AN AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTE AFFILIATED TO SPPU

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Alandi (D), Pune,
India

Steam Turbine
Subject : Turbo-Machinery
By
Mr. Rahul A. Patil
Department of Mechanical Engineering
MIT-AOE, Alandi(d)
 Contents
• Introduction-
• Types of Steam Turbine
• Compounding of Steam Turbine
-Velocity Compound Impulse Turbine
-Pressure Compounded Impulse Turbine
-Pressure –Velocity Compounded Impulse Turbine
-Reaction Turbine
• Steam Nozzles: Types ,Equation of velocity and
Mass Flow Rate
• Velocity diagram for Moving Blade-Impulse Turbine:
Condition for Maximum Efficiency
• Velocity Diagram for Velocity compounded Impulse
Turbine
• Reheat Factor
• Reaction Turbines(Impulse –Reaction Turbine) :
Degree of Reaction , Condition for Maximum Blade
Efficiency
• Governing of Steam Turbines
- Throttle Governing
- Nozzle Governing
- Bypass Governing
- Combined Throttle and Nozzle Governing
- Combined Throttle and Bypass Governing
Introduction: Steam Turbine
• A steam turbine is a thermo-mechanical
device that extracts thermal energy
from pressurized steam, and converts it
into rotary motion.
• Steam Turbine working depends upon
Rankine Cycle

Rankine Cycle
 Rankine Cycle
• There are four processes in the Rankine
cycle, these states are identified by number in
the diagram to the right.
• Process 1-2: The working fluid is pumped
from low to high pressure, as the fluid is a
liquid at this stage the pump requires little
input energy.
• Process 2-3: The high pressure liquid enters
a boiler where it is heated at constant
pressure by an external heat source to
become dry saturated vapour.
• Process 3-4: The dry saturated vapour
expands through a turbine, generating power.
This decreases the temperature and pressure
of the vapour, and some condensation may
occur.
• Process 4-1: The wet vapour then enters a
condenser where it is condensed at a
constant pressure and temperature to
become a saturated liquid. The pressure and
temperature of the condenser is fixed by the
temperature of the cooling coils as the fluid is
undergoing a phase-change.
 • Reversible Cycle : Change in Internal Energy = Zero
Vapor Power Cycle: Carnot Cycle • Q=W
• All Process internally Reversible

• Actual case Carnot Cycle is not possible as its

an ideal cycle
• Simultaneous Isentropic and Isothermal
process is not possible
• Process 2-3 o/p steam is wet steam so erosion
of blades takes place due to moisture
• Process 4-1 working at low speed and process
1-2 working at high speed. In actual case this
normally not possible
Rankine Cycle
 Analysis of Rankine Cycle
SFEE Applied to Rankine Cycle
Rankine Cycle operating at Mean
Temperature
• Steam at exit of turbine is
wet steam ,(line 2’-3 or 2-3)
so turbine blades may get
eroded. This is not
desirable
• If increase in WT Cycle
termed as Reheat Cycle
• If decrease in Heat input
qin cycle termed as
Regeneration Cycle
• To increase the efficiency
Tmh Should be more and
near to Tmh(carnot)1’-2’ for
that boiler outlet
temperature should be
more
• Actual Case 1’-2’ is not
possible
• Condition 2-3 is most
desirable as steam exit to
turbine is dry and saturated
steam.
• So that turbine blades will
not eroded due to moisture
present in steam
Reheat Cycle

• In reheat cycle Dryness fraction

increase means moisture
content at exit turbine is get
decreases, So that blade
erosion sufficiently decreases.
• SSC decreases, so heat load on
boiler get decreases
• Condenser Load increases
 Steam Nozzle
• Nozzle is a device which increases
velocity of fluid at expanse of energy
drop of Fluid.
 For Incompressible fluid ,liquids
nozzle accelerates fluid at the
expanses of head drop
 For compressible fluid i.e. gases and
Convergent Nozzle
vapors ,nozzle accelerates fluid at the
expanses of enthalpy drop however
pressure also drops.

• It is passage of varying cross-section

,through which heat energy of steam
is converted to K.E.
• Major Function to produce steam jet
with high velocity to drive steam
turbine
• Convergent Nozzle Lower expansion
ratio produce lower velocities
• Convergent-Divergent Nozzle Higher
expansion ratio produces higher Convergent-Divergent Nozzle
velocities of steam
Steam Flow Through Nozzle-Equation of Velocity
Discharge Through Nozzle

Refer :Thermal Engineering by

R.K.Rajput
Mach Number
Nozzle flow and Mach Number
 Relation between Pressure ,Velocity and Area

• Refer Thermal Engineering by

R.K.Rajput for derivation
• As area increases for M>1
,velocity of fluid will get increase
• Hence velocity of vapor will get
increase in divergent section
Nozzle Efficiency
Types of Steam Turbine
Types of Steam Turbine

Impulse Turbine Blade Reaction Turbine Blade

 Simple Impulse Turbine
• In impulse turbine, steam
coming out through a fixed
nozzle at a very high velocity
strikes the blades fixed on the
periphery of a rotor.
• The blades change the
direction of steam flow without
changing its pressure.
• The force due to change of
momentum causes the rotation
of the turbine shaft.
• Examples: De-Laval, Curtis
and Rateau turbines.
 Disadvantages of Impulse Turbine

• Since all the KE of the high velocity steam has to be

absorbed in only one ring of moving blades, the velocity of
the turbine is too high i.e. up to 30000 RPM for practical
purposes.

