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Wear18fG187 (1995)395400

Erosion behaviour and mechanisms for steam turbine rotor blades

B . StaniSa a, V. IvuSiCb
a Faculty of Technical Studies, Rijeka, and ENIN Karlovac, Karlovac, Croatia b Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract
The erosion caused by wet steam flow reduces the efficiency of the last stage rotor blades of condensing steam turbines, and makes their service life shorter. To date there has been insufficient data on the erosion process which the steam turbine rotor blades are subject to during the operation, data which could be a basis for development and verification of mathematical models to estimate the service life of eroded rotor blades. This paper reviews the results of many years monitoring and researching of the laws of the erosion process and its mechanism for rotor blades of condensing steam turbines. On the basis of the obtained laws of the rotor blades erosion process and a simplified model their service life is estimated.
Keywords: Steam; Erosion; Turbine rotor blades

1. Introduction

2. Description of turbines and measurement blade erosion

action of water droplets during

of rotor

Owing

to the impingement

operation, and in spite of methods of protection known and applied to date, erosion can cause considerable damage to the strongest last stage rotor blades of condensing turbines [ l41. The service life of the last stage rotor blades of steam turbines depends on the blade material method of erosion protection, the steam humidity, while the operation conditions can vary during long periods of operation. Operating staff cannot easily schedule replacement or repair of rotor blades because of considerable variation in their service lives

[51.
So far in the professional literature there have been no suitable methods and models to identify the service life that could be more widely used with an acceptable accuracy. Past
investigations of the service life and the models proposed [ 61 1] are in principle for a particular case, and cannot ably used in general case. In order to assist estimation be reli-

of rotor blade life times, the results of long term monitoring and analyses of the erosion process and mechanism for rotor blades of 210 MW condensing steam turbines are presented in this paper. A cumulative erosion process on the last stage rotor blades is given and their lifetime is estimated on the basis of a simplified model.
0043-1648/95/$09.50 0 1995 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved SSDIOO43-1648(95)07136-9

Investigation of the laws of the erosion process for last stage rotor blades was carried out in sixteen 210 MW condensing turbines installed in different thermal power plants. They were impulse type turbines incorporating high pressure, intermediate pressure, and double-flow low pressure. Fig. 1 illustrates the last stages of an LP turbine. A longitudinal section through the last stage is given in the Fig. 1 (a). Cross-section of the last stage stator and rotor blades on the periphery with triangles of steam and liquid phase velocity of wet steam, being the cause of erosion illustrated in the Fig. 1 (b). Because of the water droplets impingement the most severe erosion of the rotor blade leading edge happens in the b area. The penultimate double blade LP stage is performed on the Baumann s principle taking a part of steam directly to the condenser, and the other to the last stage. The length of the last stage rotor blades is 765 mm, while the mean diameter of the stage is 2100 mm. There are 60 last stage stator blades and 94 last stage rotor blade. The profile chord on the last stage rotor blade tip is 99 mm. The leading edges of the last stage rotor blades are protected against erosion by Stellite plates fixed along the blade with a length of 320 mm from the blade tip towards the root. On each rotor

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(a 1

(b)
(I- -I) of stator

Fig. 1, Last stage of low pressure of 210 MW triple-casing condensing turbine: (a) longitudinal section through the last stage; (b) cross-section and rotor blades on the last stage periphery with triangles of steam c, and liquid phase cl velocity.

