Appendix E.

Slow Rolling Turbine Best Practice October 2, 1995

E1.0 Best Practice to Eliminate Steam Turbine Slow Rolling

Published jointly by the Energy Management & Utilities and Rotating Equipment
Best Practice Teams
Master Energy Management & Utilities - Dale Ehrbright 510 242 5459
Master IMI Machinery - Robert Watkins 601 938 2003

E2.0 Summary
It is common practice to slow roll standby turbines as a means of incident preven-
tion. This is an expensive, inefficient practice and can be avoided in most cases
without compromising rapid and reliable startups.
This Best Practice covers:
1. The paradigm of slow roll operation
2. Economic Incentive to stop slow rolling
3. Legitimate slow rolling
4. Steps to eliminate slow rolling:
– Proper turbine trapping
– Proper supply piping layout
– Good insulation practices
– Turbine testing
– Auditing
– Training
– Inclusion of Training material in Operating Manuals
By implementing this best practice, most turbine slow rolling can be eliminated.
This Best Practice requires involvement by Operations, Maintenance, Engineering,
and Inspection.

E3.0 The Paradigm of Slow Roll Operation - Why Slow Roll?

Historically, some standby turbines have not come up to speed when needed. In
most cases, the problem was an accumulation of condensate in the case when the
turbine was in a hot stand-by mode. The condensate acted as a damper, resisting

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rapid startup. To alleviate this problem, facilities began slow rolling these standby
turbines in an attempt to:
1. Keep the condensate blown out of the turbine case or, if that was not possible.
2. At least have a turbine wheel that has already overcome the initial resistance
that a condensate filled case will have to movement. Slow rolling was a
common way to help the turbine come up to operating speed quickly and
smoothly.

E4.0 Economic Incentive to Stop Slow Rolling

Incident Prevention: Most turbines are drivers for spare pumps. When the elec-
trical driver goes down, the turbines are required to reach operating speed immedi-
ately, generally the result of a power outage or mechanical failure. Many turbines
are on Automatic Pump Start (APS), instrumented to start automatically. When
they do not come up as designed, operations are jeopardized, creating a potential
for a Lost Profit Opportunity.
Energy Savings: A slow rolled turbine consumes energy but does no work in
return. The other pump, which typically is electric, is on-line, meeting process
requirements. A facility is faced with paying for the energy consumed by the slow
roller. If fast start up could be achieved without slow rolling, the economic incen-
tive is as follows:
Slow rolled turbines typically consume 10-30% of the design turbine load. For a
small turbine designed to use 20M #/hr of 600# steam at full load, the cost to the
facility is as much as $150,000 /yr. A 1995 audit of the refineries revealed 78 slow
rolled turbines. Assuming these are slow rolled at 20% of design load, this is worth
approximately $2 million/yr to Chevron in energy savings if the slow rolling can be
eliminated.
Common arguments used in favor of slow rolling include:
“It doesn’t cost anything to slow roll because I’m venting steam anyway.” If
the facility is venting steam, then turbine driven pumps need to be turned off
and motor driven pumps turned on. Slow rolling doesn’t help.
“I need the low pressure steam. If I stop slow rolling I’ll just let the steam
down anyway.” If low pressure steam is needed then a small amount of steam
is required through a letdown valve for pressure control. If more than a small
amount is being let down, then a turbine should be turned on and a motor off.
Mechanical Integrity and Maintenance Costs: slow rolled turbines increase
maintenance costs. A slow rolling turbine and its associated pump will wear over
time. A turbine and pump that has slow rolled for a long period of time may not be
reliable for operation at full load when needed due to wear that has occurred. The
accelerated wear resulting from slow rolling increases required maintenance on the
pump and driver and thus increases maintenance costs. The worn condition of the
pump and driver may also increase the probability of an operating incident because
of poor mechanical integrity.

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E5.0 Legitimate Slow Rolling (To Roll or Not to Roll?)

