Steam Turbine Working and

Types
OCTOBER 17, 2020

Steam Turbine Working and Types

A steam turbine is a machine that converts thermal energy
generated from pressurized steam into kinetic energy which is
then converted into mechanical energy in order to turn a rotating
shaft. This shaft is connected to a generator through which power
is produced. A very large portion of the world’s power
requirements are met with the help of these steam turbines that
are present in nuclear, electric and coal based power plants. In
the US alone, about 88% of power is produced by using steam
turbines integrated in central station power plants. The very first
modern-day steam turbine was developed by Sir Charles A.
Parsons in 1884. Since then, a lot of significant improvements
have been made in terms of production capacity and efficiency.
Steam turbines are extensively used in combined cycle power
plants. In these plants, gas turbines produce excess heat and
energy which can then be used to produce steam and thus run
the steam turbine. The combination of these two turbines
together help in efficiently producing power in these plants.

Types of Steam Turbines

There are basically two types of steam turbines in the market
today based on steam flow: 1. Reaction turbine 2. Impulse turbine.
Most reactors in use have a combination of both designs in
various stages of the turbine. The lower pressure regions
comprise of the reaction design and the higher pressure regions
will have the impulse design. In impulse turbine, the steam
coming out from the fixed nozzle strikes the blades that are fixed
on the periphery of the rotor at a very high velocity. The steam
completely expands inside the nozzle and as a result, the
pressure does not change as it moves through the blades. In the
case of reaction turbine, steam pressure gradually decreases
while it expands through the alternate sets of fixed and moving
blades. There are no nozzles present in the reaction turbine as
the fixed blade itself acts as the nozzle.

Working of Steam Turbines
As the name suggests, steam is required for the running of a
steam turbine. This steam is produced by boiling water using a
heat source which could be nuclear, gas or coal. This steam is
then admitted towards the blades of the shaft. The blades of the
turbine is in the shape of an airfoil. This shape aids in the rotation
of the turbine as it provides a lift force. The turbine has a set of
alternating fixed nozzle and blade arrangement. The nozzle is
stationary and its area decreases from one side to the other,
thereby increasing the velocity of steam flowing through it. This
helps in increasing the speed of the blades as well. The turbine is
connected to a generator which has a magnet that is wound by
copper coils. The rotation of the magnet produces a strong
magnetic field and this magnetic field causes the flow of electrons
and thus electricity is generated.
VIDEO

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