| US 7,549,834 B2 | ||
| Actuation pressure control for adjustable seals in turbomachinery | ||
| Darrin Glen Kirchhof, Schenectady, N.Y. (US); William Charles Below, Clifton Park, N.Y. (US); Mark Edward Burnett, Buskirk, N.Y. (US); Frederick George Baily, Ballston Spa, N.Y. (US); Shorya Awtar, Clifton Park, N.Y. (US); and Norman Arnold Turnquist, Sloansville, N.Y. (US) | ||
| Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, N.Y. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jun. 19, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/454,836. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0292258 A1, Dec. 20, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. F01D 11/02 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 415—1 [415/113; 415/174.1] | 15 Claims |
| 1. A method of controlling actuation of adjustable seal segments between stationary and rotating turbomachinery members, each
of the adjustable seal segments being coupled with at least one actuator that controls a position thereof, the method comprising:
monitoring or estimating ambient pressure within the turbomachinery, the ambient pressure representing an actuator back pressure
acting against the actuator; and
pressurizing the actuator to a level sufficient for a desired seal operation and controlling actuator pressure based on the
actuator back pressure, wherein if the desired seal operation is to keep open the seal segments, the pressurizing step is
practiced by maintaining actuator pressure higher than the back pressure.
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