Steam Turbines

• Steam turbine is widely use as a prime mover in power plants,

refineries, petrochemical plants, food processing plants etc.

• In steam turbines, enthalpy of the steam is first converted into

kinetic energy in nozzles/blade passage. The high velocity
steam impinges on the curved blades which change the flow
direction of steam. The change in flow direction of steam
causes a force to be exerted on the blades fixed on a rotor and
power is developed due to the rotation of the blades
Based on operating principle the steam turbine is classified as
two types:
1. Impulse turbine
2. Reaction turbine
➢ Impulse Turbine
• In Impulse Steam Turbine, there are some fixed
nozzles and moving blades are present on a
disc mounted on a shaft
• In the impulse turbine pressure drops and the
velocity increases as the steam passes through
the nozzles. When the steam passes through
the moving blades the velocity drops but the
pressure remains the same
• The pressure at the inlet of the moving blades
is same as the pressure at the outlet of moving
blades
• Steam at high pressure passes through nozzle
where the velocity of steam increases. The high
velocity jet of steam strikes on the blades of
impulse turbine
• 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
➢ Reaction Turbine
• In the reaction turbine, the moving blades of a
turbine are shaped in such a way that the steam
expands and drops in pressure as it passes through
them. As a result of pressure decrease in the moving
blade, a reaction force will be produced. This force
will make the blades to rotate
• In the reaction turbine, the stage pressure drop is
spread across both the fixed and moving blades. The
fixed blades act as nozzles and accelerate the steam
to a moderate velocity due to the partial pressure
drop.
• Steam then impinges upon the moving blades and
imparts some energy to them. Within the moving
blades the steam is turned and accelerated by the
remainder of the pressure drop. The reaction effect
caused by this accelerating steam imparts more
energy to the moving blades
• In reaction turbine pressure drop occurs both in fixed
and moving blades
Impulse Turbine Velocity Triangles

➢ V1 and V2 are absolute velocities of steam entering and leaving the blade
➢ Vf1 and Vf2 are flow velocities of steam at inlet and outlet of the blade(vertical
(axial) comp of V1 and V2 respectively)
➢ Vw1 and Vw2 are whirl velocities of steam at inlet and outlet of the
blade(horizontal (tangential) comp of V1 and V2 respectively)
➢ Vr1 and Vr2 are relative velocities of steam at inlet and outlet of the blade
➢ U linear velocity of moving blades
➢ 𝛼 and 𝛽 guide vane angle at inlet and outlet (nozzle angles)
➢ 𝜃 and 𝜙 blade angle at inlet and outlet
Performance parameters
𝑚ሶ 𝑠 𝑉𝜔1 +𝑉𝜔2 𝑈
• 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑑 = (kW)
1000

• 𝑇𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑙 = 𝑚ሶ 𝑠 𝑉𝜔1 + 𝑉𝜔2 (N)

• 𝐴𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑙 = 𝑚ሶ 𝑠 𝑉𝑓1 − 𝑉𝑓2 (N)

2 𝑉𝜔1 +𝑉𝜔2 𝑈
• 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝜂𝐷 =
𝑉1 2

U
• 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜/𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜/𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜( 𝝆) =
V1

𝑉𝑟2
• 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝒌 =
𝑉𝑟1
 𝑚ሶ 𝑠 𝑉𝑟1 2 −𝑉𝑟2 2
• 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑑𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = (W)
2
cos 𝛼
• Condition for maximum efficiency for a single stage impulse Turbine: 𝜌 =
2
cos2 𝛼 cos 𝜙
• Maximum efficiency: 𝜂𝐷 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 1 + 𝑘𝑍 where 𝑍 = and 𝑘 is
2 cos 𝜃
blade velocity coefficient
• In impulse turbine if blade friction is neglected , 𝑉𝑟1 = 𝑉𝑟2 otherwise 𝑉𝑟2 < 𝑉𝑟1 and 𝑘 < 1
• For equiangular blades, 𝜃 = 𝜙
• Modern turbines are neither purely impulse or reaction but a combination of both
• The expansion of steam and heat drop occur both in fixed and moving blades
• The effect of the continues expansion of steam during the flow over the blade is to increase the relative
velocity of steam, ∴ 𝑉𝑟2 > 𝑉𝑟1
Degree of Reaction Rd: The degree of reaction is defined
as the ratio of isentropic heat drop in the moving blades
to isentropic heat drop in the entire stage of reaction
turbine.
∆ℎ𝑚
𝑅𝑑 =
∆ℎ𝑓 + ∆ℎ𝑚
For impulse turbine, ∆ℎ𝑚 = 0, ∴ 𝑅𝑑 =0
For reaction turbine :

𝑉𝑟2 2 − 𝑉𝑟1 2
𝑅𝑑 =
2𝑈 𝑉𝜔1 + 𝑉𝜔2
• A very widely used turbine design has half degree of reaction or 50% reaction and this is known as Parson’s
turbine. This consists of symmetrical rotor and stator blades. For this turbine the velocity triangle is similar,
and we have 𝑉1 = 𝑉𝑟2 𝑉2 = 𝑉𝑟1 𝛼=𝜙 θ=𝛽
• 𝑉𝑓1 = 𝑉𝑓2 = 𝑉𝑓
• For 50 % reaction turbine
• 𝑈 = 𝑉𝑓 cot 𝜙 − cot 𝜃 = 𝑉𝑓 cot 𝜙 − cot 𝛽 = 𝑉𝑓 cot ∝ − cot 𝜃

2
• 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑘𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑊 = 𝑉𝜔1 + 𝑉𝜔2 𝑈 = 𝑉1 2𝜌 cos 𝛼 − 𝜌2

𝑉1 2 𝑉𝑟2 2 −𝑉𝑟1 2 𝑉1 2
• 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 ∆ℎ = + = 1 + 2𝜌 cos 𝛼 − 𝜌2
2 2 2

𝑊 𝑉1 2 2𝜌 cos 𝛼−𝜌2 2
• 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝜂𝑏 = =𝑉 2 =2−
∆ℎ 1 1+2𝜌 cos 𝛼−𝜌2
2
1+2𝜌 cos 𝛼−𝜌2

• 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦: 𝜌 = cos 𝛼

2 cos2 𝛼
• 𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝜂𝑏 𝑚𝑎𝑥 =
1+cos2 𝛼
References
• Rajput R. K.. - ‘Thermal Engineering’ - Laxmi Publications (P) Ltd., New
Delhi - 2013 - 9th Edition