecting platforms on bucket dovetails at a location spaced radially outwardly of the outer diameter of the rotor. The downstream axially adjacent bucket dovetails also have platforms serving as complementary sealing surfaces to labyrinth teeth formed on the web. By locating the combined labyrinth and brush seal radially outwardly of the outer diameter of the shaft, thermal bowing of the rotor is eliminated. By providing backup labyrinth seals at the same radial location, axial thrust loads are eliminated in the event of brush seal failure.

Claims

1. A steam turbine comprising:

a rotatable component including a rotor shaft and a non-rotatable component about said rotatable component;

a brush seal carried by said non-rotatable component for sealing engagement with the rotatable component;

said rotatable component including a plurality of buckets having bucket dovetails for connection with complementary dovetails on a wheel of said rotatable component;

means for inhibiting non-uniform circumferential heat transfer to the rotatable component thereby to eliminate or minimize bow of the rotatable component due to frictional contact between the brush seal and rotatable component;

said inhibiting means including an axially extending platform on each said bucket dovetail in frictional engagement with said brush seal at a location spaced radially outwardly of an outer diameter of the rotor shaft; and

a labyrinth seal carried by said non-rotatable component including at least one tooth extending between said non-rotatable component and said platform spaced generally radially outwardly from an outer diameter of said rotor shaft.

2. A turbine according to claim 1 wherein said non-rotatable component has a diaphragm with an inner web spaced radially outwards of said rotor shaft, portions of said platforms extending radially inwardly of and in radial alignment with portions of said webs, said brush seal and said labyrinth seal extending between said portions of said web and said platforms.

3. A turbine according to claim 2 wherein said shaft is spaced radially inwardly of the platforms, the web of the non-rotatable component and said dovetails of said rotatable component.

4. A turbine according to claim 2 including a second wheel on said rotatable component mounting buckets having bucket dovetails for connection with complementary dovetails on said second wheel of said rotatable component and forming a portion of a downstream stage of the turbine axially adjacent the first mentioned buckets, said platforms on buckets of adjacent stages lying in axial alignment with one another and along respective upstream and downstream portions of each bucket, said brush seal and said labyrinth tooth being located in sealing relation to said downstream platforms, said diaphragm including partitions carrying said web between the buckets of axially adjacent stages, said labyrinth seal including a second labyrinth tooth carried by said web for sealing with the upstream platforms of the buckets at the second stage thereof at a radial location spaced outwardly of the outer diameter of the rotor shaft and generally corresponding to the radial distance of the brush seal engagement with the downstream platforms from the outer diameter of the rotor shaft, whereby, upon failure of the brush seal, sealing effectiveness is maintained at locations radially outwardly of said shaft.

5. A turbine according to claim 2 wherein said platforms on buckets of adjacent stages lie in axial opposition with one another, said web having axially spaced portions lying in spaced radial registration with tip portions of the platforms, respectively, of the buckets of adjacent stages, said brush seal extending between one of said axially spaced portions of said web and one of the tip portions of the platforms, said one tooth extending between said one axially spaced portion of said web and said one of the tip portions of the platforms, said labyrinth seal including another tooth extending between another of said axially spaced portions of said web and another of the tip portions of the platforms.

6. A turbine according to claim 1 wherein the bucket dovetails of adjacent stages lie in axial opposition with one another and have substantially equal areas in axial opposition to one another thereby eliminating or minimizing any net axial thrust.

7. A steam turbine comprising:

a rotatable shaft including a plurality of circumferentially spaced buckets at each of axially spaced locations therealong forming the buckets of adjacent stages of the turbine;

a plurality of non-rotating partitions between the buckets of said adjacent stages including inner webs extending radially inwardly of a steam flowpath through the buckets and partitions;

said buckets having bucket dovetails for connecting with complementary dovetails on wheels of said shaft;

a brush seal carried by said inner webs;

means for inhibiting non-uniform circumferential heat transfer to the rotatable shaft thereby to eliminate or minimize bow of the rotatable shaft due to frictional contact between the brush seal and rotatable shaft;

said inhibiting means including a platform extending axially from each said bucket dovetail with portions of said platform lying radially inwardly of said inner webs and in radial alignment with portions of said inner webs, said brush seal extending from said inner web portions in frictional engagement with said platform portions in radial alignment therewith and at a location spaced radially outwardly of an outer diameter of said rotatable shaft; and

a labyrinth seal carried by said inner web including at least one tooth extending between said inner web portions and said platform portions and spaced generally radially outwardly from an outer diameter of said rotor shaft.

8. A steam turbine as in claim 7 wherein axially opposed faces of the bucket dovetails defining a wheelspace therebetween are substantially equal in area to one another whereby axial thrust loads on the rotatable shaft are eliminated in the event of failure of the brush seal.