9th International Conference

″Research and Development in Mechanical Industry″

RaDMI 2009
16 - 19. September 2009, Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT OF HIGH-PRESSURE

POWER PLANT TURBINE HOUSING

Gordana R. Jovičić1,Miroslav M. Živković2, Snežana D. Vulović3, Nebojša M. Jovičić4

1
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Kragujevac, e-mail: SERBIA, gjovicic@ept.kg.ac.rs
2
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Kragujevac, e-mail: SERBIA, zile@kg.ac.rs
3
Faculty of Information Technology, Belgrade, e-mail: SERBIA, g@kg.ac.rs
4
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Kragujevac, e-mail: SERBIA, njovicic@kg.ac.rs

Summary: In this study it was presented the computation and experimental procedure for the evaluation of the structural
integrity assessment of damaged housing of high-pressure turbine thermo energetic power plant. The procedure is based on
the application of the X-FEM, FEM and the fracture mechanics for determining the accurate trajectory for the analysis of the
crack growth in the high-pressure turbine housing. For the structural integrity estimation of turbine housing with initial
crack, we used yield stress and fracture toughness were experimentally determined in the thermal condions. Test specimens
were taken from the turbine housing with the damage indicated.

Keywords: Structural integrity, Experiment in thermal conditions, Crack extension

1. INTRODUCTION

Structural integrity is qualified through its residual strength. This study discuss about permanent damages on the
high-pressure turbine housing of thermoelectric power plant system, as well as estimation of theirs impact on the
integrity of such plant during the further exploitation. In order to get evaluation residual strength the specimens
for experiment are taken directly from the housing. Conventional block of A4 TE Kolubara that is considered
here belongs to the group of blocks of great power, where the working fluid at the entrance of the turbine,
reaches temperature 500 − 550° C .
The structural integrity estimation process of the real structure endurance of the detected damage involves
several stages: a) monitoring of the construction during the standard or nonscheduled maintenance (repairs); b)
location of the damage as well as measurement of its dimensions; c) taking a sample of material from the
damaged zone; d) Experimental definition of fracture toughness; e) defining the numerical model-modeling of
the damage that was detected during maintenance (repairs); f) numerical calculation of strength using FEM
(Finite Element Method) and X-FEM (eXtended Finite Element Method) method [1-4]; g) defining parameters
of mechanics fracture – Stress Intensity Factor; h) estimation of strength by using numerical results for stress
intensity factors K at different length of crack, and comparing themselves with fracture toughness

2. METODOLOGY FOR NUMERICAL CALCULATION OF THE CRACK EXTENSION

Stress field, in this paper, is determined numerically, using FEM and X-FEM methods. The principle of the X-
FEM consists in incorporating some enrichment functions into the finite element basis. Singular enrichment
functions are used to take into account the nonsmooth behavior of the displacement field near the crack tip. The
approximation for a vector-valued function u h ( x ) in the X-FEM formulation for crack is:

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 ⎛ ⎞ (1)
⎜ 4 ⎟
u h (x) = ∑ hI (x) ⎜ u I + H (x) a I + ∑ Fα (x) bαI ⎟
⎜ 1
424 3 α =1
I ∈N U
⎜ I ∈N uA 14243 ⎟⎟
⎝ I ∈N uB ⎠

where: u I is the nodal displacement vector associated with the continuous part of the finite element solution; a I
is the nodal enriched degree of freedom vector associated with the Heaviside (discontinuous) function; bαI is the
nodal enriched degree of freedom vector associated with the elastic asymptotic crack-tip function that has the
form of the Westergaard field for the crack tip; hI , I = (1, N ) are the finite element shape functions, Fα (x) ,
α = (1, M ) are the NT (Near Tip) enrichment functions. We denote by N U the set of all nodes in the domain,
and N A the subset of nodes enriched with the Heaviside function H (x) , and N B is the subset of nodes
enriched with the NT functions.

Figure 1: The local enriched nodes of the element which contains the
crack and crack tip xCT

For calculation of the SIF, the J-Equivalent Domain Integral (J-EDI) Method is used. Application of the J-EDI
integral is suitable for applications because it relies on use of the domain integrals rather than contour integrals.
The J-integral in form J-EDI is:

J k = ∫ (σ ij ui , k − W δ kj )Q, j dA i, j , k = 1, 2 (2)
A

where: A is the area around of crack (see fig. 8), σ ij is stress tensor, ui are components vector of the
displacement, ui , k are displacement gradient in direction k ( k = 1, 2 ), W is the strain energy density, Q is a
weight function.
The Stress Intensity Factors K I and K II for modes I and II respectively are:

K I2 + K II2 −2 K I K II (3)
J1 = , J2 =
E* E*

where: E* = E for plane strain, E* = E / (1 −ν 2 ) for plane stress, E is Young’s module, ν is Poison’s ratio.
Obtained values of the stress intensity factor can be used for defining the angle of crack tip propagation θ cn +1 and
the increment of the crack extension ∆a n +1 as well. With parameters ( θ cn +1 , ∆a n +1 ) we can define new segment
of crack, i.e., new crack geometry that will be initial configuration for n+1 simulation step.

