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Monitoring Unsteady Thermal-Stress State of Large

Power Steam Turbines based on Mathematical
Modeling – Semi-Centennial

Dr. Alexander S. Leyzerovich

ANNOTATION
Transients of large power steam turbines with the single capacity of 250-300 MW and more should be run
based mainly on the unsteady thermal-stress state of the high-temperature rotors monitored with the use of
mathematical modeling by means of computing techniques at disposal under power plant’s real operational
conditions. The problem was articulated and practical work started about half a century ago.

Keywords: large power steam turbines; high-temperature rotors; valve steam-chests; unsteady thermal-stress
state monitoring; radial temperature differences; mathematical models; operator’s errors at running
transients.
Classification: DDC Code: 330.028 LCC Code: HB139
Language: English

London
LJP Copyright ID: 392951
Print ISSN: 2631-8474

Journals Press
Online ISSN: 2631-8482
LJP

London Journal of Engineering Research

449U
 Volume 22 | Issue 7 | Compilation 1.0
© 2022. Dr. Alexander S. Leyzerovich. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncom-mercial 4.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/, permitting all noncommercial use,
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 Monitoring Unsteady Thermal-Stress State of
Large Power Steam Turbines based on
Mathematical Modeling – Semi-Centennial
Dr. Alexander S. Leyzerovich
___________________________________________

ANNOTATION Keywords: large power steam turbines;

high-temperature rotors; valve steam-chests;
Transients of large power steam turbines with
unsteady thermal-stress state monitoring; radial
the single capacity of 250-300 MW and more
temperature differences; mathematical models;
should be run based mainly on the unsteady
operator’s errors at running transients.
thermal-stress state of the high-temperature
rotors monitored with the use of mathematical Author: Consultant, Mountain View, CA, the USA.
modeling by means of computing techniques at
disposal under power plant’s real operational In these years of the early 2020s we could
conditions. The problem was articulated and celebrate a semi-centennial anniversary of a kind
practical work started about half a century ago. of revolution in our views on running, controlling
and monitoring large steam turbines at their
Reasonable is to apply the same approach (as to transients, even though even nowadays the sense

London Journal of Engineering Research

the rotors) to monitoring unsteady thermal- and results of this revolution are hardly
stress state of the HP valve steam-chests what is completely accepted, as well as comprehended,
especially essential for supercritical- and learnt, employed and deployed.
ultra-supercritical-pressure turbines. Special
field studies as well as long-term practice of What Was New? With raising the rated output of
operation have confirmed that introducing power steam turbines, the radial dimensions of
operational monitoring of non-stationary their rotors enlarge too and for turbines with the
temperature and thermal-stress states of the single capacity of over 250-300 MW the unsteady
turbine at the transients makes it possible to thermal stresses in the rotors of the high
identify operator errors that usually remain temperature high-pressure (HP) and intermediate
unnoticed with the traditional approach, creates pressure (IP) or integrated HP-IP cylinders
conditions for improving the quality of operation become the main factor limiting the rate of
and extending the turbine service life. The quality turbine transients: start-ups, shut-downs, load
of monitoring based on mathematical modeling changes within the governed range, and so on.
to a large extent depends on reliability and
Hence, the transients should be scheduled and
representativeness of primary heating steam
run based on unsteady thermal stresses arising in
temperature measurements. It should be
the high-temperature rotors. Repeated, cycling
expected that in the nearest future under
action of these stresses is fraught with low-cycle
conditions of commissioning dominantly energy
fatigue cracking, especially in the case of
producers on renewable sources and the
inadequate quality of operation. These principal
unresolved problem of accumulating the excess
propositions have been generally recognized and
and covering the deficit of produced energy, a
articulated, and this understanding fundamentally
significant part of large fossil-fuel steam-turbine
changed our approach to the steam turbine
power units will be forced to operate in cyclic
transients–their pre-operating scheduling and
and standby modes what retains the actuality of
setting, operational control and surveillance, as
the considered problem.
well as post-operating analysis [1-9].

