US 12,241,372 B2
Seal assembly for a rotor shaft of a gas turbine
Grant Portune, Cincinnati, OH (US); Steven Douglas Johnson, Milford, OH (US); Bryan Jung Woo Hong, Blue Ash, OH (US); Prateek Jalan, Bengaluru (IN); Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Bengaluru (IN); Narendra Hardikar, Bengaluru (IN); and David Yamarthi, Bengaluru (IN)
Assigned to GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Evendale, OH (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Oct. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/497,202.
Claims priority of application No. 202311035056 (IN), filed on May 19, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0384661 A1, Nov. 21, 2024
Int. Cl. F01D 11/00 (2006.01); F02C 7/28 (2006.01)
CPC F01D 11/00 (2013.01) [F02C 7/28 (2013.01); F05D 2240/55 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A seal assembly for a gas turbine, the seal assembly comprising:
a seal case; and
a seal shoe arranged within the seal case, the seal shoe including (1) a main seal portion that is configured to engage with a radial bearing engagement portion of a rotor shaft, (2) a radial bearing surface that engages with the radial bearing engagement portion of the rotor shaft, (3) at least one hydrodynamic lift cavity extending through the radial bearing surface, and (4) at least one airflow passage extending from a first side of the seal shoe through the at least one hydrodynamic lift cavity and providing airflow communication between the first side of the seal shoe and the at least one hydrodynamic lift cavity,
wherein the at least one hydrodynamic lift cavity includes a filament element arranged within the hydrodynamic lift cavity, and the at least one airflow passage extends through the filament element.