Steam Turbines:

Classification &
constructional details
By
Mahendra chikhale
Engineer (M) PHS
Condition Monitoring Cell


Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd
Chembur , Mumbai

What is Turbine?
Fundamentals
Steam turbine is power producing device.
Steam turbine is a device which converts
thermal/heat energy of steam from boiler to
mechanical energy of rotational torque at
the output shaft and in turn the power.
Steam turbines are utilized to drive a variety
of equipment types of numerous sizes and
speeds in just about every industry segment
including power generation , pulp, and
paper , steel, chemical , oil and gas
industries.
History
De Laval, Parsons and Curtis developed
the concept for the steam turbine in the
1880s
Modern steam turbines use essentially the
same concept but many detailed
improvements have been made in the
intervening years mainly to improve
turbine efficiency.
Principles of operation
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 steam from the boiler is expanded in a nozzle,
resulting into a high velocity jet. This jet of steam
impinges on the moving blades, mounted on a shaft.
Here it undergoes a change of direction of motion
which in turn change in momentum and therefore a
force.
Simple arrangement of a Turbine
Steam
turbines
Principle of
operation
No of
cylinders
Cylinder
arrangement
Blading
Exhaust
conditions
No of stages
No of
casings
Principle of
operation
Impulse
turbine
Reaction
turbine
Impulse
reaction
turbine
Impulse principle
Impulse turbine
In impulse turbine, the drop in pressure of
steam takes place only in nozzles, not in
moving blades.
This is obtained by making the blade
passage of constant cross-sectional area.


Simple I mpulse Turbine
Reaction principle
Reaction turbine
The drop in pressure takes place in fixed nozzles as
well as moving blades.
The pressure drop suffered by steam while passing
through the moving blades causes a further
generation of kinetic energy within these blades,
giving rise to reaction and add to the propelling force,
which is applied through the rotor to the turbine shaft.
The blade passage cross-sectional area is varied
(converging type).
Reaction stages
Impulse-Reaction turbine
Utilizes the principle of impulse and reaction
There are a number of rows of moving blades
attached to the rotor and an equal number of fixed
blades attached to the casing.
The fixed blades are set in a reversed manner
compared to the moving blades, and act as nozzles.
Due to the row of fixed blades at the entrance,
instead of nozzles, steam is admitted for the whole
circumference and hence there is an all-round or
complete admission.
Nozzle & bucket Arrangements
For Impulse & Reaction Turbine
Why compounding/multi-staging
In steam engines, it is difficult to obtain fast rotation, Whereas
turbines have a great difficulty to run at slower speeds.
For example: Steam expanding from 10.34 bar to deep vacuum
through diverging nozzle will attain velocity of 1.2 km/second
Therefore, an impulse type turbine wheel of 12 inches (30.5 cm)
diameter will rotate in the proximity of 35,000 rpm.
This impulse wheel would soar to over 75,000 rpm if all load to it
would suddenly drop.
The reaction type turbine wheel of the same diameter (12)
would actually run in the proximity of 69,000 to 75,000 rpm.
These speeds are too high for all practical purposes,
Rotational speeds are reduced by velocity compounding, or
pressure compounding.
It is for this reason that multi staging is almost always employed
in turbine


Blading/compounding
Pressure
compounded
velocity
compounded
pressure and
velocity
compounded
Pressure compounded impulse Turbine
Splitting up of the whole pressure drop from the
steam chest pressure to the condenser pressure into
a series of smaller pressure drops across several
stages of impulse turbine.
The nozzles are fitted into a diaphragm locked in the
casing. This diaphragm separates one wheel
chamber from another.
All rotors are mounted on the same shaft and the
blades are attached on the rotor.