blade the Stellite protection consists of 10 plates silver soldered to the base material. The Stellite plates are 33 mm long, 12 mm wide and 1.5 mm thick. The plates are made from Stellite 6 having a hardness of 421 HVlO while the blade substrate material is DIN X20Cr13. The steam pressure at the turbine inlet for the design operating conditions is 12.8 MPa at 808 K (535 C) . The steam is reheated at 2.3 MPa up to the temperature of 808 K (535 C) . The steam pressure at the intermediate pressure casing discharge is 0.13 MPa. The steam pressure upstream of the last stage is 15 kPa, and upstream of the rotor blades 8.0 kPa. The steam pressure at the turbine last stage discharge is 4 kPa at the cooling water temperature of 288 K ( 15 C) . The steam humidity upstream of the last stage is 1.7%, upstream of the rotor blades is 3.8%, and downstream of the rotor blades is 5.7%. The rate of reaction in the turbine last stage is 5 1.4%. The ratio of peripheral to fictive velocity of the stage is u/cf=O.598. The steam absolute velocity is ci =450m s-i. The angle of absolute exit velocity is (Y,= 1833 . The steam velocity entering the rotor cascade is Peripheral velocity on the last stage mean w,=175ms- . diameter is u = 330 m s- , and on the rotor blade tip is 450 m s- . The rotational speed of the turbine rotor is 50 s- i. The steam quantity entering the turbine is 180 kg s- (650 t h-i). In the low pressure, 21.53 kg s- (77.5 t hh ) of steam goes directly from the Baumann stage to the condenser. Through the turbine last stage, 38.33 kg s- (138 t hh ) of steam is taken to the condenser. The turbine has 7 irregular steam extractions for regenerative feedwater heating. For the purpose of determining the laws of the erosion process on the last stage rotor blades (the sections subject to the highest rate of erosion attack) and evaluating the reliability of their future operation, comprehensive measurements

and analysis of erosion damage were conducted each time the turbines were opened. The measurements covered: damage of the profile chord of the rotor blade leading edge, length and width of crater and pitting damage of Stellite plates and of the blade base material. To obtain accurate data, the erosion was measured on 7 selected rotor blades and observations made on the wheel circumference of each last stage of the low pressure turbine. Based on these measurements the mean values of each measured parameter of the erosion damage were calculated for a definite period of turbine operation. Damage of the rotor blades profile chord and the depth of erosion crater were measured by a specially designed slide calliper for the crater depth. Possible measurement errors could be up to 0.1 mm. The length of the crater and pitting damage was measured by a steel meter ruler with possible error of up to 1.O mm. The parameters measured were analysed in view of dependence of cumulative erosion damage of the rotor blades upon the turbine service period. The characteristic erosion damage of the last stage rotor blades of turbine was photographed with the attached scale. The catalogue of photographs allowed permanent visual monitoring of the shape change caused by erosion on individual rotor blades selected for that purpose during the turbines operation. Each time the rotor blade erosion measurements were carried out, the steam and load parameters under which the turbines operated in the period between the two measurements were analysed. Based on these data the influence of the turbine operating mode on the erosion process was investigated and analysed. Cross-sections of eroded rotor blades were made to investigate the erosion mechanism. Micrographic examinations were carried out using a light microscope and a scanning electron microscope.

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391

ab,mm

Al; mm

I ,

500

boo

300

zoo

100

0 Fig. 2. Dependence of erosion damage of profile chord Ab (mm), length of chord Al (mm) and pitting damage (I , mm) of 210 MW turbine last stage rotor blades vs. the operating time T (h): Ab,, = conditional damage of the blade profile chord.

3. Results and discussion The results of the long term (over 10 years) measurement and monitoring of the erosion of the last stage turbine blades of 210 MW condensing turbines installed in different thermal power plants are given in the Fig. 2. The variation of mean damage with turbine operating time rare shown for the erosion damage of the blade leading edge profile chord ( Ab) , length of damage of the blade profile chord (A 1), and the length of crater and pitting damage of

Fig. 3. An example of erosion damage of the last stage rotor blade leading edge in 210 MW turbine during the second region and at the beginning of the third region of the erosion process: (a) blade erosion in the second region after 8785 h of turbine operation; (b) blade erosion at the beginning of the third region after 20 489 h of turbine operation.

