According to an embodiment, a turbine comprises: a casing; a rotor shaft; turbine stages; a thrust bearing which receives thrust load in the axial direction generated by a flow of a working fluid supplied to the turbine stages; a balance piston which is formed on the rotor shaft along a circumferential direction and projects in a radial direction from the rotor shaft, for adjusting a thrust contact pressure; and a thrust load adjusting mechanism which applies pressures of a pressure-increasing side and a pressure-decreasing side to at least one of a balance piston inner-side chamber and a balance piston outer-side chamber which sandwich the balance piston in the axial direction.

The present application provides a steam turbine system. The steam turbine system may include a rotor, a high pressure section positioned about the rotor, one or more high pressure extraction conduits extending from the high pressure section, a high pressure control valve positioned on each of the high pressure extraction conduits, an intermediate pressure section positioned about the rotor, one or more intermediate pressure extraction conduits extending from the intermediate pressure section, an intermediate pressure control valve positioned on each of the intermediate pressure extraction conduits, and a controller in communication with the high pressure control valves and the intermediate pressure control valves and operable to selectively adjust respective positions of the high pressure control valves and the intermediate pressure control valves to balance thrust acting on the rotor.

The present application provides a steam turbine system. The steam turbine system may include a rotor, a high pressure section positioned about the rotor, one or more high pressure extraction conduits extending from the high pressure section, a high pressure control valve positioned on each of the high pressure extraction conduits, an intermediate pressure section positioned about the rotor, one or more intermediate pressure extraction conduits extending from the intermediate pressure section, an intermediate pressure control valve positioned on each of the intermediate pressure extraction conduits, and a controller in communication with the high pressure control valves and the intermediate pressure control valves and operable to selectively adjust respective positions of the high pressure control valves and the intermediate pressure control valves to balance thrust acting on the rotor.

Rotor thrust balancing systems for turbomachines and methods of using the same are generally disclosed. For example, a rotor thrust balancing system for a turbomachine, wherein the turbomachine defines a centerline extending the length of the turbomachine. The system includes a rotating drive shaft, a thrust bearing, and a first waveguide sensor. The rotating drive shaft couples a turbine section and a compressor section of the turbomachine. The thrust bearing supports the rotating drive shaft of the turbomachine. The thrust bearing includes a plurality of ball bearings, an inner race coupled to the rotating drive shaft, and an outer race coupled to a fixed structure. The first waveguide sensor is coupled to the outer race at a first end of the waveguide sensor. The waveguide sensor communicates a vibrational frequency from the thrust bearing to a second end of the waveguide sensor.

Rotor thrust balancing systems for turbomachines and methods of using the same are generally disclosed. For example, a rotor thrust balancing system for a turbomachine, wherein the turbomachine defines a centerline extending the length of the turbomachine. The system includes a rotating drive shaft, a thrust bearing, and a first waveguide sensor. The rotating drive shaft couples a turbine section and a compressor section of the turbomachine. The thrust bearing supports the rotating drive shaft of the turbomachine. The thrust bearing includes a plurality of ball bearings, an inner race coupled to the rotating drive shaft, and an outer race coupled to a fixed structure. The first waveguide sensor is coupled to the outer race at a first end of the waveguide sensor. The waveguide sensor communicates a vibrational frequency from the thrust bearing to a second end of the waveguide sensor.

A turbine which has: a balance piston disposed in a turbine rotor; a plurality of balance piston seals disposed on a casing side in a manner to face the balance piston; a balance piston extraction hole allowing extraction from between the plurality of balance piston seals to a middle stage of the turbine stages; an exhaust connection piping connecting a low pressure side of the balance piston to a turbine exhaust system; a exhaust connection piping valve mechanism which is provided in the exhaust connection piping; a plurality of seal mechanisms provided between the low pressure side of the balance piston and the atmosphere; and an exhaust piping allowing exhaust from between the plurality of seal mechanisms.

A turbine which has: a balance piston disposed in a turbine rotor; a plurality of balance piston seals disposed on a casing side in a manner to face the balance piston; a balance piston extraction hole allowing extraction from between the plurality of balance piston seals to a middle stage of the turbine stages; an exhaust connection piping connecting a low pressure side of the balance piston to a turbine exhaust system; a exhaust connection piping valve mechanism which is provided in the exhaust connection piping; a plurality of seal mechanisms provided between the low pressure side of the balance piston and the atmosphere; and an exhaust piping allowing exhaust from between the plurality of seal mechanisms.

A gas turbine engine for an aircraft such as a UAV includes a compressor connected to a turbine with a combustor to produce a hot gas stream. The rotor is supported by two radial foil bearings. An axial thrust bearing assembly is positioned between the compressor disk and the turbine disk and includes an axial thrust bearing radial disk extending from a hollow axial tube. Compressed air is bled off from the compressor and passed into an axial thrust balance chamber to provide the axial thrust balance for the rotor. The compressed air from the thrust bearing chamber then flows through both of the radial foil bearings for cooling, is collected in and around the hollow tube, and then discharged into the inlet of the turbine. An orifice can be adjusted to meter and control a pressure occurring in the thrust balance chamber.

A gas turbine unit having a combustor having a liner, a turbine, arranged downstream of the liner along a main flow gas direction and including a plurality of first stage vanes, a rotor cover support located inwardly of the vanes, and a sealing arrangement at a combustor to turbine interface, wherein the sealing arrangement includes a first dogbone seal extending between the rotor cover support and an inner downstream end of the liner or between the rotor cover support and a bulkhead located at the inner downstream end of the liner.

A gas turbine unit having a combustor having a liner, a turbine, arranged downstream of the liner along a main flow gas direction and including a plurality of first stage vanes, a rotor cover support located inwardly of the vanes, and a sealing arrangement at a combustor to turbine interface, wherein the sealing arrangement includes a first dogbone seal extending between the rotor cover support and an inner downstream end of the liner or between the rotor cover support and a bulkhead located at the inner downstream end of the liner.