Q & A Steam Turbines

Question & Answers on Steam Turbines

What is a stage in a steam turbine?

Answer: In an impulse turbine, the stage is a set of moving blades

behind the nozzle. In a reaction turbine, each row of blades is called a
"stage." A single Curtis stage may consist of two or more rows of
moving blade.

What is a diaphragm?

Answer: Partitions between pressure stages in a turbine's casing are

called diaphragms. They hold the vane-shaped nozzles and seals
between the stages. Usually labyrinth-type seals are used. One-half of
the diaphragm is fitted into the top of the casing, the other half into the
bottom.

What is a radial-flow turbine?

Answer: In a radial-flow turbine, steam flows outward from the shaft

to the casing. The unit is usually a reaction unit, having both fixed and
moving blades. They are used for special jobs and are more common
to European manufacturers, such as Sta-Laval (now ABB).

What are four types of turbine seals?

Answers:

1. Carbon rings fitted in segments around the shaft and

held together by garter or retainer springs.
2. Labyrinth mated with shaft serration’s or shaft seal
 strips.
3. Water seals where a shaft runner acts as a pump to
create a ring of water around the shaft. Use only
treated water to avoid shaft pitting.
4. Stuffing box using woven or soft packing rings that
are compressed with a gland to prevent leakage
along the shaft.

In which turbine is tip leakage a problem?

Answer: Tip leakage is a problem in reaction turbines. Here, each

vane forms a nozzle; steam must flow through the moving nozzle to
the fixed nozzle. Steam escaping across the tips of the blades
represents a loss of work. Therefore, tip seals are used prevent this.

What are two types of clearance in a turbine?

Answer:

1. Radial - clearance at the tips of the rotor and casing.

2. Axial - the fore-and-aft clearance, at the sides of the
rotor and the casing.

What are four types of thrust hearings?

Answer:

1. Babbitt-faced collar bearings.

2. Tilting pivotal pads.
3. Tapered land bearings.
4. Rolling-contact (roller or ball) bearings.

What is the function of a thrust bearing?

Answer: Thrust bearings keep the rotor in its correct axial position.

What is a balance piston?

Answer: Reaction turbines have axial thrust because pressure on the

entering side is greater than pressure on the leaving side of each
stage. To counteract this force, steam is admitted to a dummy
(balance) piston chamber at the low-pressure end of the rotor. Some
designers also use a balance piston on impulse turbines that have a
high thrust. Instead of piston, seal strips are also used to duplicate a
piston's counter force

Why should a steam or moisture separator be installed in the

steam line next to a steam turbine?

Answer: All multistage turbines, low-pressure turbines, and turbines

operating at high pressure with saturated steam should have a
moisture separator in order to prevent rapid blade wear from water
erosion.

What are some conditions that may prevent a turbine from

developing full power?

Answers:

1. The machine is overloaded.

2. The initial steam pressure and temperature are not up
to design conditions.
3. The exhaust pressure is too high.
4. The governor is set too low.
5. The steam strainer is clogged.
6. Turbine nozzles are clogged with deposits.
7. Internal wear on nozzles and blades.

Why is it necessary to open casing drains and drains on the

steam line going to the turbine when a turbine is to be started?

Answers:

To avoid slugging nozzles and blades inside the turbine with

condensate on start-up; this can break these components from
impact. The blades were designed to handle steam, not water.

What is steam rate as applied to turbo-generators?

Answer: The steam rate is the pounds of steam that must be

supplied per kilowatt-hour of generator output at the steam turbine
inlet.

What are the two basic types of steam turbines?

Answers:

1. Impulse type.
2. Reaction type.

What is the operating principle of an impulse turbine?

Answer: The basic idea of an impulse turbine is that a jet of steam

from a fixed nozzle pushes against the rotor blades and impels them
forward. The velocity of the steam is about twice as fast as the velocity
of the blades. Only turbines utilizing fixed nozzles are classified as
impulse turbines.

What is the operating principle of a reaction turbine?

Answer: A reaction turbine utilizes a jet of steam that flows from a

nozzle on the rotor. Actually, the steam is directed into the moving
blades by fixed blades designed to expand the steam. The result is a
small increase in velocity over that of the moving blades. These
blades form a wall of moving nozzles that further expand the steam.
The steam flow is partially reversed by the moving blades, producing a
reaction on the blades. Since the pressure drop is small across each
row of nozzles (blades), the speed is comparatively low. Therefore,
more rows of moving blades are needed than in an impulse turbine.

What are topping and superposed turbines?

Answer: Topping and superposed turbines arc high-pressure, non-

condensing units that can be added to an older, moderate-pressure
plant. Topping turbines receive high-pressure steam from new high-
pressure boilers. The exhaust steam of the new turbine has the same
pressure as the old boilers and is used to supply the old turbines.

What is an extraction turbine?

Answer: In an extraction turbine, steam is withdrawn from one or

more stages, at one or more pressures, for heating, plant process, or
feedwater heater needs. They are often called "bleeder turbines."

What is a combination thrust and radial bearing?

Answer: This unit has the ends of the Babbitt bearing extended
radially over the end of the shell. Collars on the rotor face these thrust
pads, and the journal is supported in the bearing between the thrust
collars.

