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Modules in
Thermodynamics 2

SESSION TOPIC 3: Steam Power Plant

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the session you will:

1. Identify the different components associated with Steam Power Plant.
2. Understand the safe handling, maintenance, and troubleshooting of each component
related to Steam Power Plant.
3. Enumerate the different systems involved in Steam Power Plant.

KEY TERMS

Steam Turbine Safe Handling Maintenance

Low Pressure High Pressure Blades

CORE CONTENT

A steam power plant consists of a boiler (a kind of steam generating unit), steam turbine
and generator, and other auxiliaries. The boiler generates steam at high pressure and high
temperature. The steam turbine converts the heat energy of steam into mechanical energy. The
generator then converts the mechanical energy into electric power.

STEAM TURBINE

In general, a steam turbine is a rotary heat engine that converts thermal energy contained
in the steam to mechanical energy or to electrical energy. In its simplest form, a steam turbine
consist of a boiler (steam generator), turbine, condenser, feed pump and a variety of auxiliary
devices. Unlike with reciprocating engines, for instance, compression, heating and expansion are
continuous and they occur simultaneously. The basic operation of the steam turbine is similar to
the gas turbine except that the working fluid is water and steam instead of air or gas.
Since the steam turbine is a rotary heat engine, it is particularly suited to be used to drive
an electrical generator. Note that about 90% of all electricity generation in the world is by use of
steam turbines. Steam turbine was invented in 1884 by Sir Charles Parsons, whose first model
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was connected to a dynamo that generated 7.5 kW (10 hp) of electricity. Steam turbine is a
common feature of all modern and also future thermal power plants. In fact, also the power
production of fusion power plants is based on the use of conventional steam turbines.

Steam Turbine

Basically, most steam turbine is governed by the principle of thermal energy. This energy
contained in the steam is converted to the mechanical energy by expansion through the turbine.
The expansion takes place through a series of fixed blades (nozzles) that orient the steam flow
into high speed jets. These jets contain significant kinetic energy, which is converted into shaft
rotation by the bucket-like shaped rotor blades, as the steam jet changes direction. The steam
jet, in moving over the curved surface of the blade, exerts a pressure on the blade owing to its
centrifugal force. Each row of fixed nozzles and moving blades is called a stage. The blades rotate
on the turbine rotor and the fixed blades are concentrically arranged within the circular turbine
casing.
In all turbines the rotating blade velocity is proportional to the steam velocity passing
over the blade. If the steam is expanded only in a single stage from the boiler pressure to the
exhaust pressure, its velocity must be extremely high. But the typical main turbine in nuclear
power plants, in which steam expands from pressures about 6 MPa to pressures about 0.008
MPa, operates at speeds about 3,000 RPM for 50 Hz systems for 2-pole generator.(or 1500RPM
for 4-pole generator), and 1800 RPM for 60 Hz systems for 4-pole generator (or 3600 RPM for 2-
pole generator). A single-blade ring would require very large blades and approximately 30 000
RPM, which is too high for practical purposes.
Therefore most of nuclear power plants operate a single-shaft turbine-generator that
consists of one multi-stage HP turbine and three parallel multi-stage LP turbines, a main
generator and an exciter. HP Turbine is usually double-flow reaction turbine with about 10 stages
with shrouded blades and produces about 30-40% of the gross power output of the power plant
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unit. LP turbines are usually double-flow reaction turbines with about 5-8 stages (with shrouded
blades and with free-standing blades of last 3 stages). LP turbines produce approximately 60-70%
of the gross power output of the power plant unit. Each turbine rotor is mounted on two
bearings, i.e. there are double bearings between each turbine module.

SAFE HANDLING OF STEAM TURBINE

The function of the steam turbine protection system is often confused with the control
system, but in fact the two systems are entirely separate. The protection system operates only
when any of the control system set point parameters are exceeded, and the steam turbine will
be damaged if it continues to operate. A multi-valve, multi-stage turbine protection system
incorporates a mechanical overspeed device (trip pin) to shut down the turbine on overspeed (10
percent above maximum continuous speed).
The protection system monitors steam turbine total train parameters and ensures safety
and reliability by the following action:
• Start-up (optional) provides a safe, reliable fully automatic start-up and will shut down
the turbine on any abnormality
o Two popular types of steam turbine shut off valves are available and both use a
high spring force, opposed by control oil pressure during normal operation, to
close the valve rapidly on loss of control oil pressure.

