U.S. patent application number 11/836437 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-06 for axial turbine.
Invention is credited to Shigeki SENOO.
Application Number | 20080056895 11/836437 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39151790 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080056895 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SENOO; Shigeki |
March 6, 2008 |
AXIAL TURBINE
Abstract
An axial turbine has a turbine stage including stator blades
fixedly provided on a stationary section and moving blades fixedly
provided on a rotating section and has a structure in which a flow
blowing out from a space formed between the stator blades and the
moving blades exists. In order to prevent a decrease in stage
output power due to such blowout flow thereby to improve the
turbine stage efficiency, the axial turbine comprises a member
coupling an inner circumferential side of the stator blades, and a
structure provided on a surface of the member opposed to the moving
blades for bending a flow blowing out from the side of the rotating
section into a space between the stator blades and the moving
blades in a rotational direction of the rotating section.
Inventors: |
SENOO; Shigeki; (Hitachi,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MATTINGLY, STANGER, MALUR & BRUNDIDGE, P.C.
1800 DIAGONAL ROAD, SUITE 370
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Family ID: |
39151790 |
Appl. No.: |
11/836437 |
Filed: |
August 9, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
415/199.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01D 5/143 20130101;
F05D 2240/129 20130101; F05D 2240/126 20130101; F01D 5/145
20130101; F05D 2240/56 20130101; F01D 11/001 20130101; F01D 11/02
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
415/199.4 |
International
Class: |
F04D 29/40 20060101
F04D029/40 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 31, 2006 |
JP |
2006-234853 |
Claims
1. An axial turbine having a turbine stage including stator blades
fixedly provided on a stationary section and moving blades fixedly
provided on a rotating section; wherein said axial turbine
comprises a member coupling an inner circumferential side of said
stator blades, and a structure provided on a surface of said member
opposed to said moving blades for bending a flow blowing out from
the side of said rotating section into a space between said stator
blades and said moving blades in a rotational direction of the
rotating section.
2. The axial turbine according to claim 1, wherein: said member
coupling the inner circumferential side of said stator blades is a
diaphragm disposed at the inner circumferential side of said stator
blades.
3. The axial turbine according to claim 1, wherein: said member
coupling the inner circumferential side of said stator blades is a
cover formed integrally with said stator blades.
4. The axial turbine according to claim 1, wherein: said structure
is a protrusion projecting from said member coupling the inner
circumferential side of said stator blades towards said moving
blades.
5. The axial turbine according to claim 1, wherein: said structure
is a brush seal having a brush portion at a side opposed to said
moving blades.
6. The axial turbine according to claim 1, wherein: said structure
has a shape forming a flow path concaved in the rotational
direction of the rotating section.
7. The axial turbine according to claim 1, wherein said rotating
section is a drum-type rotor.
8. The axial turbine according to claim 1, wherein said rotating
section has no holes at positions in which said moving blades are
fixed.
9. An axial turbine having a turbine stage including stator blades
fixedly provided on a stationary section and moving blades fixedly
provided on a rotor; wherein said axial turbine comprises a stator
blade coupling member provided at an inner circumferential side of
said stator blades, and a protrusion provided on a surface of said
stator blade coupling member opposed to said moving blades and
inclined in a rotational direction of said rotor such that an outer
circumferential side of said protrusion shifts relative to an inner
circumferential side thereof in a rotational direction of said
rotor.
10. An axial turbine having a turbine stage including stator blades
fixedly provided on a stationary section and moving blades fixedly
provided on a rotor; wherein said axial turbine comprises a stator
blade coupling member provided at an inner circumferential side of
said stator blades, and a protrusion provided on a surface of said
stator blade coupling member opposed to said moving blades and
having a shape curved such that an inner circumferential side
thereof is oriented in a radial direction and an outer
circumferential side thereof is oriented in a rotational direction
of said rotor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to axial turbines and more
particularly to a drum-type rotor turbine.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] The axial turbine such as a steam turbine or gas turbine
comprise a turbine stage including stator blades formed to
transform the pressure of a fluid into kinetic energy and moving
blades for transforming the pressure or kinetic energy of the fluid
into the rotational energy of a rotating section. The stator blades
are fixedly provided between an outer circumferential diaphragm and
inner circumferential diaphragm forming a stationary section. The
moving blades are provided on a rotor that forms the rotating
section. A clearance is provided between the inner circumferential
diaphragm and the rotor, and the clearance has a seal. This seal
reduces a leakage flow that passes through the clearance. This
leakage flow passing through the clearance, however, cannot be
completely zeroed since the clearance must be maintained within a
definite dimensional range to obtain stable rotation of the
rotor.
