TURNING

GEAR AN
OPERATION
POINT OF
VIEW.

WHAT IS A TURNING GEAR?

ITS A PINION AND GEAR
ARRANGEMENT TO ROTATE A SHAFT
AS A PART OF WARM UP TO PREVENT
IT FROM DISTORTION AT ANY STATE.
IN THIS PRESENTATION I WILL TRY
PROVIDING AN IDEA ABOUT THE
ROLE OF TURNING GEAR WITH
SCHEMATICS AND PICTORIAL
REPRESENTATIONS.

A TURNING GEAR

D11
VERTIC
AL

A TURNING GEAR
(CONTD)
Ge 9fa

PURPOSE IN GENERAL
TURNING GEAR OPERATION DURING TURBINE
STARTUP
Purposes
The major purposes of turning gear operation during
turbine startup are:
1. To rollout shaft hogging or sagging before run
up is begun.Any attempt to run up the turbine
with an extensively deformed shaft is bound
to fail because high vibration would sooner or
later trip the turbine. Mean while the turbine
generator would be exposed to continuous
rubbing causing a damage in its bearings.

PURPOSE IN GENERAL
(contd)
To Enable PREWARMING of the
Turbine Generator. If the turbine
generator is prewarmed with rotor
held stationary, rotor and casing
HOGGING would develop due to
thermal stratification of the
atmosphere in the machine as
outlined in the earlier turbine
courses. This would make runup
impossible until HOGGING is ruled

What is HOGGING and

SAGGING?

)
HOGGING : BENDING OF A BEAM OR ROTOR IN

UPWARDS DIRECTION TO ITS AXIAL DIRECTION IS

KNOWN AS HOGGING. THIS IS OCCURRED DUE TO

SAGGING :

BENDING OF A BEAM OR

SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT DUE TO HEAT SUPPLIED

ROTOR IN UPWARDS DIRECTION TO ITS AXIAL

DIRECTION IS KNOWN AS HOGGING. THIS IS
OCCURRED DUE TO SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT
DUE TO SUDDEN COOLING OF A BEAM OR SHAFT
FROM HIGH TEMPERATURE

GE 9FA TURNING GEAR SYSTEM AND

USE OF LIFT OIL.
GE 9FA SHAFT IS SUPPORTED AND MOUNTED
ON 4 BEARINGS . TWO ELLIPTICAL JOURNAL
BEARINGS FOR GENERATOR COLLECTOR
AND TERMINAL END AND TWO ELLIPTICAL
JOURNAL BEARINGS FOR THE TURBINE
COLECTOR AND TERMINAL END SECTION.
LUBE OIL (GRADE 32 ) IS SUPPLIED INTO THE
BEARINGS FOR LUBRICATION OF THE SHAFT
TO SUPPORT THE SHAFT WHILE ROTATION
AND MINIMISE THE FRICTION.

GE 9FA TURNING GEAR SYSTEM AND

USE OF LIFT OIL.. (CONTD)
HYDRAULIC OIL FOR GT 9FA IS TAKEN FROM
THE LUBE OIL HEADER AND SUPPLIED TO
TWO RECIPROCATING PUMPS.
THESE RECIPROCATING PUMPS ARE CALLED
AS HYDRAULIC PUMPS. THESE HYDRAULIC
PUMPS ARE USED FOR TWO PURPOSES
FOR SUPPLYING HYDRAULIC OIL FOR IGV (20TV1
),FOR ACTUATION OF LIQUID FUEL CONTROL
VALVE (20FV1) AND FUEL GAS CONTROL VALV E
(20FG1).

GE 9FA TURNING GEAR SYSTEM AND

USE OF LIFT OIL.. (CONTD)
IT IS ALSO USED FOR SUPPLYING LIFT
OIL TO LIFT THE SHAFT FOR ENGAGING
IT WITH TURNING GEAR AND IS (LIFT
OIL) IN SERVICE TILL 50 % OF THE
SHAFT SPEED. DUAL PRESSURES FROM
THE SAME PUMP IS SUPPLIED BY
PRESSURE COMPENSATING FLOW
DEVICE AT THE PUMP DISCHARGE
WHICH IS SOLENOID ACTUATED (20
QB1)

WHAT IS LIFT OIL?

LIFT OIL OR JACK OIL IS THE OIL WHICH IS
SUPPLIED TO THE BEARINGS OF THE
ROTOR SHAFT AT CERTAIN PRESSURE TO
LIFT THE SHAFT TO ENGAGE WITH
TURNING GEAR OR FOR ANY TESTS
RELATING TO FREE ROTATION OF THE
GENERATOR.
USING A LIFT OIL MINIMISES THE BREAK
AWAY TORQUE REQUIRED FOR ROTATION
OF THE SHAFT FROM REST.

WHAT IS BREAK AWAY TORQUE?

