Method for operating a solar installation. The solar installation includes a solar field with direct evaporation accompanied by the generation of superheated live steam, a turbine for expanding the live steam, and a generator driven by the turbine for generating electrical energy. At least one valve is associated with the turbine by which the amount of live steam fed to the turbine is adjusted. The valve, or each valve, through which the amount of live steam fed to the turbine is adjusted such that an actual value of a live steam pressure occurring upstream of the turbine follows a reference value determined depending on a live steam temperature of the live steam upstream of the turbine.

A turbine rotor blade is additively manufactured and includes an airfoil body with a radially extending chamber for receiving a coolant flow, a tip end at a radial outer end of the airfoil body, and a shank at a radial inner end of the airfoil body. The radially extending chamber extends at least partially into the shank to define a shank inner surface. An integral impingement cooling structure is within the radially extending chamber. The integral impingement cooling structure allows an exterior surface of a hollow body thereof to be uniformly spaced from the airfoil inner surface despite the curvature of the chamber. The turbine rotor blade has impingement cooling throughout the blade.

The turbine rotor assembly can include a turbine rotor disc drivingly mounted to a shaft for rotation about a rotation axis and having a central aperture extending coaxially with the shaft through the turbine rotor disc and being defined by a radially inner surface of the turbine rotor disc, a cavity downstream of and housing at least a part of the turbine rotor disc, a nut secured to the shaft and extending across the central aperture, a first air passage defined between an outer surface of the nut and the radially inner surface of the turbine rotor disc and fluidly connected to the cavity, a second air passage defined radially inward of the first air passage by an inner surface of the shaft and an inner surface of the nut.

The turbine rotor assembly can include a turbine rotor disc drivingly mounted to a shaft for rotation about a rotation axis and having a central aperture extending coaxially with the shaft through the turbine rotor disc and being defined by a radially inner surface of the turbine rotor disc, a cavity downstream of and housing at least a part of the turbine rotor disc, a nut secured to the shaft and extending across the central aperture, a first air passage defined between an outer surface of the nut and the radially inner surface of the turbine rotor disc and fluidly connected to the cavity, a second air passage defined radially inward of the first air passage by an inner surface of the shaft and an inner surface of the nut.

An air riding seal for a turbine in a gas turbine engine, where an annular piston is axial moveable within an annular piston chamber formed in a stator of the turbine and forms a seal with a surface on the rotor using pressurized air that forms a cushion in a pocket of the annular piston. A purge cavity is formed on the annular piston and is connected to a purge hole that extends through the annular piston to a lower pressure region around the annular piston or through the rotor to an opposite side. The annular piston is sealed also with inner and outer seals that can be a labyrinth seal to form an additional seal than the cushion of air in the pocket to prevent the face of the air riding seal from overheating.

A sealing device for sealing a rotatable shaft of a gas compressor and/or a gas expander may include first and second sealing chambers and an extraction unit. The first sealing chamber may surround the rotatable shaft and include an inlet for the supply of a sealing medium. The second sealing chamber may be separated from the first sealing chamber by a seal and may surround the rotatable shaft. The second sealing chamber may include an outlet for the discharge of the sealing medium. The extraction device may extract the sealing medium out of the second sealing chamber. The present disclosure also concerns a corresponding method. Still further, the present disclosure concerns an installation for producing nitric acid with a NO compressor and a residual gas expander as well as a corresponding method. The NO compressor and/or the residual gas expander may have such a sealing device.

A sealing device for sealing a rotatable shaft of a gas compressor and/or a gas expander may include first and second sealing chambers and an extraction unit. The first sealing chamber may surround the rotatable shaft and include an inlet for the supply of a sealing medium. The second sealing chamber may be separated from the first sealing chamber by a seal and may surround the rotatable shaft. The second sealing chamber may include an outlet for the discharge of the sealing medium. The extraction device may extract the sealing medium out of the second sealing chamber. The present disclosure also concerns a corresponding method. Still further, the present disclosure concerns an installation for producing nitric acid with a NO compressor and a residual gas expander as well as a corresponding method. The NO compressor and/or the residual gas expander may have such a sealing device.

An apparatus and method of a gas turbine engine comprising a rotor having at least one disk with a rotor defining an axial face and a stator having at least one ring with a stator axial face confronting the rotor axial face, with terminal portions of the axial faces forming a fluid outlet there between. A recess formed in one of the axial faces defines a buffer cavity into which a wing extends from the other of the axial faces and having a surface confronting the fluid outlet. A flow reverser is further provided within at least one of the surface or the terminal portion of the other of the axial faces.

An apparatus relating to a rim seal for gas turbine engine comprising a wing extending into a buffer cavity with at least one set of protuberances including a first protuberance extending into the buffer cavity and a second protuberance extending from the wing into the buffer cavity, with the first and second protuberances being axially spaced from each other.

An apparatus relating to a rim seal for gas turbine engine comprising a wing extending into a buffer cavity with at least one set of protuberances including a first protuberance extending into the buffer cavity and a second protuberance extending from the wing into the buffer cavity, with the first and second protuberances being axially spaced from each other.