What is a tapered-land thrust bearing?

Answer: The babbitt face of a tapered-land thrust bearing has a

series of fixed pads divided by radial slots. The leading edge of each
sector is tapered, allowing an oil wedge to build up and carry the
thrust between the collar and pad.

Go to Page 2 Question & Answers

Steam Turbines
Question & Answers on Steam Turbines

Question & Answers on Steam Turbines

What is important to remember about radial bearings?

Answer: A turbine rotor is supported by two radial bearings, one on

each end of the steam cylinder. These bearings must be accurately
aligned to maintain the close clearance between the shaft and the
shaft seals, and between the rotor and the casing. If excessive
bearing wear lowers the he rotor, great harm can be done to the
turbine.

How many governors are needed for safe turbine operation?

Why?

Answer: Two independent governors are needed for safe turbine

operation. One is an over speed or emergency trip that shuts off the
steam at 10 percent above running speed (maximum speed). The
second, or main governor, usually controls speed at a constant rate;
however, many applications have variable speed control.

How is a flyball governor used with a hydraulic control?

Answer: As the turbine speeds up, the weights are moved outward
by centrifugal force, causing linkage to open a pilot valve that admits
and releases oil on either side of a piston or on one side of a spring-
loaded piston. The movement of the piston controls the steam valves.

What is a multi-port governor valve? Why is it used?

Answer: In large turbines, a valve controls steam flow to groups of

nozzles. The number of open valves controls the number of nozzles in
use according to the load. A bar-lift or cam arrangement operated by
the governor opens and closes these valves in sequence. Such a
device is a multi-port valve. Using nozzles at full steam pressure is
more efficient than throttling the steam.
What is meant by critical speed?

Answer: It is the speed at which the machine vibrates most violently.

It is due to many causes, such as imbalance or harmonic vibrations
set up by the entire machine. To minimize damage, the turbine should
be hurried through the known critical speed as rapidly as possible.
(Caution, be sure the vibration is caused by critical speed and not by
some other trouble).

How is oil pressure maintained when starting or stopping a

medium-sized turbine?

Answer: An auxiliary pump is provided to maintain oil pressure.

Some auxiliary pumps are turned by a hand crank; others are motor-
driven. This pump is used when the integral pump is running too
slowly to provide pressure, as when starting or securing a medium-
sized turbine.

Besides lubrication, which are two functions of lubricating oil in

some turbines?

Answer: In large units, lube oil cools the bearings by carrying off heat
to the oil coolers. Lube oil in some turbines also acts as a hydraulic
fluid to operate the governor speed-control system.

What is meant by the water rate of a turbine?

Answer: Water rate is another term used for the steam rate.

What is the difference between partial and full arc admission?

Answer: In multi-valve turbine inlets, partial arc ad mission allows the

steam to enter per valve opening in a sequential manner, so as load is
increased, more valves open to admit steam. This can cause uneven
heating on the high-pressure annulus as the valves are individually
opened with load increase. In full-arc admission, all regulating valves
open but only at a percentage of their full opening. With load increase,
they all open more fully. This provides more uniform heating around
the high-pressure part of the turbine. Most modern controls start with
full-arc and switch to partial arc to reduce throttling losses through the
valves.

At what points does corrosion fatigue does show up?

Answer: It attacks trailing edges, near the base of the foil and also
the blade-root serration’s.

Besides lubrication, what are two functions of lubricating oil in

some turbines?

Answer: In larger units, lube oil cools the bearings by carrying off
heat to the oil coolers. Lube oil in some turbines also acts as a
hydraulic fluid to operate the governor speed-control system.

Despite preventive measures, damage due to moisture

impingement has been found, in certain cases, in the shield and
beyond. Why?

Answers:

1. Shields are designed and fabricated on the basis of

predicted range of steam/water quantities impacting
the blades at specific angles.
2. Now if the operating conditions deviate significantly
from design parameters then the erosion damage will
occur. And in some cases it may go beyond nominal
erosion wear and warrant repair.
3. Also the corrosion of casing can occur due to
blockage/clogging of water drains or extraction
thereby forcing the water back into the casing. If this
condensate water is carried over to steam path and
impacts the blade, thermal-fatigue failure can occur
within a short period.

By monitoring the exhaust steam temperature, how can the blade

deposition be predicted?

Answers:

1. Immediately after the 1st commissioning, the different

values of exhaust temperature for different steam flow
rates are precisely determined and plotted against
steam flow. This will produce the first actual graph.
This is for a clean turbine.
2. Similar graphs are to be drawn at later periods for
comparing with the initial graph.
3. A rise in exhaust steam temperature under the same
conditions refers to deposit formation.
4. An increase of exhaust steam temperature by more
than 10% in the range of 70 to l00% steam flow,
indicates inadmissible blade depositions. Shutdown is
to be taken and blades are to be washed off deposits.

Do the radial axial-bore cracks occur in the LP rotor/shaft alone?

Answer: These are also known to occur in the HP as well as HP

rotors.

Do you stop cooling-water flow through a steam condenser as

soon as the turbine is slopped?

Answer: You should keep the cooling water circulating for about 15
mill or more so that the condenser has a chance to cool down
gradually and evenly. Be sure to have cooling water flowing through
the condenser before starting up in order to prevent live steam from
entering the condenser unless it is cooled. Overheating can cause
severe leaks and other headaches.

