Lecture 4

1
Turbine Components (Part I)
Turbines Components
Casings or Cylinders
The cylinder has to be extremely stiff in a longitudinal direction in order to prevent
bending and to allow accurate clearance to be maintained between the fixed and
moving parts of the turbine
The working pressure aspects demand thicker and thicker casing and the
temperature aspects demand thinner and thinner casings
Design developments took place to take care of both pressure and temperature
considerations leading to three types of casing design
a. Single shell casing
b. Multiple (double) shell casing
c. Barrel type casing
2
Turbines Components
HP Turbine Casing (Single Shell Split Casing)
Horizontal joint permit assembly and dismantling
Thick flanges are for joining the two halves of casing and to withstand the bursting
force caused by steam pressure inside the casing
Severe thermal stresses may generate in thicker sections of casing during machine
startup and load changes
The diaphragms (sets of fixed blades) are usually fitted into the grooves in the
cylinder
3
Turbines Components
Double Shell Casing
They are used in HP cylinder of turbines of large output operating at high pressure
and temperatures
The inner shell carries the diaphragms and is subject to full steam pressure
The space between the two shells is subjected to the exhaust steam pressure of
the particular HP cylinder
The advantages of this arrangement are:
Each shell need to be designed for a relatively small pressure difference
This permit reduced shell thickness and allows quicker warming up without
undue stress when starting up
Special expansion joints are provided for the main steam inlet pipes to pass
through the outer shell and to connect to the inner shell
4
Turbines Components
5
Double Shell Casing
Turbines Components
Barrel Type Casing
Barrel type casing have no horizontal flange joint
They have uniform wall thickness around the axis of rotation
They can easily be designed to accommodate high pressure whilst remaining
relatively thin. It encloses the inner casing which is lightly stressed.
They can be relatively thin with light flanges for horizontal joint
The barrel type casing also remains constant in shape and leak proof during quick
changes in temperature (e.g., on startup and shutdown, on load change and under
high pressures)
6
Turbines Components
7
Barrel Type Casing
Turbines Components
LP Turbine Casing
LP cylinders are often of double casing construction with an inner casing
containing:
Diaphragm supports
Bleed steam
Water extraction belts and
An outer casing directing the exhaust to the condensers and providing
structural support for the inner casing
All casings have bolted horizontal joints
8
Turbines Components
9
Axial Section of LP Turbine Cylinder
Glands
Turbines Components
Expansion of Turbine Rotor and Casing
Expansion of rotor and casing during warmup following steam admission takes place
Reverse is true during cool down
The expansion of the casing may not always be the same as that of the rotor creating
This need to be managed effectively so as to ensure that striking of moving blades with
fixed blades does not take place
The arrangements to take care of such expansion are shown in the figure
The collar of the LP rotor is held in place by the thrust bearing (located between HP and
LP cylinders) and forms the anchor point for rotor expansion
The rotor is free to expand in either direction of this anchor point due to its expansion
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Turbines Components
Expansion of Turbine Rotor and Casing (contd)
Stationary casings of turbine also expand from their anchor point by keying them
remote from anchor points to allow movement relative to the anchor
The relative expansion is known as differential expansion
When the turbine is warming up during the cold start, the rotor will normally be
warmer than the casing and positive differential expansion will occur
During a hot start, it is possible that the casing may have retained a sufficiently
high temperature to cause negative differential expansion
The method of coping with expected differential expansion for equilibrium
operating temperatures is to allow sufficient clearances between fixed and moving
blades for accommodating these expected changes
However, close monitoring using prescribed procedure is to be ensured during
warmup or cool down
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Turbines Components
12
Fixed Points of Shaft and Casings