International Journal of Advances in Electrical and Electronics Engineering 292

Available online at www.ijaeee.com & www.sestindia.org ISSN: 2319-1112

Simulation of Electro-Hydraulic Turbine Control

(EHTC) System
Ganesh Vyankatesh Patil 1 , N.R. Kulkarni2,
2
Guide and HOD Electrical Engineering,
12
PES’s MCOE, Pune-05

ABSTRACT- This paper presents the study of Simulation of Electro-Hydraulic Turbine Control (EHTC) Systems in the
field of Power Generation in MATLAB Simulink. It discussed the Governing system used in Thermal Power Plant with
Electro-Hydraulic controller with its design, construction and advantages where it indicates that EHTC System which
protects and controls Governing of Steam turbines. This paper indicates the information about the Electro-Hydraulic
convertor (EHC) characteristics & design. It also describes the advantages of Controller which control the actuation of
Control valve.
Keywords: Steam Turbine & Governor, Electro-Hydraulic Convertor, PID Controller

I. INTRODUCTION

Many mobile, airborne and stationary applications employ hydraulic control components and servo systems.
Hydraulic servo systems can generate very high forces, exhibit rapid responses, and have a high power-to-Weight
ratio compared to other technologies.
The range of applications for electro-hydraulic servo systems is diverse, and includes Manufacturing systems,
materials test machines, active suspension systems, mining machinery, fatigue testing, flight Simulation, paper
machines, ships and electromagnetic marine engineering, injection molding machines, robotics, steel and aluminum
mill equipments, Steam & Gas Turbines etc. Hydraulic systems are also common in Steam turbine control, where
their high power-to-weight ratio and precise control makes them an ideal choice for actuation of control valves.

Apart from the ability to deliver higher forces at fast speeds, servo-hydraulic systems offer several other benefits
over their electrical counterparts. For example, hydraulic systems are mechanically “stiffer”, resulting in higher
machine frame resonant frequencies for a given power level, higher loop gain and improved dynamic performance.
They also have the important benefit of being self-cooled since the driving fluid effectively acts as a cooling
medium carrying heat away from the actuator and flow control components. Unfortunately hydraulic systems also
exhibit several inherent non-linear effects, which can complicate the control problem.

Control valve surfaces deployed in Steam Turbine control are experiencing forces and moments. In general, the
commands issued for this purpose activate an actuation system, which carries out the task of control surface
deployment through a series of actions. In case of electro-hydraulic actuation system, hydraulic power in
conjunction with an Electro-Hydraulic servo valve is used to generate the requisite forces and the motion.
The desired motion is achieved through a closed loop feedback control system that senses the actual deflection and
corrects it until the desired position is reached. In recent times, there has been a trend towards designing highly
efficient controllers, high power actuators for effective and smooth control of actuation systems.

Electro hydraulic Turbine Control (EHTC) System is a closed loop control system, which is usually applied as an
actuator unit to drive an object such as Stop valves, Control valves and other lifting devices etc. Depending on
variable to be controlled, it can be position, velocity or force control system. Electro hydraulic servo systems have
the advantages of precise and fine control, high power to weight ratio, small size, good load matching capabilities,
high environmental stiffness, fast dynamic performances and wide adjustable speed range. Large inertia and torque

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loads can be handled with high accuracy and very rapid response. All these advantages are suitable for Steam
turbine, aerospace and missile control applications.

In thermal power plant, governing system is used for controlling steam admission to turbine. The characteristic of an
ungoverned turbine is unsuitable for electric power generation. The figure shows the characteristics of an
ungoverned and a speed governed turbine.

Figure 1: Steam Turbine characteristics with and without Governing systems

The turbine output is controlled by varying the steam flow by means of throttling of control valves of the turbine.
The valves are controlled by the governor. The governing system which is implemented in thermal power plant
often follows some goals to achieve. The aim of this project is to design and construct a model in MATLAB
Simulink which will be analogous to existing system. Simulation of this model will helps in understanding,
designing and constructing the new governing system for customer and also results into developments of the
governing system. In this model, Speed control of steam turbine is achieved by adjusting appropriate amount of
steam admission to it.

TYPES OF GOVERNING SYSTEMS USED IN THERMAL POWER PLANT:-

• Mechanical: Transducer is mechanical centrifugal speed governor which actuates controls valves through
mechanical linkages.

• Hydro mechanical: Here transducer is a centrifugal speed governor .It is connected to a Hydraulic system
where the signal is amplified so that Control valves servomotor can be actuated.

• Hydraulic: Here speed transducer is a centrifugal pump whose discharge pressure is proportional to square
of speed. This signal is sent to hydraulic converter which generates a signal which is proportional to
valve opening/Closure is required. Before applying it to control valves servomotor this signal is suitably
modified.