• The velocity of the steam at exit is sufficiently high which

means that there is a considerable loss of KE.
 Compounding of Steam Turbine
• If high velocity of steam is allowed to flow through one row of
moving blades, it produces a rotor speed of about 30000 rpm
which is too high for practical use.
• It is therefore essential to incorporate some improvements for
practical use and also to achieve high performance.
• This is possible by making use of more than one set of nozzles,
and rotors, in a series, keyed to the shaft so that either the
steam pressure or the jet velocity is absorbed by the turbine in
stages. This is called compounding of turbines.
• The high rotational speed of the turbine can be reduced by the
following methods of compounding:
-Velocity compounding
-Pressure compounding
-Pressure-Velocity compounding
 Velocity Compounding
• Set of Nozzles and Rows of Fixed and Moving
Blades
• As shown in figure, the two rows of moving
blades are separated by a row of fixed blades.
• The high velocity steam first enters the first row
of moving blades, where some portion of the
velocity is absorbed.
• Then it enters the ring of fixed blades where the
direction of steam is changed to suit the second
ring of moving blades. There is no change in the
velocity as the steam passes over the fixed
blades.
• The steam then passes on to the second row of
moving blades where the velocity is further
reduced. Thus a fall in velocity occurs every time
when the steam passes over the row of moving
blades. Steam thus leaves the turbine with a low
velocity.
• The pressure drop takes place only in the nozzle
and there is no further drop of pressure as it
passes over the moving blades.
• This method of velocity compounding is used in
Curtis turbine after it was first proposed by C.G.
Curtis
 Pressure Compounding
• Series of Fixed Nozzle and Moving Blades
• Pressure drop occurs at every sets of
Nozzles
• Steam from the boiler passes through the
first set of nozzles where it expands
partially. Nearly all its velocity is absorbed
when it passes over the first set of moving
blades.
• It is further passed to the second set of
fixed nozzles where it is partially
expanded again and through the second
set of moving blades where the velocity of
steam is almost absorbed. This process is
repeated till steam leaves at condenser
pressure.
• By reducing the pressure in stages, the
velocity of steam entering the moving
blades is considerably reduced. Hence the
speed of the rotor is reduced. Rateau &
Zoelly turbines use this method of
compounding.
 Pressure and Velocity Compounding
• In this method of compounding,
both pressure and velocity
compounding methods are utilized.
• The total drop in steam pressure is
carried out in two stages and the
velocity obtained in each stage is
also compounded.
• The ring of nozzles are fixed at the
beginning of each stage and
pressure remains constant during
each stage.
• This method of compounding is
used in Curtis and More turbines
 Reaction Turbine
• A turbine in which steam pressure
decreases gradually while expanding
through the moving blades as well as the
fixed blades is known as reaction turbine.
• It consists of a large number of stages,
each stage consisting of set of fixed and
moving blades. The heat drop takes place
throughout in both fixed and moving blades.
• No nozzles are provided in a reaction
turbine. The fixed blades act both as
nozzles in which velocity of steam
increased and direct the steam to enter the
ring of moving blades. As pressure drop
takes place both in the fixed and moving
blades, all the blades are nozzle shaped.
• The steam expands while flowing over the
moving blades and thus gives reaction to
the moving blades. Hence the turbine is
called reaction turbine.
• The fixed blades are attached to the casing
whereas moving blades are fixed with the
rotor.
• It is also called Parson’s reaction turbine
Work done and Velocity diagram of Impulse Turbine
Work done and Velocity Diagram of Reaction Turbine
Work Done and Velocity Diagram for velocity Compounded Steam Turbine
Effect of friction on blades of Steam
Turbine : REHEAT FACTOR
Reheat factor:( It is not related to reheating of Rankine
cycle)
It is defined as the ratio of cumulative heat drop to the
adiabatic heat drop in all the stages of the turbine. The value
of reheat factor depends on the type and efficiency of the
turbine, the average value being 1.02 to 1.06.
Cumulative heat drop A1B1  A 2 B2  A 3B3
Reheat factor  
Adiabatic heat drop A1D

Overall efficiency:
It is defined as the ratio of total useful heat drop to the total heat
supplied.

Total useful heat drop A1C1  A 2 C2  A 3C3

Overall efficiency  
Total heat supplied H A1 - h D
 Governing of Steam Turbine
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FLbHu2dTYI&list=PL
SWRPBzGkib_qajSwj-R-jSKnfZ2k8DmV