© 2022 London Journals Press Volume 22 | Issue 7 | Compilation 1.0 1

 In order to run the transients or follow up their and the average integral metal temperature in the
automatic or automated control, the operator
same section: ts - .
should be provided with feedback, that is, should
have a possibility of monitoring the indices of Some History. In the mid-1960s up to the early
unsteady thermal-stress state of the rotors just 1970s, in the absence of any computational
like for steam turbines of less capacity the techniques with sufficient experience of usage at
operators have monitored temperature power plants, it was unreal to use mathematical
differences across the thickness of the most models of rotors in the operating purposes, and
massive high-temperature casing elements. Since for the time being these mathematical models
the direct, immediate thermometry of the turbine were substituted for physical ones. So, some large
rotors for operating purposes is too laborious and steam turbine producers, primarily Brown Boveri
unreliable, it should be substituted for modeling. (aka BBC, then ABB, ABB Alstom and, finally,
For the HP and IP or HP-IP rotors, their Alstom Power, which in 2015 merge in GE),
maximum thermal stresses take place on the Siemens (aka Kraftwerk Union AG) and Škoda,
outside, heated surface nearby the steam provided high-temperature cylinders of their large
admission zone and can be characterized by so power steam turbines with so-called
called “effective” metal temperature difference: of “thermometric probes” installed within the
the heated surface in the most stressed section cylinder’s intercasing space [7-10]. Such a probe
London Journal of Engineering Research

Fig. 1: Schematic of a thermometric probe used to model physically the rotor metal temperature state
[8, 9]

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as if imitates physically a sector of the rotor, and surfaces of stator pieces, including butt-end of the
its butt-end is heated with the same steam flow probe. As a result, the probe’s butt-end surface
that sweeps the rotor surface near the considered temperature permanently lags behind variations
section. The use of differential iron-constantan of the actual surface temperature of the rotor, and
thermocouples enables measuring directly the the temperature difference measured in the probe
temperature difference between the probe’s occurs to be essentially less than the rotor’s actual
butt-end and mid-length that is believed to be “effective” temperature difference to be
close to the actual “effective” temperature monitored, more inertial and less sensitive to
difference in the rotor to be monitored. heating steam temperature excursions. Another
immanent drawback is that heat fluxes from the
This proxy method has several serious probe’s side surface can also produce essential
shortcomings. The main of them is that the true methodical errors in modeling. What is more, it’s
heat transfer conditions from steam to the rotor not so easy to accommodate a probe in the narrow
surface differ significantly from those for heated and crowded intercasing space of the turbine –

London Journal of Engineering Research

Fig. 2: Longitudinal section of the integrated HP-IP cylinder of 600-MW supercritical-pressure steam
turbine of ABB (US power plant Cardinal) with a thermometric probe for the HP part of the rotor [10]

Adequate mathematical models materialized by means of analogous or digital computing techniques do

not have these shortcomings. Even a quite simple, prototypical mathematical model shown in

Monitoring Unsteady Thermal-Stress State of Large Power Steam Turbines Based on Mathematical Modeling –
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London Journal of Engineering Research