There are a few instances when slow rolling may be unavoidable.
Process Requirements: Process considerations on the pump end of a turbine
driver may require slow rolling. Coker fractionator bottoms pumps are typically
slow rolled. The fractionator bottoms are heavy and setup in the pump end if not
continuously circulated by slow rolling the turbine driver. This is especially true in
colder climates. Attempts have been made to improve tracing and insulation of the
pump and look at other considerations aimed at eliminating slow rolling, but none
have proven effective. Slow rolling is legitimate in this instance.
There are other instances where a turbine should be slow rolled for process require-
ments. We are not going to attempt to list all process services which require slow
rolling in this Best Practice. The above is an example where slow rolling is required
due to process conditions. Each turbine should be evaluated on a case by case basis
of risk versus cost.
Mechanical Design: There are mechanical reasons that require a turbine to be
slow rolled. In each case, IMI should be involved to insure there are no other alter-
natives to slow rolling.
1. The turbine must operate below the first critical speed. Most common steam
turbines operate below the first bending critical and therefore are not required
to be slow rolled. If the turbine operates above the first bending critical, it
must be slow rolled before operating at full speed.
2. The APS signal and control valve opening must be rapid enough to allow APS
operation. Occasionally, pneumatic signals are too slow. Once the control
valve is open, a turbine should be on line and on governor control in less than
10 seconds. In this case, the turbine must be slow rolled until modifications
are made.
3. If the turbine is discharging into a surface condenser, it will be necessary to
slow roll the turbine in order to maintain a vacuum in the surface condenser.
When a condensing turbine is not rotating, the sealing steam must be shut off
to prevent uneven heating of the turbine shaft. If the sealing steam is shut off,
a vacuum will be difficult to maintain in the surface condenser due to air
leakage through the labyrinth seals.
4. The governor must be responsive and reliable to achieve quick start ups
without causing the turbine to overspeed trip. Typically, a mechanical
governor or an obsolete oil relay governor will need to be replaced with a
hydraulic or state of the art electronic governor for satisfactory APS operation.
5. Large rotating process equipment (e.g.: FCC main air blower) that have
support equipment (e.g.: lube oil systems) that are redundantly backed up by a
motor and turbine driver, need continuous operation of this support equipment.
In these applications it is preferred to use the turbine as the main pump and the
electric motor as the spare. The turbine, whether slow rolled or not, often does
not start fast enough to prevent a major machine trip. There are several docu-

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mented cases of plant shutdowns when the primary electric failed and the slow
rolled or standby steamer did not start fast enough to prevent a trip.

E6.0 How to Eliminate Slow Rolling

Turbine Trapping
Why Proper Trapping of Turbines is Important. Turbines must be properly
trapped to prevent condensate from accumulating in the case. In many cases, the
lowest portion of the wheel is submerged below the condensate level in the case.
When supply steam is introduced to the turbine, it takes longer to get up to oper-
ating speed because the condensate restricts the free movement of the turbine
wheel. Condensate can build-up to high levels in the turbine case if there are no
low points to remove it. Many times, case drain valves are left partially open so
condensate (and typically a lot of steam - $$$$) can be removed to keep the case
dry.
Even slow rolled turbines can have condensate in the case, restricting turbine wheel
movement. The turbine comes up to speed faster because the initial resistance has
already been overcome. Correct trapping, piping, and insulation would eliminate
the accumulation of condensate, the loss of steam to the atmosphere, and the need
to slow roll. Training and turbine testing will build and maintain confidence in the
turbine’s ability to start rapidly on standby.
Off line turbines that are not slow rolled could also benefit from correct trapping
procedures. Simply opening a drain valve on the turbine case may reveal conden-
sate and wet steam. This Best Practice makes no effort to place an economic value
on this, but again correct trapping, piping, and insulation would eliminate the
condensate.
Trap Placement. Multiple traps must be installed at the low points of the turbine to
remove condensate. The attached Figure E-1 shows an example of how a turbine
might be trapped. Each turbine must be reviewed individually to determine where
and how traps should be installed. Every turbine is not identical and may not neces-
sarily be trapped exactly the same way.
A trap should be placed on the bottom of the case. Most turbines have a drain plug
at the lowest point on the case that can be used. The governor housing should also
be reviewed. If a low point exists, a trap should also be placed there. If traps
cannot be placed in these locations, "next best" locations may have to be chosen.
Once the traps are installed, the turbine should be tested to assure it quickly comes
up operating speed as desired. If condensate is still present in the case, additional
traps may be required. The minimal number of traps required should be used, since
they will have to be maintained. Drain valves should be kept on the turbine so they
can be used independently of the traps.
Trap Selection, Testing, and Maintenance. Traps selection should based on the
operating conditions of each turbine. When the turbine is not being used (or slow
rolled), the steam supply valve is closed. The turbine case is kept warm by the

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steam from the exhaust header. The turbine outlet valve (if there is one) is kept
open. The steam from the exhaust header is the steam that condenses in the turbine
and must be continuously trapped out. For more details on trap selection refer to
the steam trap specialist at your facility.
Turbine traps should be installed so they are accessible for maintenance. Proper
block valves and drains should be installed for checking and repairing the traps.
Traps are designed to fail open unless they become plugged. A failed open trap in
this service will keep the turbine case dry and meet the objectives of this Best Prac-
tice, but will be costly in steam losses. Installing a strainer upstream of the trap, or
integral with the trap, and frequently blowing it down will minimize the risk of a
trap failing closed. Traps should be tested periodically to assure they are func-
tioning properly. A recommended test frequency is at least once a year. For more
details on trap testing refer to the steam trap specialist at your facility.

