Use of spray coatings to achieve non-uniform seal clearances in turbomachinery
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsNorman Arnold Turnquist, Mark William Kowalczyk, Farshad Ghasripoor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides spray coatings to achieve circumferentially non-uniform seal clearances in turbomachines. In steam and gas turbines it is desirable to assemble the machines with elliptical seal clearances to compensate for expected casing distortion, rotordynamics or phenomena that cause circumferentially non-uniform rotor-stator rubs. The claimed invention allows the casing hardware to be fabricated round, and a spray coating is applied to the radially inner surface such that the coating thickness varies circumferentially, providing the desired non-uniform rotor-stator clearance during assembly.
Claims33
A stator component for a turbine assembly, comprising:
- an annular base component having an inner surface that is substantially circular in axial cross-section;
- and
- a coating disposed on said inner surface of said base component, wherein said coating has an interfacial surface in contact with said inner surface of said base component and an outer surface opposite said interfacial surface, and wherein said coating has a non-uniform thickness that varies as a function of circumferential position along said inner surface of said base component.
A stator component for a turbine assembly, comprising:
- an annular base component having an inner surface that is substantially circular in axial cross-section;
- and
- a coating comprising an abradable material, said coating disposed on said inner surface of said base component and having an interfacial surface in contact with said inner surface of said base component and an outer surface opposite said interfacial surface, wherein said outer surface of said coating is substantially an ellipse in axial cross-section having a major axis running between top and bottom portions of said base component.
A method for making a stator component for a turbine assembly. comprising:
- providing an annular base component having an inner surface that is substantially circular in axial cross-section;
- and
- disposing a coating an said inner surface of said base component, wherein said coating has an interfacial surface in contact with said inner surface of said base component and an outer surface opposite said interfacial surface, and wherein said coating has a non-uniform thickness that varies as a function of circumferential position along said inner surface of said base component.
A method for making a stator component for a turbine assembly, comprising:
- providing an annular base component having an inner surface that is substantially circular in axial cross-section;
- and
- disposing, by a thermal spray process, a coating comprising abradable material, said coating disposed on said inner surface of said base component and having an interfacial surface in contact with said inner surface of said base component and an outer surface opposite said interfacial, surface, wherein said outer surface of said coating is substantially an ellipse in axial cross-section having a major axis running between top and bottom portions of said base component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.