Description:“APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ACCURATE MANUFACTURING OF VALVE BLOCK AND CONNECTION PIECE OF LARGE SIZE TURBOGENERATOR”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an improved means for obtaining great accuracy in manufacturing of valve block and connection piece of a large size Turbo Generator.

BACKGROUND / PRIOR ART OF THE INVENTION

Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

A turbogenerator is an electric generator connected to the shaft of a steam turbine or gas turbine for the generation of electric power. Rotor and Stator are essential parts of a generator.

As rotor is rotating part and rotate at 3000 rpm, bearing assembly supports rotor weight and minimizes frictional losses. Continuous oil supply is required for maintaining continuous oil film between bearing and rotor journal. The jacking oil system protects the rotor journal bearings during start-up and shut-down. The rotor shaft rests on the journal bearings.

Before the shaft is turned, jacking oil is supplied to the bearings to lift the shaft so that it floats on an oil film rather than on metal surface of bearings. The jacking oil pump supplies the jacking oil system. This pump is an axial piston type located on the lube oil tank. The lube oil system feeds the jacking oil pump from downstream of the lube oil filter. A common AC motor drives both the jacking oil and turning gear pump.

The oil passes through a valve block and connection piece arrangement, in which Throttle valves, non returning valves, pressure gauges, forwarding and distribution piping are connected before entering each bearing. It drains into the bearing pedestal and flows back to the lube oil tank through the drain pipe lines, together with lube oil returning from the lube oil system. Manufacturing/machining of valve block and connection piece are essential for turbo generator manufacturing.

Over time and during use of the dynamoelectric machine, if various holes in these valve block and connection piece are not machined with precise dimensional accuracy, there may be improper fitting of various valves and hoses in various holes, leading to improper pressure of oil or leakage of hydraulic oil which will lead to improper lifting of shaft of turbo generator which can cause catastrophic failure in an electric generator. Such improper lifting of shaft of turbo generator is obviously undesirable and it is required that these connection piece and valve block are accurately manufactured without fault or err.

The present method and means of manufacturing these valve block and connection piece are designed to accurately and perpendicularly drill all holes, and to eliminate the rework or rejection of connection piece and valve block during drilling and tapping of multiple holes, and consequently to avoid any improper lifting of shaft.

The methods as per prior art included performing different operations on valve block and connection piece on plurality of manufacturing machines which not only resulted in expensive time delays in multiple job and related tool settings but also in transferring the said valve block and connection piece on different machine. Also, all these machines are required to be sequentially lined up to accommodate, without delay, these connection pieces and valve blocks in their manufacturing schedule. Multiple job settings not only created operator fatigue but also reduced the job quality for obvious reasons well known to person skilled in the art.

Through the use of a specially designed apparatus and method as discussed herein through which not only it is desired to have to save significant time and with lesser resources to manufacture such valve block and connection piece with accuracy but also with means that makes this achievable with an arrangement having low initial cost and upkeep, great and continuing accuracy inherent in its design and operation, ruggedness and simplicity in its construction and operation, all to the ultimate end of faithfully and consistently reproducing in and through the desired quality of machining of said valve block and connection piece.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore the general object and purpose of present invention to provide means and method for machining valve block and connection piece, while eliminating issues related to prior art such as poor manufacturing quality and low production efficiency.

Another object of present invention is to provide means and associated method for machining valve block and connection piece, which provide enhanced ergonomics and reduced operator fatigue.

Another object of the of present invention is to provide means and associated method for machining valve block and connection piece, which makes it possible that a number of operations are performed on single means to significantly reduce setting/machining time and expensive delays in machining of connection piece and valve block on different machines.

It is also an additional object of the invention to provide means and associated method for machining valve block and connection piece, of the above character wherein the said means have minimum number of structurally durable parts cooperatively assembled in a compact organization and the said method is simple, economical, foolproof and inherently free from tendency to err or fall out of adjustment.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One or more drawbacks of conventional systems and process are overcome, and additional advantages are provided through the apparatus/composition and a method as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be part of the claimed disclosure.

The invention addresses critical challenges in the manufacturing of valve blocks and connection pieces for dynamoelectric machines, with a primary focus on large turbogenerators. The core problem identified is the potential for catastrophic failure in electric generators due to inaccuracies in machining, leading to issues such as improper fitting of valves and hoses, oil pressure irregularities, and hydraulic oil leakage. The disclosed apparatus and method aim to revolutionize this manufacturing process, ensuring precise dimensional accuracy and mitigating the risk of improper shaft lifting.

The apparatus comprises a base plate equipped with longitudinally extending milled grooves, key assembly elements, and clamp portions. The grooves securely hold the connection pieces and valve blocks during machining. Key assembly elements rigidly lock the base plate to the machine table, providing stability crucial for precision. The clamp portions, featuring threaded holes and corresponding bolts, firmly secure the components in their designated locations, preventing any movement during drilling operations.

