Alternating nozzles for radial inflow turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9605540-B2
Application number	US-201313971497-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2013
Priority date	Aug 20, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A radial inflow turbine may include a wheel, a first set of nozzle vanes surrounding the wheel and a second set of nozzle vanes surrounding the wheel. A first circumferential spacing between two adjacent nozzle vanes of the first set may differ from a second circumferential spacing between another two of the nozzle vanes of the first set.

First claim

We claim:

1. A radial inflow turbine comprising:
a wheel;
a first set of nozzle vanes surrounding the wheel, the nozzle vanes of the first set being circumferentially spaced equidistantly from one another;
a second set of nozzle vanes surrounding the wheel, the nozzle vanes of the second set being circumferentially spaced equidistantly from one another;
wherein a first one of the nozzle vanes of the first set has an output edge positioned on a first radial line of a stator;
wherein a first one of the nozzle vanes of the second set has an output edge on a second radial line of the stator;
wherein the first and the second radial lines of the stator are displaced from one another so that the output edges of the nozzle vanes of the first set are offset from the output edges of the nozzle vanes of the second set, and
wherein the offset of the first set of nozzle vanes from the second set of nozzle vanes is one-half of a circumferential space between any two adjacent ones of the first set of nozzle vanes or one-half of a circumferential space between any two adjacent ones of the second set of nozzle vanes;
wherein the first set of nozzle vanes and the second set of nozzle vanes are attached on opposite sides of the stator.

2. The radial inflow turbine of claim 1 wherein the number of nozzle vanes in the first set is equal to the number of nozzle vanes in the second set.

3. The radial inflow turbine of claim 1 wherein the first set of nozzle vanes includes seventeen nozzle vanes and the wheel includes fourteen blades.

4. The radial inflow turbine of claim 1 further comprising:
a first inflow passageway in fluid communication with the wheel;
a second inflow passageway in fluid communication with the wheel;
wherein the first set of nozzle vanes is positioned in the first inflow passageway, and
wherein the second set of nozzle vanes is positioned in the second inflow passageway.

5. The radial inflow turbine of claim 1 wherein, upon rotation of the wheel, inlet edges of blades of the wheel pass within 0.005 inch to 0.010 inch of outlet edges of the nozzle vanes of the first set of nozzle vanes.

6. The radial inflow turbine of claim 1 wherein, upon rotation of the wheel, inlet edges of blades of the wheel pass within 0.005 inch to 0.010 inch of outlet edges of the nozzle vanes of the second set of nozzle vanes.

7. The radial inflow turbine of claim 1 wherein, upon rotation of the wheel, inlet edges of blades of the wheel pass within 0.005 inch to 0.010 inch of outlet edges of the nozzle vanes of the first set of nozzle vanes and the second set of the nozzle vanes.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc
• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Lin Frank
• Jensen Davis
• Saville Marshall
• Mcafee Phil
• Elpern David G

Classifications

• F01D5/143

  Contour of the outer or inner working fluid flow path wall, i.e. shroud or hub contour · CPC title

• F01D5/141

  Shape, i.e. outer, aerodynamic form (F01D5/148 - F01D5/20 take precedence; blade construction F01D5/147) · CPC title

• F01D1/08 Primary

  having inward flow · CPC title

• F01D9/02

  Nozzles; Nozzle boxes; Stator blades; Guide conduits {, e.g. individual nozzles (nozzle boxes F01D9/047)} · CPC title

• F05D2260/96

  Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise · CPC title