Patent Application
20150086330
The present disclosure relates generally to a turbine system, and more particularly to an attachment assembly for turbine casings of the turbine system.
Turbine systems are widely utilized in fields such as power generation. By way of example, a conventional gas turbine system generally includes a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. Further, a conventional gas turbine includes a rotor with various rotor blades mounted to disks in the compressor and turbine sections thereof. Each blade includes an airfoil over which a pressurized working fluid flows.
During operation of a turbine system, the working fluid, such as air, must be supplied to the system. The working fluid may enter the system through a filter house and flow from the filter house through a duct system and through an inlet casing of the turbine system to, e.g., a compressor. The inlet casing of the turbine system may generally include an inner wall and an outer wall, connected by one or more inlet struts. The inner and outer walls may have a tapered cylindrical shape, such that they define a generally annular inlet duct therebetween. The inlet duct may allow the working fluid to flow from e.g., the filter house and duct system therethrough to the compressor of the turbine system.
The inlet of the turbine system may be assembled as an upper half and a lower half. Generally, the upper and lower halves may be bolted together along an outside surface of the outer wall. Additionally, within the inner wall, at the forward end, or upstream end, the upper half of the inlet may be bolted to the lower half of the inlet. Such a configuration can attach the upper and lower halves of the inlet casing without affecting the aerodynamics of the generally annular inlet duct.
However, due to the space constraints within the inner wall, it may be impractical to use bolts and/or tools to attach the upper and lower halves of the inlet towards the aft end, or downstream end. Accordingly, the turbine system may include one or more dowels extending vertically from the bottom half of the inner wall towards the aft end, the dowels being configured to mate with a corresponding aperture in the upper half of the inner wall.
During operation of the turbine system, however, such a configuration may not be able to efficiently transfer forces exerted on the lower half of the inner wall to the upper half of the inner wall. Accordingly, the forces exerted on the lower half of the inner wall may mainly be transferred to the outer wall through the inlet struts in the lower half of the inlet. The inlet struts in the lower half of the inlet thus may need to be designed to accommodate all of such forces.
Therefore, a casing for a turbine system capable of more efficiently sharing applied loads of the turbine system would be beneficial. More particularly, an inlet casing capable of more efficiently sharing applied loads between the upper and lower halves of the inlet casing would be particularly useful.
Aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the disclosure.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a turbine system is provided that includes a first turbine casing and a second turbine casing. The second turbine casing is positioned adjacent to the first turbine casing, the first turbine casing and the second turbine casing together defining an inner wall. The turbine system also includes a first attachment assembly configured to attach the second turbine casing to the first turbine casing. The first attachment assembly includes a first attachment flange extending from a surface of the first turbine casing within the inner wall and defining a first aperture. The first attachment assembly also includes a second attachment flange extending from a surface of the second turbine casing within the inner wall, the second attachment flange positioned adjacent to the first attachment flange and defining a second aperture. Additionally, the first attachment assembly includes a pin extending through the first aperture and into the second aperture.
In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a method of assembling a first turbine casing and a second turbine casing in a turbine system is provided. The method includes positioning the second turbine casing adjacent to the first turbine casing, such that the first turbine casing and the second turbine casing together define an inner wall. The first turbine casing includes a first attachment flange extending from a surface of the first turbine casing within the inner wall and the second turbine casing includes a second attachment flange extending from a surface of the second turbine casing within the inner wall. The method also includes aligning a first aperture defined in the first attachment flange with a second aperture defined in a second attachment flange, and inserting a pin into the first aperture and the second aperture.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the disclosure, not limitation of the disclosure. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
The exemplary system 100 includes a compressor 108, one or more combustors 112, and a turbine 114. The compressor 108 and turbine 114 are coupled by a shaft 110. The shaft 110 may be a single shaft or a plurality of shaft segments coupled together to form shaft 110. The shaft 110 is configured to rotate about an axial direction A of turbine system 100. During operation of the turbine system 100, the compressor section 108 supplies compressed air to the one or more combustors 112. The compressed air is mixed with fuel and burned within each combustor 112 and hot gases of combustion flows through the turbine section 114, wherein energy is extracted from the hot gases to generate power.
Further, the exemplary turbine system 100 of
The exemplary turbine system 100 also includes an inlet casing 200. The inlet casing 200 is configured to accept the working fluid 120 from the plenum 106, and flow the working fluid 120 therethrough, providing the working fluid 120 to the power generation components of the system 100. For example, as shown schematically in
In certain embodiments, a guide vane or a plurality of guide vanes (not shown) may be disposed in or adjacent to the inlet casing 200. For example, the guide vane or plurality of guide vanes may be disposed in, e.g., the plenum 106. In such a configuration, the guide vane or plurality of guide vanes may, for example, guide the working fluid 120 into the inlet casing 200 and may reduce the total pressure loss incurred by the working fluid 120 as the working fluid 120 flows into the inlet casing 200 from the plenum 106.
