Rotordynamic Stability Under Partial Admission Conditions in a Large Power Steam Turbine

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Gao ◽  
Yiping Dai ◽  
Zhiqiang Wang ◽  
Yatao Xu ◽  
Qingzhong Ma
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Rotor System ◽  
System Stability ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Large Power ◽  
Control Stage ◽  
Partial Admission ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Load Conditions

At present, the majority of power steam turbines operate under part-load conditions during most of their working time in accordance with the fluctuation of power supply. The load governing method may cause partial admission in control stage and even some pressure stages, which impacts much on the stability of the rotor system. In this paper, CFD and FEM method were used to analyze the effect of partial admission on rotor system stability. A new approach is proposed to simplify the 3D fluid model for a partial admission control stage. Rotordynamic analysis was carried out to test the stability of the HP rotor of a 600 MW steam turbine under different load conditions. 13 different governing modes on the rotor stability were conducted and data were analyzed. It is found that rotor stability varies significantly with different governing modes and mass flow rates, which is consistent with the operation. Asymmetric fluid forces resulted from partial admission cause a fluctuation of the dynamic characteristics of the HP bearings, which consequently affect the stability of the rotor system. One of the nozzle governing modes in which the diagonal valves open firstly is demonstrated as the optimal mode with the maximum system stability. The optimization has been applied to 16 power generation units in China and result in improved rotor stabilities.

Rotor Dynamic Analysis on Partial Admission Control Stage in a Large Power Steam Turbine

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Gao ◽  
Yiping Dai
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Phase Angle ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Labyrinth Seal ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Large Power ◽  
Stiffness Coefficients ◽  
Control Stage ◽  
Partial Admission

Partial admission is used widely for steam turbines to match their output power to the load demand. The occurrences or thresholds of most self-induced low-frequency vibrations are under partial admission conditions. But the destabilizing forces which cause rotor instability are seldom investigated under partial admission conditions especially for large power steam turbines. Full 3D CFD model is built for the control stage of a 600 MW steam turbine applying commercial codes. N-S equations are solved to investigate the flow fields in the control stage including all the blade passages and the labyrinth seal over the shroud. Interesting flow distributions are observed for the seal spaces at partial admission conditions. A correction formula is presented for partial admission labyrinth seal based on the classical one and a method is discussed for the estimation of partial-admission phase-angle-dependent stiffness coefficients. The destabilizing forces acting on the rotor system are calculated for different eccentricity angles and are compared with those under the concentric condition. The stiffness coefficients are solved under typical partial admission conditions. They are found to change dramatically with the phase angle. The results may be helpful for a deep understanding of the low-frequency variation problems of large power steam turbines under partial admission conditions.

Unsteady Load of Partial Admission Control Stage Rotor of a Large Power Steam Turbine

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Lampart ◽  
Mariusz Szymaniak ◽  
Romuald Rza˛dkowski
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
Unsteady Forces ◽  
Large Power ◽  
Control Stage ◽  
Partial Admission ◽  
Geometrical Imperfections ◽  
Sst Turbulence Model ◽  
2D Model

Partial admission flow in the control stage of a 200MW steam turbine is investigated with the help of a RANS solver with k-ω SST turbulence model in the code Fluent. A 2D model of flow at the mid-span section of the full annulus is assumed. The results exhibit interesting details of the process of expansion in the control stage. Unsteady forces acting on the single rotor blades of the control stage are calculated, and are subject to Fourier analysis. Single blade forces are summed up to obtain the unsteady load at the rotor (forces acting at the rotor disc are neglected due to the assumed 2D model). The calculations take into account pressure pulsations at the entry to the nozzle boxes and rotor blade mistuning / geometrical imperfections.

