Turbines

M Usama Zia
Bilal Hassan
Syed M Raza Naqvi
Turbine
• Turbine, any of various devices that convert the energy in a
stream of fluid into mechanical energy
• The conversion is generally accomplished by passing the fluid
through a system of stationary passages or vanes that alternate
with passages consisting of finlike blades attached to a rotor.
• By arranging the flow so that a tangential force, or torque, is
exerted on the rotor blades, the rotor turns, and work is
extracted.
• Turbines can be classified into four general types according to the
fluids used: water, steam, gas, and wind.
Turbine…
• A water turbine uses the potential energy resulting from the difference in
elevation between an upstream water reservoir and the turbine-exit water
level to convert this so-called head into work.
• The greatest amount of electrical energy comes, however, from steam
turbines coupled to electric generators. The turbines are driven by steam
produced in either a fossil-fuel-fired or a nuclear-powered generator.
• In gas turbines the working fluid is air mixed with the gaseous products of
combustion.e.g (internal-combustion engine).
• The energy available in wind can be extracted by a wind turbine to produce
electric power
Types Of Water Turbines
• Water turbines are generally
divided into two categories:
(1) Impulse turbines used for
high heads of water and low
flow rate.
(2) Reaction turbines normally
employed for heads below
about 450 metres and
moderate or high flow rates.
 Impulse turbines

