Bucket dovetail bridge member and method for eliminating thermal bowing of steam turbine rotors
First Claim
1. A steam turbine comprising:
- a rotatable component including a rotor shaft carrying axially adjacent bucket rows and a non-rotatable component about said rotatable component, said rotor shaft having a shaft surface;
a bridging member extending generally axially between said adjacent bucket rows at a location spaced radially outwardly of said shaft surface and mounted for rotation with said rotatable component, said bridging member engaging said adjacent bucket rows; and
a brush seal carried by said non-rotatable component for sealing engagement with said bridging member.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A steam turbine has a rotor mounting axially spaced rotor wheels having male dovetails for mounting a plurality of axially spaced buckets having female dovetails. A plurality of arcuate bridging members extend axially between the axially adjacent bucket dovetails at locations spaced radially outwardly of the surface of the rotor shaft. A diaphragm in radial opposition to the bridging member mounts a brush seal having bristles engaging the bridging member. The bridging member carries backup labyrinth seal teeth for sealing with the diaphragm. The friction generated by contact between the brush seal bristles and bridging members lies radially outwardly of the rotor whereby non-uniform distribution of heat about the rotor surface due to frictional contact with the brush seal is avoided, with consequent avoidance of rotor bowing.
56 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A steam turbine comprising:
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a rotatable component including a rotor shaft carrying axially adjacent bucket rows and a non-rotatable component about said rotatable component, said rotor shaft having a shaft surface;
a bridging member extending generally axially between said adjacent bucket rows at a location spaced radially outwardly of said shaft surface and mounted for rotation with said rotatable component, said bridging member engaging said adjacent bucket rows; and
a brush seal carried by said non-rotatable component for sealing engagement with said bridging member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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- 15. In a steam turbine having a rotatable component including a rotor shaft having a rotor shaft surface and a non-rotatable component about the rotatable component carrying a brush seal for sealing engagement with the rotatable component, a method of substantially eliminating bowing of the rotor resulting from circumferential non-uniform distribution of heat about the rotor shaft surface due to frictional contact between the brush seal and the rotatable component, comprising the step of inhibiting circumferential non-uniform heat transfer to the rotor shaft surface generated by frictional contact between the rotatable component and the brush seal by extending a bridging member between axially spaced bucket dovetails at a location radially outwardly of said rotor shaft, engaging said bridging member with said bucket rows and engaging the brush seal against the bridging member.
Specification