[0005] In addition, JP-A-59-122707 proposes a turbine structure
that cools a rotor by introducing steam through a clearance first
and then through a balance hole formed in extend-through form in a
rotor disc. In JP-A-1984-122707, the remainder of the steam which
has been passed through the clearance is further diffused outward
to cool the outer surface of the rotor disc and then join the main
flow of steam.
[0006] In case where the balance hole is formed, since steam
leakage will flow into the balance hole, the leakage flow blowing
out between stator blades and moving blades will not be
significant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The method of providing a plurality of balance holes in a
circumferential direction cannot be used for an axial turbine not
having such a space as a drum-type rotor in which to provide the
balance holes. In addition, a stage with significant differences in
pressure between the front and rear of the moving blades increases
the flow rate of the steam flowing through the balance holes, and
takes in this flow between the stator blades and the moving blades.
Accordingly, the amount of steam flowing into the moving blades
will be reduced and this, in turn, could reduce stage output
power.
[0008] In case where the balance holes are not present, the leakage
flow that has passed through the clearance will blow out from a
space formed between the stator blades and the moving blades.
However, this blowout flow will, as detailed later herein,
interfere with the flow that has run in from an upstream direction
as the main flow of steam between stators, and the interference
will disturb the main flow of steam, thus reducing the output power
of the stage.
[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide an axial
turbine having a structure in which a flow blowing out from a space
formed between stator blades and moving blades exists and in which
a decrease in stage output power due to such blowout flow is
prevented to occur thereby to enable the turbine stage efficiency
to be improved.
[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an axial turbine having a turbine stage including stator
blades fixedly provided on a stationary section and moving blades
fixedly provided on a rotating section of a rotor, wherein said
axial turbine comprises a member coupling an inner circumferential
side of said stator blades, and a structure provided on a surface
of said member opposed to said moving blades for bending a flow
blowing out from the side of said rotor into a space between said
stator blades and said moving blades in a rotational direction of
the rotating section.
[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an axial turbine having a turbine stage including
stator blades fixedly provided on a stationary section and moving
blades fixedly provided on a rotating section of a rotor, wherein
said axial turbine comprises a diaphragm disposed at the inner
circumferential side of said stator blades, and a structure
provided on a surface of said diaphragm opposed to said moving
blades for bending a flow blowing out from the side of said rotor
into a space between said stator blades and said moving blades in a
rotational direction of the rotating section.
[0012] According to still another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided an axial turbine having a turbine stage including
stator blades fixedly provided on a stationary section and moving
blades fixedly provided on a rotating section of a rotor, wherein
said axial turbine comprises a cover formed integrally with the
inner circumferential side of said stator blades, and a structure
provided on a surface of said cover opposed to said moving blades
for bending a flow blowing out from the side of said rotor into a
space between said stator blades and said moving blades in a
rotational direction of the rotating section.
[0013] According to the present invention, since the flow blowing
out from the space between the stator blades and the moving blades
is bent in the rotational direction of the rotor, it is possible to
suppress interference of the blowout flow with a main flow of steam
that has run in from an upstream direction between stator blades,
and consequently to prevent a decrease in stage output power to
occur, thereby improving turbine stage efficiency.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a view showing a turbine structure of an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a view that shows the interference between the
leakage flow in the conventional turbine structure and a flow that
has run in from an upstream direction between stator blades;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a view that shows from a downstream side of the
stator blades the interference between the leakage flow in the
conventional turbine structure and the flow that has run in from
the upstream direction between stator blades;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the way the interference
between the leakage flow in the conventional turbine structure and
the flow that has run in from the upstream direction between stator
blades affects the moving blades;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a view showing a turbine stage of the present
invention from a downstream side of stator blades;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a view showing the turbine stage of the present
invention from a downstream side of stator blades;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a view showing a turbine structure of another
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 8 is a view showing a turbine structure of yet another
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Hereunder, an axial turbine having a turbine stage according
to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described by
using the accompanying drawings.