• Impulse turbine works on the basic principle of

impulse. When the jet of water strikes at the
turbine blade with full of its speed, it generates a
large force which used to rotate the turbine.
• The force is depends on the time interval and
velocity of jet strikes the blades. This turbine used
to rotate the generator, which produces electric
power.
Construction:
• Blades:
The number of blades is situated over the rotary. They are concave in shape. The
water jet strikes at the blades and change the direction of it. The force exerted on
blades depends upon amount of change in direction of jet. So the blades are
generally concave in shape.
• Rotor:
Rotor which is also known as wheel is situated on the shaft. All blades are pined
into the rotor. The force exerted on blades passes to the rotor which further rotates
the shaft.
Continue..
• Nozzle:
A nozzle play main role of generating power from impulse turbine. It is a diverging
nozzle which converts all pressure energy of water into kinetic energy and forms
the water jet. This high speed water strikes the blades and rotates it.
• Casing:
Casing is the outside are which prevent the turbine form atmosphere. The main
function of casing is to prevent discharge the water from vanes to tail race.
• Braking nozzle:
A nozzle is provided in opposite direction of main nozzle. It is used to slow down or
stop the wheel.
Working
As we discussed impulse turbine works on basic principle of impulse. Its working
can be describe in following points.
•  High pressure water flow form dam (high head) to nozzle (low head).
•  This water flows through divergent nozzle where it’s all pressure energy change
into kinetic energy. It forms a water jet.
•  The water jet strikes the blade at high speed which rotates the rotor.
•  It transfers all kinetic energy of water to the rotor, which further use to rotate
the generator.
•  After transferring energy, water flows to the tail race.
•  This process run continuously until sufficient power generates.
Advantages & Disadvantages:
• Advantage: Disadvantages:
1. It can works at low discharge or at low 1. Large size compare to others.
flow rates. 2. Efficiency decreases with time.
2. This turbine has high efficiency. 3. It required high head witch is hard to
control.
3. Impulse turbine is flexible according to
the load condition. At higher load more 4. It is costly to install.
than one nozzle are used.
4. They work at atmospheric pressure so no
problem of leakage.
5. It is easy to assemble.
Reaction Turbine
• A reaction turbine is a type of turbine that develops torque by reacting to the
pressure or weight of a fluid.
• In a reaction turbine, unlike in an impulse turbine, the nozzles that discharge the
working fluid are attached to the rotor.
• A reaction turbine is different from impulse turbine in many ways. In reaction turbine
pressure is not remains same throughout the turbine.
• When water enters into the turbine runner, one part of the available energy of water
converts into kinetic energy and remaining part converts into pressure energy.
• When water starts flows through the runner the pressure energy starts converts into
kinetic energy. Due to variation in pressure the casing of the turbine should be air
tight and always full with water.
Reaction turbine
• At the entrance pressure is equal to
atmospheric pressure but in runner’s
pressure starts decreases and it is less
than atmospheric pressure.
• This difference in pressure is the
reason of flowing of liquids i.e. liquid
flow high pressure region to lower
pressure region. The difference
between the pressures of runner is
known as reaction pressure and these
types of turbines are known as
reaction turbine.
Construction
Reservoir:
• Reservoir is a large area where water stores. It is continuous source of water with
large amount of hydraulic energy. This can be natural as lake or may be artificial
called as dam. Large quantity of water store here for continuous supply of water.
Penstock:
• Penstock is a large diameter pipe which is used to carry the water from reservoir
to turbine.
Surge tank:
• Surge tank is a type of reservoir of water located near to the turbine which is
used to avoid water hammering in penstock.
Cont..
Casing:
• Casing is made up of cast steel, plate steel or may be concrete depending upon the
working conditions of turbine. It is spiral in shape and gradually decreasing in area. The
purpose of the casing is to provide constant velocity of water at the inlet of the runner
and to maintain the constant velocity for the water.
Guide vanes and fixed vanes:
• Fixed vanes have two functions. It guides the water from casing to guide vanes and it
also helps in distribution of load due to internal pressure of water. These fixed vanes are
generally made up of cast iron, cast steel or fabricated steel.
• The guide vanes use to guide the water towards the runner in guide vane angle
direction. These vanes are fixed but can rotate about their own axis. The guide vanes
are airfoil in shape and generally made up of cast steel, stainless steel and plate steel.
Cont.…
Runner:
• The runner of reaction turbines generally consists of series of curved vanes
mounted circumstantially in the angular space between two plates. These curved
vanes are 16 to 24 in number. The runner is generally made up of cast iron, cast
steel, or stainless steel.
• The torque generated by the runner by the help of hydraulic energy of water is
transferred to generator though shaft. This shaft is joins with bolted flange
connection.
• Reaction turbines are classifies according to the direction of flow of water with
respect to runner. These are axial flow, radial flow and mixed flow type runners.
Cont.…
Draft tube:
• Draft tube is the major component in case of reaction turbines, we have no
requirement of draft tube in case of impulse turbine.
• Draft tube is a pipe with gradually increase in cross sectional area.
• It is fitted at the runner exit to tail race. Draft tube is used to convert the kinetic
energy into pressure energy in order to increase the efficiency of the turbine.
• It is made up of cast steel, plate steel or may be of concrete. Draft tube must be
air tight in all conditions and the lower part of the draft tube must be submerged
into the water of tail race up to some level. The draft tube used can be of
different shape and sizes as per the requirements.
Working:
• Water is supplied by penstock from reservoir to turbine than enters into the
casing. Casing is completely surrounds the runner. This casing distributes the
water circumferentially into the runner of turbine.
• This casing always filled with water. Inside the casing number of fixed vanes
present, this converts the head available with water partially into dynamic head.
• The cross sectional area of the casing gradually decreases to maintain the
constant velocity of water throughout into the turbine runner.
• When the water enters over the rotor in the runner it has both kinetic energy and
pressure energy
• As the water flows over the moving/curved vane it creates a pressure difference
across the vane due to air foil shape of the vane, due to which water applies the
lift force over the vane. This lift force is also known as reaction force.
Work..
• After runner water is out through the draft tube which is attached at the bottom
of the runner. The draft tube provides suction head at the runner exit. The exit
water goes into the tail race which further utilize in various applications.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages: Disadvantages:
• Steam at high temperature and pressure • It takes more space per unit power
can be used reaction turbine. generated.
• It has high blade efficiency. • The casing should be airtight.
• The leakage of steam is more when
• Both pressure energy and kinetic energy
compared to velocity compounded
are available (to do work) at inlet of
blades. turbine
 Compounding of Impulse turbine
“Why compounding is done”