Fig. 3: Functional block-chart of a prototypical analogous model for monitoring the unsteady
temperature and thermal-stress state of a turbine rotor [7, 8, 12, 13] 1 – heating steam temperature
sensor, 2–steam pressure sensor, 3 and 4–unifying converters, 5–inlet adder, 6 – non-linear converter,
7 – multiplier, 8 – integrator, 9 – first order elements, 10 - multipoint recorder
provides the divergences between the actual thermometry of the same rotor at the same
(precisely calculated or gotten by means of transients fulfilled by the turbine manufacturer
experimental immediate thermometry) and [13]. Some samples of such devices had been
monitored radial temperature differences making successfully employed and used at power plants
up not more than 10-13% what is quite acceptable for over 25 years [14].
for operational purposes [11-13]. Such a The mathematical model shown in Fig. 3 is built
mathematical model did serve as a basis for using the method of approximate transfer
analogous electronic devices for monitoring functions [8, 11-13]. Values of the time constants
unsteady thermal-stress states of the HP and IP T0, T1, T2 and amplification factors k1, k2 of the
rotors as applied to widespread in the former model links are determined by the radial
USSR supercritical-pressure steam turbines with dimensions of the selected, most thermally
the output of 300 MW of two different types - stressed section of the rotor and the
produced by Leningrad Metallic Works (LMZ) thermophysical properties of the rotor steel. The
and Kharkov Turbine-Generator Works (KhTGZ). main problem of materializing this and similar
models using analog technique has been the need
A pilot serial sample of such a device passed field
to reproduce large time constants for rotors with a
tests in 1976-1977 at the HP cylinder of a 300-MW
large shaft diameter (for example, for the forged
LMZ steam turbine with comparing its outputs
double-flow IP rotor of 800-MW LMZ turbine T0
with results of experimental immediate
= 9110 sec, T1 = 1110 sec and T2 = 310 sec [11-13]).

Monitoring Unsteady Thermal-Stress State of Large Power Steam Turbines Based on Mathematical Modeling –
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Because the heat flow from steam to the rotor advanced model took into consideration the
surface and further along the rotor’s radius is dependence of the metal thermal diffusivity on the
much more intense than the heat fluxes by metal temperature, as well as the influence of the
thermal conductivity through the rotor body in turbine rotation speed on the heat transfer
the axial direction, the use of a one-dimensional conditions on the rotating surfaces. The rotation
model is believed to be quite justified. The model speed signal was also employed for more precise
itself consists of the integrator and few first order identification of the instance when steam enters
elements connected in parallel and closed with the the cylinder, and before this instance the rotor
negative feedback. Their outputs are just the
temperature was taken equal to the regularly
variables to be monitored: the average integral
measured metal temperature of the cylinder’s
metal temperature and “effective” temperature casing. Possibility of varying freely the model’s
scheme made it also possible to reproduce
difference for the considered section. These
different for diverse turbine types correlations
variables, together with the input ones, are
between the measured steam temperature(s) at
brought to a multipoint recorder. The model’s
the IP entrance and heating steam temperature
inputs are fed with the normalized (unified)
for the most stressed IP rotor section following
measured signals from the sensors of the heating
results of special measurements in the process of
steam temperature tst (at the HP control stage or
field tests [8].
in the IP steam admission chamber) and steam
pressure p as an indicator of the steam flow The widespread use of computer-based Data
amounts through the turbine cylinders. The Acquisition Systems (DASs) at power plants made
output signal of the inlet adder corresponds to the it possible to attract computers to solution of the
temperature difference between heating steam set task – on-line monitoring the thermal-stress

London Journal of Engineering Research

and the heated rotor surface. Multiplied by the state of the steam turbine rotors. This task can
value of Biot number Bi (dimensionless heat also be considered with more general statements
transfer coefficient), it turns into the heat flow Q of the problem – as a part of a computerized
in the units of temperature. A non-linear system of complex diagnostic monitoring for the
converter materializes the dependence Bi(p), power plant unit as a whole or a local subsystem
which approximates results of calculating the heat of diagnostic monitoring for the turbine, or a
transfer coefficients on the rotor surface at the system of informative support for the operator at
considered section with the use of well-known the turbine transients, and so on. Such systems
criteria equations Nu = f(Re, Pr) [7, 8]. The initial can be arranged based on the “common”
(pre-start) rotor metal temperature (before steam computer(s) of the unit’s or the plant’s DAS or
enters the cylinder) is accepted as following up the with the use of an additional PC connected to the
temperature measured by the thermocouple for DAS’ database or directly (via unified
the heating steam temperature tst. So, if the transformers) to the turbine measurements
measured value of steam pressure p within the [13-16].
cylinder is less than its set minimum value, the
converter brings the signal equal to the maximum With transition to the use of digital computing
value of Bi to the multiplier. techniques, it seems advisable to employ
mathematical models based on the finite
Appearance of microprocessor-based freely difference method (preferably in its simpler
programmable controllers (so called explicit form) rather than the aforesaid method of
REMICONT™) made it possible to extend the approximate transition functions [11, 12]. The
gotten experience to other turbine types (in former gives even more freedom for taking into
particular, supercritical-pressure 800 MW consideration different factors influencing the
turbines of LMZ) and raise the accuracy of model’s accuracy. For monitoring the temperature
modeling due to some complications of the and thermal-stress state of the HP and IP rotors
applied models [12-14]. In particular, the of diverse steam turbine types as applied to the

