Evaluating the efficiency of low pressure part of steam turbines based on probing measurements

A methodology oflow pressure part turbine efficiency evaluation based on measurements of the steam flow parameters in the interspaces between neighbouring stages is described. Specially manufactured probes have been applied carry out such measurements. The efficiencies of the stages operating in the superheated steam zone result directly from experimental values of pressures, temperatures, and flow angles. To complete the efficiency evaluation for the stages operating in the wet steam region, a relevant estimation of blading system losses has been proposed and validated. This evaluation of losses is compatible with the measurement results. Adaptation of a comparative error analysis makes it possible to show the advantages of the methodology over the thermal balance applied during performance tests. The low pressure turbine efficiency evaluation methodology has been applied to numerous steam turbine power units of 200–500 MW output

Modernisation of steam turbine construction at regenerative steam extraction point

The paper presents a methodology which has led to improvement of the turbine stage performance in the regenerative steam extraction chamber area by introducing a ring which collects the leakage flow from the gaps over unshrouded rotor blade tips and directs it to the extraction chamber. A comparison is made between the results obtained for the initial design (without a ring) and the design with the ring mounted. The results obtained for the construction were calibrated using the data measured on a real turbine in a Polish power plant

Operating and economic conditions of cooling water control for marine steam turbine condensers

The article presents the operational and economic analysis of controlling the cooling water flow in marine steam turbine power plants. The analysis bases on selected designs of the main condenser cooling water pumps and makes use of the results of investigations performed in inland power plants. Special attention was focused on marine aspects of the operation of those systems

Polish aspects in the modern design solutions of steam turbine flow systems

This paper presents new solutions of turbine stages which have been applied to high-power steam turbine flow systems. The structures, elaborated in Poland, were designed with the use of the authors’ original computational software and verified by measurements performed on real turbine sets

Analysis of fouling thermal resistance of feed-water heaters in steam power plants

In this paper a problem is discussed of thermal degradation of shell-and-tube recuperative feed-water heaters due to heat transfer surface fouling. Application (to an example steam cycle of power plant) of DIAGAR software system intended for the analysing of impact of degradation of a particular heat exchanger on whole recuperative system performance, is presented. On the basis of the systematically performed simulative calculations it was concluded that the degradation of feed-water heaters of the lowest extraction pressure results in an additional load imposed on the heaters of higher extraction pressures, moreover it was estimated that the degradation of the heaters due to presence of sediments of the thermal resistance reaching 5*10-4 m2*K/W, has resulted in the drop of turbine set efficiency by about 0.3%. Such drop depends on a given configuration of degree of degradation of particular feed-water heaters applied in a considered turbine set