JP2011102581A - Method and system for increasing efficiency of pressurized machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steam turbine using a steam seal header for preventing steam from leaking. <P>SOLUTION: Provided are a method (300) and a system for regulating the pressure of the steam of a steam seal header (SSH)(130) for a pressurized machine. In the SSH (130), the pressure of the steam can be regulated according to the operating status of the pressurized machine (100). The variable pressure SSH system (130) can maintain the pressure packing of the pressurized machine (100) within an optimum pressure range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates generally to a method and system for increasing the efficiency of a pressurized machine, such as a steam turbine, and more particularly to a steam turbine using a steam seal header to prevent steam leakage.

  Various types of pressurized machines, such as but not limited to steam turbines, are used in power generation applications. A steam turbine can have one or more turbine units, each operating within a certain pressure range. These units may include a high pressure (HP) turbine unit, an intermediate pressure (IP) turbine unit, and a low pressure (LP) turbine unit. Each turbine unit may have a stationary housing that partially encloses the shaft. One or more turbine stages can be axially disposed about the shaft, and each turbine stage can have a plurality of turbine blades mounted circumferentially on the shaft. The steam flow path can be considered as the area between the housing and the shaft. Under normal operating conditions, pressurized steam is jetted into the turbine unit, which causes the turbine blades to rotate and the shaft to rotate. Usually, the shaft passes through the fixed housing and transmits the generated rotational power to the outside of the turbine unit.

  The clearance between the shaft and the stationary housing of the turbine unit may cause pressurized steam to leak out of the unit or allow air to flow into the unit. Various known solutions use techniques such as pressure packing and / or vacuum packing to reduce leakage.

  In addition to pressure packing and vacuum packing, a shaft seal system can be further utilized to prevent steam leakage from the pressure packing into the turbine chamber. Typically, a shaft seal system includes a steam seal header (SSH) that is normally maintained at a predetermined pressure. Under normal operating conditions of the steam turbine, the SSH can capture the steam leaked from the pressure packing in the HP and IP turbines, direct the steam, and seal the vacuum packing in the LP turbine. The shaft seal system can also include a steam packing exhaust (SPE) that can maintain a vacuum in the shaft seal system and exhaust excess steam.

  Typically, in known steam seal systems, the SSH can be maintained at a constant pressure by a pressure regulator, where external steam from the auxiliary boiler is supplied at low pressure and excess steam at high pressure. Is directed to the condenser. Under normal operating conditions, a change in steam turbine load changes the amount of steam from HP and IP, i.e., as the load increases, auxiliary boiler steam is no longer needed and the production of auxiliary boiler steam is And only needed at relatively low loads. The higher the SSH pressure set point, the larger the auxiliary boiler. At full load, the lower the SSH pressure, the lower the efficiency. Current systems used a defective SSH set point.

  Accordingly, there is a need for an improved steam seal method and system that addresses the above-described problems of some known steam seal systems.

US Pat. No. 5,344,160

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, a seal system configured to increase the efficiency of the machine (100), the rotatable shaft partially enclosed by a stationary housing (112, 114, 116); A pressure machine (100) including a flow path defined by an area between the shaft and the housing, and a pressure packing (128) configured to substantially prevent fluid from leaking from the pressure machine (100). And a header (130) configured to maintain the pressure packing (128) in an optimal pressure range that varies in size according to the operating status of the pressure machine (100), and within the pressure machine (100) A shaft seal system (200) configured to control the flow of fluid in the header (130) and configured to adjust the header (130) to an optimum pressure range A header (130) comprising a header bleed system including a valve adapted to remove a portion of fluid and a controller (142) configured to determine an optimum pressure range, wherein the optimum pressure has a variable pressure. At the same time, the shaft seal system (200) can be operated.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a steam turbine according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a shaft seal system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a shaft seal system according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating one example of a method for changing the amount of SSH steam according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for changing SSH steam pressure according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Other embodiments having various structural arrangements of elements do not depart from the scope of the present invention.