[0023] A sectional view of the turbine stage of the present
invention is shown in FIG. 1. As shown therein, the turbine stage
is provided between a high-pressure side P0 and a low-pressure side
P1, and includes stator blades 1 fixed to an outer circumferential
diaphragm 6 and an inner circumferential diaphragm 7, and moving
blades 10 provided on a rotor 15 that rotates. In case of a turbine
having a plurality of turbine stages, moving blades 10a of another
stage exist at an upstream side of the stator blades 1.
[0024] A main flow of steam 20 is induced by a differential
pressure P0-P1, and the flow 20 is speeded up by the stator blades
1 and deflected in a circumferential direction thereof. The flow to
which the circumferential velocity component has been assigned by
the stator blades 1 gives kinetic energy to the moving blades 10
and rotates the rotor 15 provided with the moving blades 10.
[0025] The turbine stage has a clearance 2 between the inner
circumferential diaphragm 7 and the rotor 15, and is constructed so
that the rotor can rotate at high speed and stably. However, a flow
running from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side occurs
in the clearance 2. This flow is called the leakage flow. Since the
leakage flow keeps away from the stator blades 1, the leakage flow
is not deflected in the circumferential direction of the stator
blades and cannot assign usable rotational energy to the moving
blades 10. If the leakage flow is significant, therefore, this
reduces the rotational energy or output power obtained by the
turbine stage. In order to reduce the leakage flow, a seal exists
in the clearance 2. The seal is formed by, for example, a
combination of multiple fins 4 and multiple protrusions 5. The fins
4 themselves have a flow contraction effect, and the combination
between the fins 4 and the protrusions 5 yields a thermal
dissipation effect to dissipate kinetic energy by creating a
complex flow path. These effects reduce the leakage flow. This
leakage flow passing through the clearance 2, however, cannot be
completely zeroed since the clearance between the fins 4 and the
rotor 15 must be maintained within a definite dimensional range to
obtain stable rotation of the rotor 15.
[0026] The leakage flow blows out into a space formed between the
stator blades and the moving blades. In the present invention, in
order to suppress a disturbance in the main steam flow due to the
blowout flow, the inner circumferential diaphragm 7 has a structure
40 that bends the leakage flow in a rotational direction of the
rotor when the flow blows out into the space between the stator
blades and the moving blades. The structure 40 is based on the
analyses described in detail below.
[0027] That is to say, as shown in FIG. 2, when the structure 40 of
the present invention is absent, leakage flow 25 blows out into the
space formed between the stator blades and the moving blades. The
leakage flow 25 interferes with and disturbs the main steam flow 21
to which kinetic energy and a swirling or circumferential velocity
component have been assigned after passing between stator
blades.
[0028] FIG. 3 is a view that shows from a downstream side of the
stator blades, the flow occurring at an exit of the stator blades.
The leakage flow 25 forms a vortex 23 by blowing upward the flow 21
that has run in between stator blades. If the leakage flow 25 is
absent, the flow between stator blades becomes a circumferentially
swirling flow to produce the rotational energy 30 of the rotor.
This flow is denoted by reference number 22 in FIG. 3. However, as
shown in FIG. 4, the vortex 23 that has been formed by the
interference between the leakage flow 25 and the stator exit flow
21 grows up into such a vortex 24 that behaves as if it twined the
moving blades. Thus, the vortex 23 cannot retrieve rotational
energy effectively inside the moving blades. That is to say, the
leakage flow 25 yields a double effect not only in that the flow
itself produces no rotational energy, but also in that the flow
reduces part of the rotational energy which the flow 21 should
originally produce, and consequently, the leakage flow 25 reduces
stage output power.
[0029] As described in JP-A-1984-122707, when a balance hole is
present, the blowout of a leakage flow into the space between the
stator blades and the moving blades can be suppressed. However, if
a balance hole is not present for reasons such as difficulty with
formation of the balance hole, it is important that any effects of
the leakage flow should be reduced to improve turbine stage
efficiency.
