Patent ID: 8403628

Claim:
A support structure for a low-pressure steam turbine including a turbine rotor, an internal casing and an exhaust hood, the support structure comprising: an external foundation surrounding the low-pressure steam turbine; the exhaust hood for the low-pressure steam turbine; the exhaust hood including an upper exhaust hood and a lower exhaust hood, the upper exhaust hood and the lower exhaust hood each including a mating horizontal joint flange; a curb foundation extending upwardly from the external foundation; the horizontal joint flange for the lower exhaust hood supported directly on the curb foundation; a plurality of support arms for the internal casing, the plurality of support arms being supported over the curb foundation and comprising at least two support arms fixedly mounted to each side of the internal casing and disposed approximately equidistant from the axial centerline of the internal casing; a plurality of support areas of the mating horizontal joint flange of the lower exhaust hood, each support area being adapted for one of the plurality of support arms, wherein each of the support areas is directly supported by the curb foundation below; a lower surface on an outer end of each of the plurality of support arms, the lower surface being adapted to rest on a corresponding support area of the mating horizontal joint flange of the lower exhaust hood; an outer end seal housing mounted at each axial end of the exhaust hood, the outer end seal housing including an inner axial cavity; a lower section of the outer end seal housing fixedly mounted to the lower exhaust hood; an upper section of the outer end seal housing attachedly mounted to the upper exhaust hood; fixed seals within the internal axial cavity of the upper section and the lower section, the fixed seals of the lower section being slidably removable from seal grooves of the lower half of the outer seal end housing; and at least one pedestal standard mounted to the external foundation and adapted for supporting the turbine rotor.