the back face of the blade profile leading edge from the tip to the root (1 ). On the basis of the measurement results and monitoring the rotor blade erosion process could be divided to three characteristic regions of erosion. The first region showed no evident damage to the blade material, while the maximum erosion rate occurred during the second region with a lower erosion rate during the third. In the graph of rotor blade erosion damage against turbine operating time (Fig. 2), the first and the second regions of the erosion process are marked with the broken line because they are approximated owing to insufficient data points. The third region is identified with the full line and it can be seen from the graph (Fig. 2) that during their service life the last stage rotor blades of the turbine mostly operate in the third decelerated region of the erosion process. The erosion process in the third region was identified as approximately linear. Based on the measurement results shown in the diagram it can be seen that the crater and pitting erosion damage of these turbines quickly damage the entire back face of the leading edge from the tip towards the root of the blade (1 ). The size of the erosion craters and the pits in this region decreased moving from the tip towards the root of the blade; at the blade root the erosion damage appeared as barely visible small spots. This can be explained by the reduced size and concentration of water droplets in wet steam from the blade tip to the root. Crater and pitting erosion damage of the back face of the leading edge, although it goes almost to the blade root, has hardly any importance on the reliability and the service life of the rotor blades. The damage intensity of the blade leading edge profile chord ( Ab) is the most important for the reliability and the service life of the last stage rotor blades of turbine. Fig. 3 gives examples of erosion damage of the profile chord of the last stage rotor blade leading edge in the second region, and at the beginning of the third region of the erosion

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Fig. 4. Erosion damage of the last stage rotor blades of 2 10 MW turbine in the third region of the erosion process: (a) blade erosion damage after 56 384 h of turbine operation; (b) blade erosion damage after 82 910 h of turbine operation.

process. Fig. 3 (a) gives an example of a blade erosion damage measured in the second region after 8785 h of operation. Fig. 3(b) illustrates the blade erosion at the beginning of the third region after 20 489 h of operation. It can be seen from the Fig. 3 (a) that the erosion damage in the second region after 8785 h of turbine operation damaged the Stellite plates on the back face of the leading edge on the blade periphery in the form of crater and pitting. By means of the scale attached to the Fig. 3(b) it can be seen that the erosion damage on the profile chord of the blade leading edge at the beginning of the third region and after 20 489 h of turbine operation amounts up to 3 mm. Fig. 4 illustrates an example of rotor blade damage measured in the third region of the erosion process. Fig. 4(a) illustrates an example of the erosion damage on the profile chord of the blade leading edge after 56 384 h of turbine operation. By means of the attached scale it can be seen that the erosion damaged the blade profile chord was up to 5.5 mm. A characteristic example of severe erosion of a rotor blade after 82 910 h of operation is given in the Fig. 4(b). On the blade tip the erosion destroyed the profile chord of the leading edge of the blade base material up to 14 mm. Erosion damage of medium intensity to the leading edge profile chord on other last stage rotor blades of this turbine was 8.5 mm. More intensive erosion damage on the blade, Fig. 4(b), as compared with other blades can be explained by desoldering and detachment of two Stellite plates. The progression of erosion damage to the blade base material increased after the stellite plates had fallen off compared with other blades where the Stellite shielding remained. It was also noticed that some last stage turbine rotor blades suffered greater erosion damage compared with the others.

The analysis showed that their leading edges on the blade periphery were standing out up to 2 mm from the general arrangement in the rotor cascade either because of poor design or incorrect positioning. Because of the stand out of the rotor blade leading edge from the general arrangement in the cascade, the water droplets were impinging on their leading edges more intensively and caused more intensive erosion damage than on other blades. Cross-section were made of eroded rotor blade profiles in order to investigate the shape and depth of the erosion craters. Fig. 5 illustrates cross-sections of the blade profile leading edges with stellite plates. The cross-section of the blade profile leading edge with damaged stellite plate in the second region of erosion is shown in the Fig. 5 (a). Fig. 5(b) illustrates the cross-section of the leading edge with a damaged stellite plate and the blade base material in the third region of the erosion process. In these figures the shape of the erosion crater and the damage of the rotor blade leading edge profile chord clearly can be seen. The erosion craters had sharp edges and the craters gradually increase in size, joined and progressed into the blade material. As the craters progressed into the material the blade profile leading edge was almost cut thus reducing the profile chord. The cross-sections also show that the shape and direction of crater progression was in line with the impact direction of the wet steam water droplets. Consequently, the water droplet impingement angle onto the blade surface has an effect on the erosion damage only up to formation of the erosion craters. Further progression of erosion is not affected by the initial impingement angle of the water droplets because the craters are formed parallel to the impact direction of the droplets. Therefore, when estimating the erosion up to formation of erosion craters the vertical component of impingement velocity of the water droplets onto the blade surface should be taken into account. However, once the erosion