  Certain terminology is used herein for the convenience of the reader only and should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention. For example, “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “front”, “right”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “upstream”, “downstream”, “front”, “back” , “Top”, “bottom” and the like merely describe the illustrated configuration. Indeed, one or more elements of embodiments of the present invention can be oriented in any direction, and thus the term is to be understood to include such variations unless otherwise specified.

  The technical effect of the present invention is, but not limited to, improving the efficiency of a pressurizing machine such as a steam turbine.

  The efficiency of a press machine can be considered as the ratio of the output to the input energy of the press machine. Thus, efficiency can be viewed as the fraction of input energy that is converted to useful output.

  The present invention can be applied to various pressurizing machines using pressurized steam such as, but not limited to, steam turbines. One embodiment of the invention can be applied to either a single steam turbine or multiple steam turbines. One embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a steam turbine operating in a simple cycle or combined cycle configuration.

  Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a steam turbine 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The steam turbine 100 may include a high pressure turbine unit 102, an intermediate pressure turbine unit 104, and a low pressure turbine unit 106. Turbine units 102, 104, and 106 can be coupled with a shaft 108 that transmits the rotational output generated by the steam to an application device. In one embodiment of the invention, the shaft 108 can be coupled to a load 110 such as, but not limited to, a generator or mechanical load. In one embodiment of the invention, the stationary housings 112, 114, and 116 can be provided on the high pressure turbine unit 102, the intermediate pressure turbine unit 104, and the low pressure turbine unit 106, respectively. The stationary housings 112, 114 and 116 can partially enclose the shaft 108 and can define a vapor flow path. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, turbine units 102, 104, and 106 may be enclosed within turbine chamber 118 (shown in phantom in FIG. 1).

  Under normal operating conditions, pressurized steam from a major steam source such as, but not limited to, an HRSG, steam generator, or the like may be supplied to the high pressure turbine unit 102 via a steam line 122. it can. In one embodiment of the invention, pressurized steam can be supplied by opening a suction valve 120 provided on the steam line 122. Here, the high pressure turbine unit 102 can operate within a pressure range such as, but not limited to, about 4500 psia to about 900 psia (about 31000 kP to about 6200 kP).

  Steam exiting the high pressure turbine unit 102 may enter the intermediate pressure turbine 104 through a steam line 124. The pressure of the steam entering the intermediate pressure turbine 104 can be within a pressure range such as, but not limited to, about 900 psia to about 300 psia (about 6200 kP to about 2100 kP). The steam may exit the intermediate pressure turbine 104 and then enter the low pressure turbine unit 106 through the steam line 126, here, such as, but not limited to, about 250 psia to 40 psia (about 1700 kP to about 250 kP). It can operate within the pressure range. In other embodiments of the present invention, the number of turbine units and the operating pressure range can vary depending on, but not limited to, application equipment, power requirements, and cycle configuration.