Monitoring Unsteady Thermal-Stress State of Large Power Steam Turbines Based on Mathematical Modeling –
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 aforesaid systems and subsystems, it has been surfaces of the valve steam-chests. The main
believed reasonable to develop and use a united problem is to set the heat transfer conditions from
calculation algorithmic module named steam to the inner steam-chest surface depending
“CONTUR”–common for various large power on the steam flow through the valve. The required
steam turbines and for diverse types of computing dimensionless equation Nu = f (Re, Pr) for
means and complexes, as well as diverse program sufficiently widespread design types of the HP
systems and computer languages [8, 12-16]. The valve steam-chests was gotten based on
algorithm is adapted to the specific turbine type processing results of special field tests [7, 8, 13,
by setting the “key” input constants, including the 14]. It’s also necessary to find an approximate
radial sizes of the HP and IP rotors, the empiric dependence between the steam flow
dependences of the metal’s thermal diffusivity on amounts through the HP valves, steam pressure
before the HP stop-valves and within the turbine,
the metal temperature a( ) and heat transfer
vacuum in the condenser, rotation speed and its
conditions for the considered rotor sections on the
acceleration while rolling up, etc.
rotation speed n and steam pressure p within the
turbine Bi (n, p), as well as correlation Results of monitoring. As shown in Fig. 3, the
characteristics for the heating steam temperatures input and output data of the models employed for
as applied to the HP and IP rotors and steam monitoring the thermal-stress state of the turbine
temperatures available for measuring, the values rotors, their change in time during the turbine
of n and p indicating steam entering the turbine, transients may be brought on regular multipoint
the way of setting the rotors’ metal temperatures recorders. These data are to be used on-line by the
at the stopped turbine, the addresses of the operator for running the turbine transients, and
measured input and calculated output variables in the same diagrams are used by the power plant
the data base. engineers for post-operative analysis and
London Journal of Engineering Research

evaluation of the operation quality [8, 14, 17].

Monitoring thermal-stress state of the HP valve
With the use of computerized DAS, operative
steam-chests with the use of mathematical
information is presented in the most convenient
models. In just the same way as for the HP and IP
for the operator graphic forms on the monitor(s)
rotors, similar mathematical models can be
on the operator request, and the stored data are
applied to temperature monitoring some turbine
intended for post-operative analysis, including
stator elements if they turn out to be “critical” in
estimations of thermal fatigue of the rotor metal
some pieces of transients along with the
caused by the transients [12, 14-17].
high-temperature rotors. This mainly refers to the
HP stop-valve steam-chests. Commonly, their The first experience of using analogous electronic
thermal-stress state is characterized by the and microprocessor-based mathematical models
temperature difference across the wall thickness of the turbine rotors at the 300-MW power units
(sometimes with some correction for the metal revealed serious errors in the practice of
temperature unevenness in the axial direction, operation. By that time, many of 300-MW
that is along the wall height [7, 8]). It presupposes supercritical units were operated under
drilling the steam-chest wall especially for conditions of regular shut-downs for week-ends
measuring the metal temperature directly on the and nights with subsequent “warm” or “hot”
heated surface or within its immediate vicinity, start-ups and/or deep unloading within the limits
what is equally undesirable because lowers the of the governed range in the week-day evenings
steam-chest wall strength. The alternative is to with subsequent raising the load up to the rated
calculate on-line the metal temperature value in the morning. With regard to this
distribution across the wall thickness with the use circumstance and on agreement with the turbine
of a sufficiently accurate even though quite simple manufacturers, the admissible ranges of varying
mathematical model, regularly measured steam the “effective” temperature differences in the
temperatures before the HP stop-valves and metal rotors were set equal: as applied to the HP rotors
temperatures on the external, thermally insulated for start-ups – from +25 °C to –20 °C and within

