CHAPTER Three

GAS TURBINES AND STEAM

TURBINES
Contents
• Stage velocity triangles
• Reaction turbine stages
• Radial equilibrium theory
• Radial turbine stage
• From nature of fluid point of view, turbines are classified as Hydro,
Steam, Gas and wind turbines.
• In this chapter turbines operating with gas and steam will be treated.
• Gas or steam turbines can be axial or radial (centrifugal)
• In a gas turbine, a high pressure and temperature combustion gas is
expanded through the turbine blades and in steam turbines a super
heated steam is expanded through the turbine blades.
• Due to the very high temperature and pressure of the working fluid in
both gas and steam turbines, thermal stress is a big challenge.
Axial Gas/Steam Turbines
• Turbines can be classified as Impulse and reaction based on the extent or
degree of expansion of the gas inside the rotor blades.
• If no static pressure rise is undertaken in the rotor blades, it is called impulse
turbine. Other wise it’s reaction turbine.
• Steam turbines are usually impulse or a mixture of impulse and reaction
stages whereas gas turbines tend to be always of the reaction type. This is
because the pressure ratio of steam turbines can be of the order of 1000:1
but for a gas turbine it is usually with in the order of 10:1. Therefore, steam
turbines will accommodate high pressure ratio in a single stage. So as to
minimize the tip clearance loss that would occur in the rotor due to high static
pressure, impulse stage is inevitable.
• Most of the analysis for both gas and steam turbines are similar but steam
turbines may accompany phase change due to condensation near the exit
section, which a little bit complicates the analysis.
Velocity Triangles in Axial flow turbines
• Unless specified all the parameters are taken as that of the mean radius of the
annulus flow area.
• Work done

• The swirl velocities are added because of the high deflection angle of the
flow in turbine blades in order to increase the shaft power output.

• But in most axial flow machines the flow velocity is considered to be constant.
• Therefore,

or
• The stage efficiency of an axial flow turbine is calculated the same
way we were doing in chapter one.

• For ideal gas case

• The total to total to total efficiency is used when the exit kinetic
energy is utilized either in the next stage or in propelling nozzle as in
jet engine.
Relative Stagnation enthalpy
• For frictionless flow the relative stagnation enthalpy across the rotor
row is constant

𝐶 𝑦 3 +𝑈=𝑊 𝑦 3

𝑅 𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑟
h01 = h02 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟(𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐)
• If the exit velocity is lost, then total to static efficiency is used
and for ideal gas
Impulse Turbine stage
- No static pressure change across the
rotor blades
- As a result of no pressure drop the
relative flow velocities at inlet and exit
are the same for friction less flow.

- The blade angles will then be equal

• When the available pressure is high, it is inevitable to have more than one stage.
Multi – stage velocity compounded
• A single stage utilizing a large pressure drop will have an impractically high
peripheral speed of its rotor. This would lead to either a larger diameter or a very
high rotational speed.
• One of the methods to employ multi-stage expansion in impulse turbines is to
generate high velocity of the fluid by causing it to expand through a large pressure
drop in the nozzle blade row. This high velocity fluid then transfers its energy in a
number of stages by employing many rotor blade rows separated by rows of fixed
guide blades
Multi – stage pressure compounded (Rateau stages )
• The total pressure drop is divided into a number of impulse stages, as a result it is
aerodynamically more efficient than velocity - compounded multi – stage turbines
but is more subjected to tip clearance loss due to high static pressure in the rotor
blades.
 Velocity compounded Impulse stages Pressure compounded Impulse stages

The performance of an impulse stage turbine can alternatively described by utilization factor
Reaction Turbine stages
• The gas pressure decreases continuously over both fixed and moving
rows of blades
• Since the pressure drop in each stage is smaller as compared to the
impulse stages, the gas velocities are relatively low. Besides this the
flow is accelerating throughout
• These factors make the reaction stages aerodynamically more
efficient though the tip leakage loss is increased on account of the
relatively higher pressure across the rotor blades.
• Degree of reaction

𝑇 2 −𝑇 3
• For ideal gas 𝑅=
𝑇 1 −𝑇 3
• For normal reaction stage

or
or
or
• Zero reaction

• 50 % reaction

• 100 % reaction
Zero reaction stage Impulse stage

50 % reaction stage 100 % reaction stage

Examples
• Blade loading coefficient: It is used to express the work capacity of
the stage. It is also sometimes called temperature drop coefficient

• Flow coefficient: is ratio of the inlet axial flow velocity to the blade
speed.