• Manual shutdown
o It is important to note that the trip valve will only close if the spring has sufficient
force to overcome valve stem friction. Steam system solid build up, which
increases with system pressure (when steam systems are not properly
maintained), can prevent the trip valve from closing.

• Trip valve exerciser allows trip valve stem movement to be confirmed during operation
without shutdown
o To ensure that the trip valve stem is free to move, all trip valves should be
manually exercised on-line. The recommended frequency is once per month for
High Pressure (40 bar) steam systems and daily for very high pressure (1000 bar
+) steam systems. All the turbine trip valves should be provided with manual
exercisers to allow this feature.

o It can be hard to maintain VHP (very high pressure) steam systems, and to prevent
contaminants (calcium, silica) from forming inside the turbine. Trip valve packing
is essentially a filter that will trap any contaminants between the trip valve and
the packing which can prevent the trip valve from closing.

o Failure of the trip valve to close on command can cause catastrophic machine
failure and expose personnel to safety issues. Periodic or infrequent exercise of
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trip valves can result in failure of the valve to move which, considering the plant
safety requirements, will necessitate immediate turbine shutdown. Daily exercise
of VHP trip valves will ensure freedom of movement of the trip valve and positively
prevent unnecessary unit shutdowns.

• Rotor overspeed monitors turbine rotor speed and will shutdown turbine when maximum
allowable speed (trip speed) is attained

• Excessive process variable signal monitors all train process variables and will shutdown
turbine when maximum value is exceeded

• Centrifugal force resulting from high shaft speed will force the trip lever, which will allow
the spring loaded handle to move inward.
o When this occurs, the port in the handle stem will allow the control oil pressure
to drain and drop to zero. The high energy spring in the trip and throttle valve,
normally opposed by the control oil pressure will close suddenly (less than one
second). In this system there are two other means of tripping the turbine
(reducing control oil pressure to zero) – manually pushing spring loaded handle
and solenoid valve opening.

o The solenoid valve will open on command when any trip parameter set point is
exceeded. Solenoid valves are designed to be normally energized to close. In
recent years, the industry has required parallel and series arrangements of
solenoid valves to ensure increased steam turbine train reliability. Today, most
speed trip systems incorporate magnetic speed input signals and two out of three
voting for increased reliability. The devices that trip the turbine internally directly
reduce the control oil pressure, causing a trip valve closure without the need of a
solenoid valve (external trip method).
This best practice has been recommended since the 1990s. When followed, it has resulted
in zero lost time accidents and failure to trip incidents. When not followed, more than one
catastrophic machine outage in critical (un-spared) machinery has occurred, that has exceeded
three months in repair time.

MAINTENANCE OF STEAM TURBINE

Achieving high steam turbine reliability and availability levels requires conducting the
proper maintenance and inspections in a timely manner. The workscope and periodicity of
expected maintenance tasks is discussed in Section 5; however, this section is concerned with
the infrastructure for managing maintenance successfully. As with managing operating
procedures and documentation, some form of maintenance management is required for the
turbine and all its supporting systems. Whether it is a computer-based maintenance
management (CMM) system or machinery record cards is not important. What is important is
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that there is a system in place to schedule and track completion of maintenance tasks and that
there is some feedback from the maintenance to adjust the periodicity and scope of tasks. In
addition, because much work is outsourced today and few spares are maintained at plants, it
becomes necessary to ensure that there are procedures for controlling contractor work. There is
also a need to establish preplanning procedures for unscheduled outages when mobilization of
resources and parts needs to be accomplished on a crisis schedule. As a minimum, maintenance
documentation and practices for steam turbines should include the following:
• Technical manuals and service bulletins available, complete and current
• Maintenance management system in place and followed (computerized or manual system)
• Lock-out/tag-out procedures available and followed
• Contractor control procedures available and followed
• Emergency preplanning procedures for major unscheduled events available and current
• “Management of Change” procedure in place and followed for making controlled changes to
all maintenance procedures and practices.
There are a number of industry approaches and sophisticated software for establishing
maintenance programs for steam turbines and their supporting equipment. These approaches
include running to failure, preventive maintenance (PM), reliability centered maintenance (RCM),
and other variations that utilize failure causes and the value of the hardware in establishing
maintenance priorities. Regardless of the system or approach, what is important to insurers is
that the maintenance tasks and frequencies should be prioritized towards the portions of the
steam turbine that have the highest risk - the highest probability and consequence of failure. This
usually means protecting the steam turbine from overspeeds, water induction, loss of lube oil,
corrosive steam, and sticking valves that could cause major damage to the turbine in either the
short or long term. While other maintenance may be important, insurance priorities should be
on the failure mechanisms and events that could result in major steam turbine damage.
Over the last 20 years, the power industry has experienced a shift in steam turbine (ST)
maintenance strategies driven by two compounding factors. The first factor has become the
overwhelming task of managing the maintenance of newer technology - Gas Turbine (GT) related
maintenance.
These machines by design and operating profile require a greater frequency of
maintenance than their steam turbine predecessors. Frequent GT inspections and
repairs/upgrades have driven maintenance budgets to a point at which something has to give.
The once well-cared-for work horse of the industry, the steam turbine has become a
maintenance afterthought as funds are reallocated to GT issues. Major ST outage- intervals and
inspection points are pushed out to support the expense and frequency of Gas Turbine
inspections, repairs and upgrades.
The second issue compounding the problem is plant asset ownership turnover. With
uncertain asset ownership longevity it becomes very difficult at the plant level to justify and gain
approval for a major ST outage. These major outages face costs exceeding very quickly. It is an
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investment in the long term viability of the asset. In today's ever changing asset ownership
environment, it becomes a very difficult business case for a maintenance manager to build with
the current owner.
Three major steam turbine repair types have become clear as a result of this shift in
maintenance focus.

