STEAM TURBINE

Ella Jane B. Cabanag BSME - 4

 History

The first device that can be classified as a reaction steam turbine is the aeolipile proposed by 
Heron of Alexandria, during the 1st century CE. In this device, steam was supplied through a hollow rotating shaft to
a hollow rotating sphere. It then emerged through two opposing curved tubes, just as water issues from a rotating
lawn sprinkler. The device was little more than a toy, since no useful work was produced.
Another steam-driven machine, described in 1629 in Italy, was designed in such a way that a jet of steam
impinged on blades extending from a wheel and caused it to rotate by the impulse principle. Starting with a 1784
patent by James Watt, the developer of the steam engine, a number of reaction and impulse turbines were proposed,
all adaptations of similar devices that operated with water. None were successful except for the units built by William
Avery of the United States after 1837. In one such Avery turbine two hollow arms, about 75 centimetres long, were
attached at right angles to a hollow shaft through which steam was supplied. Nozzles at the outer end of the arms
allowed the steam to escape in a tangential direction, thus producing the reaction to turn the wheel. About 50 of these
turbines were built for sawmills, cotton gins, and woodworking shops, and at least one was tried on a locomotive.
While the efficiencies matched those of contemporary steam engines, high noise levels, difficult speed regulation, and
frequent need for repairs led to their abandonment.
Aeolipile
 Types of Steam Turbine

• According to the action of steam • According to the number of shafts

• Impulse Turbine and • Single-Shaft
• Reaction Turbine • Multi-shaft.
• According to the number of pressure stages or impellers • According to the direction of Shaft
• Single-stage Turbine and • Transverse type
• Multistage Turbine • Vertical type
• According to the type of blade row • According to the method of governing
• Rateau type(Pressure compounded stages) • Throttling
• Curtis type (Velocity compounded stage) • Nozzles
• Reaction stage type • Bypass governing.
• According to the type of steam flow • According to the heat drop process:
• Axial flow turbine and • generators
• Radial flow turbine • one or more intermediate stage extraction
• back pressure
• topping.
 Types of Steam Turbine

• According to steam conditions • According to Exhaust Direction

• Low-Pressure Steam Turbine • Down exhaust
• Medium Pressure Steam Turbine • Top exhaust
• High-Pressure Steam Turbine • Axial exhaust
• Very High-Pressure Steam Turbine •According to speed
• Fixed speed
• Supercritical Pressure Steam turbine • Variable speed
• According to Exhaust conditions • Low Speed (≤ 3000 rpm)
• High Speed(≥ 3000 rpm)
• Condensing Turbine •According to the quantity of the inlet valves
• Backpressure Turbine • Single valve type
• Extraction Turbine • Multi-valve type
•According to the existence of reducer
• According to the Exhaust flow • Direct-drive type
• Single-flow exhaust type • Reduction type
• Multi-flow Exhaust type
 Types of Steam Turbine

The most basic steam turbine types are Impulse Turbine and Reaction turbine.
 Working Principle Of Steam Turbines

The steam turbines work on principle of the

dynamic action of steam. Steam coming out from the
nozzles strikes the rotating blades, which are fitted on a
disc mounted on a shaft. A dynamic pressure on the
blades is produced by this high-velocity steam, in which
the shaft and blades both start to rotate in the same
direction.

The heat energy of steam is converted into

mechanical work while expanding in the turbine. Steam
is generated inside a boiler. The expansion of steam takes
place through a series of fixed blades (nozzles) and
moving blades. The working of steam turbine is based on
the thermodynamic cycle called “Rankine cycle”.
 Components of a Steam Turbine

The major components that constitute a steam turbine are:

◦ Casing: The Casing should withstand all normal and emergency service loads and allowable piping forces and
moments caused by temperature change. The design of the turbine casing design shall be such that thermal stresses
are minimized. Adequate support must be provided to the steam turbine casing to maintain good alignment with the
rotor.
◦ Nozzles.
◦ Rotor: This is the main component in a steam turbine that carries the blades to convert thermal energy.
◦ Blades: Blades absorb the energy of high steam velocity and convey it to the rotor. The shape of blades significantly
affects the turbine performance of turbine and requires high reliability.
◦ Governor for speed control.
◦ Servo Mechanism.
◦ Oil Pump for lubrication.
Components of a Steam Turbine
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Steam
Turbines
Advantages
• Since the steam turbine is a rotary heat engine, it is particularly suited to be used to drive an electrical generator.
• Thermal efficiency of a steam turbine is usually higher than that of a reciprocating engine.
• Very high power-to-weight ratio, compared to reciprocating engines.
• Fewer moving parts than reciprocating engines.
• Steam turbines are suitable for large thermal power plants. They are made in a variety of sizes up to 1.5 GW
(2,000,000 hp) turbines used to generate electricity.
• In general, steam contains high amount of enthalpy (espacially in the form of heat of vaporization). This implies
lower mass flow rates compared to gas turbines.
• In general, turbine moves in one direction only, with far less vibration than a reciprocating engine.
• Steam turbines have greater reliability, particularly in applications where sustained high power output is required.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Steam
Turbines
Disadvantages
Although approximately 90% of all electricity generation in the world is by use of steam turbines, they have also some
disadvantages.
◦ Relatively high overnight cost.
◦ Steam turbines are less efficient than reciprocating engines at part load operation.
◦ They have longer startup than gas turbines and surely than reciprocating engines.
◦ Less responsive to changes in power demand compared with gas turbines and with reciprocating engines.