BREAK AWAY TORQUE OR BREAKING OF
MOMENT OF INERTIA OF A ROTATING DEVICE.
AS PER NEWTON S FIRST LAW OF MOTION
ANY BODY AT ITS STATE OF REST POSSESSES
SOME KIND OF INERTIA WITHIN ITSELF.
THERE IS SOME AMOUNT OF ENERGY
REQUIRED TO BREAK THIS MOMENT TO
FORCE THE BODY TO MOVE ON OR START ITS
MOTION. SIMILAR PHENOMENA HAPPENS IN
CASE OF GENERATOR ROTOR ALSO

WHAT IS BREAK AWAY TORQUE?...(CONTD)

FROM REST THE GENERATOR ROTOR

NEEDS TO BE STARTED TO ATTAIN
SOME KIND OF MOTION BEFORE
STARTUP AS DISCUSSED EARLIER. SO
IN ORDER TO MINIMISE THE ENERGY
TO ENGAGE THE SHAFT WITH
TURNING GEAR, LIFT OIL IS SUPPLIED
FROM THE HYDRAULIC PUMP AT A
PRESSURE OF 2800 PSI (GE-9FA) ,
THE PRESSURE OF WHICH CAN VARY

WHAT IS BREAK AWAY TORQUE?...(CONTD)

ALSO NOTE THAT IN GE 9FA THE STARTING
DEVICE IS LCI (LOAD COMMUTATED
INVERTER) THE SUPPLY OF WHICH IS
TAKEN FROM 11 KV AUXILLARY BUS BAR
THROUGH A 11 KV ISOLATION
TRANSFORMER.
SO IF IN ANY CASE OF OVER CURRENT
WHICH CAN BE CAUSED DURING THE
LIFTING OF SHAFT WITHOUT SUFFICIENT
PRESSURE THE LCI MAY TRIP.

WHAT IS BREAK AWAY TORQUE?...

(CONTD
SO CONSIDERING ALL THESE
FACTORS THE SHAFT IS SUPPLIED
WITH A LIFT OIL.
I HAVE ATTACHED A SCHEMATIC OF
LIFT OIL SYSTEM OF GE 9FA IN THE
NEXT PAGE.

WHAT IS BREAK AWAY TORQUE?...

(CONTD

TURNING GEAR SYSTEM IN STG D11

FOR STG D11 TURNING GEAR IS A VERTICAL
MOUNTED SYSTEM WITH A BULL AND MESH GEAR
SYSTEM IN PLACE.
THE TURNING GEAR SYSTEM IN STG CONSISTS OF
A LOW BOY TURNING GEAR WHICH IS AT THE
BOTTOM COUPLED TO TURNING GEAR MOTOR AT
THE TOP. THIS LOW BOY TURNING GEAR IS ALSO
KNOWN AS PIGGY MOTOR WHICH ENGAGES ITSELF
WITH THE SHAFT. THE LOWBOY TURNING GEAR IS
ACTUATED WITH ELECTRO PNEUMATIC SIGNAL
FORM THE TURNING GEAR MOTOR MOUNTED AT
THE TOP OF IT.

WHY LIFT OIL IS NOT REQUIRED FOR

STG D11 TURNING GEAR?
D11 TURNING GEAR IS NOT
SUPPLIED WITH A LIFT OIL AS THE
STG IS ROLLED BY USING STEAM.
THERE IS NOT EXTERNAL ELECTRIC
POWER USED FOR THE SAME AND
HENCE THERE IS NOT TRIPPING IN
CASE OF THE MOTION OF THE SHAFT
IS CONCERNED. SO PROVIDING A
LIFT OIL WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL
INPUT TO THE SYSTEM WHICH IS A

WHY LIFT OIL IS NOT REQUIRED FOR

STG D11 TURNING GEAR?
ALSO INITIAL ROLLING OF THE STEAM IS SUPPLIED
AT AROUND A PRESSURE OF 20 BAR FROM IP
REHEAT INTERCEPT VALVE WHICH IS QUITE
SUFFICIENT TO COUNTER THE BREAK AWAY
TORQUE EFFECT.
ALSO THE STEAM TURBINE IS SUPPORTED WITH
ELLIPTICAL JOURNAL BEARINGS WHICH ARE WELL
CAPABLE OF RETAINING OIL AT SUFFICIENT
PRESSURE. NOTE THAT THE OIL USED HERE IS
USED FOR LUBRICATION.(GRADE 46 OR 32). NOT
THE LIFT OIL WHICH IS AN ETHER (EHC FRYQUEL)

WHY LIFT OIL IS NOT REQUIRED FOR

STG D11 TURNING GEAR?

ELLIPTICAL BEARINGS.

 HOPE THE ABOVE PRESENTATION

WAS USEFUL FOR U
I WILL MAKE ANOTHER
PRESENTATION RELATING TO
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF
TURNING GEAR IN STG AND GT. IN
THE NEXT SESSION.