  In an embodiment of the present invention, a shaft seal system can be provided to control the flow of pressurized steam within the steam turbine 100. In one embodiment of the invention, the shaft seal system can include a pressure packing 128. A pressure packing 128 may be provided on the shaft 108 adjacent to a clearance area provided between the shaft 108 and the stationary housings 112, 114. Under normal operating conditions, the pressure packing 128 can reduce leakage of pressurized steam from the turbine units 102, 104 to the turbine chamber 118. The pressure packing 128 can include one or more seal rings, which can include segmented circumferential packings or labyrinth packings. In other embodiments of the invention, variations in the shape of the packing ring or labyrinth structure may be provided depending on the pressure of the steam, application device, or the like. In one embodiment of the present invention, the shaft seal system can also include the seal header 130 (hereinafter “SSH”) and can be connected to the pressure packing 128. In one embodiment of the invention, the SSH 130 can also be connected to the LP turbine vacuum packing 132. Here, the vacuum packing 132 can be disposed on the shaft 108 adjacent to a clearance area where the shaft 108 penetrates the stationary housing 116. The vacuum packing 132 can reduce air leakage to the low-pressure turbine unit 106. In one embodiment of the present invention, the SSH 130 can direct vapor that can escape from the pressure packing 128 to the vacuum packing 132 to maintain the vacuum packing 132 above atmospheric pressure. The vacuum packing 132 can reduce air leakage to the low-pressure turbine unit 106.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, an auxiliary boiler 134 can be provided to supply steam to the SSH 130 so that if the steam flow provided by the HP and IP turbines is insufficient, the auxiliary boiler 134 The required amount of steam in the SSH 130 can be maintained. In one embodiment of the present invention, the SSH 130 can maintain the pressure packing 128 within the optimum pressure range. In one embodiment of the present invention, the optimum pressure range of the pressure packing 128 may depend on the operational status of the steam turbine 100. In one embodiment of the present invention, the operational status of the steam turbine 100 can be a load factor of the steam turbine 100, such as, but not limited to, a start load condition, an intermediate partial load condition, and a full load condition. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the operational status of the steam turbine 100 may be defined as the ratio of the current output to the rated or full load force of the steam turbine 100.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, a header bleed system can be provided to adjust the steam pressure of the SSH 130 within an optimal pressure range. This may be necessary when excess steam is provided, especially at higher steam turbine loads than HP and IP turbines. The header bleed system can include a vapor line 138 that can be connected to the condenser system 140. A steam line 138 can be used to remove some of the steam from the SSH 130 to achieve the optimum pressure range at the pressure packing 128. In one embodiment of the invention, a valve 136 may be provided in the steam line 138. Valve 136 may be opened to allow steam in SSH 130 to flow through valve 136 and flow to condenser system 140. In one embodiment of the present invention, the valve 136 can be integrated with the condenser system 140. In one embodiment of the invention, the condenser system 140 can be associated with the steam turbine 100.

In one embodiment of the present invention, an active controller 142 can be provided to determine the optimum pressure of the pressure packing 128. The controller 142 may include a control system or the like having technical effects such as determining the operational status of the steam turbine 100, determining the amount of steam flowing into the SSH 130, and determining the amount of steam flowing out of the SSH 130. In one embodiment of the invention, the controller 142 communicates with the load 110 (shown as a dashed line in FIG. 1) to continuously monitor the output of the load 110 and determine the operational status of the steam turbine 100. Can do. Alternatively, the controller 142 communicates with the turbine units 102, 104, and 106 (shown by dashed lines in FIG. 1) to continuously monitor operating parameters such as, but not limited to, pressure and temperature. The operational status of the steam turbine 100 can be determined. In one embodiment of the present invention, the controller 142 communicates with the SSH 130 and the steam line 138 (shown in phantom in FIG. 1) to continuously monitor the steam flow and determine the amount of steam entering and exiting the SSH 130. Can do. In one embodiment of the invention, the controller 142 can determine the position of the valve 136. The position of the valve 136 can refer to the degree of opening or closing of the valve 136. The controller 142 can have the technical effect of changing the position of the valve 136 and allowing an approximately adequate amount of steam to flow out of the SSH 130.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, by utilizing the header bleed system and controller 142, the pressure of the SSH 130 can be varied within a range from approximately above atmospheric pressure to optimal performance pressure. The range of optimal performance pressures can be unique to the steam turbine 100. In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the pressure of SSH 130 can vary within a range such as, but not limited to, about 15.5 psia to about 50 psia (about 107 kP to about 345 kP).

  In one embodiment of the invention, the shaft seal system can also include a steam packing exhaust system header (SPE) 144. The SPE 144 is maintained at sub-atmospheric pressure and can be connected to a steam packing exhaust pump 146. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, SPE 144 can be maintained at a pressure such as, but not limited to, about -0.2 psig in the outermost portion of pressure packing 128 and vacuum packing 132. The SPE 144 can exhaust the steam collected from the packings 128 and 132 through the steam packing exhaust pump 146 to the atmosphere.

  FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating a shaft seal system 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The shaft seal system 200 can include a pressure packing 128 in flow communication with the SSH 130 and the SPE 144. During start-up load conditions, the pressure of the high pressure turbine unit 102 can be relatively low, allowing air to leak along the shaft 108 into the stationary housing 112. In one embodiment of the present invention, SSH 130 can be maintained at a pressure above atmospheric pressure. Thus, the SSH 130 allows steam to flow into the stationary housing 112, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 2A, and reduces air leakage at the pressure packing 128. In one embodiment of the present invention, SSH 130 can be maintained at a pressure such as, but not limited to, about 15.5 psia (about 107 kP).

  FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating a shaft seal system 200 according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. During full load conditions, the steam pressure of the high pressure turbine unit 102 may allow pressurized steam from within the stationary housing 112 to leak along the shaft 108. In one embodiment of the invention, the SSH 130 can be maintained at an optimal pressure (such as, but not limited to, slightly lower than the vapor pressure) with the intention of reducing vapor leakage at the pressure packing 128. In one embodiment of the present invention, SSH 130 can be maintained within a pressure range such as, but not limited to, about 15.5 psia to about 50 psia (about 107 kP to about 345 kP).

  By optimizing the pressure of the SSH 130 according to the operational status of the steam turbine 100, the amount of steam required for the SSH 130 during start load conditions can be reduced. In one embodiment of the invention, the shaft seal system can reduce the load on the auxiliary boiler 134 because the amount of steam required for the SSH 130 can be reduced. Similarly, during partial and full load operation, the SSH 130 can be maintained within an optimal pressure range and can change the steam demand from the auxiliary boiler 134, resulting in an overall increase in efficiency or steam turbine. A reduction in heat consumption rate of 100 can be achieved. Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the operating envelope of the steam turbine 100 can be increased, thus allowing the turbine to operate over a wider pressure range. In one embodiment of the present invention, the load on the auxiliary boiler 134 is reduced, so that the overall efficiency of the steam turbine 100 can be increased.

  As will be appreciated, the present invention may be embodied as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects, All of them are called “circuits”, “modules”, or “systems” in the book. Furthermore, the present invention can take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium.

  Any suitable computer readable medium may be utilized. The computer usable or computer readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of computer readable media include the following: electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory ( RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable / programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage, Internet or intranet A transmission medium such as a thing or a magnetic storage device is included. The program is captured electronically, for example by optically scanning paper or other media, and then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed as appropriate, as required, and then stored in computer memory. Note that the computer usable or computer readable medium may be paper or other suitable medium for printing the program, as it can be stored. In the context of this specification, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium contains, stores, communicates, propagates, or transports a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device. It can be any medium that can.

  Computer program code for performing the operations of the present invention can be written in an object-oriented programming language, such as Java® 7, Smalltalk or C ++, or the like. However, the computer program code for performing the operations of the present invention can also be written in a conventional procedural programming language, such as the “C” programming language or similar. The program code is entirely on the user computer as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user computer, or partially on the user computer and partially on the remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer. Can be executed. In the latter case, the remote computer can be connected to the user computer via a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computer (eg, the Internet). Via the internet using a service provider).

  The present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions are provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to form a machine, and the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device are: Means may be provided for performing the specified function / operation in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

  These computer program instructions can also be stored in computer readable memory, which can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner and is computer readable. The instructions stored in the memory result in a product that includes instruction means for performing the specified function / operation in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device to cause a series of operational steps to be executed on the computer or other programmable data processing device to generate a computer-implemented process, Instructions executed on a computer or other programmable device provide steps for performing the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram blocks.

  The present invention may include a control system or the like that has the technical effect of determining an optimum pressure range for the SSH 130 for the steam turbine 100. The control system can be configured to automatically or continuously monitor the operational status of the steam turbine and change the pressure of the SSH 130 in response to the operational status of the steam turbine. Alternatively, the control system can be configured to require a user action to initiate operation. One embodiment of the control system of the present invention can function as a stand-alone system. Alternatively, the control system can be integrated as a module or the like in a wider system such as a steam turbine controller or a power plant control system.

  Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which is a flowchart illustrating one example of a method 300 for changing the amount of steam in SSH 130 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, the amount of steam in the SSH 130 can be adjusted by the controller 142. In one embodiment of the present invention, the controller 142 can be integrated with a graphical user interface (GUI) or the like. The GUI allows the user to go through the method 300 described below.