[0030] In the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown
in FIG. 1, the inner circumferential diaphragm 7 of the stator
blades (i.e., a member coupling an inner circumferential side of
the stator blades) has the structure 40 on a surface of the
diaphragm 7 opposed to the moving blades 10. When the leakage flow
from a space between the stator blades 1 and the rotor 15 blows
upward into the space between the stator blades and the moving
blades, the structure 40 bends the leakage flow in the rotational
direction of the rotor.
[0031] Details of the structure 40 are shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a
view showing the structure 40 from the downstream side of the
stator blades. The structure 40 comprises a plurality of
protrusions or plates provided on the surface of the diaphragm 7
opposed to the moving blades 10 and arranged to incline in the
rotational direction 30 of the rotor 15 such that an outer
circumferential side of the protrusions shifts relative to an inner
circumferential side thereof in the rotational direction 30 of said
rotor 15. When the leakage flow 25 blows upward in the flow path
formed between the adjacent protrusions 40, the leakage flow 25 is
guided along the flow path and deflected in the rotational
direction 30 of the rotor 15. The flow 22 that runs in from an
upstream direction between stator blades is also oriented in the
rotational direction 30, and a difference in velocity between the
leakage flow 25 and the stator blade flow 22 becomes smaller than
in a turbine stage not having the structure 40 of the present
invention. A loss of flow due to interference between the leakage
flow 25 and the stator blade flow 22, and a vortex that causes the
loss are augmented as the difference in relative velocity between
the leakage flow 25 and the stator blade flow 22 increases. In the
present invention, therefore, the occurrence of the vortex that
causes the loss is suppressed and a decrease in stage output power
can be avoided.
[0032] Another example of a structure 40 formed so that the flow
blowing upward between the stator blades and the moving blades will
bend in a rotational direction of the moving blades is shown in
FIG. 6. In this modification, the structure 40 comprises a
plurality of protrusions or plate each having a shape curved such
that an inner circumferential side of the protrusion is oriented in
a radial direction and an outer circumferential side thereof is
oriented in a rotational direction 30 of the rotor 15, thereby
enabling to form a flow path directed at an inner circumferential
side thereof in a radial direction and at an outer circumferential
side thereof in the rotational direction 30 of the rotor. A loss of
flow due to the interference between the leakage flow 25 and the
stator blade flow 22 can also be suppressed in the present
modification of the structure 40.
[0033] In addition, the structure 40 for bending in the rotational
direction of the moving blades the flow blowing upward between the
stator blades and the moving blades does not need to have a shape
that allows the formation of a flow path with protrusions. More
specifically, chipping an inner circumferential diaphragm 7 of the
stator blades 1, that is, adopting a shape that allows the
formation of a flow path concaved in the rotational direction may
allow the present modification of the structure 40 to be
constructed so that the above blowout flow bends in the rotational
direction of the moving blades.
[0034] According to the above-described embodiment of the present
invention, since the flow blowing out from the space formed between
the stator blades and the moving blades bends in the rotational
direction of the rotor, it is possible to suppress interference of
the above blowout flow with the main steam flow that has run in
from the upstream direction along the stator blades. This makes it
possible to prevent stage output power from decreasing, and thus to
improve turbine stage efficiency.
[0035] In JP-A-1984-122707, a steam guide plate exists on the face
of a nozzle diaphragm inner ring that is opposed to the rotor disc,
and the steam guide plate gives a rotor rotational velocity
component to the cooling steam that flows through the clearance
formed between the nozzle diaphragm inner ring and the rotor disc.
Thus, the conventional turbine structure minimizes turbine work
loss by giving, by the steam guide plate, the rotor rotational
velocity component to the steam that flows into a balance hole, and
preventing the balance hole-through steam from being assigned some
kind of work. According to JP-A-1984-122707, however, both the
nozzle diaphragm inner ring and the rotor disc have a protrusion(s)
to obstruct the above flow at a position even more outward than the
balance hole, so the advantageous effect provided by the steam
guide plate has no impacts upon the flow that blows upward between
the stator blades and the moving blades. For this reason, in
JP-A-1984-122707, since the balance hole is present, although the
flow that blows out from the space between the stator blades and
the moving blades originally has no significant effects,
suppression of the interference between the blowout flow from the
space between the stator blades and the moving blades and the main
steam flow that has run in from an upstream direction between
stator blades cannot be expected.
