11.

STEAM TURBINE SPEED CONTROL

11.1 The Principles Of Governing

During operation of a Turbine-Generator Unit the Load carried

by the Generator may vary over time. In order to respond to
changing System Load demands the amount of steam
directed to the Turbine must be varied in proportion to
each demand. The function of a governor is to provide
rapid automatic response to load variations.

Manually Operated
Throttle Valve
Steam to Turbine

Generator Turbine

Variable Load Condenser

Throttle valve setting manually adjusted

following each speed reduction due to Load
increase
Turbine Speed
versus Load
Turbine Speed

Characteristic
for each throttle
valve setting

0 Turbine Load Max

Figure 55 Turbine Speed-Load Characteristic for Single Turbine with

Manual Throttle Control
Consider a Turbine-Generator operating with the most basic
form of manual throttle control. As Load is increased the
turbine speed will drop due to the increased electrical
output demanded for the same steam input. On sensing the
decrease in speed the operator will manually increase the
throttle valve

l
opening to increase steam flow and restore the turbine to the
correct speed Figure 55 shows a hypothetical Speed-Load
Characteristic for such a Turbine-Generator. Each time the
throttle valve is adjusted the turbine settles at a new speed-
load characteristic, if left on a single setting the turbine speed
would fall as load was increased in line with that shown on the
graph (Figure 55). For every new setting of the manual throttle
valve there would be a new speed load characteristic each
approximately parallel to each other.

While manual operation may be suitable for a turbine

operating under steady load condition the response of an
operator controlling the turbine manually is not sensitive
enough to cater for a constantly varying load. An automatic
control system is required that can both sense changes in
turbine speed and make appropriate adjustments to the
steam flow to the turbine in order to return the turbine speed
to the required set point.

Throttle Valve Position

Controlled by Governor
Steam to Turbine

Generator Turbine

Variable Load Condenser

Throttle valve automatically adjusted following each speed

reduction due to Load increase
A
Turbine Speed

% Droop
C
B

0 Turbine Load Max

Figure 56 Droop Curve for a Turbine with Flyball Governor Controlled
Throttle Valve

a
A simple flyball governor is connected to the turbine through
a secondary drive. As the turbine speed increases the speed
of the governor also increases proportionately. The
increased speed causes the flyballs to swing out further with
increased centrifugal force and in so doing operate a
mechanism to close in on the throttle valve setting, reducing
steam flow to the turbine and reducing speed. As speed
decreases the opposite effect is achieved.

In Figure 56 a simple flyball governor has replaced the operator

manually controlling the turbine speed. The flyball governor
will be more responsive to speed variation and adjustments
will be made far more frequently than in the case of the
operator.
Speed is regulated within a narrow band with A and B being
the bounds of the upper and lower speed limit (The speed
band between A and B is shown magnified in the figure for
emphasis, however in practice the bandwidth is so small that
it is usual to consider the two lines A and B as coincidental
forming one line C as shown)

The smaller the speed deadband (between A and B) and the

smaller the slope of the governor speed-load characteristic,
the more sensitive the governor.

The drop in speed from no load to full load expressed as a

percentage of the desired or no load speed is referred to as
the governor “droop characteristic”.

All governors of machines, which are to operate in parallel,

should have some droop for reasons of stability and the droop
should be identical if they are to share load in direct
proportion to their capacity. This ensures stability and is
desirable when two or more turbines are operating in parallel.
 Throttle Valve Position
Controlled by Governor
Steam to Turbine

Generator A Turbine

Condenser

Throttle Valve Position

Controlled by Governor

Steam to Turbine

Generator B Turbine

Common Load Condenser

Generator A placed on line

and partially loaded to L1A

L1B = 0 L1A
Turbine Speed

Generator A Speed-Load

Generator B Speed-Load
L2 L2A

L3B L3A
0 Turbine Load Max

Figure 57 Synchronising and Loading Two Turbo-Generators in Parallel

11.1.1 Turbo-Generators Operating in Parallel

Two similar Turbo-Generators (A and B) fitted with

simple flyball type governors, each with a slightly different
speed-load characteristic, are to be placed in service and
operate in parallel.

Turbo- generator A is placed on the line first and partly

loaded to point L1A.

Turbo-generator B is then placed in service and

synchronised to Turbo-generator A (represented by the No
Load point L1B on Turbo-generator B Speed-Load
Characteristic).

The synchronisation of B to A can only take place at this one

point. At any other loading on machine A it would be
impossible to synchronise B with A.

