492 Upgrading and Life Extension Technologies for Existing Steam Turbines* Akira SAKUMA**, Toru TAKAHASHI"*, Toshihiro FUJIWARA*® and Masataka FUKUDA** ‘The improvement of efficiency has been one of the most significant aspects of the development and application of steam turbines, along with the improvement of reliabil- ity and gains in both reduced maintenance and extended operation. There is now extra emphasis on evolving increased efficiency, because of the environmental need to reduce the problem of carbon dioxide, On the other hand, a lot of the existing steam turbines which were designed and manufactured based on conventional production technologies of those days are now still operating, and the most units have been utilized for more than ten or twenty years, because recently the construction of new power generation plants has been restricted, And furthermore, in some aging existing steam turbines, the decreased performance, efficiency and availability have been discovered due to time deterioration of the turbine parts and components. Under these circumstances, ‘upgrading and life extension for the performance and reliability of steam turbines is, required particularly for the existing ones“, “This paper describes the recent development and application of advanced steam path design, such as nozzles and blades for improving performance and reliability, that is, the upgrading and life extension of existing steam turbines as well as new projects. And also it describes a repowering system for existing power plants using gas turbines. These components and technologies are applicable to both new and retrofitted units. Key Words: Steam Turbine, Upgrading, Life Bxtension Introduction ‘There are several approaches to improving steam turbine cycle efficiency, such as Ultra-Super-Critical Pressure, Double Reheat, Combined Cycle, ete. Figure 1 and Table1 show the overview and the major specifications of a 700 MW ultra-super-critical-pres sure and double reheat steam turbine, constructed in Kawagoe-units No. 1 and No.2, which were put into commercial operation in 1989 and 1990, respectively, ‘and both now show good operating conditions. On the other hand, the upgrading and life exten- sion for existing steam turbines shall be focused on, Because, first of all, a lot of the existing steam tur- bbines were designed and manufactured based on con- * Received 12th February, 2002 ** Toshiba Corporation, 2-L4 Suehiro-cho, Tsuruini-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan, E-mail saluma.@toshiba.co jp Series B, Vol. 45, No. 8, 2002 ventional technologies. Secondly, the construction of new power generation plants has recently been restricted, whereas retrofitted technologies and tech: niques have progressed in application of the latest advanced steam paths and rotors with modification, and replacement of nozzles, blades and rotors, ete. Finally, there is indeed much demand for upgrading and life extension on the important existing compo- nents such as nozzles and blades, ete. for perfor- ‘mance, reliability and maintainability in order to provide a stable power supply without increasing carbon dioxide to the global environment problem, Steam turbine internal losses may arise from various factors. Accordingly, analysis of these factors, resulting in loss is very important in order to assess actual gains in efficiency. In Figure 2 the result of the analysis, made principally on those locations where losses occurred is presented, It shows that approx. 2/3 of the total losses take place in stages. ‘The pressure losses at the steam valves such as those for ISME International Journal“Table 1 Major specfations of 700 MW steam turbine poe | Sound aha lowe roe openers) Rani Oa npn Set Stam Condon | 310 (586 ep 865g CHa vs 722 mite Les nec |B 3 Sc) deere Sous cl Syien_ | SHORE he a) Fig. 1 Overview of 700 MW ultra-super-critieal and double reheat steam turbine fe og Fig. 2 Turbine internal loss distribution main stop, control, intercept and other functions, or at crossover pipes cannot be neglected, because of the rather high loss rate, which is about 1/6 of the total The rate of the exhaust loss at the last stage of the low pressure turbine varies depending on the selection of the last stage blade length or on the loading of the machine, and it occupies rather a large part of the total loss, from about 10 to 15%, 2. Advanced Steam Path Technolog Figure 3 shows the generating mechanism of the complex secondary flow vortex in the vane passage which leads to loss of steam energy. ‘This phenome ISME Inernational Journal 493 * Le) i AE ele 7 SB Sal Fig. 2 Mechanism of secondary flow loss in steam vane passage Nozale Fig. 4 Advanced flow pattern (AFP) design non is caused by fluid viscosity in the boundary layer of flow passage, and is typical at the inner and outer side wall of nozzles and blades. ‘The advanced flow pattern (AFP) shown in Figure 4 is one of the advanced steam path designs to match the suitable aerofoil profiles and to improve the efficiency. It minimizes the loss by distributing the largest portion of steam to the high efficiency zone as well as by shifting the streamlines near the side