  In step 310 of method 300, controller 142 may monitor and change the vapor pressure at SSH 130 according to one embodiment of the invention. The pressure inside the SSH 130 can vary within a range from approximately above atmospheric pressure to optimum performance pressure. In one embodiment of the present invention, the pressure within SSH 130 can vary within a range such as, but not limited to, about 15.5 psia to about 50 psia (about 107 kP to about 345 kP).

  At step 320, the method 300 can determine the operational status of the steam turbine 100. In one embodiment of the invention, multiple temperature and pressure sensors can be used to determine the operational status of the steam turbine 100. The sensors can be connected to the turbine units 102, 104 and 106 and can communicate with the controller 142. The controller 142 can estimate the operational status of the steam turbine 100 based on data acquired from the sensors. In another embodiment of the present invention, the output of load 110 can be measured to determine the operational status of steam turbine 100. Alternatively, the torque and rotational speed of the shaft 108 can be used to estimate the operational status of the steam turbine 100. In one embodiment of the invention, the operational status of the steam turbine 100 may be start, partial load, or full load as described above.

  In step 330, the method 300 can determine a target steam amount in the SSH 130. In one embodiment of the present invention, the target steam volume can be equal to the steam volume of SSH 130 whose performance can be optimized for a given operational status of steam turbine 100.

  In step 340, the method 300 can determine the current amount of steam in the SSH 130. In one embodiment of the present invention, the current steam volume of SSH 130 can be determined by using multiple pressure and temperature sensors. Multiple sensors can be connected to the SSH 130 and data from the sensors can be received by the controller 142 to calculate the current steam volume of the SSH 130. In another embodiment of the present invention, the amount of steam entering and leaving the SSH 130 can be monitored using at least one flow control device. The flow regulator can be connected to the steam line 138 and the SSH 130, and data from the flow regulator can be received by the controller 142 to calculate the current steam volume of the SSH 130.

  At step 350, the method 300 may determine whether the current steam amount of the SSH 130 is approximately equal to the target steam amount of the SSH 130. In step 350, the method 300 may compare the target steam amount of the SSH 130 with the current steam amount of the SSH 130. If the current steam volume is not exactly equal to the SSH 130 target steam volume, the method 300 may proceed to step 360; otherwise, the method 300 may return to step 310 and repeat steps 310-350.

  In step 360, the method 300 can control the steam volume of the SSH 130. In one embodiment of the present invention, the controller 142 can determine the position of the valve 136. The controller 142 can further adjust the opening and closing of the valve 136 to increase or decrease the amount of steam in the SSH 130.

  By changing the amount of steam, the steam pressure of the SSH 130 can be changed within the optimum pressure range. This can help improve the performance of the steam turbine 100. When the required steam amount of the SSH 130 is reduced during the start mode, the load on the auxiliary boiler 134 can be relatively reduced. Also, at partial and full loads, the pressure of the SSH 130 can change and improve the overall heat consumption rate of the steam turbine 100.

  All steps of the method 300 can be repeated periodically to constantly monitor the operational status of the steam turbine 100 and change the steam pressure of the SSH 130 in response to the operational status of the steam turbine 100.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system 400 that changes the steam pressure of the SSH 130 according to one embodiment of the invention. The steps of method 300 may be embodied in system 400 and performed by the system. The control system 400 can include one or more user communication devices 402, or similar systems or devices (two shown in FIG. 4). User communication device 402 may be, for example, but not limited to, a computer system, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, or any other device used to send and receive electronic messages.

  User communication device 402 may include system memory 404. The system memory 404 can include, for example, without limitation, random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). The system memory 404 can have an operating system 406. The operating system 406 can control the overall operation of the user communication device 402. The system memory 404 can also include a browser 408. The system memory 404 may also include a data structure 410 or computer-executable code that changes the steam pressure of the SSH 130, which may be similar to or including the steps of the method 300 of FIG.

  The system memory 404 can further include a template cache memory 412 that can be used with the method 300 for changing the steam pressure of the SSH 130.