[0036] Next, another embodiment of the present invention is
described below by using FIG. 7. The present embodiment further
augments the effect of suppressing a decrease in stage output
power.
[0037] While the structure for bending in the rotational direction
of the moving blades the flow that blows upward between the stator
blades and the moving blades is installed on a stationary section
of the turbine stage, a clearance 45 must, as shown in FIG. 1, be
provided between the structure 40 and a rotating section 16 of the
rotor 15 in order to obtain stable rotor rotation. Depending on the
structure 40, the flow that blows upward along the clearance 45 may
not be bendable in the rotational direction of the rotor. Viscous
force of the fluid near the rotating section 16, however, swirls
the fluid synchronously with the rotating section 16 and assigns a
rotational velocity component to the fluid. Accordingly, the
structure 40 does not need to be in contact with the rotating
section 16, and the advantageous effect of the present invention
can be obtained. The advantageous effect of the present invention
can be further enhanced if the structure for bending the
above-described blowout flow in the rotational direction of the
moving blades is installed at sections as many as possible in a
direction of a rotational axis between the stator blades and the
moving blades. To determine the clearance 45 formed between the
structure 40 and the rotating section 16, there is a need to
consider not only a steady rotational state, but also a
starting/stopping non-steady operational state. During the
starting/stopping non-steady operational state, that is, when a
temperature of the turbine stage changes, a thermal elongation
level differs according to a particular difference in thermal
capacity between the rotating section and the stationary section.
Therefore, the clearance 45 changes. The clearance 45 is usually
set to prevent contact between the rotating section and the
stationary section, even under the above temperature change, so
during steady rotation, the clearance 45 becomes larger than that
actually required. In the present embodiment, therefore, the
structure for bending in the rotational direction of the rotor the
flow that blows out from the rotor side into the space formed
between the stator blades and the moving blades uses a brush seal
42 that has a brush at a side opposed to the moving blades. Since
the brush becomes deformed during contact, the contact with a
section opposed to the rotating section occurs for a brief time, so
that stable rotation is possible. This means that when a design
value is set for the clearance 45, it is necessary only to consider
the fact that during steady rotation, the brush seal 42 and the
rotating section 16 of the rotor do not come into contact with each
other for reasons such as axial vibration. That is to say, if the
brush seal 42 with a brush at the side opposed to the moving blades
is used as the structure formed to bend in the rotational direction
of the moving blades the flow that blows upward between the stator
blades and the moving blades, it becomes possible to minimize the
clearance 45. This, in turn, makes the upward blowing flow
applicable to a larger number of sections between the stator blades
and the moving blades, thus enhancing the advantageous effect of
the present invention.
[0038] Next, yet another embodiment of the present invention is
described below by using FIG. 8. The present embodiment applies the
invention to a turbine stage which, as shown in FIG. 8, includes: a
blade section constituted by stator blades 1 formed integrally with
a root 6 and a cover 9 (member for coupling an inner
circumferential side of the stator blades), and by moving blades 10
likewise formed integrally with a root 18 and a cover 19; and a
coupling structure.
[0039] In addition, a drum-type rotor is used as a rotor 15. As
shown in FIG. 8, a structure 43 for bending in a rotational
direction of the moving blades a flow that blows upward between the
stator blades and the moving blades is provided on the surface of
the cover 9 that is opposed to the moving blades. A more specific
shape of the structure 43 is essentially the same as that of the
structure 40 shown in FIG. 5 or 6. Alternatively, such brush seal
42 as shown in FIG. 7 may be used. In the present embodiment, since
a leakage flow in a clearance between the cover 9 and the rotor 15
is bent in the rotational direction of the moving blades by the
structure 43, loss of flow due to interference between the leakage
flow and the stator blade flow can also be further suppressed.
* * * * *