Turbines for Steam Power Plants

P M V Subbarao
Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
I I T Delhi

Selection of Materials and Shape for Strong & Enduring

Non-Biological Muscles ……
 Development of A Sustainable Non-
Biological Beast

• The steam Power Plant is the largest non-biological beast .

• Needs an elaborate anatomy for efficient conversion of chemical
energy into Mechanical/Electrical energy.
• The working fluid is the blood of this animal.
• The pump is the heart of this beast & cyclically induces life into
the working fluid.
• The steam generator is the digestion system of this beast.
• The steam turbine is the Muscle system of this beast.
• The supercritical steam turbines are the strongest and most
efficient non-biological muscles.
• An essential requirement for human development.
KE is Like ATP
 Power Plant Steam Turbines

A Two Step Conversion of Microscopic

Kinetic Power to Shaft Power…….
 High Pressure
High MKE Steam System

Shaft power to generator

Dead must be properly recycled Dead Steam

 Thermodynamic Validation of Flowing Steam
Work
Drop in KE
V Increase in MLE
Steam with i

High KE Ub
Negligible MKE

Low KE Ve
Low MLE

Work is said to be done by a system iff

the sole effect external to the system
can be reduced to raising of weight
 The Steam Turbine
• The more modern device to extract shaft power from
Microscopic kinetic Power is the steam turbine.
• Steam turbines have been the norm in various land based power
plants for more than 100 years.
• Turbine is a flow device develops a variable pressure form inlet
to outlet.
• A flowing steam performs work transfer, while moving from high
inlet pressure (Live Steam) to low outlet pressure (Dead Steam).
• The volume of steam continuously increases during this process.
• The infinitesimal work done by a flowing fluid is defined as
W  Vdp
- Sign is important part of this definition. pdead
- Steam flowing in the direction of
decreasing pressure performs +ve work.
Wout 
in   Vdp
p Live
 Continuous Generation of Power

• How to introduce finite mass flow rate of steam?

• Area for Flow of Fluid.
• Proportional to the Length of the Blade.
• More Number of Blade Spacings.
 Concept of Two Step Conversion :
Kinetic Power to Shaft Ppwer
• Steam turbine is a two part device:
• Part 1:Energy Converter : Nozzles or Stationary Blades

• Part 2: Energy Exchanger: Rotor or Moving Blades.

Classification of Rotors or Rotor
Blades

• Single Job Rotors: Only Exchange of Macro Kinetic Power

from steam to Shaft Power via blades.
• Also called as Impulse Blades/rotor.
• Dual Job Rotors: Both energy conversion and Energy
Exchange.
• Known as Reaction Blades/rotor.
• Best choice for Large Power Plant Turbines
Nozzle wheel and Blade Wheel
Top View of the Steam & Blade Interactions

U
Va1 Vr1
Vr1
Va1
Inlet Velocity Triangle

U Vr2

Va2 Vr2 Exit Velocity Triangle

 The Velocity Triangles

U
2 1 2 1
Va2 Va1 Vr1
Vr2

Va1: Inlet Absolute Velocity 1: Inlet flow Angle.

Vr1: Inlet Relative Velocity 1: Inlet Blade Angle.
Vr2: Exit Relative Velocity 2: Exit Blade Angle.
Va2:Exit Absolute Velocity 2: Exit flow Angle.
 Selection of The Velocity Triangles

Ub
2 1 2 1
Va2 Va1 Vr1
Vr2

Va1: Inlet Absolute Velocity

Vr1: Inlet Relative Velocity
Vr2: Exit Relative Velocity
Va2:Exit Absolute Velocity
1: Inlet flow Angle.
1: Inlet Blade Angle.
2: Exit Blade Angle.
2: Exit flow Angle.
Blade Shape
 Mechanical Arrangements of Steam
Turbines

• The blade velocity is defined at mean diameter of rotor wheel.

• For same wheel speed, the blade velocity is directly
proportional to blade height.
• The height of the blade is proportional to specific volume of
steam.
• Solutions to Turbo-machinery Speed Issues (TSI).
• Tandem Reheat Steam Turbine
• Cross Compound Steam Turbine
Tandem Reheat Steam Turbine
Cross Compound Reheat Steam Turbine
Tandem-compound four-flow steam turbine
Large-Capacity Steam Turbines for Fossil
Thermal Power Plant
Some Facts about Advanced Steam
Turbines
Increased Magnitudes of Forces
 Steam Volume Variation HP Range
Specific volume, m3/kg

Steam Path, Mpa

 Steam Volume Variation IP Range
Specific volume, m3/kg

Steam Path, Mpa

Specific volume, m3/kg Steam Volume Variation LP Range

Steam Path, Mpa

Bleeding for FWHs : A win-win Idea
 Power Split between the modules

50.0
45.0
Percent of generated power

40.0
35.0
30.0
HP
25.0
IP
20.0
LP
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
A B C D E
OEM
Stage Losses & Generation of Entropy
High-performance blading : Advanced Aero Design
Advanced Blades for ST
Modular Concept of Blade Construction
Efficiency of USC Turbine Modules:800MW
Typical ~ 500 MW Designs
Typical ~ 800 MW Designs
~ 1000 MW Designs
Major equipment in A Power Plant
Exhaust Diffuser For L P Turbine
Large Power Plant Condenser