The Effect of Stage-Diffuser Interaction on the Aerodynamic Performance and Design of LP Steam Turbine Exhaust Systems

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bowen Ding ◽  
Liping Xu ◽  
Jiandao Yang ◽  
Rui Yang ◽  
Yuejin Dai
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Part Load ◽  
Last Stage ◽  
Load Conditions ◽  
Turbine Exhaust ◽  
Exhaust Systems

Modern large steam turbines for power generation are required to operate much more flexibly than ever before, due to the increasing use of intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. This has posed great challenges to the design of LP steam turbine exhaust systems, which are critical to recovering the leaving energy that is otherwise lost. In previous studies, the design had been focused on the exhaust diffuser with or without the collector. Although the interaction between the last stage and the exhaust hood has been identified for a long time, little attention has been paid to the last stage blading in the exhaust system’s design process, when the machine frequently operates at part-load conditions. This study focuses on the design of LP exhaust systems considering both the last stage and the exhaust diffuser, over a wide operating range. A 1/10th scale air test rig was built to validate the CFD tool for flow conditions representative of an actual machine at part-load conditions, characterised by highly swirling flows entering the diffuser. A numerical parametric study was performed to investigate the effect of both the diffuser geometry variation and restaggering the last stage rotor blades. Restaggering the rotor blades was found to be an effective way to control the level of leaving energy, as well as the flow conditions at the diffuser inlet, which influence the diffuser’s capability to recover the leaving energy. The benefits from diffuser resizing and rotor blade restaggering were shown to be relatively independent of each other, which suggests the two components can be designed separately. Last, the potentials of performance improvement by considering both the last stage rotor restaggering and the diffuser resizing were demonstrated by an exemplary design, which predicted an increase in the last stage power output of at least 1.5% for a typical 1000MW plant that mostly operates at part-load conditions.

Modeling Partial Admission in Control Stages of Small Steam Turbines With CFD

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juri Bellucci ◽  
Filippo Rubechini ◽  
Andrea Arnone
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Partial Admission ◽  
The Impact

This work aims at investigating the impact of partial admission on a steam turbine stage, focusing on the aerodynamic performance and the mechanical behavior. The partialized stage of a small steam turbine was chosen as test case. A block of nozzles was glued in a single “thick nozzle” in order to mimic the effect of a partial admission arc. Numerical analyses in full and in partial admission cases were carried out by means of three-dimensional, viscous, unsteady simulations. Several cases were tested by varying the admission rate, that is the length of the partial arc, and the number of active sectors of the wheel. The goal was to study the effect of partial admission conditions on the stage operation, and, in particular on the shape of stage performance curves as well as on the forces acting on bucket row. First of all, a comparison between the flow field of the full and the partial admission case is presented, in order to point out the main aspects related to the presence of a partial arc. Then, from an aerodynamic point of view, a detailed discussion of the modifications of unsteady rows interaction (potential, shock/wake), and how these ones propagate downstream, is provided. The attention is focused on the phenomena experienced in the filling/emptying region, which represent an important source of aerodynamic losses. The results try to deepen the understanding in the loss mechanisms involved in this type of stage. Finally, some mechanical aspects are addressed, and the effects on bucket loading and on aeromechanical forcing are investigated.

An investigation on the instability of a flexible liquid-filled rotor

2019 ◽  
Vol 234 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-172
Author(s):  
Guangding Wang ◽  
Huiqun Yuan ◽  
Hongyun Sun
Keyword(s):  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Fluid Motion ◽  
Coupling Model ◽  
Frequency Equation ◽  
Rotor System ◽  
System Stability ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Navier Stokes Equations ◽  
Continuity Equations ◽  
The Stability

In this paper, the stability of a flexible rotor partially filled with liquid is investigated. On the basis of the Navier-Stokes equations for the incompressible flow, a two-dimensional analytical model is developed for fluid motion. Applying the perturbation method, the linearized Navier-Stokes and continuity equations of fluid particles are obtained. Using the boundary conditions of fluid motion, the fluid forces exerted on the rotor are calculated. According to the established fluid-structure coupling model of the rotor system, the whirling frequency equation, which is applied to determine the stability of the system, is derived. The analysis results of the system stability are compared with the theoretical ones reported in the previous study. Good agreement is shown between the results of the present analysis and the literature results. The influences of the main parameters on the dynamic stability of the rotor system are discussed.