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 Figure 2: Equivalent domain for J-integral

Figure 3: Crack extension

Angle of propagation θ cn +1 as well as increment of crack extension ∆a n +1 can be defined in the local coordinate
system associated to the n-th crack tip. Also, these parameters could be used for calculation of the coordinates of
the new crack tip x np+1 .
Angle of propagation θ cn +1 could be calculated by criterion of maximum hoop stress:

⎡ ⎤ (4)
−2 K II K I
θ c = 2 tan −1 ⎢ ⎥
⎢⎣1 + 1 + 8( K II K I ) 2 ⎥⎦

Crack growth increment ∆an+1 could be specified at the beginning of the solution procedure, in the term of
percentage of the initial crack length, and unchanged kept during the rest of calculation. It is worth to notice that
selection of the crack length increment value depends on initial crack length and numerical grid density as well.
Also, with decreasing of the growth increment it is recommended to refining the grid of elements.

3. NUMERICAL CALCULATION SIF FOR POWER PLANT TURBINE HOUSING

3.1. 3-D analyses

Within this research, the 3-D analysis of turbine’s housing is performed first. Using the original project
documentation, 3-D geometrical model of the turbine is generated. In that 3-D object, the crack with different
lengths (90 – 375 mm) and depth (20 – 40 mm) are assumed and modeled.

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 Figure 4: 3-D model

The calculations are performed to investigate the influence of the crack length and crack depth on the value of
maximum effective stress, as well as on the value of stress intensity factor. In order to reduce the number of
elements in the 3-D grid, the critical quarter of the turbine is modeled (Fig. 4).
It is worth to emphasize that the cracks are located in that quarter as well as the steam intake with sharp edges
that induce the stress concentration.

Figure 5: Relationship between stress intensity factor KI and crack

length for different crack depth

Dependence of the stress intensity factor on the crack length and crack depth is shown in Fig. 5. It is observed
that increasing of the crack depth from 20 mm to 40 mm, for the crack length constant, leads to increase of the
stress intensity factor from 15% to 30 %.

3.2. 2-D analyses

In above 3D consideration, for the constant crack depth, we found no significant impact of the crack length on
values of the effective stress and the SIF. In order to establish more precisely influence of crack depth on
variation of effective stress and SIF, 2D XFEM analyses was conducted.

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 Figure 6: The effective stress area around the crack Figure 7: The effective stress area around the crack
with the initial length a=20mm with the length a=60mm

The lower turbine housing part is numerical modelled in the 2D space of the plain state of deformation [10].
Lower part of the turbine housing has an axial plane of symmetry so that the 2-D model corresponds to the cross-
section of that plane and the solid body of the housing.
The crack is located in the zones of maximal effective stress occurring due to influence of the maximum
pressure, as well as the stress concentration in the vicinity of the sharp edges. When the X-FEM method is
applied, crack is not explicitly meshed, but through the coordinates of points set as a linear segment that cuts
elements of the mesh, which this method in its methodology enables.
During the calculation, the crack growth was simulated in 11 steps, from the initial length of 20mm up to 60mm.
Within the numerical experiment, monitoring of the stress growth around crack was performed. In Figs. 6 and 7,
the strength of the turbine housing in the crack vicinity is shown.
It is obtained by applying the X-FEM methods for the length from 20mm and 60mm. From the Figs. 6 and 7, one
can notice that the concentration of the stress moves together with the crack tip that is in accordance with the
theory of the fracture mechanics and the X-FEM-a methodology, as well. The Fig. 8 shows the relationship
between SIF KI and crack length.

Figure 8: Relationship between stress intensity factor

KI and crack length

4. CONCLUSION

Based of the analyses that were conducted here, it is concluded that the integrity of real structures such as turbine
housing in thermoelectric power plant system is still preserved, although the crack is detected during the process
of repair.

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That analysis shows that a stable crack growth is predicted in nominal regime of the analyzed structure, while 2-
D analysis shows a rapid increase of the stress intensity factor for increasing the crack depth over 60 mm. Crack
length in 2D domain is crack depth in 3D domain. It can be seen from fig. 16 that by increasing the crack depth
from 20 mm to 40 mm, the SIF increases for 30%. Also, with increasing of the crack depth to 60 mm, the SIF
increases for 50%.
At the end we can conclude, that for the purpose of the final confirmation of the integrity of the highly
responsible construction, it is necessary to use the numerical simulations and the experimental measurements, as
well. Presented procedure can be successfully used for the evaluation of the residual life for damaged housing of
high-pressure turbine as well for the other damaged structural elements of the turbine.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

This paper was being developed within the project of Ministry of Science and Technological Development -
Development of software for explicit nonlinear dynamic analysis TR12005.

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