Cooling circuit for reducing thermal growth differential of turbine rotor and shell supports

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9376934-B2
Application number	US-201213594609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2012
Priority date	Aug 24, 2012
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A standard for supporting a turbine rotor and a turbine shell includes a bearing block including a housing enclosing bearing surfaces engageable by the turbine rotor. Turbine shell-arm supports are located on opposite sides of the housing, the turbine shell-arm supports each having a horizontal and one or more vertical surfaces adapted to be engaged by support arms of a turbine shell enclosing at least a portion of the turbine. An internal cooling/heating circuit is arranged to simultaneously cool or heat the bearing block and the turbine shell-arm supports to thereby reduce differential thermal growth characteristics of the turbine rotor and turbine shell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A standard for supporting a turbine rotor and a turbine shell comprising:
a bearing block including a housing enclosing bearing surfaces engageable by the turbine rotor;
turbine shell-arm supports on opposite sides of said housing, said turbine shell-arm supports each having a horizontal and one or more vertical surfaces adapted to be engaged by support arms of a turbine shell enclosing at least a portion of the turbine; and
a cooling/heating circuit utilizing a heat exchange medium arranged to simultaneously cool or heat the bearing block and the turbine shell-arm supports to thereby reduce differential thermal growth characteristics of the turbine rotor and turbine shell.

2. The standard of claim 1 wherein said cooling/heating circuit includes an inlet line to the standard, at least one supply line to the bearing block, and at least two branch lines for diverting a fraction of flow in said standard and said at least one supply line to each of the turbine shell-arm supports.

3. The standard of claim 2 wherein each of said at least two branch lines connects to an internal circuit in each of said shell-arm supports, said internal circuit arranged to cool or heat said horizontal and said one or more vertical surfaces.

4. The standard of claim 3 wherein said internal circuit is subdivided into a first subcircuit that cools or heats said horizontal surface and a second subcircuit that cools or heats said one or more vertical surfaces, said first and second subcircuits having separate drain lines.

5. The standard of claim 4 wherein said first subcircuit includes a passage directly underlying said horizontal surface.

6. The standard of claim 4 wherein said second subcircuit includes a passage directly behind said one or more vertical surfaces.

7. The standard of claim 6 wherein said first subcircuit includes a passage directly underlying said horizontal surface.

8. The standard of claim 1 wherein said cooling/heating circuit is comprised of one or more grooved plugs inserted within each of said turbine shell-arm supports.

9. The standard of claim 1 wherein the heat exchange medium comprises steam, water or oil.

10. A standard for supporting a turbine rotor and a turbine shell comprising:
a bearing block including a housing enclosing arcuate bearing surfaces engageable by the turbine rotor;
turbine shell-arm supports on opposite sides of said housing, said turbine shell-arm supports each having a horizontal and one or more vertical surfaces adapted to be engaged by support arms of a turbine shell enclosing at least a portion of the turbine;
a cooling/heating circuit arranged to supply a liquid to simultaneously cool or heat the bearing block and the turbine shell-arm support blocks to thereby reduce differential thermal growth characteristics of the turbine rotor and turbine shell; and
wherein said at least two branch lines connect to an internal circuit in each of said shell-arm supports, said internal circuit arranged to cool or heat said horizontal and said one or more vertical surfaces.

11. The standard of claim 10 including an optional heat exchanger where the liquid passes in heat exchange relationship with warmer liquid to thereby heat the bearing block and turbine area shell support blocks.

12. The standard of claim 10 wherein said internal circuit is subdivided into a first subcircuit that cools or heats said horizontal surface and a second subcircuit that cools or heats said one or more vertical surfaces, said first and second subcircuits having separate drain lines.

13. The standard of claim 12 wherein said first subcircuit includes a passage directly underlying said horizontal surface.

14. The standard of claim 12 wherein said second subcircuit includes a passage directly behind said one or more vertical surfaces.

15. The standard of claim 12 wherein said first subcircuit includes a passage directly underlying said horizontal surface.

16. The standard of claim 10 including a manual shut-off device for stopping flow to said heating/cooling circuit.

17. The standard of claim 10 wherein said circuit includes feed and drain lines, and wherein each feed and drain line incorporates a monitoring thermocouple.

18. The standard of claim 17 wherein each feed and drain line incorporates a flow orifice.

19. The standard of claim 1 wherein said circuit includes feed and drain lines, and wherein each feed and drain line incorporates a monitoring thermocouple.

20. The standard of claim 19 wherein each feed and drain line incorporates a flow orifice.

Assignees

• Cooper Edward Jay
• Eizenzopf Peter John
• Zheng Xiaoqing
• Rusch William Patrick
• Kumar Hemanth Gs
• Ivancic Craig Daniel
• Sharrow Edward John
• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Cooper Edward Jay
• Eizenzopf Peter John
• Zheng Xiaoqing
• Rusch William Patrick
• Kumar Hemanth Gs
• Ivancic Craig Daniel
• Sharrow Edward John

Classifications

• F01D25/14

  Casings modified therefor (double casings F01D25/26) · CPC title

• Y10T29/53113

  Heat exchanger · CPC title

• F01D25/12 Primary

  Cooling · CPC title

• F01D25/16

  Arrangement of bearings; Supporting or mounting bearings in casings (bearings per se F16C) · CPC title

• F05D2220/31

  in steam turbines · CPC title