• Failure Based - Component failure with collateral component damage, forced outage &
repair
• Failure Avoidance Based - Repair need identified & repair planned at next opportunity
• Planned Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Based - Failure Mode identified & Risk
Mitigation Steps implemented

The first two lead the way. Many maintenance managers are now faced with developing
significant steam turbine repairs plans vs. maintenance plans. This article will outline the
necessary steps to take while managing major steam turbine repairs
Failure Based repairs can be devastating in nature to the plants overall viability. These failures
must be avoided at all costs as they force the unit off line and into an unplanned outage, costing
the facility millions in downtime. Failure Avoidance Based repairs are a step in the right direction,
this type of repair is classified as those that have been identified via inspection practices and
planned for at the next outage. Planned Reliability Centered Maintenance repairs have simply
not had the focus required to ensure long term reliability of the steam turbine.
Understanding the current repair needs of the industry this article will focus on two areas.
1. Managing Major ST Repairs

• Repair Planning
• Repair Monitoring & Final Inspection

ST Repair Management
Steam turbine repair success lies heavily upon planning and parts supplier
communication. The Request for Quotation (RFQ) should include the requirement of a facility
qualification review, agreed upon in process inspection points & a final inspection prior to
shipment. Steam turbine repairs are categorized into three main groups and should be managed
as individual repair scopes.

1. Rotating Blades
2. Stationary Nozzles & Seals
3. Rotor Forging - Journals & Wheel Sides

Monitoring & Final Inspection

As today's manufacturing facilities drive to improve cycle time and increase profits,
investments in technology takes the lead. As machining technology advances and CNC capability
improves the need for skilled machining labor to run the process takes a hit. This shift leaves
quality up to automation as facilities have fewer people to monitor machining processes and
verify final dimensions. For this reason, it is important for the customer to maintain a presence
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in the repair process, as someone looking to assist in identifying potential gaps in the quality
system. It is important to maintain a solid working relationship with your repair facility. Care
should be taken not to interrupt the production rigor in place while taking the opportunity to add
value to the overall process. Take the time to understand the process in which your repair will be
subject to and select opportunities within that process to inspect your repair. As repair facility
management see's your level of process understanding, you will drive heightened awareness to
vendor quality and schedule response on your project. Focus your efforts on adding value to the
repair process, not distractions or repeat steps.
Relying completely on the repair vendor to execute the work with no customer presence
leaves the customer susceptible to quality oversights and production schedule setbacks. A
customer that pays attention to the repair process, stays informed and maintains a presence in
the process keeps their job at the top of the priority list for the repair facility. In the initial RFQ it
should be clearly spelled out that the customer requests to monitor the repair cycle at
predetermined points based on the repair type.
As with repair vendor qualification, it is essential to apply the appropriate expertise to the repair
monitoring efforts. Be sure the member of your team selected to monitor the repair is
comfortable with repair procedures, gaging techniques, tolerance control, turbine design and
applicable machining practices.