If machine B was placed in service first, then machine A could

not be synchronised with it.
Once the two machines are synchronised they must operate
at
the same speed if they are to share load. Each will act either
as a generator and generate power, or a synchronous motor
and absorb power. If turbine A was to run faster than
turbine B then turbine A would supply power to the system
load and power to generator B causing it to rotate at the
same speed as turbine A. The division of load between the
two machines can be determined from Figure 57 Machine A
Load is given as the
intervals L1A, L2A and L3A, Machine B as 0 at synchronisation, L2B
and L3B
respectively.
No other division of load for each speed would be
possible.

The simple flyball governor has several

limitations:
The Load demanded of the generators determines the
point on the speed-load curve at which the machine will
operate.
The system frequency must change with
load
It is not possible to add or remove a generator from
service without departing from the standard frequency
The synchronisation of further units to the system would
need to be done in an order dependent on individual
speed- load characteristics

s
11.1.2 The Speeder Gear of a Turbine Governor

In order to maintain the system frequency constant and at

the same time allow load variation to occur, it is necessary to
be able to compensate for the loss of speed experienced with
increasing load and the speed increase which
accompanies load rejection. To achieve this a device is fitted
in conjunction with the governor which effectively changes
the speed-load characteristic of the turbine in such a way
that speed effectively becomes independent of load. The
device is known as the speeder gear.

Figure 58 shows a turbine flyball governor fitted with

speeder gear. The flyballs move out under centrifugal force
as the speed increases against the restraining action of
Spring A located between the flyballs. An addition adjustable
Spring B connects the speeder gear to the governor linkage.

It is not possible to make adjustments to the flyball

spring while the device is rotating, however, the adjustable
spring B attached to the speeder gear tends to govern the
movement of the sleeve X in conjunction with spring B. With
the operation of the linkage to the governor valve the effects
of spring B and spring A are additive.

The overall effect of altering the tension in spring B is the

same as altering the tension in spring A of a governor which
had no speeder gear, that is, to shift the speed load
characteristic to a new position approximately parallel to the
original position.

d
 Flyball Restraining Spring A

Moveable Sleeve X

Shaft Movement Spring B

transferred to Driven from Turbine Shaft
Throttle Valve
Control
Fixed Nut
Handwheel
Clutch

Speeder
Gear
Motor

Figure 58 Flyball Governor with Speeder Gear

11.1.3 Load Sharing Between Units Fitted with Governors Having

Speeder Gears

Once units are fitted with speeder gear governor control

frequency and load control becomes variable and Load
sharing between generators is variable rather than tied to a
single speed-load characteristic.

In Figure 59 lines A and B represent the speed-load

characteristics of two machines (A and B) operating in
parallel, with speeder gear compensated governors.
Operating at initial speed X1, the load on each machine is
given by the intervals LB1 and LA1.
 Generator A Speed-Load Characteristic
Generator B Initial Speed-Load Characteristic

Generator B Speed-Load Characteristic after

Speeder Gear Operation

Turbine Speed
X2
X1
A
LB1
LA1
B2
LA2 B1
LB2
0 Turbine Load Max

Figure 59 Flyball Governor with Speeder Gear

The speeder gear on machine B only is operated to increase

its speed to X2 the machine will adopt a new speed-load
characteristic B2. The governor setting on machine A remains
constant

Because both machines are synchronised to each other

the speed of machine A will also rise to the new value X2.
In increasing speed machine A must lose a portion of its
load

Machine B now carries a higher load LB2

The addition of a speeder gear to turbines governors in a
combined system allows the load sharing between units to be
controlled by the operating staff so that the load on any
particular machine can be reduced to zero in order to take
the machine out of service. By a similar arrangement it is
possible for any machine to be synchronised with the
rest of the running system and hence machines can be
placed in service in any chosen order. Further, the system
frequency can be controlled.
11.1.4 Relays

In all but the smallest turbine, it is necessary to use some

means of amplifying the power of the governor in order to
maintain a small sensing and control device and yet still
have the motive force to position large sized throttle valves.
The devices used as amplifiers are known as relays.

The most common type of relay uses an oil system

employing a pilot valve and a power piston. There are two
types of these relays in use:

double

acting single

acting

Figure 60 shows a primary relay of the double-acting type,

when A is raised by the governor, C is held stationary by the
fixed volume of oil above and below the piston and B
consequently raises the pilot bobbin, the pressure forces on
which are balanced. Oil is thus drained from the bottom of
the power cylinder and the piston moves down under oil
pressure. There is no further motion of A and the pilot valve
is reset to its neutral position. Since the pilot valve begins
and ends in this position the lever may be regarded simply as
having its fulcrum at B. The high pressure oil is always
connected to the centre of the pilot bobbin to avoid the need
for glands.
Figure 60 Double Acting Relay