• Electro Hydraulic: Here transducer can be electrical or Electronic. The generated signal after processed
electronically and electrically is fed to a Electro- hydraulic converter which converts electrical signal into
Hydraulic signal. Hydraulic signal before applying to control valve servomotor is suitably amplified.

Modern day Steam turbines are equipped with two parallel governing systems which are

(a) Hydraulic Governing system

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(b) Electro Hydraulic Governing system

Both these systems are independent of each other.

Although only one of them comes into control action at any given point of time, the other governor acts as a backup
and its output is in the ready to takeover. The turbine is equipped with Electro-hydraulic governing system to
facilitate the operation of the turbo set in an interconnected grid system. The electrical measuring and processing of
signals offer the advantages such as flexibility, dynamic stability and simple representation of complicated
functional relationship. The processed electrical signal is introduced at a suitable point in the hydraulic circuit
through the electro-hydraulic converter.

The hydraulic controls provide the advantages of continuous control of large positioning forces for control valves.

The integration of Electronic and Hydraulic system offers the following advantages-

1. Exact load frequency droop with high sensitivity,

2. Reliable operation in case of isolated power grids,
3. Dependable control during load rejection,
4. Low transient and low steady-state speed deviations under all operational conditions,
5. Excellent operational reliability and dependability,
6. Safe operation of the turbo-set in conjunction with the Turbine Stress Evaluator (TSE)/Controller (TSC).

In the following study of EHTC system, at constant Boiler pressure, it is found that Speed Control of Turbine is
achieved by admitting exact amount of Steam in to Turbine to match with the load parameters. This admission is
controlled by Throttling of Control valve. The hydraulic actuators are used for positioning of control valves at
required position. While electronic circuits are used for sensing, processing and controlling the movement of
hydraulic valves.

II. DESCRIPTION OF ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC TURBINE CONTROL (EHTC) SYSTEM

The Electro-Hydraulic Turbine Control (EHTC) Systems consist of Turbo Generator set with control valves and
Governing systems. The standard configuration provides a hydraulic controller and an Electro-Hydraulic controller
for control of the turbine generator as shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: Structure of Turbine Control Systems

As can be seen in fig. 2, the hydraulic controller acts via a hydraulic amplifier, and the Electro-Hydraulic controller
via Electro-hydraulic converters. The output of each of the Electro-hydraulic converters is linked via an hydraulic

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MIN gate (as shown in fig 2). This means that the lower control signal at any time takes affect for the hydraulic
actuation system.

Hydraulic Amplifier and Electro hydraulic Converter

The hydraulic amplifier forms the interface between the hydraulic controller and the hydraulic valve actuation
system. The output signal from the hydraulic controller (secondary fluid pressure) acts on a piston via a sleeve,
thereby acting on the follow-up piston block. This movement of the follow up piston alters pressure of the secondary
fluid. The secondary fluid pressure sets control valve lift. The Electro-hydraulic converters form the interface
between the Electrohydraulic controller and the hydraulic valve actuation system. Two analog electrical output
signals are available from the Electro-hydraulic turbine controller. Each signal acts on a piston via a sleeve of the
independent electro hydraulic converter (EHC). The position of the piston of each EHC is acquired by linear
variable differential transmitters (LVDTs) and used as actual value for the valve lift controller. The piston acts on a
follow up piston block, the resulting movement of the follow-up pistons likewise altering secondary fluid pressure
and thereby control valve lift. The output from the follow-up piston blocks of the hydraulic controller and Electro-
hydraulic are linked via a MIN gate. This means that the system with the lower pressure output signal sets valve lift.
In the event of failure of the output signal from the Electro-hydraulic controller to one of the two Electro-hydraulic
converters, the other Electrohydraulic converter, sets the valve lift if selected though the MIN gate.

Electro hydraulic Controller

Control Requirements for Electro hydraulic Controller

The task of the electro hydraulic controller is to control steam flow by actuation of the control valves and thereby to
control turbine speed as well as generator load under all operating conditions (start-up, loading, power operation,
rundown, load rejection).
The electro hydraulic controller meets the following requirements:
- High operational safety and reliability by utilizing modules with integrated circuits as well as multiple channels
speed acquisition.
- Ability to ride through load rejections on disconnection from power system and the associated speed excursion due
to rapid control action.
- Low stress operation of the turbine generator due to action of turbine stress evaluator (TSE) on set point controls,
i.e., the rate at which speed and load changes are implemented is optimized on the basis of maximum permitted
material stress criteria.
- Provision for automatic turbine generator start-up and shutdown by providing for signal input from an appropriate
auto control.

