Steam Turbine Steam turbine convert a part of the energy of the steam evidenced by high temperature and pressure into mechanical power-in turn electrical power The steam from the boiler is expanded in a nozzle, resulting in the emission of a high velocity jet. This jet of steam impinges on the moving vanes or blades, mounted on a shaft. Here it undergoes a change of direction of motion which gives rise to a change in momentum and therefore a force. The motive power in a steam turbine is obtained by the rate of change in momentum of a high velocity jet of steam impinging on a curved blade which is free to rotate. The conversion of energy in the blades takes place by impulse, reaction or impulse reaction principle. Steam turbines are available in a few kW (as prime mover) to 1500 MW.
Steam turbines are axial flow machines
The pressure of working medium used in steam turbines is very high, whereas the temperature of working medium used is gas turbine is high comparatively.
The pressure and temperature of working medium in hydraulic turbines is
lower than steam turbines.
Steam turbines of 1300 MW single units are available whereas largest gas turbines unit is 530 MWand815 MW
1 Advantages of steam turbines Ability to utilize high pressure and high temperature steam. High component efficiency. High rotational speed. High capacity/weight ratio. Smooth, nearly vibration-free operation. No internal lubrication. Oil free exhaust steam. Can be built in small or very large units (up to 1200 MW). Disadvantages of steam turbines For slow speed application reduction gears are required. The steam turbine cannot be made reversible. The efficiency of small simple steam turbines is poor.
Application of steam turbines
Power generation Refinery, Petrochemical, Pharmaceuticals, Food processing, Petroleum/Gas processing, Pulp & Paper mills, Waste-to-energy Steam Turbine Selection In all fields of application the competitiveness of a turbine is a combination of several factors: Efficiency Life Power density (power to weight ratio) Direct operation cost Manufacturing and maintenance costs
2 Rankine Cycle
Steam Turbine Classification
Steam turbines can be classified in several different ways: 1. By details of stage design • Impulse or reaction. 2. By steam supply and exhaust conditions • Condensing, or Non-condensing (back pressure), • Automatic or controlled extraction, • Mixed pressure • Reheat 3. By casing or shaft arrangement • Single casing, Tandem compound or Cross compound 4. By number of exhaust stages in parallel: • Two flow, Four flow or Six flow. 5. By direction of steam flow: • Axial flow, Radial flow or Tangential flow 6. Single or multi-stage 7. By steam supply
3 Due to change in velocity from C1 to C2 , momentum and lift force will be generated, then the turbine rotor will rotate.
Steam Turbine Stage
A turbine stage consists of stationary stator row (guide vanes or nozzle ring) and rotating rotor row. In the guide vanes high pressure, high temperature steam is expanded resulting in high The guide vanes direct the flow to the rotor velocity The blades at an appropriate angle. In the rotor, the flow direction is changed and kinetic energy of the working fluid is absorbed by the rotor shaft producing mechanical energy
4 Types of Steam Turbine Impulse turbine Reaction turbine
Process of complete expansion of Pressure drop with expansion and
steam takes place in stationary nozzle generation of kinetic energy takes place and the velocity energy is converted in the moving blades into mechanical work on the turbine work turbine blades.
An impulse turbine has fixed nozzles that Reaction turbine makes use of the reaction orient the steam flow into high speed jets. force produced as the steam accelerates through the nozzles formed by the rotor Blade profile is symmetrical as no Blades have aerofoil profile (convergent p pressure drop takes place in the rotor blades drop occurs partly in the rotor Blades passage) since pressure
5 Suitable for efficiently absorbing the Efficient at the lower pressure stages high velocity and high pressure Steam pressure is constant across the Fine blade tip clearances are necessary blades and therefore fine tip clearances due to the pressure leakages are not necessary Efficiency is not maintained in the Inefficient at the high pressure stages lower pressure stages (high velocity due to the pressure leakages around cannot be achieved in steam for the the blade tips lower pressure stages) Fine tip clearances can cause damage to the tips of the blades
1- Impulse turbine
6 7 8 2- Reaction turbine
9 Velocity Triangles The three velocity vectors namely, blade speed, absolute velocity and relative velocity in relation to the rotor are used to form a triangle called velocity triangle. Velocity triangles are used to illustrate the flow in the blading of turbo machinery. Changes in the flow direction and velocity are easy to understand with the help of the velocity triangles. Note that the velocity triangles are drawn for the inlet and outlet of the rotor at certain radial.
