Patent ID: 8317467

Claim:
An exhaust arrangement for an axial flow steam turbine, the exhaust arrangement comprising: an inner turbine casing including a plurality of turbine stages providing an axial steam flow path through the inner turbine casing and an exhaust outlet from a plurality of buckets of a last turbine stage; a turbine condenser mounted below the steam turbine; an exhaust hood at a downstream end of the steam turbine wherein the exhaust outlet flow through a diffuser into a dual path to the turbine condenser; a bearing cone and a plurality of annular steam guides defining a diffuser flow path for the exhaust outlet flow; a first exhaust path of the dual path through a lower section of the diffuser to a lower section of the exhaust hood and then essentially downward to the condenser; an upper section of the exhaust hood in fluid communication with an upper section of the diffuser; a radial channel of the exhaust hood in fluid communication with the upper section of the exhaust hood, wherein the radial channel is in fluid communication with the turbine condenser below; and a second exhaust path of the dual path through the upper section of the diffuser into the upper section of the exhaust hood, downstream axially to the radial channel and then downward through the radial channel to the turbine condenser.