ASET - EEE

Turbine
Monitoring and Control

05/04/2020
 In this presentation… ASET - EEE

• Introduction
• Classification
• Elements of steam turbine
• Rotor
• Casing/Shell
• Bearings
• Steam Control System
• Shaft Seals
• Oil System
• Turbine Measurements
• Process measurements – temp/level/pressure/flow…
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 INTRODUCTION ASET - EEE

• Power is generated by rotating the rotor shaft of an alternator with the

help of turbine.
• The high pressure and high temperature steam supplied by the boiler
enters a turbine with a lot of heat energy in it.
• A steam turbine continuously converts that heat energy into shaft work.
• The utilized steam is then exhausted to a condenser at low pressure and
low temperature.
• Excellent speed stability is possible with appropriate control equipment.
• The stability of speed is one of the most important criteria for the prime
movers of electric generators.

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 INTRODUCTION ASET - EEE

• Two main parts of a steam turbine are nozzles and blades.

• The heat energy to rotational mechanical energy conversion takes
place in two steps.
• Nozzles receive steam at high temperature and pressure, expand
and allow the steam to come out of them at a high velocity.
• The blades mounted on a wheel receive the high velocity jets from
the nozzles.
• The impinged steam produces torque on the rotating wheel.

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 CLASSIFICATION ASET - EEE

The turbines are classified mainly into two categories, based on the types of blades used and
the method of energy transfer.
1. Impulse turbines
2. Reaction turbines

• Impulse turbines: The complete pressure drop of the steam takes place in the nozzles and the
wheel rotates only due to the impulsive effect of the jets coming out of nozzles. The angular
momentum absorbed by the wheel in producing shaft work is equal to the momentum of
steam jets at inlet to the blades minus the momentum of jets at exit from the blades.

• Reaction turbines: The pressure drop occurs both in the nozzles and in the moving row of
blades. The expansion of steam in the blades increases the kinetic energy of the steam. The
increase in kinetic energy causes reaction in the opposite direction. Hence the moving blades
rotate due to both the impulsive effect of the jets and the reactive action. Though such
turbines are called reaction turbines, they are actually impulse-reaction turbines.
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 IMPULSE V/S REACTION ASET - EEE

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 CLASSIFICATION ASET - EEE

Based on Instrumentation Control Points of View, the turbines

may be classified based on the process conditions.
They are basically classified into the following three
categories:
1. Condensing turbine
2. Non-condensing turbine
3. Extraction turbine

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 CONDENSING TURBINE ASET - EEE

The input to the turbine may be from a single source or from a number of boilers connected
to a steam bus and then supplied. The output may be 'condensing' in which the exhaust
pressure is sub-atmospheric (vacuum). The condensed water is recirculated back into feed
water stream to avoid treatment of more freshwater (make up water). Here the makeup
water requirement is kept at minimum.

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 NON-CONDENSING
TURBINE ASET - EEE

The input to the turbine is similar to that of condensing turbine, but the output may be 'non-
condensing' in which the exhaust pressure is greater than atmospheric. Such a turbine is also
called back pressure turbine. The steam that exhausted with some pressure may be utilized as
process steam for the other purposes in the plant. Such a steam is called process steam or
intermediate pressure steam or low pressure steam.

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 EXTRACTION TURBINE ASET - EEE

Both in condensing and non-condensing turbines, the outlet from the turbine is only one.
One or two more outlets may be provided to extract steam at different pressures for other
uses. Such a turbine is called extraction turbine. It may be condensing or non-condensing.

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 TOPPING AND BOTTOMING TURBINES ASET - EEE

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 ELEMENTS OF STEAM
TURBINE ASET - EEE

• Rotor
This the main moving element of a turbine. In impulse
turbine it is a shaft on which the wheels carrying the
blades are mounted. The rotor of a reaction turbine is
a drum. It is coupled to the rotor of alternator both of
them are supported by bearings mounted on sides.
• Casing/shell
Casing is the principal stationary element, often called
the shell. It surrounds the rotor and holds, internally
any nozzles, blades, and diaphragms that may be
necessary to control the path and physical state of
expanding steam . The casing is normally thermally
insulated from outside to prevent radiation losses. 

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 ELEMENTS OF STEAM
TURBINE ASET - EEE

• Bearings

The main bearings of a single stage turbine are two in number. The amount of heat energy dissipated because of the
friction in bearings depends mainly on the turbine load conditions. This may result in increase of bearing temperature
which can be controlled through lubrication of bearings.

• Steam Control System

Flow of the steam through a turbine is usually regulated so as to produce constant rotative speed in the presence of
variable power demand. Control is exercised by varying the quantity and pressure of the steam flowing through the
turbine. If quantity control could be had alone, it would be employed, but the turbine has fixed-size nozzles and
pressure control is the most practical method of varying quantity. In large turbines, power is varied with minimum
throttling by subdividing the first stage nozzles into groups which come into action in sequence as load is increased.
However, beyond the first stage the entire nozzle group is always in action, and pressure and quantity are variable when
power is changed.

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 ELEMENTS OF STEAM
TURBINE ASET - EEE

• Shaft seals

Where the shaft emerges from the casing it needs sealing to prevent steam outflow at the high-pressure end and air
inflow at the vacuum end. On small noncondensing turbines, this is accomplished by mechanical sealing rings;
however these are not practical if the shaft diameter is large. Labyrinth glands with steam or water sealing at the
condenser end are employed on all large turbines. Multistage internal turbines must also be internally sealed
between the shaft and diaphragms.

• Oil system

Oil is required for lubricating the bearings. Most turbines use the oil-pressure system for both bearing lubrication and
governor servomechanism operation. An oil reservoir, Oil filter and oil cooler are included in this system. Sometimes
a separately-driven emergency oil pump is provided, (in case the main oil supply to a large turbine fails, the bearings
would be ruined before the rotor came to rest) even though the fault were immediately detected and the emergency
valve tripped. This is because of the enormous store of energy in the massive rotor running at 1500 or 3000 rpm.

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 TURBINE MEASUREMENTS ASET - EEE

• PROCESS PARAMETERS
• STEAM PRESSURE
• STEAM TEMPERATURE
• STEAM FLOW
• CONDENSER LEVEL
• CONDENSER FLOW
• CONDENSER VACUUM

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 ASET - EEE

Questions?

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