  User communication device 402 may also include a processor or processing unit 414 that controls the operation of other components within user communication device 402. Operating system 406, browser 408, and data structure 410 can operate on processing unit 414. The processing unit 414 can be coupled to the system memory 404 and other components by a system bus 416.

  User communication device 402 may also include a plurality of input / output devices (I / O) 418. Each I / O device 418 may be coupled to the system bus 416 by an input / output interface (not shown in FIG. 4). The I / O device 418 allows a user to access and operate software to operate and interface with the user communication device 402 to control the operation of the browser 408 and data structure 420 and change the steam pressure of the SSH 130. And control can be performed. I / O device 418 may include a keyboard and computer pointing device or the like for performing the operations discussed herein. In other embodiments, I / O device 418 may also include a disk drive, optical, mechanical, magnetic, or infrared I / O device, modem, or the like. The I / O device 418 can be used to access the storage medium 420. Storage medium 420 may contain, store, communicate, or transmit computer-readable instructions or computer-executable instructions or other information for use by or in connection with a system such as user communication device 402. .

  User communication device 402 may also have a monitor 422. The monitor 422 can be used to display certain parameters such as the operational status of the steam turbine 100, the current steam pressure of the SSH 130, and the current steam temperature of the SSH 130.

  User communication device 402 may also include a hard drive 424. The hard drive 424 can be coupled to the system bus 416 via a hard drive interface (not shown in FIG. 4). The hard drive 424 can also form part of a local file system or system memory 404. Programs, software, and data can be transferred and exchanged between the system memory 404 and the hard drive 424 in operation of the user communication device 402.

  The user communication device 402 can be connected to the unit controller 426 via the network 428. The system bus 416 of the user communication device 402 can be coupled to the network 428 by a network interface 430. The network interface 430 enables the transfer of data from the user communication device 402 to the external device over the network 428 and vice versa. For example, without limitation, the user communication device 402 can communicate with similar communication devices or a central network server. The network interface 430 may be a modem, Ethernet card, router, gateway, or the like for coupling to the network 428. This coupling can be a wired or wireless connection. The network 428 can be a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), an ad hoc network, the Internet, or the like. The network 428 can be wired or wireless.

  The unit controller 426 can also include a system memory 432 that can include a file system, ROM, RAM, and the like. System memory 432 may also include an operating system 434. The operating system 434 can include a computer-executable instruction set that controls the overall operation of the unit controller 426. The system memory 432 may also include a data structure 436 for changing the steam pressure of the SSH 130. Data structure 436 may include operations similar to those described with respect to method 300 for changing the steam pressure of SSH 130. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the data structure 436 can include, but is not limited to, tabular data of steam turbine operating status and SSH 130 corresponding target steam volume. Data structure 436 may further include data obtained from user communication device 402 and may be required to effectively perform the steps of method 300. The system memory 432 may also include a partition 438 that stores other files, applications, modules, and the like.

  The unit controller 426 may also include a processor 442 that controls the operation of other components within the unit controller 426. Unit controller 426 may also include I / O device 444 and other devices 446 such as a monitor or the like that provide an interface to at least one unit controller 426 along with I / O device 444. The unit controller 426 can also include a hard disk drive 448. The system bus 450 can connect different components of the unit controller 426. The network interface 452 can couple the unit controller 426 to the network 428 via the system bus 450.

The flowcharts and step diagrams described herein are intended to illustrate the methods, architecture, and operation of various implementations and computer program products according to some embodiments of the invention. Each illustrated step can include one or more computer programs, modules, or systems for performing various logical operations. It should be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to a series of steps. In some alternative embodiments of the invention, the steps can be performed simultaneously rather than sequentially. In other embodiments, the steps may be performed in the reverse order.
All such embodiments that achieve the same result according to the described steps in any order do not depart from the scope of the invention.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to a steam turbine, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the teachings of the present invention can be applied to improve the performance of any rotary pressurized fluid machine that is prone to leakage of pressurized fluid from the machine housing. I want you to understand.

