Section 3.

1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Overview
Hero Reaction Turbine 120 B.C.
First Practical Turbine 1884, C. Parsons
First Power Plant 7.5 kw 1890
Reaction, Impulse and Velocity-Compounded
Reheat Steam 1930s
Last 100 years Turbine is the key element in
generating electricity
Turbines run Generators, Pumps, Fans, etc.
Today up to 1,500 MW
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Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Overview

Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Fundamentals

Energy Transfer
Coal, Natural Gas,
Nuclear, Biofuel,
Waste Fuel
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Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Reaction Turbines
Newtons third law of motion For every action
there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Narrowing
Steam Path

Narrowing
Steam Path

Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Impulse Turbines
Steam / Gas Flow
Fixed Vanes

Moving Blades

Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Reaction Impulse Comparison

Compounding of impulse turbine

Compounding is done to reduce the rotational

speed of the impulse turbine to practical limits.
Compounding is achieved by using more than one
set of nozzles, blades, rotors, in a series, keyed to a
common shaft; so that either the steam pressure or
the jet velocity is absorbed by the turbine in
stages.
Three main types of compounded impulse turbines
are:
a) Pressure compounded Steam Turbine : The
Rateau Design
b) velocity compounded Steam Turbine : The Curtis
Design
c) pressure and velocity compounded Impulse
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turbines : The Rateau-curtis Design.

Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Velocity-Compounded Turbine
Velocity compounding is a form of staging which
by dividing the work load over several stages
results in improved efficiency and a smaller
diameter for the blade wheels due to a reduction
in Ideal blade speed per stage.

Inlet Pressure

1
P=
V

Inlet
Velocity

Pressure compounded impulse turbine

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Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Turbine Components - Blades

Impulse

Reaction
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Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Turbine Diaphragms

Diaphragms contain the fixed blades

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Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Steam Turbine Casing

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Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Turbine Rotor

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Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Turbine Shaft and Casing Seals

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Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Turbine Types

Straight HP
Tandem HP
Tandem LP

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Section 3.1 Steam Turbine Fundamentals

Turbine Multiple Sets

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Pressure compounded impulse turbine

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