Computations for Unsteady Compressible Flows in a Multi-Stage Steam Turbine With Steam Properties at Low Load Operations

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigeki Senoo ◽  
Kiyoshi Segawa ◽  
Hisashi Hamatake ◽  
Takeshi Kudo ◽  
Tateki Nakamura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Compressible Flows ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Computation Time ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Low Load ◽  
Pressure Steam ◽  
Load Conditions

A computational technique for compressive fluid in multistage steam turbines which can allow for thermodynamic properties of steam is presented. The understanding and prediction of flow field not only at design conditions but also at off-design conditions are important for realizing high-performance and high-reliability steam turbines. Computational fluid dynamics is useful for estimations of flows. However, current three-dimensional multi-stage calculations for unsteady flows have two main problems. One is the long computation time and the other is how to include the thermodynamic properties of steam. Properties of the ideal gas, such as equations of state and enthalpy formula, are assumed in most computational techniques for compressible flows. In order to shorten the computation time, a quasi-three-dimensional flow calculation technique is developed. In the analysis, system equations of conservation laws for compressible fluid in axisymmetric cylindrical coordinates are solved by using a finite volume method based on an approximate Riemann solver. Blade forces are calculated from the camber and lean angles of blades using momentum equations. The axisymmetric assumption and the blade force model enable the effective calculation for multi-stage flows, even when the flow is strongly unsteady under off-design conditions. In order to take into account steam properties including effects of the gas-liquid phase change and two-phase flow, a flux-splitting procedure of compressible flow is generalized for real fluid. Density and internal energy per unit volume are selected as independent thermodynamic variables. Pressure and temperature in a superheated region or wetness mass fraction in a wet region are calculated by using a steam table. To improve computational efficiency, a discretized steam table matrix is made in which the density and specific internal energy are independent variables. For accuracy and continuity of steam properties, the second order Taylor expansion and linear interpolation are introduced. The computed results of last four-stage low-pressure steam turbine at low load conditions show that there is a reverse flow near the hub region of the last (fourth stage bucket and the flow concentrates in the tip region due to the centrifugal force. At a very low load condition, the reverse flow region extends to the former (i.e. the first to third) stages and the unsteadiness of flow gets larger due to many vortices. Four-stage low pressure steam turbine tests are also carried out at low load or even zero load. The radial distributions of flow direction downstream from each stage are measured by traversing pneumatic probes. Additionally pressure transducers are installed in the side wall to measure the unsteady pressure. The regions of reverse flow are compared between computations and experiments at different load conditions, and their agreement is good. Further, the computation can follow the trends of standard deviation of unsteady pressure on the wall to volumetric flow rate of experiments. The validity of the analysis method is verified.

Stability Characteristics of Steam Turbine Rotor Seal System With Analytical Floating Ring Seal Force Model

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guang-hui Zhang ◽  
Gui-long Wang ◽  
Zhan-sheng Liu ◽  
Rui-xian Ma
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Response ◽  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Critical Speed ◽  
Turbine Rotor ◽  
Rotor System ◽  
Force Model ◽  
Oil Film ◽  
Steam Turbine Rotor ◽  
Ring Seal ◽  
The Stability

The analytical oil film force model for floating ring seal is established including the effect of axial pressure gradient. The analytical model is based on the oil lubricated Reynolds equation and the short bearing assumption, where the fluid Lomakin effect is considered. The pressure distribution of the floating ring and static characteristics is studied by numerical simulation. The three dimensional flow model is established and solved by the CFD method. By employing the finite element method, the dynamic model of the floating ring seal-steam turbine rotor system is established. The critical speed, mode shape and dynamic response of the steam turbine rotor with different bearing support stiffness are obtained. The effect of the floating ring oil film force on the critical speed and instability speed with different bearing support stiffness is studied. The effects of floating ring parameters (groove geometrical dimensions) on dynamic response are studied, and the stability of floating ring seal-rotor system with variation of the factor is analyzed. The floating ring seal can play the role of increasing the supporting effect, which will increase the critical speed of the rotor system. The floating ring seal can cause the sub synchronous vibration and the groove can significantly increase the stability of system.

