Seal Segment Alignment Tool for Full Labyrinth Seal Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbines, particularly combustion turbines, face challenges in properly aligning internal seal assemblies, leading to the use of inferior seal designs that lack radial interference, preventing the implementation of full labyrinth seals.
Innovation Solution
An alignment tool is used to assemble a center seal with multiple seal segments, featuring a mounting flange, a support leg forming a partial annular ring, and jack bolt pairs to position and attach the seal segments to the inner casing, ensuring proper radial alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If full labyrinth seals are used, then sealing efficiency is improved, but alignment difficulty increases making assembly impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple individual segments (typically 3-6 segments around the circumference) rather than a single continuous seal. Each segment can be independently positioned and aligned using the alignment tool, eliminating the need for complex continuous seal alignment while maintaining full labyrinth sealing effectiveness through the interconnected segment structure.
Solution Approach 2:
A dedicated alignment tool serves as an intermediary device between the seal segments and the rotor/casing interface. This tool provides reference surfaces and adjustment mechanisms that facilitate precise radial alignment of each segment during assembly, removing the alignment difficulty that would otherwise prevent full labyrinth seal implementation.
2Ease of manufacture
If inferior seal designs without radial interference are used, then ease of assembly is improved, but sealing capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment tool is used to pre-position and radially align each seal segment to the correct orientation and location before the segments are permanently installed. This preliminary alignment action ensures that segments with radial interference (full labyrinth design) are correctly positioned, enabling both the radial interference sealing mechanism and straightforward assembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment tool acts as a temporary intermediary fixture that simplifies assembly by providing guidance and positioning references. Once segments are aligned using this tool, the tool is removed and the segments are secured in place, achieving both ease of assembly and full sealing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An alignment tool includes a mounting flange, a support leg fixedly coupled to the mounting flange and cooperating with the mounting flange to define a partial annular ring that extends in an arc between 190 degrees and 350 degrees, and a second quantity of jack bolt pairs movably coupled to the support leg, each jack bolt pair arranged to engage one of the first quantity of seal segments. A third quantity of mounting fasteners is positioned to fixedly attach the mounting flange to the inner casing.