For the exemplary embodiment of
It should be appreciated, however, that in other exemplary embodiments, the turbine system 100 need not include the above various components, and rather that any suitable components for flowing working fluid 120 to or from the power generation components of the system 100 are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
Referring now to
The exemplary inlet casing 200 is generally constructed by positioning a first turbine casing 202 adjacent to a second turbine casing 204. As shown for the exemplary embodiment of
Once attached, the first and second turbine casings 202, 204 define an inner wall 206 and an outer wall 208. Additionally, for the exemplary embodiment of
It should be appreciated, however, that in other exemplary embodiments, the inlet casing 200 may have any suitable configuration for flowing the working fluid 120. For example, the first and second turbine casings 202, 204 may be configured side-by-side as opposed to being stacked vertically. Additionally, the inlet flow passage 218 and the inner and outer walls 206, 208 may have any other suitable shape or configuration. For example, in other exemplary embodiments, the inner and outer walls 206, 208 may have any suitable curvilinear shape along the axial direction A.
Still referring to
Additionally, positioned within inner wall 206 is a bearing housing configured to house the shaft 110. The bearing housing generally includes a lower bearing housing 214 configured within the inner wall 206 and an upper bearing housing 216 (see
As stated, the first and second turbine casings 202, 204 define a plurality of seam lines 234, 235, 236, 237 oriented substantially along the axial direction A where the first and second turbine casings 202, 204 are joined. The first and second turbine casings 202, 204 define a first and a second seam line 234, 235 where joined to form the inner wall 206, and define a third and a fourth seam line 236, 237 where joined to form the outer wall 208.
In certain embodiments, a plurality of bolts may be used to join the first and second turbine casings 202, 204 along the third and fourth seam lines 236, 237 along an outside surface of outer wall 208 (not shown). Additionally, for the exemplary embodiment of
Due to the structure of the inner wall 206, however, it may not be suitable to attach the first and second turbine casings 202, 204 within the inner wall 206 towards the aft end 240 using bolt assemblies similar to bolt assemblies 246 and 248. More particularly, as shown, the inner wall 206 tapers inward from the forward end 238 to the aft end 240, such that the generally annular space between the inner wall 206 and the lower and upper bearing housings 214, 216 decreases from the forward end 238 to the aft end 240. Such a configuration may make it difficult for a user to, e.g., operate tools to attach the first and second turbine casings 202, 204 towards the aft end 240 of the inner wall 206 using one or more bolt assemblies. Accordingly, for the exemplary embodiment of
As may be more clearly seen in
In certain exemplary embodiments, the first attachment flange 220 may be comprised of a metal, such as steel, and may be cast along with the first turbine casing 202. Similarly, the second and third attachment flanges 222, 224 may also be comprised of a metal, such as steel, and may be cast along with the second turbine casing 204. It should be appreciated, however, that in other exemplary embodiments, the attachment flanges 220, 222, 224 may be comprised of any other suitable material, and any other suitable means may be used to attach them to the first and second turbine casings 202, 204. For example, in other exemplary embodiments, the attachment flanges may be welded in their respective positions on the first and second turbine casings 202, 204, or may be bolted in their respective positions on the first and second turbine casings 202, 204. However, any other suitable attachment means is considered to be within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
The pin 228 and the first, second, and third apertures 221, 223, 225 are shown in phantom in
Once inserted, the pin 228 extends through the second aperture 223 and the first aperture 221 and into the third aperture 225. For the exemplary embodiment of
Exemplary inlet casing 200 of
Referring back to the exemplary embodiment of
Additionally, for the exemplary embodiment of
It should be appreciated, however, that in other exemplary embodiments, the first and second attachment assemblies 242, 244 may have any other suitable configuration for attaching the first and second turbine casings 202, 204 within the inner wall 206. For example, in other exemplary embodiments, the pin 228 and the first, second, and third apertures 221, 223, 225 can have any other suitable shape or configuration. By way of example, in other exemplary embodiments, the pin 228 may have a threaded portion that corresponds with a similarly threaded portion in one or all of the first, second, and third apertures 221, 223, 225. Alternatively, in other exemplary embodiments, the pin 228 and the first, second, and third apertures 221, 223, 225 may have an ovular or rectangular cross-sectional shape.
It should also be appreciated that in other exemplary embodiments, the first attachment assembly 242 may include any suitable number of attachment flanges, each having any suitable shape, and each having any suitable number of apertures. For example, in other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the first attachment assembly 242 may include two flanges, four flanges, five flanges, etc. Additionally, in any of said embodiments, each attachment flange may have one aperture configured to receive a single pin, or two or more apertures configured to receive two or more pins. Further, although the flanges 220, 222, 224 are shown generally having a squared cross-sectional shape, in other exemplary embodiments the flanges 220, 222, 224 may have any other suitable shape, such as a circular or other rounded cross-sectional shape.
It should further be appreciated that the application of the first and second attachment assemblies 242, 244 is not limited to within the inner wall 206 of the inlet casing 200. For example, an attachment assembly having a similar construction and configuration as the first attachment assembly 242 may be configured to attach a first turbine casing to a second turbine casing elsewhere in the exemplary turbine system 100. By way of example, one or more attachment assemblies of the present disclosure may be positioned instead, or in addition, along one or more seams in the exhaust casing 122 of the exemplary turbine system 100. More particularly, one or more attachment assemblies in accordance with the present disclosure may be configured to attach a first exhaust casing and a second exhaust casing.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
