Patent ID: 11859507
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 13:
14. A system for aligning a component within a turbine casing, the turbine casing including an upper casing and a lower casing configured to collectively surround a rotor, the rotor having a rotor axis, the system comprising:
a measurement module configured to:
for at least one primary axial location along the rotor axis and at one or both sides of the turbine casing at each primary axial location:
with the upper casing coupled to the lower casing in a top-on position, receive a measurement of:
a first location of a first reference point at a first optical target coupled to an outer surface of a horizontal joint (HJ) flange of the lower casing, and
a second location of a second reference point at a second optical target coupled the outer surface of the HJ flange of the lower casing and vertically spaced from the first optical target;

with at least the upper casing removed from the lower casing in a top-off position, receive a measurement of:
a third location of the first reference point at the first optical target,
a fourth location of the second reference point at the second optical target,
a fifth location of a third reference point on an upper surface of the HJ of the lower casing, the third reference point having a known spatial relation to a component support position of the component in the lower casing at the respective primary axial location, and
a sixth location of a fourth reference point on the upper surface of the HJ flange of the lower casing, the fourth reference point spaced from the third reference point on the upper surface of the HJ flange of the lower casing; and

a calculation module configured to:
calculate a prediction offset value for the component support position in the top-on position based on at least the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth locations and an inner radius of the lower casing; and
indicate an adjustment for the component support position in the turbine casing at the at least one primary axial location based on the prediction offset value.