Pressure compounding
Velocity compounded impulse turbine
Velocity drop is arranged in many small drops
through many moving rows of blades instead
of a single row of moving blades.
It consists of a nozzle or a set of nozzles and
rows of moving blades attached to the rotor or
the wheel and rows of fixed blades attached
to the casing.
Velocity Compounding
Pressure-Velocity Compounding
No of
stages
Single
stage
Multi
stage
Single stage turbine
multi stage turbine
Exhaust
conditions
Back
pressure Type
Extraction
type
Condensing
Type
Steam exits the turbine at a higher pressure that the atmospheric
Back Pressure Steam Turbine
Figure: Back pressure steam turbine
Advantages:
-Simple configuration
-Low capital cost
-Low need of cooling water
-High total efficiency

Disadvantages:
-Larger steam turbine
-Electrical load and output can not
be matched
Fuel
Boiler
Turbine
Process
HP Steam
Condensate
LP
Steam

Steam obtained by extraction
from an intermediate stage
Remaining steam is exhausted
Relatively high capital cost,
lower total efficiency
Control of electrical power
independent of thermal load
Extraction Condensing Steam Turbine
Boiler
Turbine
Process
HP Steam
LP Steam
Condensate
Condenser

Fuel
Figure: Extraction condensing steam turbine
All steam is exhausted
very high capital cost, higher
total efficiency
Control of electrical power
independent of thermal load
Extraction Condensing Steam Turbine
Boiler
Turbine
HP Steam
Condensate
Condenser

Fuel
Figure: condensing steam turbine
No of
cylinders
Single
cylinder
Multi
cylinder
Single cylinder turbine
multi cylinder turbine
Flow of
steam
Single flow
Compound
flow
Uni/single flow
Bi flow turbine
Arrangement
of cylinders
Tandem
arrangement
Cross
arrangement
In tandem compound arrangement the rotor shafts of al
of the cylinder make one common shaft that drives one
generator. The rotors may be coupled together
Cross compound machines avoid long shafts and can
enable fewer LP turbines if LP turbine shafts are run at
different speeds.
Cylinder 2 Cylinder 1 Generator
Steam IN
Steam OUT
Two cylinder Tandem arrangement
Cylinder 2
Generator 2
Generator 1
Steam IN
Steam OUT
Cross cylinder arrangement
Cylinder 4
Cylinder 3
Cylinder 1
Why multi-cylinder arrangement?
The limit of a single-cylinder turbine is about 100
MW.
Multi-cylinder designs are used in large plant
e.g. one high pressure (HP) turbine, one
intermediate pressure (IP) turbine and two low
pressure (LP) turbines.
The IP and LP turbines are usually double flow.
Schematic Diagram
Turbine components
Turbine balding : Stationary blades , Moving
blades
Rotor
Turning Gear/Barring gear
Casing
Steam Valves
Journal bearing
Thrust bearing
foundation
Turbine rotor
Types of rotors
Disc type rotors
Drum type rotors
Types of Rotor
Steam Turbine blading
Rows of stationary balding and Rows of Rotating balding.
Stationary balding- nozzles , vanes , partitions and stationary
balding (Diaphragms)
Rotating balding buckets , blades and rotating blading.
Turbine balding different shapes either impulse blading or
reaction blading.
Impulse balding are U shaped
Reaction blading aerofile shape
Impulse turbine utilized in high pressure section
Reaction blading utilized in the lower pressure section

First row of moving blade is normally pure impulse blading
Impulse balding efficient in higher pressure area and reaction type blading
are more efficient in lower pressure area