walls strongly toward the walls at the exit and eventually reducing, the secondary flow losses. We realized this steam path design with the assistance of computerized three Gimensional flow analysis in conjunction with the experimental approach. Nozzles and blades are excel lently designed and precisely manufactured in a three dimensional shape to realize high performance Figure 5 shows the snubber blades, of which aerofoil and tip cover are manufactured from a single forging or a bar material, have several important characteristics that contribute to the enhanced reli- ability and performance of the blading. Elimination of the tenon and shroud structure removes a corrodent trap and reduces stresses at the junction between Dlades and shrouds. It naturally excludes the possibil ity of erosion damage on the tenons which is some- times observed in conventional steam turbines. ‘The Series By Vol. 45, No. 8, 2002494 integral covers are butted together between adjacent blades and thus, the entire blading assembly in essence performs as 2 360 degrees continuous shroud. continuously coupled integral covers form a circum ferential boundary of the steam path and provide an optimal interstage sealing with a minimum of leakage losses, The blade tip leakage control of conventional turbine stages uti single fin ag structural con- straints of the tenon and shroud configuration, and did not allow any other arrangement, but snubber blades with integral cover enable the application of the in proved blade tip leakage controls, as shown in Figure 6, And also, the contact between adjacent covers limits the amplitude of vibration and produces high lamping when stimulating steam forces work. The blades are, therefore, highly resistant to vibratory excitation. In addition, as the blades are not mechani: cally connected to each other, they can be dis~ and re assembled easily when required. ‘This leads to better maintainability and a saving of maintenance costs in future operations. In some of the conventional nozzle designs, large numbers of nozzle partitions, that is small nozzle profiles, are being selected to avoid resonance with the rotating blades. In combination with the snubber blades, however, it is allowed to choose smaller sum: bers of partitions, that is larger nozzle profiles, as they have excellent damping against vibratory excitation, Large nozzle partitions are robust and less sensitive regarding the effect of deposits that are quite often These Fig. 5 Snubber blades in steam turbine observed in conventional existing steam turbines, on the turbine performance and power. ‘The design using ‘a combination of the snubber blades and large nozzle partitions is one of the life extension technologies steam path components, ‘The abovementioned AFP and snubber blade design are confirmed to improve the turbine heat rate by 2.0% in application to the existing 600 MW steam turbine, which originated in 1973, with modification scope of nozales and blades on high pressure and intermediate pressure turbine sections, and by 1.8% in application to the existing 155MW steam turbine, which originated in 1972, with modification scope of nozzles and blades on high pressure and intermediate pressure turbine sections, in the plant performance test, respectively. These units show good operating conditions. 8. Long Last Stage Blade Exhaust Joss also accounts for a large portion of the turbine internal loss, about 10 to 15% of the total In order to reduce the loss, the vane profile of the last stage blades has been improved, and longer blades are employed to lower the exhaust velocity, contributing greatly to enhancing thermal eff It is not too much to say that development of the last stage blades holds the key to technological progress for the steam turbines, Mass flow ribution of the last stage has a three-dimensional non-compressive pattern including large radial distribution of steam pressure, velocity and angle. In addition, the circumferential speed at the tip of the long last stage blades exceeds the speed of sound, so the relative velocity in the vane cascade becomes transonic, locally changing from subsonic to supersonic, Therefore, the steam path design of the last stage blades requires a full three-dimensional flow design and convergent-divergent supersonic pas ge design to optimize mass flow distribution and efficient acceleration, Recently, numerical analyses have been catried out to put three-dimensional flow calculation codes into practical use, which consider the viscosity of the fluid, On the other hand, it is also important to secure Snubber blade Fig. 6 Series B, Vol. 4, No.3, 2002 ‘Snubber blade CConventonal tenon shroud blade Comparison of tip fn stracture JISME International Joumalstrength and reliability against vibration for the long last stage blades. That is, it is essential to ensure sufficient static and dynamic strength for enduring large centrifugal force, evading dangerous resonances and providing preferable vibration properties. Because the untwist of the long blades due to centri gal forces is larger, the stress distribution and the untwist deformation are more complex in three dimensions. Furthermore, it