Shaft SealsShaft SealsShaft SealsShaft

Seals
The shaft seal on a turbine rotor consist
of a series of ridges and groves around
the rotor and itshousing which present a
long, tortuous path for any steam leaking
through the seal. The sealtherefore does
not prevent the steam from leaking,
merely reduces the leakage to a
minimum.The leaking steam is collected
and returned to a low-pressure part of the
steam circuit.
Turning GearTurning GearTurning
GearTurning Gear
Large steam turbines are equipped with
"turning gear" to slowly rotate the
turbines after theyhave been shut down
and while they are cooling. This evens
out the temperature distributionaround
the turbines and prevents bowing of the
rotors.
VibrationVibrationVibrationVibration
The balancing of the large rotating steam
turbines is a critical component in
ensuring the reliableoperation of the
plant. Most large steam turbines have
sensors installed to measure
themovement of the shafts in their
bearings. This condition monitoring can
identify many potential problems and
allows the repair of the turbine to be
planned before the problems become
serious.

Electric Generator
The steam turbine-driven generators have
auxiliary systems enabling them to work
satisfactorilyand safely. The steam
turbine generator being rotating
equipment generally has a heavy,
largediameter shaft. The shaft therefore
requires not only supports but also has to
be kept in positionwhile running. To
minimize the frictional resistance to the
rotation, the shaft has a number
of bearings. The bearing shells, in which
the shaft rotates, are lined with a low
friction material likeBabbitt metal. Oil
lubrication is provided to further reduce
the friction between shaft and
bearingsurface and to limit the heat
generated.
A 95 MW Generator at Badarpur
Thermal Power Station, ew Delhi
Barring Gear (or Turning Gear)Barring
Gear (or Turning Gear)Barring Gear (or
Turning Gear)Barring Gear (or Turning
Gear)
Barring gear is the term used for the
mechanism provided for rotation of the
turbine generator shaft at a very low
speed (about one revolution per minute)
after unit stoppages for any reason.Once
the unit is "tripped" (i.e., the turbine
steam inlet valve is closed), the turbine
starts slowingor "coasting down". When
it stops completely, there is a tendency
for the turbine shaft to deflector bend if
allowed to remain in one position too
long. This deflection is because the heat
insidethe turbine casing tends to
concentrate in the top half of the casing,
thus making the top half portion of the
shaft hotter than the bottom half. The
shaft therefore warps or bends by
millionthsof inches, only detectable by
monitoring eccentricity meters.
But this small amount of shaft deflection
would be enough to cause vibrations and
damage theentire steam turbine generator
unit when it is restarted. Therefore, the
shaft is not permitted tocome to a
complete stop by a mechanism known as
"turning gear" or "barring gear"
thatautomatically takes over to rotate the
unit at a preset low speed.If the unit is
shut down for major maintenance, then
the barring gear must be kept in
serviceuntil the temperatures of the
casings and bearings are sufficiently low.
CondenserCondenserCondenserCondens
er
The surface condenser is a shell and tube
heat exchanger in which cooling water is
circulatedthrough the tubes. The exhaust
steam from the low pressure turbine
enters the shell where it iscooled and
converted to condensate (water) by
flowing over the tubes as shown in the
adjacentdiagram. Such condensers use
steam ejectors or rotary motor-driven
exhausters for continuousremoval of air
and gases from the steam side to
maintain vacuum.
 A Typical Water Cooled Condenser
For best efficiency, the temperature in
the condenser must be kept as low as
practical in order toachieve the lowest
possible pressure in the condensing
steam. Since the condenser
temperaturecan almost always be kept
significantly below 100
o
C where the vapor pressure of water is
muchless than atmospheric pressure, the
condenser generally works under
vacuum. Thus leaks of non-condensible
air into the closed loop must be
prevented. Plants operating in hot
climates mayhave to reduce output if
their source of condenser cooling water
becomes warmer; unfortunatelythis
usually coincides with periods of high
electrical demand for air
conditioning.The condenser generally
uses either circulating cooling water from
a cooling tower to rejectwaste heat to the
atmosphere, or once-through water from
a river, lake or ocean.
Feedwater HeaterFeedwater
HeaterFeedwater HeaterFeedwater
Heater
A Rankine cycle with a two-stage steam
turbine and a single feedwater heater.In
the case of a conventional steam-electric
power plant utilizing a drum boiler, the
surfacecondenser removes the latent heat
of vaporization from the steam as it
changes states fromvapour to liquid. The
heat content (btu) in the steam is referred
to as Enthalpy. The condensate pump
then pumps the condensate water through
a feedwater heater. The feedwater
heatingequipment then raises the
temperature of the water by utilizing
extraction steam from variousstages of
the turbine.
A Rankine cycle with a two-stage steam
turbine and a single feedwater heater
Preheating the feedwater reduces the
irreversibilities involved in steam
generation and thereforeimproves the
thermodynamic efficiency of the system.
[9]
This reduces plant operating costs
andalso helps to avoid thermal shock to
the boiler metal when the feedwater is
introduced back intothe steam cycle.
SuperheaterSuperheaterSuperheaterSuper
heater
As the steam is conditioned by the drying
equipment inside the drum, it is piped
from the upper drum area into an
elaborate set up of tubing in different
areas of the boiler. The areas known
assuperheater and reheater. The steam
vapor picks up energy and its
temperature is nowsuperheated above the
saturation temperature. The superheated
steam is then piped through themain
steam lines to the valves of the high
pressure turbine.
DeaeratorDeaeratorDeaeratorDeaerator
A steam generating boiler requires that
the boiler feed water should be devoid of
air and other dissolved gases, particularly
corrosive ones, in order to avoid
corrosion of the metal.Generally, power
stations use a deaerator to provide for the
removal of air and other dissolvedgases
from the boiler feedwater. A deaerator
typically includes a vertical, domed
deaerationsection mounted on top of a
horizontal cylindrical vessel which
serves as the deaerated boiler feedwater
storage tank.
Boiler Feed Water Deaerator (with
vertical, domed aeration section and
horizontal water storage section)
There are many different designs for a
deaerator and the designs will vary from
onemanufacturer to another. The adjacent
diagram depicts a typical conventional
trayed deaerator. If operated properly,
most deaerator manufacturers will
guarantee that oxygen in the
deaeratedwater will not exceed 7 ppb by
weight (0.005 cm/L).