Do you think that turbine blade failure is the only cause of

unreliability of steam turbines? Does upgrading of turbine means
replacement of blades and/or improvement of blade design?

Answers:

1. Like the blades, the steam-turbine rotors are highly

stressed components. They are subject to cracking by
a variety of failure mechanisms. Rotor failures do
occur. And when they occur the result is catastrophic
with the complete destruction of the unit and the total
loss of generating capacity.
2. Therefore, special attention should be given to rotor
upgrading and repairing techniques.

BLADE FAILURES

Unknown 26%

Stress-Corrosion Cracking 22%

High-Cycle Fatigue 20%

Corrosion-Fatigue Cracking 7%

Temperature Creep Rupture 6%

Low-Cycle Fatigue 5%

Corrosion 4%

Other causes 10%

Besides, many damage mechanisms operate in combination of, poor

steam/water chemistry, certain blade design factors that vary from one
turbine manufacture to other, system operating parameters,

How can damaged tenons be repaired?

Answers: By adopting modern welding techniques, tenons can be

rebuilt This in some cases results in extended blade life.
How can problems of "excessive vibration or noise" due to
piping strain be avoided on steam turbines?

Answers:

1. The inlet as well as exhaust steam lines should be

firmly supported to avoid strains from being imposed
on the turbine.
2. Adequate allowance should be made for expansion of
steam pipes due to heat.

How can steam turbines be classified?

Answers:

By the action of steam:

1. Impulse.
2. Reaction.
3. Impulse and reaction combined.

The number of step reductions involved:

4. Single stage.
5. Multi-stage.
6. Whether there is one or more revolving
vanes separated by stationary reversing
vanes.

The direction of steam flow:

7. Axial.
8. Radial.
9. Mixed.
10. Tangential.
11. Helical.
12. Reentry.

The inlet steam pressure:

13. High pressure.

14. Medium pressure.
15. Low pressure.

The final pressure:

16. Condensing.
 17. Non-condensing.

The source of steam:

18. Extraction.
19. Accumulator.

What is a stage in a steam turbine?

Answer: In an impulse turbine, the stage is a set of moving blades

behind the nozzle. In a reaction turbine, each row of blades is called a
"stage." A single Curtis stage may consist of two or more rows of
moving blade.

What is a diaphragm?

Answer: Partitions between pressure stages in a turbine's casing are

called diaphragms. They hold the vane-shaped nozzles and seals
between the stages. Usually labyrinth-type seals are used. One-half of
the diaphragm is fitted into the top of the casing, the other half into the
bottom.

What is a radial-flow turbine?

Answer: In a radial-flow turbine, steam flows outward from the shaft

to the casing. The unit is usually a reaction unit, having both fixed and
moving blades. They are used for special jobs and are more common
to European manufacturers, such as Sta-Laval (now ABB).

What are four types of turbine seals?

Answers:

1. Carbon rings fitted in segments around the

shaft and held together by garter or retainer
springs.
2. Labyrinth mated with shaft serration’s or shaft
seal strips.
3. Water seals where a shaft runner acts as a
pump to create a ring of water around the
shaft. Use only treated water to avoid shaft
pitting.
4. Stuffing box using woven or soft packing rings
that are compressed with a gland to prevent
leakage along the shaft.

In which turbine is tip leakage a problem?

Answer: Tip leakage is a problem in reaction turbines. Here, each

vane forms a nozzle; steam must flow through the moving nozzle to
the fixed nozzle. Steam escaping across the tips of the blades
represents a loss of work. Therefore, tip seals are used prevent this.

What are two types of clearance in a turbine?

Answer:

1. Radial - clearance at the tips of the rotor and

casing.
2. Axial - the fore-and-aft clearance, at the sides
of the rotor and the casing.

What are four types of thrust hearings?

Answer:

1. Babbitt-faced collar bearings.

2. Tilting pivotal pads.
3. Tapered land bearings.
4. Rolling-contact (roller or ball) bearings.

What is the function of a thrust bearing?

Answer: Thrust bearings keep the rotor in its correct axial position.

What is a balance piston?

Answer: Reaction turbines have axial thrust because pressure on the

entering side is greater than pressure on the leaving side of each
stage. To counteract this force, steam is admitted to a dummy
(balance) piston chamber at the low-pressure end of the rotor. Some
designers also use a balance piston on impulse turbines that have a
high thrust. Instead of piston, seal strips are also used to duplicate a
piston's counter force

Why should a steam or moisture separator be installed in the

steam line next to a steam turbine?

Answer: All multistage turbines, low-pressure turbines, and turbines

operating at high pressure with saturated steam should have a
moisture separator in order to prevent rapid blade wear from water
erosion.

What are some conditions that may prevent a turbine from

developing full power?

Answers:

1. The machine is overloaded.

 2. The initial steam pressure and temperature
are not up to design conditions.
3. The exhaust pressure is too high.
4. The governor is set too low.
5. The steam strainer is clogged.
6. Turbine nozzles are clogged with deposits.
7. Internal wear on nozzles and blades.

Why is it necessary to open casing drains and drains on the

steam line going to the turbine when a turbine is to be started?

