# US 2018/0025097 A1 · Steam path design system, computer program product and related methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0025097 A1 - Document ID: US20180025097A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/215,765 - Filed: 2016-07-21 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-21 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Kenneth Michael Koza; Tao Guo; Yu Wang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180025097A1 ## CPC - F01D 1/04: traversed by the working-fluid substantially axially - G06F 30/00: Computer-aided design [CAD] - G06F 30/17: Mechanical parametric or variational design - F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Various embodiments include a system having: at least one computing device configured to design a flow path in a steam turbine by performing actions including: for each component in a set of steam path components in the steam turbine: calculate an aspect ratio or a radius ratio for the component; design a shape of the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio; determine a seal type for the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio; and determine a size of a cavity adjacent the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio, the shape of the component and the seal type. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: at least one computing device configured to design a flow path in a steam turbine by performing actions including: for each component in a set of steam path components in the steam turbine: calculate an aspect ratio or a radius ratio for the component; design a shape of the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio; determine a seal type for the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio; and determine a size of a cavity adjacent the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio, the shape of the component and the seal type. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to determine an endwall contour for the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the determining of the size of the cavity adjacent the component is further based upon the determined endwall contour for the component. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the determining of the endwall contour for the component includes excluding endwall contouring from the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the component in the steam turbine includes at least one of a turbine bucket or a turbine nozzle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the shape of the component includes a shape of an airfoil in the turbine bucket or the turbine nozzle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the set of steam path components includes at least one set of nozzles and at least one set of buckets. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary flow criteria includes an acceptable amount of secondary flow proximate the component, and wherein the secondary flow criteria is based upon an output requirement of the turbine. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the seal type includes at least one of a J-seal or a rotating brush seal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the size of the cavity is determined based upon an acceptable amount of parasitic loss in the turbine. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to determine an endwall contour for the component based upon the selected aspect ratio or radius ratio. ### Claim 12 A computer program product comprising program code on a computer-readable storage medium, which when executed by at least one computing devices, causes the at least one computing device to design a flow path in a steam turbine by performing actions including: for each component in a set of steam path components in the steam turbine: calculate an aspect ratio or a radius ratio for the component; design a shape of the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio; determine a seal type for the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio; and determine a size of a cavity adjacent the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio, the shape of the component and the seal type. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to determine an endwall contour for the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the determining of the size of the cavity adjacent the component is further based upon the determined endwall contour for the component. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the component in the steam turbine includes at least one of a turbine bucket or a turbine nozzle, wherein the shape of the component includes a shape of an airfoil in the turbine bucket or the turbine nozzle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the set of steam path components includes at least one set of nozzles and at least one set of buckets. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the secondary flow criteria includes an acceptable amount of secondary flow proximate the component, and wherein the secondary flow criteria is based upon an output requirement of the turbine. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the seal type includes at least one of a J-seal or a rotating brush seal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to determine an endwall contour for the component based upon the selected aspect ratio or radius ratio. ### Claim 20 A computer-implemented method of designing a flow path in a steam turbine, the method comprising: for each component in a set of steam path components in the steam turbine: calculate an aspect ratio or a radius ratio for the component; design a shape of the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio; determine a seal type for the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio; and determine a size of a cavity adjacent the component based upon the calculated aspect ratio or radius ratio, the shape of the component and the seal type.