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±20 °C for load changes within the governed the power plant’s operation manuals. Such work
range and as applied to the IP rotors resulted in substantial reduction of a number and
correspondingly - from +40 °C to –25 °C and depth of violations for the set temperature
within ±25 °C [7, 8, 13]. difference resulted in essential violations of the
set limits for the rotors. Introduction of such
Actual values of the monitored temperature monitoring accompanied with special training the
differences in certain cases remarkably and power plant’s operational personnel makes it
repeatedly exceeded these limits, and it required possible to avoid operative errors in running the
hard work with the power plant’s operational transients without sacrifice of turbine flexibility or
personnel, including post-operative analysis of at least make these errors less frequent and
monitoring results and correcting, if necessary, influential -

London Journal of Engineering Research

Fig. 4: Results of monitoring temperature and thermal-stress states of the HP and IP rotors of 300-MW
supercritical-pressure steam turbine of LMZ for a regular “warm” start-up after a week-end outage
[8. 9]

1 and 2 – measured steam temperatures at the HP control stage and in the IP the HP and IP rotors,
respectively, in their monitored (most thermal-stressed) sections, 5 and 6 -effective radial temperature
differences in the monitored sections of the HP and IP rotors, 7 and 8 –upper (positive) admissible
values for effective temperature differences in the HP and IP rotors respectively, 9 –lower (negative)
value for the both HP and IP rotors Operative actions: I – the HP valves open, steam enters the HP
cylinder with the IP intercept valves closed (too early, before heating the main-steam-lines is
finished), II - the IP intercept valves open and steam enters the IP cylinder (somewhat early, before
heating the hot-reheat-steam-lines is finished), III –the turbogenerator is synchronized and switched
on to the grid, IV – the reheater’s steam bypass valve open (5 min too late after synchronization)

Several fragments of genuine regular diagrams as a part of a coal-fired power unit in the course of
with recorded results of temperature and a warm start-up after the week-end outage and
thermal-stress monitoring for the HP and IP daily load changes can be seen in
rotors of a 300-MW supercritical turbine of LMZ

Monitoring Unsteady Thermal-Stress State of Large Power Steam Turbines Based on Mathematical Modeling –
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 Fig. 5: Fragments of a regular diagram with recorded results of monitoring the HP and IP rotors of
300-MW supercritical-pressure steam turbine of LMZ at start-up after week-end outage (a) and daily
London Journal of Engineering Research

changes of the load (b) [18]

Recorded variables: 1 and 2 – steam temperature and pressure at the HP control stage, 7 and 8 –
steam temperature and pressure in the IP steam admission chamber, 3 and 9 – average integral metal
temperatures of the HP and IP rotors in the most stressed sections, 4 and 10 – effective radial
temperature differences in the most stressed sections of the HP and IP rotors
Notes on the diagram: Nset - instruction schedule of loading, A - giving steam into the HP cylinder for
raising the rotation speed up to 900 rpm with closed IP intercept valves, B – end of heating up the
reheat steam-lines and giving steam into the IP cylinder with raising the rotation speed up to 3000
rpm, C – connecting the generator to the grid with closing the turbine bypass, accepting the initial load,
and opening the bypass valve of the boiler’s steam reheater