Supply Piping
Turbine supply piping must be properly configured to insure the turbine is supplied
with dry steam. Figure E-2 shows a typical supply piping installation. Supply
piping preferably originates from overhead. Control valves, associated block
valves, and bypass valves must be in a horizontal position. The distance from the
control valve to the turbine inlet should be minimized. This minimizes condensa-
tion during hot standby and insures that this section of line does not store enough
potential energy to continue acceleration and cause possible damage after an emer-
gency trip. A drip leg must be installed to separate and collect any condensate in
the header just upstream of the turbine’s steam supply isolation valve. Drip legs
should be properly sized and installed as shown on Figures E-2 and E-3. The first
valves off of the header should be bellows seal valves (if the valve cannot be
isolated for repacking). Traps should be sized for operating conditions and be
installed on the side of the dripleg, not the bottom of the dripleg.

Insulation
Reason for Insulation. The turbine case should be insulated (especially in cold
climates). This is not critical to eliminate slow rolling, but if not done, the large
surface area of the case will cool, increasing the rate of condensation (increasing
steam consumption). The accumulation of condensate in the case will compound
turbine problems if not properly trapped. An uninsulated case also doesn’t allow
the turbine to be kept as warm as it should, making quick starts more difficult. Insu-
lation is an all or none item. To partially insulate, can cause differential expansion
problems that will result in mechanical failure.
Installation Details. Removable insulation pads work well for the turbine case.
They can be easily removed and reinstalled for turbine maintenance. The pads
should be well fitted around the entire case and governor housing (to prevent
condensation and differential expansion and subsequent case warpage). It is impor-
tant that steam leaks on the turbine are minimized. Steam leaks will cause the insu-
lation pads to become wet, causing a negative insulation effect. Removable
insulation pads may not be the best for extremely wet climates for the same reason.

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Steam supply and exhaust piping should also be properly insulated to local require-
ments to minimize condensation of steam.

Turbine Testing
When modifications are made on any turbine per this Best Practice, it is necessary
to test the turbine to be certain all expectations are met. It should be routinely done
to verify: 1) the turbine comes up to speed quickly and smoothly from hot standby
as desired and 2) that the case is dry. If expectations are not met, then additional
work must be done. Additional traps may be required, piping modified, the turbine
repaired, etc.
Adequacy Testing. Successful testing will help build confidence in the turbine that
used to be slow rolled. The testing should be done soon after the modifications
have been completed and the turbine has been left stopped. Time must be provided
to allow the turbine to reach standby temperature and to allow condensation to
occur in the case. Tests may be done as follows:
1. Initiate a start with the APS system. This will allow the turbine to come up to
speed with the main driver on line. On turbines that have no APS, the steam
supply block valve should be opened manually while the main driver is on
line. After testing is complete, return the system to normal operation.
2. On systems with an APS, shut-off the on-line driver. This is a true test but may
be risky if the spare pump fails to come on-line as needed. This also tests the
APS instrumentation, when the on-line pump is shut-off. The APS should auto-
matically start the turbine.
Periodic testing of turbines (also see - Mechanical Integrity Spare Run Program
for Rotating Machinery - IMI Machinery Best Practices Team)
Turbines must be tested routinely (some facility’s test weekly). This will help
assure back-up equipment is:
1. in running condition in case the primary equipment is lost and
2. help maintain confidence that the equipment will start without slow rolling. A
survey of 60 turbines at one facility revealed:
– 10% of the turbines would not start for various reasons such as bad APS,
poor trapping, and plugging problems
– 25% of the spares (including the 10% that would not start) would not
supply the same capacity as the primary’s.
The results highlight the need to test turbines to help prevent incidents and test the
adequacy of trapping on the turbine.

Auditing
Facility wide audits should be performed on a regular basis (at least annually) to
identify turbine(s) that are slow rolling unnecessarily. Findings should be reported
and corrective action should be taken as appropriate.

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Training
Training is the key to sustaining the results and benefits of implementing this Best
Practice. Through training, everyone will understand the importance and basic
details of properly installing and maintaining turbines to eliminate slow rolling.
• Operations must know how to operate their properly installed turbines and
know how to audit them for correct operations.
• Maintenance removes and repairs turbines, and upgrades installations. They
must know how to put the turbine back after it is repaired; i.e. proper trap
installations, proper suction piping, putting the insulation pads back on, etc.
• Engineering should know how to properly design new installations and retro-fit
existing installations. Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, or Inspection
should be able to recognize an installation that is incorrect and correct it when
the turbine is reinstalled.

Inclusion of Training Material in Operating Manuals

The materials in this Best Practice should be included in the Operating Manual for
each plant. This Best Practice is available in electronic form on Lotus Notes.

Attachments (all attachments are available on the Lotus Notes, EM&U data
base)
• Typical Drip Leg (Figure E-3)
• Typical turbine inlet piping (Figure E-2)
• Typical turbine trapping (Figure E-1)
A spreadsheet to calculate $ to target is on the EM&U Lotus Notes data base

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Typical Turbine Trapping
Fig. E-1
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Fig. E-2 Typical Turbine Inlet Piping

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Fig. E-3 Typical Drip Leg

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