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Lecture 10

Lecture 10: Steam Turbines

Reaction Turbine
Reaction Turbine
A reaction turbine is one that is constructed of rows of fixed and rows of
moving blades. The fixed blades act as nozzles. The moving blades move as a
result of the impulse of steam received (caused by change in momentum)
and also as a result of expansion and acceleration of the steam relative to
them. In other words, they also act as nozzles. The enthalpy drop per stage of
one row fixed and one row moving blades is divided among them, often
equally. Thus a blade with a 50 percent degree of reaction, or a 50 percent
reaction stage, is one in which half the enthalpy drop of the stage occurs in
the fixed blades and half in the moving blades. The pressure drops will not be
equal, however. They are greater for the fixed blades and greater for the
high-pressure than the low-pressure stages.
The moving blades of a reaction turbine are easily distinguishable from those
of an impulse turbine in that they are not symmetrical and, because they act
partly as nozzles, have a shape similar to that of the fixed blades, although
curved in the opposite direction. The schematic pressure line (Fig. 10.1)
shows that pressure continuously drops through all rows of blades, fixed and
moving. The absolute steam velocity changes within each stage as shown
and repeats from stage to stage. Figure 10.2 shows a typical velocity diagram
for the reaction stage.
Pressure and enthalpy drop both in the
fixed blade or stator and in the moving
blade or Rotor

Degree of Reaction=

Enthalpy drop in Rotor

Enthalpy drop in Stage

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Lecture 10

R=

h1 h2
h0 h1

A very widely used design has half degree of reaction or 50% reaction and
this is known as Parson's Turbine. This consists of symmetrical stator and
rotor blades.

Figure 10.1: Three stages of reaction turbine indicating

pressure and velocity distribution

Figure 10.2: The velocity diagram of reaction blading

The velocity triangles are symmetrical and we have

1= 2 , 1= 2
V 1=V r ,V r =V 2
2

From the inlet velocity triangle we have,

V 2r =V 21U 22V 1 Ucos 1

1

Work done (for unit mass flow per second)

W=U V w
U(2V 1 cos 1U)
Therefore, the Blade efficiency

b =

2U (2V 1 cos 1U )
2

V 1U +2V 1 Ucos 1

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Lecture 10
Put

b =

U
V1

then

2 (2 cos 1P)
2

1 +2 cos 1

For the maximum efficiency

opt =

db
=0
d

and we get

U
=cos 1
V 1 opt

( )

can be found out by putting the value of

( b ) max
expression for blade efficiency
( b ) max=

Figure 10.3: Velocity diagram for maximum

opt =cos1

in the

2cos 2 1
2

1+cos 1

( b ) impulse=cos2 1
is greater in reaction turbine. Energy input per stage is less, so there is

more number of stages.

Stage Efficiency and Reheat factor

The Thermodynamic effect on the turbine efficiency can be best understood
by considering a number of stages between two stages 1 and 2 as shown in
Figure 10.4.
The total expansion is divided into four stages of the same efficiency
and pressure ratio.

( s)

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Lecture 10

P1 Px Py Pz
= = =
P x P y P z P1
The overall efficiency of expansion is

. The

actual work during the expansion from 1 to 2 is

W a =o W

Figure 10.4: Different stage of a

steam turbine

Or,

o =

W a actual enthalpy drop(12)

=
W isentropicheat drop(12' )

Reheat factor ( R .F . )=

Cumulative enthalpy drop(isentropic)

Isentropic enthalpy drop(overall)

Reheat factor ( R .F . )=

h1 A + h xB +h yC + hzD
h12

R.F is 1.03 to 1.04

If

remains same for all the stages or

s =

h1x h xy h yz h z2
=
=
=
h1 A h xB h yC h zD

s =

h1x +h xy + h yz + h z 2
h1 A + hxB +h yC + hzD

s =

actualenthalpy drop
cumulativeenthalpy drop(isentropic)

We can see:

o =s +R. F.

is the mean stage efficiency.

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This makes the overall efficiency of the turbine greater than the individual
stage efficiency.
The effect depicted by equation is due to the thermodynamic effect called
"reheat". This does not imply any heat transfer to the stages from outside. It
is merely the reappearance of stage losses an increased enthalpy during the
constant pressure heating (or reheating) processes AX, BY, CZ and D2.

Losses in steam turbines

Steam turbines extract energy from high-pressure steam and convert it into
shaft work. The total energy content available in steam supplied to the steam
turbine is not completely recovered in the form of mechanical energy. There
are certain losses in energy of steam which occur inside a turbine.
1. Admission losses
2. Leakage losses
3. Friction losses
4. Exhaust loss
5. Radiation and convection losses
6. Losses due to moisture
7. Carry over losses

Admission losses
In practice the flow of steam through nozzle is not isentropic, but
accompanied with losses which decrease the kinetic energy of steam coming
out of the nozzle.
The decrease in kinetic energy is due to the following reasons

Viscous forces between steam particles

Heat loss from steam before entering the nozzle

Deflection of flow in the nozzle

Boundary layer development in the nozzle

Turbulence in the nozzle

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The friction in the nozzle which reduces available enthalpy drop and
hence actual velocity leaving the nozzle is less than that obtained with
isentropic expansion

Leakage losses
Steam leaves the boiler and reaches the condenser after passing through the
main valve, regulating valves, nozzles, clearance spaces between nozzles
and moving blades, diaphragm and rotating shaft etc. Further there is large
pressure difference between inside of steam turbine and the ambient and
also from one location to another location across these devices.
Therefore steam leakage takes place through

Main valve and regulating valve

Seals and glands

Spaces between nozzles and moving blades

Spaces between diaphragm and shaft of turbine

Space between moving blade rings and turbine casing

Leakage of steam through these is a direct loss of energy.

Friction losses
Frictional resistance is offered during flow of steam through nozzles on
moving and stationary blades. In most of the turbines the blade wheels rotate
in a space full of steam. The viscous friction at the wheel surface causes
admission losses as steam passes from nozzle to wheel. The effect of partial
admission creates eddies in the blade channels.
The surface of curved moving blades and stationary blades offers resistance,
which increases with increase in roughness of blade surface and relative
velocity between steam and rotating blade.
The energy loss also takes place when the steam jets turns along the
curvature of the blade surface. The turning losses depend on the angle of
turning.
Exhaust loss

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The energy content of steam is not fully utilized in the turbine. Despite of
being at very low pressure the exhaust coming out of the turbine and
entering the condenser carries some of kinetic energy and useful enthalpy,
which is direct energy loss.
Radiation and convection losses
The steam turbine operates at a relatively high temperature; therefore some
of the heat energy of steam is radiated and convected from the body of the
turbine to its surrounding. These direct losses and are minimized by proper
insulation's.
Losses due to moisture
The steam passing through the last stage of turbine has high velocity and
large moisture content. The liquid particles have lesser velocity than that of
vapor particles and hence the liquid particles obstruct the flow of vapor
particles in the last stage of turbine and therefore, a part of kinetic energy of
steam is lost. If the dryness fraction of steam falls below 0.88, the erosion
and corrosion of blades can also take place.
Carry over losses
When steam passes from one stage to another through the diaphragm, some
energy losses takes place, which are referred to as carry over losses and
therefore, the kinetic energy of steam available at succeeding stage of
moving blades for utilization is less than that of the exit at preceding stage.
This is due to formation of eddies in annular space between the nozzle and
moving blades.