The method involves a systematic approach to machining, starting with the assembly of locking keys in a key groove. The base plate is then secured to the machine table using clamping elements and threaded bolts, ensuring a stable foundation for the manufacturing process. Individual connection pieces or valve blocks are inserted into the grooves, and clamp portions are fastened using threaded bolts, rigidly holding the components in place. The drilling operations are performed on the top surface, followed by the reversal of the components for machining the opposite faces, ensuring accurate and perpendicular hole drilling.

The invention's significance lies in its ability to eliminate the need for rework or rejection during the drilling and tapping of multiple holes. By achieving precise dimensional accuracy in the manufacturing process, the apparatus and method prevent issues related to improper fitting and ensure the reliability and performance of dynamoelectric machines. This innovation represents a critical advancement in the field, addressing the intricate requirements of large turbo generator components and contributing to the overall safety and efficiency of electric generators.

The inventive features of the invention have been indicated in the Principal claim and subsidiary featured have been mentioned in the dependent claims.

Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and processes that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein:-

The foregoing and other features of the invention, comprising apparatus for accurate manufacturing valve block and connection piece, and mechanism together with the construction and relative arrangement of the several parts, will be apparent from the following more particular description of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different figures and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention and in which:

Figure 1 shows: the line representation of the jacking oil system of a large size turbogenerator;

Figure 2 shows: the line representation of cross sectional view of a valve block with assembled throttle valve, non return valve, adapter for pressure gauges, connector for hose for oil supply to bearing;

Figure 3 shows: the line representation of isometric view of the proposed apparatus in accordance to the present invention;

Figure 4 shows: the line representation of top view of the proposed apparatus in accordance to the present invention;

Figure 5 shows: the line representation of bottom view of the proposed apparatus in accordance to the present invention;

Figure 6 and 7 shows: the line representation of isometric view of one working method of proposed apparatus in accordance to the present invention;

Figure 8 shows: an illustrative view of valve block /connection piece in accordance with present invention.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

While the embodiments of the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof have been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.

Before describing in detail, apparatus for accurate manufacturing of valve block and connection piece, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel and non-obvious combination of hardware elements and method steps. Accordingly, these elements and steps have been represented by conventional elements and steps in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Referring now to figure 1, which illustrates block diagram of jacking oil system of a large size turbo generator.

The jacking oil pump supplies the jacking oil system. This pump is an axial piston type, which is located on the lube oil tank. The lube oil system feeds the jacking oil pump from downstream of the lube oil filter. A common AC motor drives both the jacking oil and turning gear pump.

The oil passes through a valve block and connection piece arrangement, refer figure 2, in which throttle valves, non-returning valves, pressure gauges, forwarding and distribution piping) are connected before entering each bearing. It drains into the bearing pedestal and flows back to the lube oil tank through the drain pipe lines, together with lube oil returning from the lube oil system.

Over time and during use of the dynamoelectric machine, if various holes in these connection piece and valve block are not machined with precise dimensional accuracy, there may be improper fitting of various valves and hoses in various holes, leading to improper pressure of oil or leakage of hydraulic oil which will lead to improper lifting of shaft of turbogenerator which can cause catastrophic failure in an electric generator. Such improper lifting of shaft of turbogenerator is obviously undesirable and it is required that these connection piece and valve block are accurately manufactured without fault or err.

To this end, the present invention proposes means D as shown in figure 3-5 comprising of a base plate 100 that primarily affixes with the standard machine table in a horizontal plane parallel to that of the machine table and perpendicular to vertical axis to hold valve block and connection piece.

As shown in figure 2 to 4, parallelepipedic base plate 100 is made using alloy steel and having parallel top and bottom faces and keyway for locking means 400 on its bottom face. Locking key 600 is assembled into each keyway slot 400 and thus this extruded locking means 600 longitudinally sits in one of the T-slot of the machine table to lock rotational degree of freedom of base plate 100, plurality of holes 210 rectangularly arrayed and disposed on corners of base plate 100 are used by plurality of clamping elements, generally T-bolts and corresponding nut, for threadedly securing base plate 100 to the flat planar top surface of said, not shown in figures, standard machine table. Because the shoulders of such T-bolts are made carefully plane, the T-bolts will project at right angles with respect to the base plate 100 axis to keep in a horizontal plane and is known to someone skilled in the art.

Further, the said base plate 100 is provisioned, on its top face, with longitudinally extending milled grooves 200 and 300 for holding connection piece/valve block in a direction longitudinal to the cutter movement.