Investigation Into a “Steam Whirl” Which Affected HP Rotors of 300 MW Steam Turbines

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janusz Kubiak Sz. ◽  
Dara Childs ◽  
M. Rodri`guez ◽  
J. C. Garci´a
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
The Other ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Full Load ◽  
The Past ◽  
Instability Effect ◽  
Valve Opening ◽  
Rotordynamic Forces ◽  
Rotor Model ◽  
Load Conditions

In the past, several 300 MW steam turbine rotors were affected by vibrations, which appeared at bearing #1 during load conditions. At certain loads, vibrations of the #1 bearing increased considerably. Near full load the amplitude of vibration sometimes reduced to acceptable levels. Practically, the phenomena were partially cured by trim balancing of the HP rotor, readjusting the valve opening characteristics and by correction of the clearances in the sealing system. The results are briefly summarized. On the other hand, the simulation of the various parameters using rotordynamic codes was conducted to explain the phenomena analytically. In this part, the rotordynamic rotor model was constructed and the following simulations were carried out: rotor bearing instability, effect of the destabilizing steam forces on the rotor at the first row, effect of the seal rotordynamic forces and the valve opening sequence on the rotor stability. All results were analyzed to present general conclusions.

Direct Constrained Computational Fluid Dynamics Based Optimization of Three-Dimensional Blading for the Exit Stage of a Large Power Steam Turbine

2002 ◽  
Vol 125 (1) ◽  
pp. 385-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Lampart ◽  
S. Yershov
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Original Design ◽  
Large Power ◽  
Wide Range

The paper describes results of direct constrained optimization using Nelder-Mead’s method of deformed polyhedron and a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver to optimize the shape of three-dimensional blading for the exit stage of a large power steam turbine. The computations of the flowfield in the stator and rotor are compressible, viscous, and three-dimensional. Turbulence effects are taken into account using the modified model of Baldwin-Lomax. The objective function is the stage efficiency, with the exit energy considered a loss, and with constraints imposed on the mass flow rate in the form of a penalty function if the mass flow rate falls beyond the required range. The blade sections (profiles) are assumed not to change during the optimization. Two optimization tasks are reported in this paper, first—optimizing the stator straight and compound circumferential lean, and also stator and rotor stagger angles to keep the flow rate unchanged, giving a total number of optimized parameters equal to 5; second—optimizing the stator straight and compound axial sweep, also with stator and rotor stagger angles, also giving five optimized parameters. The process of optimization is carried out for a nominal load; however, due to the fact that exit stages of steam turbines operate over a wide range of flow rates away from the nominal conditions, the original and final geometries are also checked for low and high loads. The process of optimization gives new designs with new three-dimensional stacking lines of stator blades, and with significantly increased efficiencies, compared to the original design, at least for a larger part of the assumed range of load.

Mechanical Design of Large Steam Turbine Components for Part Load Conditions

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Lückemeyer ◽  
F. Qin
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Heat Radiation ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Load Case ◽  
Part Load ◽  
Load Regime ◽  
Load Conditions

Recent developments like the significant introduction of renewable energy sources to the electricity networks worldwide have led to more frequent and extended operation of fossil power plants in part load conditions. As a result the typical load spectrum of large steam turbines used for electricity generation has changed over the last years and will continue to do so. A number of papers has already been published on how to optimize the water-steam cycle and the steam turbine from a thermodynamical and aero-dynamical point of view for this new load regime in order to improve the average efficiency. But the changed load regime also poses a challenge for the mechanical design and structural integrity assessment of steam turbines. Reason for this is that the rated conditions are not necessarily the most challenging boundary conditions and therefore not necessarily a suitable, conservative envelope for all other load cases for mechanical design. Pressures decrease, but steam temperatures in part loads can increase and heat transfer coefficients and the influence of radiation on the component temperatures change. With an increasing demand for and a wider range of part load operation it for this reason becomes more important than ever to consider these load cases in the mechanical design. This paper uses a large, double-flow intermediate pressure steam turbine as an example to investigate the impact of extended part load operation on the design. Both an analytical model and finite element calculations are used to compare from a structural integrity point of view a low part-load load case and the rated load case and to evaluate the significance of heat radiation.

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