10 Combined velocity triangle
11 Steam Turbine Blade Terminology
12 Steam turbine blades twisted
13 Degree of reaction Degree of reaction is a parameter that describes the relation between the energy transfer due to the static pressure change and the energy transfer due to dynamic pressure change. Degree of reaction is defined as the ratio of static pressure drop in the rotor to the static pressure drop in the stage. It is also defined as the ratio of static enthalpy drop in the rotor to the static enthalpy drop in the stage
∆𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒓 ∆𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒓 Degree of reaction. 𝑹 ∆𝑷𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 ∆𝒉𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆
𝑅 50% Pressure and enthalpy drop in rotor < stator α1 > β2 𝑅 50% Pressure and enthalpy drop in rotor < stator α1 < β2 𝑅 50% o Pressure and enthalpy drop in rotor = stator o This reduces the tendency of boundary layer separation from the blade surface avoiding large stagnation pressure losses. o The whirl components are also the same at the inlet of rotor and diffuser. o α1 = β2 o Symmetrical blade 𝑅 0% o This is special case used for impulse turbine which suggest that entire pressure drop in the turbine is obtained in the stator. o The stator performs a nozzle action converting pressure head to velocity head. It is difficult to achieve adiabatic expansion in the impulse stage.
14 Blade Height in Axial Flow turbine The continuity equation 𝑚 𝜌𝐴𝐶 may be used to find the blade height ‘h’. The annular area of flow, A = πDh. Thus the mass flow rate through an axial flow turbine is 𝑚 𝜌πDh𝐶 𝑚 h 𝜌πD𝐶 Blade height will increase in the direction of flow in a turbine.
Governing of Steam Turbines
The main function of the governing is to maintain the speed constant irrespective of load on the turbine. The different methods which are commonly used for governing the steam turbines are listed below:-
1- Throttle governing 2- Nozzle control governing 3- By-pass governing
15 16 Losses in Steam Turbine
Profile loss: Due to formation of boundary layer on blade surfaces.
Profile loss is a boundary layer phenomenon and therefore subject to factors that influence boundary layer development. These factors are Reynolds number, surface roughness, exit Mach number and trailing edge thickness. Secondary loss: Due to friction on the casing wall and on the blade and tip. It is a boundary layer effect and dependent upon the same considerations as those of profile loss. Tip leakage loss: Due to steam passing through the small clearances required between the moving tip and casing or between the moving blade tip and rotating shaft. The extend of leakage depends on the whether the turbine is impulse or reaction. Due to pressure drop in moving blades of reaction turbine they are more prone to leakages. Disc windage loss: Due to surface friction created on the discs of an impulse turbine as the disc rotates in steam atmosphere. The result is the forfeiture of shaft power for an increase in kinetic energy and heat energy of steam Lacing wire loss: Due to passage blockage created by the presence of lacing wires in long blade of LP Stages. Wetness loss: Due to moisture entrained in the low pressure steam at the exit of LP turbine. The loss is a combination of two effects; firstly, reduction in efficiency due to absorption of energy by the water droplets and secondly, erosion of final moving blades leading edges. Annulus loss: Due to significant amount of diffusion between adjacent stages or where wall cavities occur between the fixed and moving blades. The extent of loss is greatly reduced at high annulus area ratios (inlet/outlet) if the expansion of the steam is controlled by a flared casing wall.
17 Leaving loss: Due to kinetic energy available at the steam leaving from the last stage of LP turbine. In practice steam does slow down after leaving the last blade, but through the conversion of its kinetic energy to flow friction losses. Partial admission loss: Due to partial filling of steam, flow between the blades is considerably accelerated causing a loss in power.