Answers:

To avoid slugging nozzles and blades inside the turbine with

condensate on start-up; this can break these components from
impact. The blades were designed to handle steam, not water.

What is steam rate as applied to turbo-generators?

Answer: The steam rate is the pounds of steam that must be

supplied per kilowatt-hour of generator output at the steam turbine
inlet.

What are the two basic types of steam turbines?

Answers:

1. Impulse type.
2. Reaction type.

What is the operating principle of an impulse turbine?

Answer: The basic idea of an impulse turbine is that a jet of steam

from a fixed nozzle pushes against the rotor blades and impels them
forward. The velocity of the steam is about twice as fast as the velocity
of the blades. Only turbines utilizing fixed nozzles are classified as
impulse turbines.

What is the operating principle of a reaction turbine?

Answer: A reaction turbine utilizes a jet of steam that flows from a

nozzle on the rotor. Actually, the steam is directed into the moving
blades by fixed blades designed to expand the steam. The result is a
small increase in velocity over that of the moving blades. These
blades form a wall of moving nozzles that further expand the steam.
The steam flow is partially reversed by the moving blades, producing a
reaction on the blades. Since the pressure drop is small across each
row of nozzles (blades), the speed is comparatively low. Therefore,
more rows of moving blades are needed than in an impulse turbine.

What are topping and superposed turbines?

Answer: Topping and superposed turbines arc high-pressure, non-

 condensing units that can be added to an older, moderate-pressure
plant. Topping turbines receive high-pressure steam from new high-
pressure boilers. The exhaust steam of the new turbine has the same
pressure as the old boilers and is used to supply the old turbines.

What is an extraction turbine?

Answer: In an extraction turbine, steam is withdrawn from one or

more stages, at one or more pressures, for heating, plant process, or
feedwater heater needs. They are often called "bleeder turbines."

What is a combination thrust and radial bearing?

Answer: This unit has the ends of the Babbitt bearing extended
radially over the end of the shell. Collars on the rotor face these thrust
pads, and the journal is supported in the bearing between the thrust
collars

What is a tapered-land thrust bearing?

Answer: The babbitt face of a tapered-land thrust bearing has a

series of fixed pads divided by radial slots. The leading edge of each
sector is tapered, allowing an oil wedge to build up and carry the
thrust between the collar and pad.

Go to Page 3 Question & Answers

Steam Turbines

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Question & Answers on Steam Turbines

How can the deposits be removed?
Answers:

1. Water soluble deposits may be washed off with

condensate or wet steam.
2. Water insoluble deposits are removed mechanically after
dismantling the turbine.
3. Experience shows that water soluble deposits are
embedded in layers of water-insoluble deposits. And when
the washing process is carried out, water soluble parts of
the deposit dissolve away leaving a loose, friable skeleton
of water-insoluble deposits which then break loose and
wash away.

How can the detection of deposits in a turbine be made during

operation?

Answers:

1. Pressure monitoring.
2. Internal efficiency monitoring.
3. Monitoring exhaust steam temperature.
4. Monitoring specific steam consumption.

How can the disadvantages of the impulse turbine question 7 be

overcome?

Answers:

1. Velocity compounding
2. Pressure compounding
3. Pressure-Velocity compounding.

How can the fatigue damage on high-pressure blades be corrected?

Answers: Fatigue-damage on high-pressure blades arises due to

vibration induced by partial-arc admission. This can be corrected by
switching over to full arc admission technique.

How can the misalignment be rectified?

Answer: The bolts holding the flanges together are to be tightened. The
coupling is to be checked for squareness between the bore and the face.
At the same time axial clearance is to be checked. Using gauge block and
feeler gauges, the gap between coupling faces 1800 apart is to be
measured. After rotating the coupling-half 1800, the gap at the same
points is to be measured. After this, the other coupling is to be rotated
1800 and the gap at the same points is to be re-measured. These
measures should come within a few thousands of an inch. Dividing the
coupling faces into four intervals, the distance between the coupling faces
at this intervals is to be measured with the aid of a gauge block and feeler
gauges. These gap measurements should come within 0.005 inch for
proper angular shaft alignment. After proper alignment at room
temperature, the two halves of the coupling are to be connected.

How can the problem of excessive speed variation due to throttle

assembly friction be overcome?

Answer: The throttle should be dismantled. Moving parts should be

checked for free and smooth movement. Using very fine-grained emery
paper, the throttle valve seats and valve steam should be polished.

How can the speed variation be reduced by making a governor droop

adjustment?

Answer: If the internal droop setting is increased, the speed variation will
reduce.

How do the problems of vibration and fatigue arise with steam

turbine blades?

Answers:

1. These arise due to flow irregularities introduced because

of manufacturing defects, e.g. lack of control over
tolerances.
2. System operating parameter, e.g. low flow may excite
various modes of vibration in the blades.

How does deposit formation on turbine blades affect turbine

efficiency?

Answer: About 500 g of deposits distributed more or less evenly all over
the blading section can bring down turbine efficiency by 1%.

How does improper governor lubrication affect?

Answers:

1. In the event of low governor oil level or if the oil is dirty or

foamy, it will cause improper governor lubrication.

What is the remedy to it?