III. ABOUT SIMULATION OF ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC TURBINE CONTROL (EHTC) SYSTEM

MATLAB Simulink is a software package for modeling, simulating, and analyzing dynamical systems. It supports
linear and nonlinear systems, modeled in continuous time, sampled time, or a hybrid of the two. Systems can also be
multi rate, i.e., have different parts that are sampled or updated at different rates.

For modeling, Simulink provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for building models as block diagrams, using
click-and-drag mouse operations. With this interface, we can draw the models just as we would with pencil and
paper. This is a far cry from previous simulation packages that require us to formulate differential equations and
difference equations in a language or program. Simulink includes a comprehensive block library of sinks, sources,
linear and nonlinear components, and connectors. We can also customize and create our own blocks.

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Models are hierarchical, so we can build models using both top-down and bottom-up approaches. We can view the
system at a high level, and then double-click on blocks to go down through the levels to see increasing levels of
model detail. This approach provides insight into how a model is organized and how its parts interact.

After we define a model, we can simulate it, using a choice of integration methods, either from the Simulink menus
or by entering commands in MATLAB’s command window. The menus are particularly convenient for interactive
work, while the command-line approach is very useful for running a batch of simulations. Using scopes and other
display blocks, we can see the simulation results while the simulation is running. In addition, we can change
parameters and immediately see what happens, for “what if” exploration. The simulation results can be put in the
MATLAB workspace for post processing and visualization.

Model-Based Design

Model-Based Design is a process that enables faster, more cost-effective development of dynamic systems,
including control systems, signal processing, and communications systems. In Model-Based Design, a system model
is at the center of the development process, from requirements development, through design, implementation, and
testing. The model is an executable specification that is continually refined throughout the development process.
After model development, simulation shows whether the model works correctly.

When software and hardware implementation requirements are included, such as fixed-point and timing behavior,
you can automatically generate code for embedded deployment and create test benches for system verification,
saving time and avoiding the introduction of manually coded errors.

Model-Based Design allows improving efficiency by:

• Using a common design environment across project teams

• Linking designs directly to requirements
• Integrating testing with design to continuously identify and correct errors
• Refining algorithms through multidomain simulation
• Automatically generating embedded software code
• Developing and reusing test suites
• Automatically generating documentation
• Reusing designs to deploy systems across multiple processors and hardware targets

IV. SIMULATION OF ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC TURBINE CONTROL (EHTC) SYSTEM

NOMENCLATURE

1. wm- actual measured speed

2. wr – ref speed
3. dw- deviation in ref speed wrt actual speed
4. Pm- Mechanical power input
5. Vf- Field voltage

MATLAB Simulink model developed is as following:-

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Simulation of Electro-Hydraulic Turbine Control (EHTC) System 297

<Rotor angle dev iation d_theta (rad)> Continuous

<Rotor speed wm (pu)>

1 wref
pu speed to frequency dw_5-2

1 Pref
Tr5-2
Speed and Gate Valve
wm

gate
d_theta
m
Scope Frequency in Hz
Pm Pm
LVDT
A Conn1
Steam T urbine
and Governor
B Conn2
Vf_
C Conn3
1.00406
Vf Generator LOAD

Position
Frequency and Gate Valve1

Gate Position in pu inches

Out1
wm in pu
In1
dw
pu to speed in rpm Speed in RPM Out2

Control Circuitry

Figure 3: MATLAB Simulink working model of Turbine Control Systems

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Figure 4: Results of Simulation

V. RESULT VERIFICATION OF SIMULATION OF EHTC SYSTEM

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As shown in Fig.3, MATLAB Simulink Model is developed and simulated for 0.5 s duration. Results obtained after
simulation are shown in fig.4. It clearly indicates that, when Load on generator decreases, at constant boiler
pressure, speed of generator increases because load i.e. Anti torque on generator is less and driving torque is more.
Thus in order to reduce speed of generator, steam quantity to turbine is restricted by throttling of control valves i.e.
by reducing gate position. Similarly, in case of Load increment, gate of control valve is opened so that admission of
more steam to turbine generator set to match the generator parameters with load. Also model is tested for maximum
load variations in the duration of 0.5 sec. To check the effect of controller for different load conditions either change
the load parameters or change inertia of generator.

V. CONCLUSION

From the above discussion it is concluded that MATLAB Simulink is a software package for modeling, simulating,
and analyzing dynamical systems. The above EHTC system is modeled using block sets of Simulink, controller is
designed for Speed and active power control of Turbine and exact results are obtained by simulation of EHTC
systems. Designing of Electro Hydraulic Convertor (EHC), PID controller and Scope of study of EHTC system are
some of the features of this modeling works. It may find useful tool for understanding & designing of the EHTC
system.

REFERENCES

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