2mm Fig. 5. Cross-sections of profiles of eroded last stage rotor blades in the 210 MW turbine: (a) stellite plate damage in the second region of erosion; (b) damage of the profile chord of the blade leading edge in the third region of erosion.

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(1)
where A b3 is the cumulative damage of blade profile chord in the third region of the erosion process and TVis the operation time of turbine in the third region of the erosion process. Using Eq. ( 1) and the determined erosion damage behaviour of the rotor blade leading edge chord (Fig. 2)) the rate of erosion is determined for the blade profile chord in the third region Abs =7.79 X lo- mm hh . For the third region with a lower rate of erosion, a model can be used to identify the mean value of damage of the blade profile chord: Ab3=Ab3r3+Ab,3 (2)

Fig. 6. Micro-photographs of erosion craters: (a) crater, SO:1 magnified; (b) crater bottom, 250: 1 magnified.

velocity of the are formed the actual impingement water droplets should be taken into consideration [ 121. By means of the shape and direction of the erosion crater progression the impingement angle of water droplets onto the blade profile can be approximately identified. Once this angle is known, which is important for the erosion estimation, by designing a velocity triangle for a certain section of the turbine stage, the magnitude of the impingement velocity of water droplets on the blade profile can be identified. Micro-photographs of erosion crater sections on the leading edge of the rotor blade profile are given in the Fig. 6. Fig. 6(a) illustrates the shape of the craters, and Fig. 6(b) shows the bottom of the crater with the tunnel-like surface and undersurface cracks. The irregularities of their relief can be seen from the photographs of the edges and the crater bottom. The impingement of water droplets resulted in surface and undersurface cracks and tunnels in the material where the ductility of its structure is exhausted. The tunnels are made by water penetration into the material. The tunnels can have the diameter of a few micrometers up to 200 km, and more. The length of tunnels is usually from 200 to 1000 p,m, and more. Macro and micrographic analysis of the rotor blade erosion damage indicate that the erosion was a consequence of a well known mechanism of metal destruction due to fatigue. The impingement of wet steam water droplets resulted in plastic deformation, followed by cracks on the boundary between the matrix and Stellite carbide. By gradual progression and joining of cracks, the particles of the surface Stellite layer were removed which led to erosion craters. Larger particles of Stellite protection and subsequently also the base material of the blade were taken away from the surface when the cracks, tunnels and craters produced joined together.
craters

where A bu3 is the conditional damage of the blade profile chord in the third region of erosion (intersection of chord to the erosion curve in the third region and ordinate, Fig. 2 1131). By means of the model stated and the erosion measurements an approximate service life of the turbine last stage rotor blades can be estimated. Almost complete destruction of the Stellite protection can be assumed for boundary allowed damage of the blade leading edge profile chord. Monitoring the erosion behaviour for turbine blade in operation has shown that once the Stellite protection has disintegrated the erosion progresses very rapidly into the base material of the blade, so that blade rupture is very likely to occur. It is therefore recommended that the blades are replaced, or repaired, at the latest when the Stellite protection has been destroyed. On the basis of the determined erosion behaviour (Fig. 2) the conditional damage of the profile chord in the third region is A b,, = 1.2 mm. For the maximum allowed damage of the blade leading edge profile chord A b, = 10 mm is adopted, i.e. slightly less than the whole width of the stellite protection. In this case the service life of the last stage rotor blades of turbine can be estimated form rs = Ab,-Ab,, A& lo=7.79x 1.2 10-5 = 1.1296 x lo5 h

This approximate calculation suggests that the last stage rotor blades of 210 MW turbine should be replaced or repaired after 112 960 h of operation. Erosion will fully destroy the entire 12 mm wide Stellite protection after 138 640 h of operation.