2. The dirty or foamy lube oil should be drained off, governor

should be flushed and refilled with a fresh charge of
proper oil.
3. In the event of low level, the level should be built up by
make- up lube oil.
How does pressure monitoring ensure detection of turbine deposits?

Answers:

1. Pressure of steam expanding in the turbine is measured at

characteristic points, i.e., at the wheel chamber, points of
pass-out, inlet/outlet of HP, IP and LP stages of the
turbine.
2. The turbine manufacturer provides the pressure
characteristics in the form of graphs.
3. At 1st commissioning, the user supplements these
theoretical curves with those derived from actual
measurements. These are actual pressure characteristics
for a clean turbine. Now these pressure characteristics are
compared with those obtained during operation in the later
period.
4. Under identical conditions, an increase in pressure shows
the formation of deposits.
5. For a steam throughput in the range 70-100%, an
increase in wheel chamber pressure of more than 10%
indicates severe blade depositions.

How does solid-particle erosion occur?

Answer: Solid-particle erosion, i.e. SPE occurs in the high-pressure

blades. And it takes place when hard particles of iron exfoliated by steam
from superheater tubes, reheater tubes, steam headers and steam leads
strike on the surface of turbine blades.

How does the damage to turbine-blades tell upon the efficiency of the
unit?

Answer: The damage to blade profiles changes the geometry of steam

flow path and thereby reducing the efficiency of the unit.

How does the dirty safety trip valve trip the safety trip at normal
speed?

Answers: Dirt may find its way to the safety trip valve and get deposited
around the spring end cap end. This will block the clearance between the
safety trip valve and the spring end cap. As a result the steam pressure in
the spring cap gets lowered allowing the valve to close.

What is the remedy to it?

The spring end cap as well as safety trip valve should be cleaned.

How does the foreign-particle damage of turbine blades arise?

Answer: It occurs due to impact on blades by foreign particles (debris)

left in the system following outages and become steam-borne later.

How does the internal efficiency monitoring lead to the detection of

turbine deposits?

Answers:

1. Process heat drop.

2. Adiabatic heat drop.
3. The process heat drop and adiabatic heat drop are
obtained from a Mollier-Chart for the corresponding values
of steam parameters - pressure and temperature - at initial
and final conditions.

How does this modification reduce the vibration fatigue damage?

Answers:

1. Joining the blade segments together at the shroud band

increases the length of the arc-to a maximum of 360° that
alters the natural frequency of the blade grouping from the
operating vibration mode.
2. This design has gained considerable success in
commercial service.

How is a flyball governor used with a hydraulic control?

Answer: As the turbine speeds up, the weights are moved outward by
centrifugal force, causing linkage to open a pilot valve that admits and
releases oil on either side of a piston or on one side of a spring-loaded
piston. The movement of the piston controls the steam valves.

How is oil pressure maintained when starting or stopping a medium-

sized turbine?

Answer: An auxiliary pump is provided to maintain oil pressure. Some

auxiliary pumps are turned by a hand crank; others are motor-driven. This
pump is used when the integral pump is running too slowly to provide
pressure, as when starting or securing a medium-sized turbine.

How is pressure compounding accomplished?

Answers:

1. This is accomplished by an arrangement with alternate

rows of nozzles and moving blades.
2. Steam enters the 1st row of nozzles where it suffers a
partial drop of pressure and in lieu of that its velocity gets
increased. The high velocity steam passes on to the 1st
row of moving blades where its velocity is reduced.
 3. The steam then passes into the 2nd row of nozzles where
its pressure is again partially reduced and velocity is again
increased. This high velocity steam passes from the
nozzles to the 2nd row of blades where its velocity is
again reduced.
4. Thus pressure drop takes place in successive stages.
Since a partial pressure drop takes place in each stage,
the steam velocities will not be so high with the effect that
the turbine will run slower.

How is pressure-velocity compounding accomplished?

Answers:

1. It is a combination of pressure compounding and velocity

compounding.
2. Steam is expanded partially in a row of nozzles
whereupon its velocity gets increased. This high velocity
steam then enters a few rows of velocity compounding
whereupon its velocity gets successively reduced. (Fig. 5)
3. The velocity of the steam is again increased in the
subsequent row of nozzles and then again it is allowed to
pass onto another set of velocity compounding that brings
about a stage-wise reduction of velocity of the steam.
4. This system is continued.

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 Question & Answers on
Steam Turbines
How is pressure-velocity
compounding accomplished?

Answers:

1. It is a combination of
pressure compounding
and velocity
compounding.
2. Steam is expanded
partially in a row of
nozzles whereupon its
velocity gets
increased. This high
velocity steam then
enters a few rows of
velocity compounding
whereupon its velocity
gets successively
reduced. (Fig. 5)
3. The velocity of the
steam is again
increased in the
subsequent row of
nozzles and then again
it is allowed to pass
onto another set of
velocity compounding
that brings about a
stage-wise reduction of
velocity of the steam.
4. This system is
continued.

How is the washing of turbine

blades carried out with the
condensate?
Answers:

1. The washing is carried

out with the
condensate at 100°C.
2. The turbine is cooled
or heated up to 100°C
and filled with the
condensate via a
turbine drain.
3. The rotor is turned or
barred by hand and
the condensate is
drained after 2 to 4
hours.
4. It is then again filled
with the condensate at
100°C (but up to the
rotor center-level), the
rotor is rotated and the
condensate is drained
after sometime. This
process is repeated
several times.