• Compounding of steam turbine is used to reduce the rotor speed. It is the process by which rotor speed
come to its desired value.
• The steam turbines operate at very high speed in the range 30000 r.p.m. The devices as a load operate at
slow speeds in range of 1000 to 4000 r.p.m. It becomes necessary to reduce the speed of steam turbine
using the compounding technique.
• To use the steam expansion efficiently, the turbine is divided into successive stages recognizing the pressure
drops across the turbine blading in each stage.
• Large steam velocities result in large friction losses and a reduction in turbine efficiency.
 Velocity-Compounded Impulse Turbine
This type of turbine consists of a nozzle or sets of nozzles and The rings of moving blades are
separated by rings of fixed blades. The moving blades are keyed to the turbine shaft and the
fixed blades are fixed to the casing.
 Velocity-Compounded Impulse Turbine
• High-velocity steam first enters the first ring of moving blades where some
portion of velocity is absorbed. Then it passes through the next ring of fixed
blades. The fixed blades changed steam direction and direct to the second ring of
moving blades. There is no change in steam velocity when it passes over the fixed
blades.

• Now steam passes through the second row of moving blades and its velocity is
further reduced. Steam loose its velocity every time when it passes through the
moving blades. So, steam leaves the turbine with a low velocity. So, we can see
that the steam's pressure can only drop at nozzle and further pressure drop
occurs either in the moving or fixed blades.
Velocity-Compounded Impulse Turbine
Advantages Disadvantages
• This arrangement needs small space. • Friction loss is high due to high velocity of
steam of nozzle.

• This is very reliable and easy to operate.

•  First, row is developed maximum power in
this system. Later rows are developed very
• Initial cost is low for this arrangement. small power rather than first row

• Since nozzle's steam is considerable, the • The designing and fabrication of blades which
turbine does not need to work in high can withstand such high velocities is difficult.
pressure and turbines structure need not be
very strong.
 Pressure-Compounded Impulse Turbine
• It consists of alternate rings of nozzles and turbine blades. The nozzles
are fitted to the casing and the blades are keyed to the turbine shaft.
Pressure-Compounded Impulse Turbine

• The total steam pressure is dropped by number of stages and each stage consists of a set of
nozzles and a ring of moving blades.
• The steam is coming from the boiler and enters the first set of nozzles. A small amount of
pressure is drop here by which it increases its velocity. At first steam passes through the first set
of moving blades where its pressure does not change but its velocity decrease.
• After that it passes to the second set of fixed nozzles, its pressure is further reduced and
expanded again. Now steam is directed to the second set of moving blades where the velocity of
steam is almost absorbed. This process is continuing running until it reaches condenser pressure.
Since steam pressure is reduced by each set of nozzle, so velocity of steam entering the moving
blades is almost reduced and it reduces the rotor speed.
Pressure-Compounded Impulse Turbine
Advantages Disadvantages
• It is most efficient • The disadvantage is that since
there is pressure drop in the
nozzles, it has to be made air-
• It is expensive turbine tight.