The width of grooves 200 and 300 is selected in such a way that it ensures to accommodate the width W of connection piece/ valve block and height H of connection piece/ valve block respectively, as shown in figure 5 and 6, to facilitate critical machining operations such as drilling and counter boring of multiple holes.

As shown in figure 6 and 7, once the base plate is secured in the machine table, connection piece/valve block is slidably inserted in groove 200 such that one distal end face of the connection piece/valve block butts with end face of groove 200 to lock its further forward movement in the groove 200. It is advisable that actual grooves 200 size is as per connection piece/valve block width W added very close tolerances so that when individual connection piece/valve block is longitudinally inserted in grooves 200, said groove prevents connection piece/valve block from rattling or from vibrations during drilling process.

After inserting the connection piece/valve block in groove 200 as mentioned hereinabove, plurality of clamp portions 500 are threadedly used to lock connection piece/valve block in its recessed location 200. The said clamp portions 500 are fastened in a horizontal plane at a position over and across connection piece as shown in figure 6 such that one end of clamp portions 500 partially overlaps and rests over protruding height HE of connection piece while the other end of said clamp portions 500 rests on a grub screw threadedly disposed to similar height HE in corresponding threaded hole 220. A power screw such as a plurality of threaded bolt passes through holes 510 on clamp portion 500 and access corresponding threaded holes 220 in base plate 100 such that tightening of said power screws adequately compresses connection piece/Valve block secure, along with groove 200 sides and end support 210, the said connection piece/valve block from rattling or from vibrations while it is subjected to various machining forces. It being imperative that the congruent surfaces between connection piece/valve block and groove 200 be free and clear of debris such as chips or cuttings.

Once all the holes on one face of connection piece/valve block, face A as shown in figure 8, are accurately drilled and chamfered / counter bored, same process is repeated for drilling holes in opposite face B of valve block/connection piece.

Similarly, connection piece/valve block is slidably inserted in groove 300 such that one distal end face of the connection piece/valve block butts with end face of groove 300 to lock its further forward movement in the groove 300. It is advisable that actual grooves 300 size is as per connection piece/valve block height H added very close tolerances so that when individual connection piece/valve block is longitudinally inserted in groove 300, said groove prevents connection piece/valve block from rattling or from vibrations during drilling process.

After inserting the connection piece/valve block in groove 300 as mentioned hereinabove, plurality of clamp portions 500 are threadedly used to lock connection piece/valve block in its recessed location 300. The said clamp portions 500 are fastened in a horizontal plane at a position over and across connection piece as shown in figure 6 such that one end of clamp portions 500 partially overlaps and rests over protruding height HE of connection piece while the other end of said clamp portions 500 rests on a grub screw threadedly disposed to similar height HE in corresponding threaded hole 220. A power screw such as a plurality of threaded bolt passes through holes 510 on clamp portion 500 and access corresponding threaded holes 220 in base plate 100 such that tightening of said power screws adequately compresses connection piece/Valve block secure, along with groove 300 sides and end face of groove 3000, the said connection piece/valve block from rattling or from vibrations while it is subjected to various machining forces. It being imperative that the congruent surfaces between connection piece/valve block and groove 300 be free and clear of debris such as chips or cuttings.

Once all the holes on face of connection piece/valve block, face E as shown in figure 8, are accurately drilled and chamfered / counter bored, same process is repeated for drilling holes in opposite face F of valve block/connection piece.

Similarly, connection piece/valve block is slidably inserted in groove 200 such that one distal end face of the connection piece/valve block butts with end face of groove 200 to lock its further forward movement in the groove 200. It is advisable that actual grooves 200 size is as per connection piece/valve block width W added very close tolerances so that when individual connection piece/valve block is longitudinally inserted in groove 200, said groove prevents connection piece/valve block from rattling or from vibrations during drilling process.

After inserting the connection piece/valve block in groove 200 as mentioned hereinabove, plurality of clamp portions 500 are threadedly used to lock connection piece/valve block in its recessed location 200. The said clamp portions 500 are fastened in a horizontal plane at a position over and across connection piece as shown in figure 7 such that one end of clamp portions 500 partially overlaps and rests over protruding height HE of connection piece/valve block while the other end of said clamp portions 500 rests on a grub screw threadedly disposed to similar height HE in corresponding threaded hole 220. A power screw such as a plurality of threaded bolt passes through holes 510 on clamp portion 500 and access corresponding threaded holes 220 in base plate 100 such that tightening of said power screws adequately compresses connection piece/Valve block secure, along with groove 200 sides and end face of groove 200, the said connection piece/valve block from rattling or from vibrations while it is subjected to various machining forces. It being imperative that the congruent surfaces between connection piece/valve block and groove 200 be free and clear of debris such as chips or cuttings.