How is turbine blade washing with

wet steam carried out?

Answers:

1. Wet steam produced

usually by injecting
cold condensate into
the superheated
steam, is introduced to
the turbine which is
kept on running at
about 20% of nominal
speed.
2. For backpressure
turbine the exhaust
steam is let out into the
open air through a
gate valve. For a
condensing turbine,
the vacuum pump is
kept out of service
while cooling water is
running, with the effect
that the entering
cooling steam is
condensed. The
condensate is drained
off.
 3. The washing steam
condition is gradually
adjusted to a final
wetness of 0.9 to 0.95.

Note, it is important:

4. not to change washing

steam temperature by
10°C/min,
5. to keep all turbine
cylinder drains open.

How is velocity compounding

accomplished?

Answers:

1. This is accomplished
by an arrangement
with alternate rows of
fixed blades and
moving blades. The
mounted on the casing
while the moving
blades are keyed in
series on a common
shaft. The function of
the fixed blades is to
correct the direction of
entry of steam to the
next row of moving
blades.
2. The high velocity
steam leaving the
nozzles passes on to
the 1st row of moving
blades where it suffers
a partial velocity drop.
3. Its direction is then
corrected by the next
row of fixed blades and
then it enters the 2nd
row of moving blades.
Here the steam
velocity is again
partially reduced.
Since only part of the
velocity of the steam is
used up in each row of
the moving blades, a
slower turbine results.
This is how velocity
 compounding works.

How many governors are needed for

safe turbine operation? Why?

Answer: Two independent governors

are needed for safe turbine operation:

1. One is an over speed

or emergency trip that
shuts off the steam at
10 percent above
running speed
(maximum speed).
2. The second, or main
governor, usually
controls speed at a
constant rate;
however, many
applications have
variable speed control.

How many types of particle-impact

damage occur in turbine blades?

Answers:

1. Erosion/corrosion.
2. Foreign-particle
impacts.
3. Solid-particle erosion.
4. Water damage.

How to prevent turbine deposition?

Answers:

By upgrading the quality of steam.

That is by ensuring proper:

1. Boiler feed water

quality.
2. Steam boiler model.
3. Boiler design.
4. Boiler operation.

How will you detect that

misalignment is the probable cause
of excessive vibration?

Answers:

1. Coupling to the driven

 machine is to be
disconnected.
2. The turbine is to be run
alone.
3. If the turbine runs
smoothly, either
misalignment, worn
coupling or the driven
equipment is the cause
of the trouble.

How would you slop a leaky tube in

a condenser that was contaminating
the feed-water?

Answer: To stop a leaky tube from

contaminating the feed water, shut
down, remove the water-box covers,
and fill the steam space with water. By
observing the tube ends you can find
the leaky tube. An alternate method is
to put a few pounds of air pressure in
the steam space, flood the water boxes
to the top inspection plate, and observe
any air bubbles. Once you have found
the leaky tube, drive a tapered bronze
plug (coated with white lead) into each
end of the tube to cut it out of service.
This allows you to use the condenser
since the tubes need not be renewed
until about 10 percent of the tubes are
plugged.

How would you stop air from leaking

into a condenser?

Answer: First, find the leak by passing

a flame over the suspected part while
the condenser is under vacuum. Leaks
in the flange joints or porous castings
can be stopped with asphalt paint or
shellac. Tallow or heavy grease will
stop leaks around the valve stems.
Small leaks around the porous
castings, flange nuts, or valve stems
can always be found by the flame test.
So, you might have to put the
condenser under a few pounds of air
pressure and apply soapsuds to the
suspected trouble parts.
In how many patterns are tie wires
used?

Answers:

1. In one design, tie wire

is passed through the
blade vane.
2. In another design, an
integral stub is jointed
by welding/brazing.

In steam turbines, is there any

alternative to the shrunk-on-disc
design?

Answers:

Two designs are available at

present:

1. Welded rotor in which

each individual disc is
welded, instead of
shrunk, onto the main
shaft.
2. Monobloc rotor in
which the entire shaft
and blade assembly is
manufactured from a
single forging.

In which case does upgrading imply

life extension of steam turbines?

Answer: For a capital-short electric

utility plant, upgrading comes to mean
extending the life of that plant
scheduled for retirement.

In which cases does erosion

corrosion damage appear?

Answer: It is commonly encountered

in nuclear steam turbines and old
fossil-fuel-fired units that employ lower
steam temperatures and pressures.

In which cases does moisture-

impingement and washing erosion
occur?
Answers:

1. These are
encountered in the wet
sections of the steam
turbine.
2. For nuclear power
plants, these wet
sections can involve
parts of high-pressure
cylinder.

In which cases does upgrading

mean up-rating the turbine
capacity?

Answer: For an electric utility system

facing uncertain load growth,
upgrading is chiefly up-rating. It is an
inexpensive way to add capacity in
small increments.

In which part of the steam turbine

does corrosion fatigue occur?

Answer: In the wet stages of the LP

cylinder.

In which part of the steam turbine

does stress corrosion cracking
(SCC) occur?