is recognized that the stress level due to the vibration of the last stage blades tends to be high when the flow rate in the last stage is low and/or the back pressure is high. It means that it is necessary to reinforce blade rigidity and increase structural damping against the self-excited vibration, namely the random vibration of flutter, which may occur uring operation under Jow-load or high exhaust pressure conditions. ‘The continuously coupled loose connection structure which is the most effective vibra. tion damper reduces the large vibration response during operation over a wide range, particularly at very low-load and/or high exhaust pressure. At present, 42-inch and 36-inch long last stage blades for 3000 zpm machines, and 40-inch long last stage blades for 3 600 rpm machines have been devel- oped and are being put into practical use. 36-inch last stage blades and 40-inch last stage blades can be replaced for the 33.5-inch last stage blades by mini- ‘mum modification of the existing low pressure tur- bine. 3.1 Replace to 36-inch last stage blades for 50 He units Figure 7 shows the features and construction of 36-inch long last stage blades. The blades are basi cally of a continuous coupled loose connection struc ture with cover pieces at the tip portion and with Ings and sleeves in the middle portion. ‘The dovetail is the same finger type as the conventional 32.5-inch last nsec oe ees 495 stage blades, which is designed to be used to make the blades longer by replacement of the existing ‘machines. The blades are of 12% Cr steel material of higher strength than the conventional ones, thereby improving reliability. ‘Together with the last stage blades, L-1 and L-2 blades have been developed as series blades. The dovetail of these blades is similar to that of the conventional 33.5-inch last stage blade series, so as to replace the rotor of the existing machine. The snub- ber construction is employed at the tip of these blades, thereby improving reliability, ‘The 600 MW class steam turbines with 33.5-inch, last stage blades can be replaced with the 36-inch last stage blade series on the original low pressure turbine rotors, This improves the turbine heat rate by 0.5 to 0.6% combined with the modification of nozzles and blades in order to match the flow pattern on the L~2 stage through the L-O stage. ome” emerions ae Fig. 7 Technical features of 36-inch long last stage blades sons aango ats tet OEY | | 7 coma) EI \ Sl nur (fet, at, ren dagreng, 2 eens Serco mute ore) Fig. § Comparison of conventional and modified 700 MW low-pressure turbine cross section JSME International Journal Series B, Vol. 45, No. 8, 2002496 Table 2 Comparision of repowering systems Tenia ieaing ape Hea aay On Tul ire heater pe Oo ae 8D ° “The pa turbine exh gis se the baler combustion ‘oxygen source andthe feedwater heating Souree incall. “Theesising boiler is emoved, anda gas turbine and an exhoust heat recvery beler ae ay © as turbine exhaust a wed asthe feodsater heating source. “yA gu bias sade (i) A gas rb i ad TA gs bie aad oe ee faa) ae oat as 2d] cofteeaumps drives | Siew ana oR sai £8] ose ori (D Asentrr a i 3.2 Replace to 40-inch last stage blades for 60 He units 40-inch titanium long last stage blades have been applied in the 700 MW class steam turbines, and can also be employed in the existing low pressure turbines with conventional 33.5-inch last stage blades. Figure 8 shows one of applications to the existing 700 MW machine. As the dovetail of 40-inch long last stage blades is of the curved entry type, the existing low pressure rotor with the finger type dovetail of 33.5- inch last stage blades must be replaced with a new fone, In addition, as the tip diameter of the last stage blades is larger than that of the conventional 33.5-inch last stage blades, the low pressure internal casing as well as the nozzles must be renewed. The modification scope is larger than that of the 36-inch last stage blade series, but the turbine heat rate improves by 1.2%. This modification has been made in the existing 700 MW machines and also shows good operating conditions". 4. Repowering of Existing Thermal Power Plants Repowering is @ useful upgrading method for existing thermal power plants, thereby increasing output and improving thermal cycle efficiency. As the gas turbine and generator sets are added on the exist ing steam turbine and generator cycle, the pure steam turbine and generator cycle is upgraded to the com- bined cycle. Repowering has a great effect on the reuse of site and generating equipment as well as on the shortening. of construction periods. Table 2 shows a comparison of respective repowering systems. The full-fired heat recovery system enables the minimization of the period in which operation has to be stopped for ‘modifying existing thermal power plant equipment to Series B, Vol 45, No.3, 2002 a combined cycle to about six (6) months, because the scope of the modification is smallest among the abovementioned systems. Therefore, the full-fired heat recovery combined cycle system is the most popular. Figure 9 and Table 3 show an overview of the 850, ‘MW class repowering plant. A 1300 