Once all the holes on face of connection piece/valve block, face D as shown in figure 8, are accurately drilled and chamfered / counter bored, same process is repeated for drilling holes in opposite face C of valve block/connection piece.

Or alternatively, holes in face C and D can be drilled by placing and clamping valve block/connection piece in groove 300 by following similar procedure described above.

The means as describes hereinabove shall be really useful in accurately machining these critical components like valve block and connection piece, as various holes in these valve blocks and connection piece are to be made very precise and circularity, concentricity and perpendicularity of these holes is essential and critical.

The present invention proposes a mechanism to accurately drill various holes in all faces of valve block /connection piece. The need to dial and set each face of job prior to drilling holes is eliminated.

The materials given above are as example without restricting scope of the invention to the same. Thus, other materials readily apparent to a person skilled in the art are understood to be within purview of the invention.

ADVANTAGES OF INVENTION

-Eliminates issues related to prior art such as poor manufacturing quality and low production efficiency;

-Provides enhanced ergonomics and reduced operator fatigue;

-A number of operations are performed on single means to significantly reduce setting/machining time and expensive delays in machining of connection piece and valve block on different machines;

- Minimum number of structurally durable parts cooperatively
assembled in a compact organization and the said method is simple, economical, foolproof and inherently free from tendency to err or fall out of adjustment.

Further, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody

Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Also, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments.

Each of the appended claims defines a separate invention, which for infringement purposes is recognized as including equivalents to the various elements or limitations specified in the claims. Depending on the context, all references below to the "invention" may in some cases refer to certain specific embodiments only. In other cases, it will be recognized that references to the "invention" will refer to subject matter recited in one or more, but not necessarily all, of the claims.

Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particulars claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogues to “at least one of A, B and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

The above description does not provide specific details of manufacture or design of the various components. Those of skill in the art are familiar with such details, and unless departures from those techniques are set out, techniques, known, related art or later developed designs and materials should be employed. Those in the art are capable of choosing suitable manufacturing and design details.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.

The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
, Claims:We Claim

1. An improved arrangement (D) for obtaining accuracy in manufacturing of connection piece and valve block of a large size turbo generator, the said arrangement (D) comprising of:

- base plate 100, top face of which is provided with longitudinally extending milled grooves 200 and 300 for holding connection piece and valve block, in a direction longitudinal to the cutter movement;

- plurality of arrayed holes 210 disposed on corners of the base plate 100, key way in base of plate 100, for assembly of key 600 which is used to lock rotational degree of freedom of the base plate 100 and to lock the device D to the machine table;

- plurality of clamp portions 500 with a peripheral through hole 510 and corresponding threaded holes 220 in the base plate 100 to threadedly lock connection piece P or valve block V in its recessed location 200 or 300;

- threaded hole 240 on the base plate 100 to be used by i-bolts to lift fixture for transportation among different machines.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grooves 200 , width of which is corresponding to width W of the valve block V /connection piece P.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grooves 300, width of which is corresponding to height H of the valve block V/connection piece P.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Base plate 100 is made of material including alloy steel.

5. A method of using the arrangement (D) as claimed in claims 1-4, wherein the method comprising steps of:
- threadedly assembling the locking keys 600 in the key groove 400;
- securing the base plate 100 in the T-slots on the flat planar top surface of machine table using said locking means 600 and by threadedly affixing plurality of clamping element generally T-bolts using hole 210;
- inserting individual connection piece P / valve block V longitudinally in the groove 200 that one distal end of the connection piece P /valve block V butts with end surface of the groove 200 to lock its forward movement in the groove 200;
- fastening clamp portions 500 over and across top face of the connection piece P using plurality of threaded bolt that passes through holes 510 on in and access corresponding threaded holes 220 in the base plate 100 that the connection piece P is held in the groove 200 upon tightening while other end of clamp portion 500 is rested on threaded support 700 in threaded hole 230;
- performing drilling operations on top surface A of the connection piece P/valve block V;
- turning connection piece upside down by unclamping clamp portion 500 and repeating the process to drill holes in the opposite face B, wherein rest two faces C and D of the connection piece p/valve block V are machined by repeating above process;

- inserting the valve block V/connection piece P longitudinally in each groove
300 that one distal end of the valve block V/connection piece P butts with end surface of groove 300 to lock its forward movement in the groove 300;
- fastening clamp portions 500 over and across top face of the connection piece P/valve block V using plurality of threaded bolts that passes through holes 510 and access corresponding threaded holes 220 in base plate 100 that connection piece/valve block V is held in groove 300 upon tightening while other end of clamp portion 500 is rested on threaded support 700 in threaded hole 230;
- turning Valve block upside down by unclamping the clamp portion 500 and repeating the process to machine the other faces.