Answer: In the wet stages of the low-

pressure turbine.

In which section of the steam-

turbine rotors is the problem of rotor
failure mostly prevalent?

Answers: Rotor failures occur mostly

on the large low-pressure rotors.

What are the basic causes of the

problems are?

Answers:

1. Normal wear.
2. Fatigue failure due to
high stress.
 3. Design deficiency.
4. Aggressive operating
environment

In which turbine is this pressure

compounding used?

Answer: In the Rateau turbine.

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Question & Answers on Steam

Turbines

Question & Answers on Steam

Turbines

In which turbine is tip leakage a problem?

Answer: Tip leakage is a problem in reaction

turbines. Here, each vane forms a nozzle; steam
must how through the moving nozzle to the fixed
nozzle. Steam escaping across the tips of the
blades represents a loss of work. Therefore, tip
seals are used to prevent this.

In which turbine is velocity compounding

utilized?

Answer: In the Curtis turbine.

In which turbines, is this pressure-velocity

compounding principle employed?

Answer: In the Curtis turbine.

In which zone of steam turbines has

temperature-creep rupture been observed?

Answer: Damage due to creep is encountered in

high temperature (exceeding 455°C) zones. That
is, it has been found to occur in the control stages
of the high-pressure and intermediate-pressure
turbines where steam temperature sometimes
exceed 540°C. In the reheat stage, it has been
observed that creep has caused complete lifting of
the blade shroud bands.

Is there any adverse effect off full-arc

admission operation?

Answer: At low loads, this results in a heat-rate

penalty, due to throttling over the admission
valves.

Is there any alternative to the shrunk-on-disc

design?

Answers: Two designs are available at

present:

1. Welded rotor in which each

individual discs are welded,
instead of shrunk, onto the main
shaft.
2. Monobloc rotor in which the entire
shaft and blade assembly is
manufactured from a single
forging.

Is there any factor other than corrodents and

erodents that contributes to turbine blade
failure?
Answers: Turbine blade damage and failures
can be effected by vibration and fatigue.

a. These arise due to flow

irregularities introduced
because of manufacturing
defects, e.g. lack of
control over tolerances.
b. System operating
parameter, e.g. low flow
may excite various modes
of vibration in the blades.

Is there any other type of racking occurring in

HP/IP rotors and causing rotor failures?

Answers:

1. Blade-groove-wall cracking.
2. Rotor-surface cracking.

Of all the factors that contribute to the

unreliability of steam turbines, which one is
the most prominent?

Answer: It is the problem of turbine blade failures

that chiefly contribute to the unreliability of steam
turbines.

Rim cracking continues to be a problem of

shrunk-on-disc type rotors in utility steam
turbines. Where does it occur?

Answer: Cracking has been located at the outer

corners of tile grooves where the blade root
attaches to the rotor.

So can you recommend this technique as a

permanent measure?

Answer: No, this can be recommended in

extreme cases or at best temporarily.

So what should be the more sound approach?

Answers:

1. The more reasonable and better

approach is to replace the
damaged blades with new ones
that are stiffened by:
 a. Serrating the interface surface of
individual blades so they interlock,
or
b. Welding the blades together.
c. In some cases, a single
monolithic block is machined out
to manufacture the blades in a
group.
d. In some other cases, blades
themselves are directly welded
into the rotor.

Steam blowing from a turbine gland is

wasteful. Why else should it be avoided?

Answer: It should be avoided because the steam

usually blows into the bearing, destroying the lube
oil in the main bearing. Steam blowing from a
turbine gland also creates condensate, causing
undue moisture in plant equipment.

The consequences of turbine depositions have

three effects?

Answers:

1. Economic Effect:

a. Reduction in turbine output

b. Decrease in efficiency requiring
higher steam consumption.

1. Effect of Overloading and

Decreasing Reliability in
Operation:

a. Pressure characteristic in the

turbine gets disturbed with the
effect that thrust and overloading
of thrust bearing increase.
b. Blades are subjected to higher
bending stresses.
c. Natural vibrations of the blading
are affected.
d. Vibration due to uneven
deposition on turbine blading.
e. Valve jamming due to deposits on
valve stems.

1. Corrosion Effect:

a. Fatigue corrosion.
 b. Pitting corrosion.
c. Stress corrosion.

Usually it has been found that SCC attack

takes place particularly at keyways of shrunk-
on-disc rotors of low-pressure turbines. Why
are keyways prone to SCC attack?

Answers:

1. Keyways shrunk-fit each disc onto

tile rotor shaft. They improve the
rigidity of the connection between
the disc and the central shaft
However, key ways are subjected
to abnormal centrifugal forces due
to high overspeed, that reduce the
amount of shrink. Tangential
stresses tend to gravitate at the
keyway connection and steam
tends to condense.
2. It is a one-piece-construction, and
thus has inherent rigidity.
3. Advanced steel making
techniques enable building of
monobloc rotors almost free from
non-metallic inclusions and gas
bubbles. Even large monobloc
rotors of clean steel are being
manufactured today.
4. It exhibits lower inherent stresses.
5. The chance of disc loosening
during operation is eliminated.
6. Highly stressed keyway is
eliminated.

What are four types of thrust bearings?