Blading Sections
Steam Turbine balding
Regardless of balding type blade tips may have integral shrouds which are part of
blades
Blade root Attachment
Types of Blade root Attachment
Dovetail root
Internal tree root
Internal T root
Bulbous root
Straddle tree root
pinned root
Shrouding
Types of shrouding
shrouding
Rivetted
shroud
Integral
Shroud
Lashing
Integral shroud
Riveted shroud
Riveted types
Lashing type shrouding
riveted
lashing Integral
Steam Turbine Turning Gear
Turning gear is utilized on turbines to reduce eccentricity
or out of round of the rotor. When a rotor is standing still it
has a tendency to sag due to its weight.
While running a turning gear which is a separate motor
that turns the rotor slowly 10-50 RPM through a clutching
mechanism. This rotation keeps the rotor in balnace.
It is very important to run the turning gear on shutdowns
and start ups. The time required to run is dependent on
the size of your unit.
Typically the turning gear must be on for 12-36 hours for
small to large steam turbins after shutdown and 2-16
hours prior to a turbine start.
If a turning gear is not utilized the rotor will become
eccentric and may cause vibration up to wiping rotating
parts with the stationary parts causing catastrophic
failure.
Turning Gear
Turbine Sealing
Interstate sealing
Shaft sealing
interstate sealing
shaft sealing
Turbine seal types
Carbon rings
Labyrinth seal
Stuffing box
principle
Simple Labyrinth seal
Labyrinth seal
Carbon Seal rings
Stuffing box
Turbine casing
Double casing Single casing
principle
Journal bearing types
Lobe bearings
Tilting pads journal bearing
Thrust bearing
Babbitt faced collar bearings
Tilting pads
Tapered land bearing
Rolling contact (roller or ball) bearing

A fluid film thrust bearing
A fluid film thrust bearing
Thrust and Journal
Bearing Part
Schematic
Antifriction Thrust bearing
The Babbitt face of a tapered land thrust bearing has a series of
fixed pads divided by radial slots. The leading edge of each
sector is tapered, allowing an oil wedge to build up and carry the
thrust between the collar and pad
Balancing Drum
To contract axial thrust steam is admitted to a dummy( balance )
piston chamber at the low pressure end of the rotor.

Balancing Drum arrangement
governor
turbine
Generator
Governor
Speed sensor
Control valve
Stop valve
Steam IN
Steam OUT
Set point
Power to grid
Power supply
Turbine Valves
The stop valve
The Control valve

Steam stop valve
Important to any turbine is the ability to start and stop the machine under
normal (controlled) and emergency conditions. For steam turbines, being
able to shut off the steam supply quickly & reliably is required.
This is normally accomplished by either main steam (MS) stop valves or trip
and throttle (T&T) valves which are usually installed in the inlet piping to the
steam turbine or on the turbine shell.
Ventilator valve
ventilator valve
Stop valve
turbine
Generator
condenser
Power to grid
turbine
function of ventilator valve is to prevent the turbine from
overheating during a turbine trip or shutdown.
Emergency blow-down valve
turbine
Generator
Emergency blow-
down valve
Stop valve
condenser
Power to grid
turbine
Emergency blow-down valve is used to prevent overspending
during load rejection.

Drain valves
Turbine drain valves is used to remove moisture
Trouble shooting of steam turbine
summery
Unbalance
Blade corrosion /erosion
Broken blades
Improper/dislocated balancing weights
Salt deposition on blades
Rotor run-out
Un even heating of rotor
Corrosion/Erosion
Broken blades
summery
Alignment
Improper levelling
Eccentric couplings
Thermal considerations
Piping tension
summery
looseness
Loose coupling
Excessive clearances
of bearings
Loose coupling joints
summery
operation
Salt deposition
Steam quality
Improper inter-stage sealing
Broken nozzles
Over-speeding due to governor
problem
Salt deposition
summery
Bearing
failure
Lack of lubrication
Poor oil grade
Dirt Contaminated oil
Moisture contamination
Residual magnetism
Design flaws
Bearing failure due to
overheating
Contaminated oil erosion
Shaft Grounding Locations

Oil whirl and oil whip
Oil whirl

Probe surfacing area should be properly demagnetized
Combined total electrical & mechanical run out does not exceed 25
percent of the maximum allowable peak to peak value or
Which ever is greater
For radial vibration probe 0.25 mils
For axila position probes- 0.5 mil

Probe sensing areas
Why steam quality is important?
Steam Purity Why ?
Impurities can cause damage to turbine
components by - corrosion, stress corrosion,
corrosion fatigue, erosion-corrosion.
Deposition can cause thermodynamic
losses, lower efficiency, upsetting of pressure
distributions, clogging of seals and
clearances