Turbine bucket shroud tail

A method of operating an axial flow turbine, comprising:

• increasing an angle of a downstream portion of a stator casing beyond at least about fifty degrees(50°) or more off of a horizontal line;
• rotating a bucket within the stator casing to generate a flow of steam or other combustion gases between the bucket and the stator casing;
• wherein a tip shroud of the bucket comprises a shroud tail on a downstream end thereof, the shroud tail comprising a bottom surface that forms an obtuse angle with a bottom surface of the tip shroud;
• and
• directing the flow of steam or other combustion gases onto the stator casing by the shroud tail so as to increase a radial flow angle and reduce wake loses therein.

A turbine with a flow of steam or other combustion gases therein, comprising:

• a turbine bucket;
• a tip shroud positioned on the turbine bucket;
• a shroud tail attached to the tip shroud at a downstream end of the tip shroud, the shroud tail comprising a top surface and a bottom surface;
• and
• a diffuser positioned downstream of the turbine bucket;
• wherein the top surface of the shroud tail extends radially outward from a top surface of the tip shroud, and the bottom surface of the shroud tail extends away from a bottom surface of the tip shroud towards the stator casing, such that at an obtuse angle is formed between the bottom surface of the shroud tail and the bottom surface of the tip shroud;
• and
• the shroud tail directs the flow of steam or other combustion gases about the diffuser.