Elastic fluid apparatus

Claim 1

A COOLING AND SEALING ARRANGEMENT FOR AN AXIAL FLOW ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE, COMPRISING A ROTOR HAVING A DISC PORTION PROVIDED WITH A PERIPHERAL ROW OF MOTOR BLADES, A STATIONARY NOZZLE STRUCTURE PROVIDED WITH AN ANNULAR ROW OF NOZZLE VANES FOR DIRECTING A STEAM OF HOT MOTIVE ELASTIC FLUID TO SAID ROTOR BLADES, SAID DISC HAVING A DOWNSTREAM FACE, SAID NOZZLE STRUCTURE BEING DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATION WITH SAID DISC, SAID NOZZLE STRUCTURE HAVING A CIRCULAR RADIALLY INNERMOSTO SURFACER DISPOSED IN CLOSELY SPACED ENCOMPASSING RELATION WITH SAID ROTOR AND JOINTLY THEREWITH DEFINING A LEAKAGE SPACE, FIRST AND SECOND SEAL MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID ROTOR DISC AND SAID NOZZLE STRUCTURE FOR MINIMIZING LEAKAGE OF UNEXPANDED MOTIVE FLUID FROM SAID STEAM AND JOINTLY WITH SAID DISC AND SAID NOZZLE STRUCTURE FORMING A SEALING SPACE, MEANS FOR PUMPING EXPANDED MOTIVE FLUID THROUGH THE DOWNSTREAM FACE OF SAID DISC TO SAID LEAKAGE SPACE TO MINIMIZE OVERHEATING OF SAID ROTOR, AND PASSAGE MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SEAID NOZZLE STRUCTURE AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SEALING SPACE FOR BLEEDING ACCUMULATING UNEXPANDED MOTIVE FLUID FROM SAID SEALING SPACE, SAID SECOND SEALING MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE TO RESTRICT FLOW OF UNEXPANDED FLUID FROM SAID SEALING SPACE TO SAID LEAKAGE SPACE.