• Rewriting
Enthalpy loss coefficient
Free Vortex Design (Radial Equilibrium theory)
• Velocity triangles vary from tip to hub due to variation in blade velocities
at the respective radii.
• Twisted blading designed to take account of the changing flow angle is
called vortex blading.
• Momentum equation

• For constant entropy, the equation takes the form

• For constant stagnation enthalpy and constant axial velocity for the
annulus area ,

• It is also called radial equilibrium theory because the energy extracted at

any blade radius is uniform.
Constant nozzle angle design
• As before, we assume that the stagnation enthalpy at outlet is
constant, this leads to the axial velocity distribution given by

• And since is constant, then is proportional to . Therefore,

Radial Flow Turbines
• There is no absolute reference to chose between axial and radial flow
machines. One is much more convenient than the other in some particular
conditions, and the selection is made based on the requirements for the
particular application.
• Some common comparisons are:
 Radial turbines have a higher pressure ratio per stage than the axial ones.
 Radial turbines are compact having small rotor radius which allows it to have a
higher rotational speed with less risk of centrifugal stress.
 Multi – staging is more convenient in axial flow machines so that a higher total
pressure ratio can be attained in axial flow turbines.
• Radial Turbines can be Inward flow or outward flow.
• Radial outward flow turbines in a single stage gives low specific work due
to divergence of flow area which decreases the efficiency. A multi – stage
version of this machine using steam gives it an acceptable feature because
steam can achieve a tremendous increase in its specific volume.
• Specific work: There is a difference in the blade velocities of the inlet
and exit of the radial flow machines. This demands a slight alteration
in the specific work calculation.

• Inward flow Radial Turbine (IFR): covers tremendous range of power,

mass flow rate and rotational speed ranging from very large Francis
Turbines used for hydroelectric power generation and developing
hundreds of megawatts to tiny closed cycle gas turbines for space
power generation of a few kilowatts.
• IFR is classified as:
• Cantilever : Lower strength
• 900 IFR: More preferred due to high strength (e.g.: Radial Francis Turbine)
900 IFR Turbine
• The nominal (design) conditions for a 900 IFR are pure radial relative
flow at inlet and pure axial exit. This is the most utilized design
experience by many pioneer engineers in the field. Therefore,
and
• Then, the specific work for the nominal condition is
Spouting Velocity
Design point efficiency
𝐶 1=𝐶 3

[ ]
−1
Nozzle loss coefficient , is defined as
𝐸𝑛𝑡h𝑎𝑙𝑝𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑧𝑧𝑙𝑒 𝜂 𝑡𝑠= 1+
( 2 2
𝐶3 +𝑉 3 𝜉 𝑟 + 𝐶2 𝜉 𝑛
2 𝑇3
𝑇2 )
𝜉 𝑛= 2𝑊
𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑧𝑧𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑡

[ ]
h2 − h 2 𝑠 h 3 𝑠 − h3 𝑠𝑠 −1

𝜉 𝑛=
0.5 𝐶 2
2
=
0.5 𝐶 2
2 𝑇3
𝜂 𝑡𝑠= 1+
( 2 2 2
𝐶3 + 𝑉 3 𝜉 𝑟 + 𝐶2 𝜉 𝑛
𝑇3
𝑇2 )
𝑇2 2(h 1 − h3 )

[ ]
−1

𝜂 𝑡 𝑡= 1+
( 2 2
𝑉 3 𝜉 𝑟 + 𝐶2 𝜉 𝑛
𝑇3
𝑇2 )
2(h1 − h 3)
Specific speed
• It is an extremely important dimensionless parameter in radial turbines.
The working specific speed range of a turbine is limited by the acceptable
values of efficiency.