Axial thrust

&
Dummy piston
 Axial thrust
➢ In reaction turbine, pressure drop occurs across
each row of moving blades
➢ Considerable reaction thrust acting in axial
direction towards exhaust end
➢ This thrust – too heavy to be carried by normal
rotor thrust block
➢ Thus, dummy cylinder & piston is fitted to
balance reaction thrust
➢ Dummy piston – a wheel mounted on rotor at
H.P. end
➢ Connected by equalising pipe to turbine stage
whose pressure is suitable to balance reaction
thrust
Dummy cylinder & piston
 Dummy cylinder & piston
➢Dummy cylinder & piston are provided with
labyrinth packing – minimise steam
leakage between turbine cylinder &
dummy cylinder
➢Steam leaking through dummy cylinder is
carried away by equalising pipe
 Location of dummy piston
➢H.P. turbines – usually fitted with contact
dummies
➢L.P. & astern turbines – fitted with radial
dummies
➢For same reason, end-tightened blading is
used on HP & radial clearance blading on
LP turbines
Radial & contact dummy
Any other alternative
methods?
Yes!!
But How??
 Double flow LP turbine

Another method of balancing reaction thrust, used particularly in LP

turbines – make the turbine double flow, i.e. steam flows
simultaneously in two opposite directions
 Double flow LP turbine
➢Advantage - only half of total steam
quantity passes through each flow
➢Hence, last few stages can made with
smaller mean diameters
➢As a result, shorter blades, smaller blade
angles, compensate for increased LP
turbine length & maintaining efficiency
 Points to consider
➢ Total axial thrust = (sum of thrusts of all stages) + (total
axial thrust loss - depends on speed, size, condition &
lubrication of rotor thrust)
➢ Indicative of thrust loss = resultant of axial thrust
➢ Axial thrust loss of reaction turbine is greater than for
impulse turbine
➢ If axial thrust is balanced by dummy, an efficiency
correction for dummy leakage is still required
➢ If axial thrust is balanced by double-flow turbine, turbine
becomes longer & more expansive
➢ Tip leakage & other parasitic losses – 2X
➢ Depend on design, reaction stage may or may not suffer
from disc friction & windage losses, diaphragm gland
leakage losses, wetness loss, etc.