RCM Condition Inspection & Cause Correction

Steampath component reliability and overall life cycle will not improve simply because
the unit has been repaired. Cause correction against the identified failure mode must be acted
upon in order to protect the investment and improve overall reliability. RCM based repair success
starts with sound life cycle management practices. The core of which relies upon applying the
appropriate level of expertise to your inspection & monitoring efforts. Embracing the rigor of a
RCM program and applying the analysis tools built to support this system will increase risk
management success. The Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA) process, when run by an
experienced team, has proven to add tremendous value to understanding and tracking current
risk levels based on component conditions found. An inspection that simply generates a photo
appendix of the as found steampath condition to compare to the next years photos is of no value
in regards to extending component life cycle and improving reliability. If you are not inspecting
against the known failure modes, their cause and effects, you are simply just "looking around",
taking pictures and waiting for a failure. At best this would be failure avoidance planning.
Applying steampath expertise when borescoping will ensure all failure modes are being inspected
for, identified and analyzed.
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Moisture Erosion (1a)

LP Blading (1b)

An experienced steampath engineer, one with operations and unit design/function

expertise can effectively analyze the effect and cause of all failure modes, their severity and
likelihood to impact unit reliability. Utilizing the FMEA rigor has proven to increase customer
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understanding in the level of risk associated with the findings across the steampath aiding in
repair project justification efforts. The FMEA process offers an objective expert analysis of the
identified failure modes severity, likelihood of occurrence and ability to detect failure prior to an
impact to unit reliability. This level of understanding enables the asset owner to make an
educated decision where to invest in reliability for the biggest return on their risk mitigation
investment.
It is important to note that the majority of steam turbine damage is avoidable and correctable
when identified and analyzed in its early stages correctly. Adopting a culture of inspect & correct
will improve overall component life cycle and unit reliability.
When steam path damage is found, it is important to understand the root cause such that
corrective operational & maintenance measures can be put in place to mitigate the risk to
reliability.

Failure Mode - LP Blade Moisture Erosion

LP blade moisture erosion is a common industry concern gaining increased visibility as
owners are forced to make expensive repair/replacement decisions as the condition was not
inspected for, monitored or corrected against. As mentioned, applying the appropriate expertise
if inspection rigor is in place is crucial to the success of the inspection and correct culture. Where
one inspector may see LP blade entrance side moisture erosion via borescope (fig 1a) on the
entrance side of an LP blade set (fig.1b). Only to make a note of it year 1 and come back year 2
to find the damage has become more pronounced. An experienced inspector who understands
the failure mode will offer suggestions to further analyze the condition and eliminate or reduce
the cause.
LP blade erosion should be expected over the life cycle of a condensing steam turbine.
Damage severity, however, will vary greatly based on unit operating profile. It is recommended
that the progression of this condition be continually monitored as part of the scheduled
steampath borescope and or LP hood visual inspections.
Steam turbine design optimizes the ability of the steampath to extract and convert
thermal energy into mechanical rotary motion. The extraction of thermal energy occurs as the
steam drops in pressure, temperature and expands in volume through the steampath
components. As this thermodynamic shift nears completion in the last stages of the turbine,
steam begins to drop below the saturation line and moisture levels increase. While it is most
efficient to run with dense steam in the back end LP sections of a condensing turbine, there is a
risk associated with dropping below the saturation line. Steam that has dropped below the
saturation curve and is physically changed in direction drops moisture out as condensate. This
condensate tends to hang on the trailing edges of stationary blades subject to being forced off
by passing steam. In this condition the passing steam atomizes the hanging condensate creating
a "pressure washer" effect on the preceding rotating blades at the entrance side outer perimeter.
The atomized condensate (moisture) impacts the entrance side of the rotating blades creating a
harsh environment of moisture induced erosion.
Moisture erosion is easily identified by the rough and rigid pitting created in the surface
of the blade material. In moderate cases, it is contained to the entrance side of the blade. In
severe cases, you will see the exit side thin edge effected as well. These pits in the face of the
material create hundreds of troubling stress risers in the surface of the material which under load
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can lead to cracking and ultimately blade failure. If physical access is available to the blades
effected it is a prudent risk mitigation step to perform a Non Destructive Examination of the
blades for crack propagation. Access permitting, Array Eddy Current testing has been proven to
be the most effective field testing method that can be applied with the turbine still in the casing.