  As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, many of the various features and configurations described above with respect to some exemplary embodiments may be more selectively employed to form other possible embodiments of the invention. Can be applied. For the sake of brevity and in view of the ability of those skilled in the art, not all of the possible repetitions are provided or described in detail herein, but are encompassed by the appended claims or others. All combinations and possible embodiments form part of the present application. In addition, from the above description of several exemplary embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will perceive improvements, changes, and modifications. Such improvements, changes and modifications within the skill of the art are also intended to be covered by the appended claims. Moreover, while the foregoing relates only to the described embodiments of the present application, many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. It should be understood that modifications can be made herein.

100 Schematic of Steam Turbine 102 High Pressure Turbine Unit 104 Medium Pressure Turbine Unit 106 Low Pressure Turbine Unit 108 Shaft 110 Load 112 High Pressure Turbine Unit Fixed Housing 114 Medium Pressure Turbine Unit Fixed Housing 116 Low Pressure Turbine Unit Fixed Housing 118 Turbine Chamber 120 Suction Valve 122 Steam line 124 Steam line 126 Steam line 128 Pressure packing 130 Steam seal header (SSH)
132 Vacuum packing 134 Auxiliary boiler 136 Valve 138 Steam line 140 Condenser system 142 Controller 144 Steam packing exhaust system header (SPE)
146 Exhaust Pump 300 Method of Changing the Steam Volume of SSH 310 Monitoring and Changing SSH Pressure Step 320 Determining the Operation Status of the Steam Turbine Step 330 Determining the Target Steam Volume of SSH 340 Current Steam Volume of SSH Step 350 to Determine Step to Compare SSH Current Steam Volume to Target Steam Volume 360 to Control SSH Steam Volume by Adjusting Valve Opening 400 System 402 User Communication Device 404 System Memory 406 Operating System 408 Browser Web browser 410 Data structure for changing SSH pressure 412 Cache memory 414 Processor, processing unit 416 System bus 418 Input / output device 420 Storage medium 422 Display, monitor 24 hard drive 426 unit controller 428 network 430 network interface 432 system memory 434 operating system 436 data structure for changing SSH pressure 438 other files, applications, modules and the like 442 processor 444 input / output device 446 other device 448 Hard drive 450 System bus 452 Network interface

Claims (11)

A sealing system configured to increase the efficiency of the machine (100), the system comprising:
A pressurizing machine (100) including a rotatable shaft partially enclosed by a stationary housing (112, 114, 116) and a flow path defined by an area between the shaft and the housing;
A pressure packing (128) configured to substantially prevent fluid from leaking from the pressurizing machine (100), and an optimal pressure that varies in size according to the operating status of the pressurizing machine (100); A shaft seal system (200) configured to control fluid flow in the pressurization machine (100), including a header (130) configured to maintain the pressure packing (128) in range;
A header bleed system configured to adjust the header (130) to the optimum pressure range and including a valve adapted to remove a portion of the fluid in the header (130);
And a controller (142) configured to determine the optimum pressure range so that the optimum pressure can operate the shaft seal system (200) with a header (130) having a variable pressure. Become a seal system.   The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid comprises steam.   The system of claim 2, wherein the pressure machine comprises a steam turbine.   The system of claim 1, wherein the operational status includes at least one of a start condition, a partial load condition, or a full load condition.   The system of claim 3, wherein the valve (136) is integrated with a component positioned downstream of the valve.   The system of claim 5, wherein the valve (136) allows steam to flow out of the header (130) and into the component.   The system of claim 6, wherein the component comprises a condenser system (140) associated with the steam turbine. The controller (142) performs the following steps (300):
Determining (320) the operating status of the pressure machine;
Determining a flow rate of fluid flowing into the header (130);
The system of claim 1, comprising a control system configured to perform a step of determining a fluid flow rate out of the header (130).   The system of claim 8, wherein the controller determines the position of the valve (136).   The system of any preceding claim, wherein the variable pressure of the header (130) includes a range from approximately above atmospheric pressure to near optimal performance pressure.   The system of claim 10, wherein the range is from about 15.5 pounds per square inch to about 50 pounds per square inch.

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