MEC239

Applied Thermal Engineering

Unit – 2: Steam Turbines and Condensers

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 blade of turbomachinery.
• 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
radii.

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 Steam Turbine Blade Terminology
• Consider a turbomachine as a tube with an inner
and an outer wall.
• These walls are usually referred to as hub and
casing respectively. The hub and casing walls
bound the flow channel and give it an annular
shape.
• The flow enters the turbomachine on one side
and exits on the other side. As the flow passes
through the turbomachine, the cross section of
the annular flow channel will most probably
vary.
• Swirl of the flow is changed such as to add or
extract energy from the fluid.

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Steam Turbine Blade Terminology

Axial View Side View

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Steam Turbine Blade Terminology
Vb
Vri
Vri Vi
Vi
Inlet Velocity Triangle
Nozzle

Vb

Vb Blade

Vo Vro Vi: Inlet Absolute Velocity, i.e., exit velocity from the nozzle
Vro Vri: Relative Velocity with respect to the tip of blade at inlet
Vro: Relative Velocity with respect to the tip of blade at outlet
Exit Velocity Triangle Vo: Exit Absolute Velocity from the blade
Flow through Blades

Vro U
U
Vni

Vo

Vri

U
Vi
 Velocity Triangle

Vi: Inlet Absolute Velocity, i.e., exit velocity from the nozzle
Vri: Relative Velocity with respect to the tip of blade at inlet
Vro: Relative Velocity with respect to the tip of blade at outlet
Vo: Exit Absolute Velocity from the blade
α: Inlet Nozzle Angle.
β: Inlet Blade Angle.
θ: Angle to the tangent of the wheel at which steam at Vo
leaves the blade
γ: Angle of the blade at outlet.

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Velocity Triangle
Vwi = Tangential component of
velocity Vi known as velocity of
whirl, or the component responsible
for whirling or rotating the turbine
rotor

Vwi = Tangential component of

velocity Vo known as velocity of
whirl at outlet

Vf1 = Axial component of Vi or the

velocity of flow at inlet.

Vf2 = Axial velocity at outlet or the

velocity of flow at outlet, or the axial
component of Vo.

k = blade velocity coefficient,

(without frication Vri = Vro;
With friction k.Vri = Vro; 8
Velocity Triangle

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Velocity Triangle
U
ae ai be bi
Vae Vai Vri
Vre

• The flow velocities between two successive blade at inlet and exit are Vfi & Vfo.
• The circumferential (basic useful) components or whirl velocities at inlet and exit are Vwi & Vwo.
• A blade is said to be symmetric if bi = bo.
• If the stream is to enter and leave the blades without shock or much losses, then relative velocity
should be tangential to the blade inlet tip.
Velocity Triangle
U
ae ai be bi
Vae Vai Vri
Vre

• An increase in a, reduces the value of useful component (Absolute circumferential Component).

• This is also called Inlet Whirl Velocity, Vwi = Vi cos(a).
• An increase in a, increases the value of axial component, also called as flow component.
• This is responsible for definite mass flow rate between two successive blades.
• Flow component Vfi = Vi sin(a) = Vri sin(b).
• The absolute inlet velocity is the resultant of blade velocity and inlet relative velocity.
Forces on the Blades and Work Done
Force: Let t be the time in seconds occupied by a mass M kg of steam in passing over the blade system, then
the acceleration in the direction of motion of 𝑉𝑏 is
𝑉𝑤𝑖 − 𝑉𝑤𝑜
𝑡
Therefore, force on the blade is given by
𝑀 𝑉𝑤𝑖 − 𝑉𝑤𝑜
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 × 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝑡
If M/t = m as the rate of steam flow in kg/sec.
𝐹 = 𝑚 𝑉𝑤𝑖 − 𝑉𝑤𝑜
From velocity diagram, 𝑉𝑤𝑜 is opposite in direction to blade motion, so 𝑉𝑤𝑜 will be negative.
𝐹 = 𝑚 𝑉𝑤𝑖 + 𝑉𝑤𝑜
In general,
𝐹 = 𝑚 𝑉𝑤𝑖 ± 𝑉𝑤𝑜
Or
𝐹 = 𝑚 𝑉𝑤 = 𝑚 𝑑𝑏 + 𝑓𝑏 = 𝑚. 𝑓𝑑
Forces on the Blades and Work Done
Workdone: Rate of work is given by
𝑊 = 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 × 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒
𝑁𝑚
𝑊 = 𝑚 𝑉𝑤𝑖 ± 𝑉𝑤𝑜 𝑉𝑏
sec 𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑡

𝑊 = 𝑚 𝑓𝑑 . 𝑐𝑑
𝑚 𝑉𝑤𝑖 ± 𝑉𝑤𝑜 𝑉𝑏
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 = 𝑘𝑊
1000

𝑚 𝑓𝑑. 𝑐𝑑
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 = 𝑘𝑊
1000
This power is known as rim power, distinguish from the shaft power.
Blade Efficiency
• Total energy available for mechanical work per second, Nm/sec or J/sec or watt

• Therefore, the efficiency of the blades alone is given by,

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 Axial Thrust and Heat Generated
Axial Thrust or End Thrust on the Rotor
• Since mass flow through the blade is same, the change in velocity of flow at inlet and outlet will result in
axial force,
• Axial force = change in momentum = Mass per sec x Change in velocity in axial direction
=
Thus, when blade friction is negligible, axial thrust or end thrust on the rotor is also zero.

Energy converted to heat by blade friction

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 Stage Efficiency
• It is the ratio of the work done on the blades per kg of steam flowing through the stage, i.e. nozzles and
moving blades or a set of fixed and moving blades, to the isentropic enthalpy drop in the stage,

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