• They are bigger and bulkier in

size
Compounding of Impulse turbine
 Velocity triangle
• In turbomachinery, a velocity triangle or a velocity diagram is a triangle representing the various
components of velocities of the working fluid in a turbomachine.
• Velocity triangles may be drawn for both the inlet and outlet sections of any turbomachine. The vector
nature of velocity is utilized in the triangles, and the most basic form of a velocity triangle consists of the
tangential velocity, the absolute velocity and the relative velocity of the fluid making up three sides of the
triangle.
V : Absolute velocity of the fluid.
U : Blade Linear velocity.
Vr: Relative velocity of the fluid after contact with rotor.
Vw: Tangential component of V (absolute velocity), called
Whirl velocity.
Vf: Flow velocity (axial component in case of axial
machines, radial component in case of radial machines).
The following angles are encountered during the analysis:
α: Angle made by V with the plane of the machine (usually
the nozzle angle or the guide blade angle).
β: Angle of the rotor blade. Absolute angle
Geometry of Impulse Turbine Blade
Impulse blades can be recognized by their shape. They are usually symmetrical and have entrance
and exit angles respectively, around 20°.
Velocity triangle of Impulse Turbine
Velocity triangle of Impulse Turbine
Inlet Condition
V1 = Absolut Velocity of jet
Vr1 = Relative Velocity Jet
Vw1 = Velocity of Whirl(Rotary Motion)
Vf1 = Velocity of Flow

Outlet Condition
V2 = Absolut Velocity of jet
Vr2 = Relative Velocity Jet
Vw2 = Velocity of Whirl(Rotary
Motion)
Vf2 = Velocity of Flow
Velocity triangle of Impulse Turbine
 Geometry of Reaction Turbine Blade
Runner blades are said to be heart of a reaction turbine. It is the shape of the runner blades which
uses the pressure energy of water to run turbine
 Velocity triangle of Reaction
Turbine
Governing
• Governing system (also known as governor) is the main controller of
the hydraulic turbine.
• The governor varies the water flow through the turbine to control its
speed or power output.
• The speed of generating units and system frequency may be adjusted
by the governor.
Governing system
Governing system includes following.

• Speed sensing elements.

• Governor control actuators.
• Hydraulic pressure supply system.
• Turbine control servomotors (normally supplied as a part of turbine).
Primary Functions
• Manage and maintain unit speed for synchronizing with the running
units/grid.
• Maintain system frequency after synchronization by adjusting turbine
output to load changes.
• Share load changes with the other units in response to system
frequency error.
• Adjust unit output in response to operator or other supervisory
commands.
• Perform normal shut down or emergency over speed shut down for
protection.
Governing of Impulse Turbine
• In case of Impulse turbine, we use regulation of quantity of water
rejected from “Nozzle” for controlling the speed of turbine as load
varies.
Working
• When turbine rotation is greater than the load, the sleeve in the
governor rises.
• The piston in relay or control valve move downward, causing oil within
lower part of the valve causing oil to flow Relay motor or servomotor.
• This enables the spear to move in the forward direction.
• The process decreases the area while decreasing the flow rate.
• Reverse operation is possible when the turbine rotation is less than
the load requires the sleeve in the governor lowers thus inverse
operation take place.
Governing System of Impulse Turbine
Governing of Reaction Turbine
• In the case of reaction turbine, we use regulation of water quantity
rejected from Guide vanes for controlling the speed of turbine as load
varies.
Working
• When turbine rotation is greater than the load, the sleeve in the
governor rises.
• The piston in relay or control valve move downward, causing oil within
lower part of the valve to flow to Relay motor or servomotor.
• This enables the spear to move in forward direction.
• The spear is connected with guide vane, which restricts the flow of
water.
• Reverse operation is possible when the turbine rotation is less than the
load. Thus, the sleeve in the governor lowers thus inverse operation
take place
Governing System of Reaction turbine
Control System
• Governor control system for Hydro Turbines is basically a feed back
control system, which senses the speed and power of the generating
unit or the water level of the forebay of the hydroelectric installation
etc.
• It takes control action for operating the discharge/load controlling
devices in accordance with the deviation of actual set point from the
reference point.
Continue…
Governing system comprises of following sections.

• Control section.
• Mechanical hydraulic actuation section.
Continue…
• The control section may be mechanical, analogue electronic, or digital
electronic.
• Actuator can be hydraulic controlled, mechanical (motor), or load
actuator.
• Load actuator are used in micro hydro range; mechanical (motor
operated) actuators may be used up to about 1000 kW unit size.
• Hydraulic actuators are mostly used.