class deg. C firing temperature, 154 MW gas turbine is added on a 700 MW existing steam turbine cyele about 15 to 20 years after construction, and thermal efficiency is improved by four (4)%, As for the method of operation, the system is designed with a view that the gas turbine and generator set is not used for indepen- dent operation, On the other hand, the existing steam turbine and its cycle auxiliary equipment were ‘modified to enable both the combined cycle operation and independent operation, in order that the existing but large-capacity steam turbine and generator cycle can be widely operated. Added and/or modified equip- ment for the repowering system are as follows; (1) Gas turbine and generator set The independent power building for the gas tur: bine and generator set and its auxiliary equipment is installed on the side of the existing boiler, and the gas turbine exhaust gas duct connects to the boiler. In addition, a main transformer and house transformer are added as new gas turbine power generation equip ment. (2) turbine ‘The repowering combined cycle increases the amount of boiler exhaust gas, resulting in a rise in draft loss. Thus, the induced draft fan (IDF) is added and capacity of the denitrizer is increased. On the other hand, the modification scope of the exhaust gas duct system, feedwater piping system, condensate- Modification of existing boiler and steam JSME International JournalSteam ueting Boter HP footnater LP footwatr es Na ar Water ear 497 ener Gas utine gnarator sytem | === Madi acton of exttng system sang syt00 Water sys Sahaust 925 ster, Fig. 9 Major piping diagram of repowering plant Table 3 Outline of 850 MW class repowering plant sewn coat Bare ste doe st Se Pa te eet tte [aonen Sse ‘Speed, Output water piping system, low-oxygen combustion burner system, and steam turbine nozzles and blades for increasing the steam flow rate of the steam turbine cycle can be minimized. ‘The existing smokestack is used as it is. And also, the condenser duty increases with the amount of heat exchange, but the condenser system is not required to be modified, because it still has enough capacity. (3) Exhaust gas heat exchanger ‘Three blocks of gas feedwater heaters (stagger gas coolers) are added on the feedwater system, and the thermal efficiency is enhanced by heat recovery from the gas turbine and boiler exhaust. ‘A switching damper and an isolation damper are provided on the gas path side of the gas turbine and boiler exhaust system, in consideration of switching between the combined cycle operation and the in- dependent steam cycle operation and for operation at the start-up of the gas turbine and generator set (4) Power source and controller A set of the latest computers have been installed for control and comprehensive monitoring of the plant, and the control pane! of the control operating, room is completely modified or partially added so as ISME International Journal Toit Stapeorae GT ean ST aa Fig. 10. Start-up curve of repowering plant to coordinate with the gas turbine and generator set and the combined cycle operation. ‘The functions of the controller are added or modified for the boiler and auxiliary equipment, and a set of power sources is provided on the gas turbine and generator set and its auxiliary equipment. Figure 10 shows the starting-up curve for the combined cycle operation. ‘The system becomes com- plex, but operativity and controllability are similar to those of the conventional steam turbine and generator cycle plant. ‘The rate of normal load change during the combined cycle operation is three (3) 9%/min, ‘Thermal efficiency is improved up to about four (4) %, but this is because the forced draft fan (FDF) is partially operated in order to maintain the balance of boiler combustion when the gas turbine is operat- ing”, 5. Conelusion In order to provide a stable power supply without adding more carbon dioxide to the global environment problem, high reliability and high maintenability are requisite conditions for steam turbines, At the same Series B, Vol. 45, No. 2002498 time, effective improvement of efficiency and uprating of the steam turbines are also very important and fundamental factors, ‘Under such circumstances, we are continuing our efforts to design and manufacture reliable and cfficient steam turbines and their auxiliary equipment ‘based on the experience of existing units, References (1) Suzuki, A., et al, Efficiency Improvement of Steam Turbine, Toshiba Review, (1985), pp. 916 919. (2) Kakishima, M., et al, Newly Developed Low Series B, Vol. 45, No, 3, 2002 (ay Pressure Steam Turbine Blades, Thermal and Nuclear Power, (1997), pp. 1451-1460. Sakuma, A., et al, Newly Developed Components and Technologies for Improving Existing Tur Plant Efficiency, Toshiba Review, (1998), pp. 14- 18, Kuriyama, R,, et al, Development of High Efficiency Low Pressure Turbine with Titanium Long Last Stage Blades, and Retrofit of Existing Steam Turbine, Thermal and Nuclear Power, (1991), pp. 870-878. Ohara, HL, et al, Technical Features and Opera mal Experience of Repawering System, Ther- mal and Nuclear Power, (1995), pp. 1121-1132, JSME International Journal