Some blades are manufactured with erosion shields designed to quickly erode in the first
years of operation with the intent that the eroded surface of the shield will protect the underlying
turbine blade material. The design theory is that the shield materials eroded landscape will
capture and retain water droplets within its eroded surface to act as a shield against further
erosion. It would be important to consult with your OEM or steam path engineer to verify if your
LP blades have steam shields and their recommended action regarding the level of moisture
erosion present.
In today's market many facilities are forced to run at reduced load, creating an increased
risk of early saturation in the back end if LP hood temperature is allowed to sub cool. With less
demand on the condenser it is important to adjust hood spray and cooling water flow to maintain
LP hood temperature. Sub cooled condensers impact the point, within the turbine's last stages,
at which steam drops below the saturation line. This ultimately encourages destructive moisture
erosion of the LP blades.
While it is possible to minimize the progression of this failure mode by taking action,
inevitably the blades will require replacement as this failure mode cannot be completely
eliminated considering today's operating profile.

TROUBLESHOOTING OF STEAM TURBINE

Efficient steam turbine operation is important to the world's industries but like all
machinery, needs to be continuously examined and repair if it is to produce its best.

Troubleshooting for Power Plants

Turbine repairs are a necessary factor if you want to keep your production of electrical
power to the maximum. As well as maximum output, however, you have to be sure that your
plant is run to a high standard of safety.
Some of the tasks carried out in steam turbine troubleshooting are as follows:
▪ Turbine rotor journal orbital machining
▪ Machining of turbine casing horizontal/vertical joint faces
▪ Drilling, tapping and doweling of turbine parts
▪ Line boring and milling
▪ Laser/optical alignment

Turbine Rotor Journal Restoration on Horizontal Balancing Machines

During the normal operational life of a turbine, its rotor journal seating surfaces are
wearing and therefore, repair operations, including turning and grinding of such surfaces and
next rotor balancing on the balancing machines, are carried out. Traditional turbine rotors
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machining is provided by fixing them through the centers and demands the corresponding large
size machine tools and the strategy (machine tool to rotor) is often used.

Steam Turbine Cracking

Repairing cracked turbine rotors and disks in fossil and nuclear plants poses a number of
challenges:
• Mechanical and metallurgical properties of the repaired area must equal or exceed those
of the base disk material and ensure continued operation for the remaining life of the
turbine.
• Weld repair and postweld heat treatment (PWHT) must not compromise the shrink fit or
distort the disk/rotor, damage bolting, or damage blading that is still installed in the rotor.
• The repaired area must be machined to accept new blading with tolerances at least as
good as the OEM's specification.

Improving Cracking Resistance

Mechanical shot peening techniques are being increasingly applied to remediate damage
and improve SCC resistance for aging and new disks in steam turbines. For damaged disks,
grinding is employed to remove cracks, then shot peening, a cold-working process, is performed.
The component surface is bombarded with small metal spheres, or shot, that act as tiny peening
hammers, imparting small dimples. Overlapping dimples create a compressively stressed zone.

Steam Turbine Troubleshooting

The following troubleshooting chart is furnished by Aurora Pump. The troubles, probable
cause and remedies contained in the troubleshooting chart will aid you in quickly determining
and correcting most steam turbine problems. Because of the diversity of the problems
encountered with steam turbines, the troubleshooting chart is divided into two sections.
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SECTION A. VIBRATION
B. GENERAL

A. VIBRATION
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B. GENERAL

IN-TEXT ACTIVITY

1. Additional PowerPoint Presentation (lecture) included in the module.

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REFERENCES

Explain that Stuff. (2017). How do steam turbines work?. [online] Available at:
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/steam-turbines.html [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Metalock.co.uk. (2017). Steam Turbine Repairs- Turbine Repairs On-Site – Metalock UK.
[online] Available at: https://www.metalock.co.uk/typical-on-site- repairs/steam-turbine-
turbine-repairs.aspx [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Shchurova, A. (2017). Modeling of the Turbine Rotor Journal Restoration on Horizontal
Balancing Machines.
POWER Magazine. (2017). Steam Turbine Rotor Vibration Failures: Causes and Solutions.
[online] Available at: http://www.powermag.com/steam-turbine-rotor- vibration-failures-
causes-and-solutions/?pagenum=5 [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Power-eng.com. (2017). Steam/Gas Turbine Repair: Repair Solutions for Steam and Gas
Turbines. [online] Available at: http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-
105/issue-4/features/steam-gas-turbine-repair-repair-solutions-for-steam-and-gas-
turbines.html [Accessed 2 Dec. 2017].
Power-eng.com. (2017). Steam Turbine Maintenance & Repair Management. [online]
Available at: http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-120/issue-
5/features/steam-turbine-maintenance-repair-management.html [Accessed 2 Dec.
2017].