[18]. Therewith, all the monitored indices of the transients were run practically without regard to
turbine’s temperature and thermal-stress states, thermal-stress monitoring of the rotors, whereas
including “effective” temperature differences in at others the transients were attentively controlled
the HP and IP rotors, do not exceed their limits. with the feedback of the monitored and recorded
data. The results of aforesaid calculations (see
Recorded data of long-term monitoring the Table) show that in the first case the values of
unsteady thermal-stress state of the supercritical specific low-cycle fatigue are up to two orders of
300-MW sister turbines at several power plants magnitude greater than in the second case. It’s
were used to calculate specific rotor metal lifetime also important to note that, without monitoring
expenditures caused by low-cycle (thermal) the rotors, the plant’s operators and engineers
fatigue. These calculations were carried out usually were not able to recognize and prevent the
together with Prof. A.D. Trukhny of the Moscow operational errors that caused undesirable
Power Engineering Institute (Technical heating steam temperature excursions,
University) and following his methodology [19, inadmissible thermal stresses in the rotors, and
20]. At some of the mentioned power plants, the

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resultant increased lifetime expenditures. With change rates, lower fuel losses and turbine
on-line thermal-stress monitoring of rotors, the lifetime expenditures.
turbine transients are endured with greater load
Table 1: Variations of specific low-cycle fatigue values at the characteristic transients (in % lifetime
expenditure per cycle) for the HP and IP rotors of a few 300-MW supercritical steam-pressure turbines
of KhTGZ [19]
Cycles of transients and the way of running them HP rotor IP rotor
Shut-down for weekend (48-54 h) and subsequent warm start-up
0,065 ÷ 0,130 0,20 ÷ 0,81
- without mandatory monitoring the rotors
0,0025 ÷ 0,005 0,06 ÷ 0,10
- with mandatory monitoring the rotors
Shut-down for night (6-8 h) and subsequent hot start-up
0,1÷ 0,5 0,20 ÷ 0,35
- without mandatory monitoring the rotors
0,0025 ÷ 0,05 0,05 ÷ 0,08
- with mandatory monitoring the rotors
Load changes within the governed range
0,002 0,0025
- under sliding main steam pressure
0,01 0,0025
- under constant main steam pressure

Main obstacles for widespread use of monitoring As to the heating steam for the IP rotor, it can be
the unsteady thermal-stress state of the turbine accepted equal to the measured steam
rotors based on their mathematical modeling. In temperature at the IP section inlet (within the
consequence of more intense heat transfer steam admission sleeves) with some calculated
conditions from heating steam to the heated static and dynamic corrections depending on the
rotating surfaces as compared to casing steam flow amount through the IP section (in
components being more inertial in its heating up particularly, such special researches were carried

London Journal of Engineering Research

process, requirements to the quality of running out on the IP cylinder of 800-MW supercritical-
the turbine transients based on monitoring the pressure steam turbine of LMZ [21]).
thermal-stress state of the rotors are remarkably Unfortunately, such an approach is not suitable
higher and conversion to running the transients in for the HP sections, especially if the turbine is
such a way at once brought to exposure of operated with nozzle-group control.
numerous operational errors that earlier
So, for computing devices called Turbine Stress
remained unnoticed or at least were considered
Evaluator and Turbine Stress Controller of
insignificant, required to change some habitual
Siemens as constituents of its automatic
stereotypes in operation. It’s quite natural that
monitoring and control system [17, 22, 23] the
such a conversion was met with certain distrust,
measured temperature on the heated surface of
psychological resistance and required some
the probe installed into the cylinder casing is
special training for not only the operational
considered to be representative for the rotor
personnel but also for the power plant’s engineers
heated surface, and the temperature difference
and authorities. Where such training did not take
characterizing the rotor’s thermal-stress state is
place, introducing the new approaches to running
calculated based on this temperature. As it was
the transients was ignored or bore rather formal
noticed above, such a solution causes a significant
character.
error. As applied to another specialized
But the most serious, objective obstacle has been a computing device called “Tensomax” developed
problem with measuring the heating steam by ABB for retrofitting steam turbines without
temperatures, especially for the HP rotors. measuring the steam temperature in the HP
Unfortunately, in the operation practice there steam admission chamber, the heating steam
repeatedly happened breakdowns of protective temperature and heat transfer conditions to the
heads of these thermocouples with necessity to heated surface in the most stressed section to be
stop the turbine. That is why turbine producers monitored are calculated based on the available
often prefer to waive these measurements. steam temperature and pressure measurements