Answers:

1. babbitt-faced collar bearings

2. tilting pivotal pads
3. tapered land bearings
4. rolling-contact (roller or ball)
bearings

What are four types of turbine seals?

Answer:

1. Carbon rings fitted in segments

around the shaft and held
 together by garter or retainer
springs.
2. Labyrinths mated with shaft
serrations or shaft seal strips.
3. Water seals where a shaft runner
acts as a pump to create a ring of
water around the shaft. Use only
treated water to avoid shaft
pitting.
4. Stuffing box using woven or soft
packing rings that are
compressed with a gland to
prevent leakage along the shaft.

What are some common troubles in surface-

condenser operation?

Answer:

The greatest headache to the operator is loss of

vacuum caused by air leaking into the surface
condenser through the joints or packing glands.
Another trouble spot is cooling water leaking into
the steam space through the ends of the tubes or
through tiny holes in the tubes. The tubes may
also become plugged with mud, shells, debris,
slime, or algae, thus cutting down on the cooling-
water supply, or the tubes may get coated with
lube oil from the reciprocating machinery.
Corrosion and dezincification of the tube metal are
common surface-condenser troubles. Corrosion
may be uniform, or it may occur in small holes or
pits. Dezincification changes the nature of the
metal and causes it to become brittle and weak.

What are the advantages of steam turbines

over reciprocating steam engines?

Answers:

1. Steam turbine has higher thermal

efficiency than reciprocating
steam engines.
2. The brake horsepower of steam
turbines can range from a few HP
to several hundred thousand HP
in single units. Hence they are
quite suitable for large thermal
power stations.
3. Unlike reciprocating engines, the
turbines do not need any flywheel,
as the power delivered by the
turbine is uniform.
 4. Steam turbines are perfectly
balanced and hence present
minimum vibrational problem.
5. High rpm l8000 - 24000 can be
developed in steam turbines but
such a high speed generation is
not possible in the case of
reciprocating steam engines.
6. Some amount of input energy of
steam is lost as the reciprocating
motion of the piston is converted
to circular motion.
7. Unlike reciprocating steam
engines, no internal lubrication is
required for steam turbines due to
the absence of rubbing parts.
8. Steam turbines, if well designed
and properly maintained, are
more reliable and durable prime
movers than steam engines.

What are the advantages of velocity

compounding?

Answers:

1. The velocity compounding system

is easy to operate and operation
is more reliable.
2. Only two or three stages are
required. Therefore, first cost is
less.
3. Since the total pressure drop
takes place only in nozzles and
not in the blades, the turbine
casing need not be heavily built.
Hence the economy in material
and money.
4. Less floor space is required.

What are the advantages of welded rotors?

Answers:

1. Welded rotor is a composed body

built up by welding the individual
segments. So the limitations on
forgings capacity do not apply.
2. Welding discs together results in
a lower stress level. Therefore,
more ductile materials can be
chosen to resist SCC attack.
3. There are no keyways. So regions
of high stress concentrations are
 eliminated.

What are the basic causes of the problem of

rotor failure?

Answers:

1. Normal wear.
2. Fatigue failure due to high stress.
3. Design deficiency.
4. Aggressive operating environment

What are the causes of radial axial-bore cracks

on HP/IP rotors/shafts?

Answers:

1. The predominant cause is creep,

which may act with or without low
cycle fatigue.
2. Also the cracks result due to poor
creep ductility due to faulty heat
treatment process.

What are the differences between impulse and

reaction turbines?

Answers:

1. The impulse turbine is

characterized by the fact that it
requires nozzles and that the
pressure drop of steam takes
place in the nozzles.
2. The reaction turbine, unlike the
impulse turbines has no nozzles,
as such. It consists of a row of
blades mounted on a drum. The
drum blades are separated by
rows of fixed blades mounted in
the turbine casing. These fixed
blades serve as nozzles as well
as the means of correcting the
direction of steam onto the
moving blades.
3. In the case of reaction turbines,
the pressure drop of steam takes
place over the blades. This
pressure drop produces a
reaction and hence cause the
motion of the rotor.
What are the disadvantages of velocity
compounding?

Answers:

1. Steam velocity is too high and

that is responsible for appreciable
friction losses.
2. Blade efficiency decreases with
the increase of the number of
stages.
3. With the increase of the number
of rows, the power developed in
successive rows of blade
decreases. For as much as, the
same space and material are
required for each stage, it means,
therefore, that all stages are not
economically efficient.

What are the factors that contribute to bearing

failure in a steam turbine?

Answers:

1. Improper lubrication.

Only the recommended lubricant

should be used.

2. Inadequate water-cooling.

a. The jacket temperature

should be maintained in
the range of 37-60°C
b. The flow of cooling water
should be adjusted
accordingly.

1. Misalignment.

It is desirable that ball

bearings should fit on the
turbine shaft with a light
press fit. If the fitting is
too tight, it will cause
cramping. On the other
hand, if the fitting is too
loose it will cause the
inner race to turn on the
 shaft. Both conditions are
undesirable. They result
in wear, excessive
vibration and overheating.
And bearing failure
becomes the ultimate
result.

2. Bearing fit.
3. Excessive thrust.
4. Unbalance.
5. Rusting of bearing.

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