Patent ID: 7244095

Claim:
A turbine, including a rotor on a shaft having an axis, and having in combination: a) stationary nozzles discharging steam at a first pressure or pressures thereby producing impulse forces on said rotor, b) the rotor having blades forming internal passages producing a pressure head increase in the discharged steam, while simultaneously accelerating the steam, the steam discharged to a second pressure lower than the first pressure, producing reaction forces on the rotor, c) seal means between the stationary nozzles and the rotor, maintaining the pressure difference between the first pressure and the second pressure while minimizing steam leakage past the internal passages, said seal means carried by the rotor and oriented in a radial direction relative to said axis to seal against non-rotating nozzle surface or surfaces to restrict steam flow that would otherwise bypass said passages formed by the rotor blades, d) turbine operation producing shaft power, e) there being passages in the rotor configured to centrifuge liquid and/or solid particles or the steam directionally away from space between the nozzles and passages, f) certain of said seal means being provided at the same diametric locations on opposite sides of the rotor to produce a force balance on the rotor, g) there being holes provided at locations radially inward from said passages, to enable steam from one side of the rotor to translate to the other side of the rotor, to produce a balanced force on the rotor, h) ducting to flow compressed gas to said seal means to provide gas pressure at the seal means to block steam leakage, i) said seal means including projections oriented to seal against non-rotating surfaces which are abradable, j) said projections being carried by the rotor and being metallic, and said passages being formed by the rotor blades, k) and whereby radial outflow from said passages is produced to increase pressure, thereby reducing frictional losses, when exit pressure is lower than inlet pressure, l) each said rotor blade, in cross-section, having a surface with a relatively reduced curvature range facing initial convergent extent of the passage proceeding from the passage inlet, causing an increase in fluid pressure above inlet pressure, said surface having a maximum curvature range facing subsequent convergent extent of the passage following said reduced curvature extent, and characterized in that flow pressure in the passage increases to a maximum value greater than said inlet pressure and then decreases to a pressure less than said inlet pressure.