Monitoring Unsteady Thermal-Stress State of Large Power Steam Turbines Based on Mathematical Modeling –
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 inside a nearest interim chamber in the casing or sure that these 10,000 measurements will be
at the casing outlet [17, 24, 25]. It’s needless to say really necessary and even involved in solution of
that such an approach is also fraught with the set problems. Rather part of them may be
remarkable errors in monitoring. It would be useful for complex technical diagnostics and
desirable to arrange more reliable measurement prognostics of the power units, planning their
of the heating steam temperature at the HP maintenance and overhauls based on their current
cylinder’s entrance. Without reliable and state, scheduling their most efficient operating
representative heating steam temperature conditions, and so on. At least as applied to the
measurements, it’s a vain hope to achieve power unit’s flexibility this problem should be
representative monitoring. solved with the use of complex mathematical
models and indices which cannot be built and
What’s ahead? Nowadays, the modern power
perceived by human beings as power plant
industry is characterized by a dominant growth in
operators. And it is not so substantial which
the installed capacity of electricity producers from
techniques is processing the measured data – of
renewable sources - solar and wind power plants
importance is if these measured data are reliable
with significantly lower values of their capacity
and representative as well as the used
utilization factors compared to nuclear and
mathematical models.
fossil-fuel power plants as a result of
uncontrolled, predictable or completely stochastic General Electric with good reasons considers the
daily and seasonal changes in electricity aims of digitalization as applied to the next
generation. Under these conditions, with generation of coal-fired steam-turbine-based
insufficient development of compensating power units with ultra-supercritical steam
systems for accumulating surpluses and filling the conditions (a coal power technology called
deficit in electricity production, it is almost
London Journal of Engineering Research

SteamH). As the prototype under consideration is

inevitable that many fossil-fuel and possibly some the power unit already in operation - 912-MW
nuclear power plants, will shift to work in a cyclic RDK8 (Karlsruhe, Germany) for steam
and stand-by modes [26]. This will make the parameters of 275 bar, 600/620 °C (the boiler and
temperature and thermal-stress state monitoring turbine were produced by Alstom [28]), as well as
of large steam turbines based on mathematical a similar to it Manjung 4 in Malaysia. It may be
modeling especially urgent. definitely said that the transients of such units are
predominately limited by thermal stresses in the
It could also be said that monitoring the
HP rotor, as well as in the steam admission zone
thermal-stress state of large power steam turbines
of the double-flow IP rotor at start-ups and in the
based on mathematical modeling can be
HP stop-valve steam-chests at pre-start heating
considered the first step in digitalizing fossil-fuel
up and rolling up the turbine.
power plants of the next generation and their
operation. General Electric, being with its Predix The thermal-stress states of all these turbine
cloud-based platform an initiator and a clear components should be monitored based on their
leader of this movement, takes aim at creating “a mathematical models with the use of maybe
digital twin of the physical steam plant that is cloud-based platform.
continuously monitored in real time…” [27].

Therewith, the author declares that “today’s REFERENCES

power plant operators are only reading 1. Pahl G., Reitze W., Salm M. “Observance of
approximately 2% of the available data we have Admissible Thermal Stresses in Steam
from typically more than 10,000 sensors on Turbines” (in German), BBC-Nachrichten,
control systems across the plant. By analyzing the 1964 (vol. 46), No. 3, pp. 139-147.
other 98% of the data and really optimizing whole 2. Berry W.R. and Jonson I. “Prevention of
plant operations…, efficiency and flexibility can be Cyclic Thermal Stress Cracking in Steam
significantly improved”. To tell the truth, I’m not

Monitoring Unsteady Thermal-Stress State of Large Power Steam Turbines Based on Mathematical Modeling –
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 Turbine Rotors”, Transactions of the ASME, 15. Leyzerovich A.Sh., Safonov L.P., Zhuravel
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