Steam turbine utilizing ip extraction flow for inner shell cooling
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorAkshay Arvind Datye
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A steam circuit is defined in a multi-section single shaft turbine. A hot reheat steam is input to a section of the multi-section turbine. A first flow path flows the hot reheat steam from an upstream side through the section of the multi-section turbine to a downstream side to create work. A second flow path directs a portion of the flow back toward the upstream side in the section of the multi-section turbine between an outer shell and an inner shell of the turbine. The effective shell cooling provides for increased main and reheat steam temperatures to improve performance. The system reduces the extraction steam flow required to meet the design final feedwater temperatures and allows more steam to expand through the low pressure section.
Claims15
A steam turbine comprising:
- a high pressure (HP) section;
- an intermediate pressure (IP) section downstream of the high pressure section;
- a low pressure (LP) section downstream of the intermediate pressure section;
- and
- a steam circuit through the high pressure, intermediate pressure, and low pressure sections, the steam circuit including:
- a hot reheat steam input to the intermediate pressure section,
- a first flow path flowing the hot reheat steam from an HP side through the intermediate pressure section to an LP side to create work, and
- a second flow path that directs a portion of the flow back toward the HP side in the intermediate pressure section between an outer shell and an inner shell of the turbine.
A steam circuit through a multi-section single shaft turbine, the steam circuit comprising:
- a hot reheat steam input to a section of the multi-section turbine;
- a first flow path flowing the hot reheat steam from an upstream side through the section of the multi-section turbine to a downstream side to create work;
- and
- a second flow path that directs a portion of the flow back toward the upstream side in the section of the multi-section turbine between an outer shell and an inner shell of the turbine.
A method of cooling an inner shell in a steam turbine using IP extraction flow, the method comprising:
- directing a hot reheat steam input to an intermediate pressure section of the turbine;
- flowing the hot reheat steam via a first flow path from an HP side through the intermediate pressure section to an LP side to create work;
- and
- directing a portion of the flow via a second flow path back toward the HP side in the intermediate pressure section between an outer shell and the inner shell of the turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.