4. Estimating the service life of last stage turbine rotor blades Using the experimental results described earlier for erosion of the last stage rotor blades of turbines, an approximate rate of erosion damage of the blade leading edge profile chord with Stellite plates in the third region of erosion process can be estimated [ 13,141.

5. Conclusions Measurement and observation of the erosion behaviour of last stage rotor blades of 210 MW condensing turbines was carried out over many years which allowed the obtaining of the laws of their erosion damaging process dependent on the time of operation.

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It was deduced from the macro and micrographical analysis of the rotor blade erosion damage that the erosion was a consequence of a well known mechanism of metal destruction due to fatigue. Because of impingement of water droplets on the blade surface at high speed the surface and undersurface cracks and tunnels were made in the material with joining of cracks and tunnels removing blade base material. On the basis of measurements and observation of erosion it was established that the rotor blades during their service life mostly operate in a third region with a lower rate of erosion. Consequently, in order to estimate the service life of eroded rotor blades, the third decelerated region of the erosion process was the most important one. Based on the determined erosion rate of the rotor blade profile chord in the third region, and on a simplified model, their service life has been estimated. In order to develop a mathematical model of erosion that could be more broadly applied, further observation will be necessary of the erosion processes in operating turbines and investigations will need to be made into the influence of the wet steam and operating conditions on the erosion process.

131 O.A. Povarov, B. StaniSa and V.A. Riienko, iznosa raboEnih lopatok parovih 66-69.

Issledovanie

erozionnog

turbin, Teploenergetika, 4 (1988)

I41 J.A. Krzyzattowski, Erozija lopatek turbin parowych, Zaklad

Narodowy im. Ossolinskich Wydownichtwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, Wroclow, Warszawa, Krakow, 1991, p. 300.

151W. Starch, F. Muhl, W. Kuhn and G. Blum, A Method for Repair and
Regeneration of Erosively Worn Final Stage Moving Blades, Strojarstvo, 3 ( 1990) 195-201.

[61 C.M. Preece, Erosion, Academic Press, New York, 1979, p. 464.
[7] D. Pollard, M.J. Lord and E.C. Stockton, An Evaluation of Low Pressure Steam Turbine Blade Erosion, GECJ. Sci. Technol., 2 ( 1983) 29-34. 181 R.G. Perelman and V.V. Prjahin, Erozija elementov parovih turbin, Energoatomizdat, materials, 15-l-8. Moskva, 1986, p. 182. 1987, p. [9] Z. Rum1 and A. LiSka, A model for the erosion of steam turbine blade Proc. ELSI VU Conf. Cambridge, Sammelwerk,

101 B. StaniSa, M. DiEko and K. Puklavec, Erosion process of the stage

rotor blades of turbines in service, Proc. ELSI VII Conf, Cambridge, Sammelwerk, 1987, p. 16-1-7. 111 J.A. Krzyzanowski, A.E. Kowalski and A.L. Shubenko, Some aspects of erosion prediction of steam turbine blading, J. Eng. Gas Turbines, Power, 2 (1994) 442-451. 121 B. StaniSa, O.A. Povarov and auf V.A. den Riienkov, Einq iuss des beim of Wassertropfenauftre~inkels [13] B. StaniSa, O.A. Povarov Erosionsvorgang

References
[ I] B. StaniSa, Effect of wet steam upon turbine blade erosion, Strojarstvo 34(1979)161-169. [2] I.P. Faddeev, M.B. Briiaakov, AI. Masljanko and S.L.S.L. Havija, Erozija detalejparovih turbin, NIIE informenergomag, Moskva, 1982, p. 53.

Dampfturbinenschaufelmaterial, BWK 3, 1992, p. 93-97. and V.A. Riienkov, Basic principles material erosion in steam turbine blades due to impingement droplets, Strojarstvo, 5 (1985) 301-313. [ 141 B. StaniSa, Estimation of service life of eroded rotor blades of higher output steam turbines, Elektroprivreda, 9/IO ( 1987) 357-364. of water