Steamturbinerotorsbendduringoperation,butthebearingandsupportsaredesignedtokeepthestaticand

dynamicforcesundercontrol.However,bendingcancauseimpactbetweenstationaryandrotatingpartsoften
cascadingimpacts.Anoperatorofmanyutilityscalesteamturbinessharesitsextensivefieldexperienceidentifying
therootcauseoffailuresaswellassuccessfulsolutions.

Rotorbendingthatresultsinprematurefailureofsteamturbinebladesandotherinternalcomponentsisoneofthe
mostseriousproblemsexperiencedinpowerplantoperations.Theproblemsoftenreduceplantavailabilitybylimiting
generationandincreaseplantoperationandmaintenancecost.Extremerotorbendingproblemsofteninvolve
interactionbetweentheturbinesrotorandstationaryparts.Rotorbendingmaybecausedbyavarietyofstaticand
dynamicfactors,manyofwhichwillbeexploredinthisarticle.

Webeginwithmechanicalfactorsrelatedtotherotor,thelargestrotatingassemblyintheturbine.Workingfromthe
insideout,wenextlookatrotorbalanceissues,followedbyrotorandcasingmisalignmentproblems,andproblems
causedbythecasing.Thediscussionisbasedontheauthorsexperiencesatthesixunit,1,890MWRaminPower
Plant,locatedinAhwaz,Iran.Theunitswerecommissionedfrom1980through1985.

AvoidRotorRubs

Italmostgoeswithoutsayingthatrubbinginthelabyrinthsordiaphragms,causedbyinsufficientclearances,disrupts
theendsealingoftherotor.Thissituationcommonlyoccurswhenthehighmassrotoratoperatingspeedcomesin
contactwithastationarysurface,typicallycausedbyatoosmallclearancebetweenthelabyrinthordiaphragmgland
sealsandtherotor.Secondarily,theremaybealocalizedtemperatureincreaseatthepointofcontact,causing
increasedmetaltemperaturesatthepointofcontactduetofriction.

Theforcesproducedbytheimpactofthelargerotatingrotormasswiththepoorlyfunctioningstationarysealsoften
impressalayerofmetalonthesurfaceoftherotor.Therubcancauseelasticdeformationoftherotoratthepointof
impactandtemporaryrotorshaftbending.Theshaftbendingwillusuallycauseincreasedvibrationlevels(Figure1).

1.Bladerubscausebending.Rubbinginthesealingofahighpressurerotorofa300MWunit
causedbendingofthisrotorandbladetiprubs.Courtesy:AhwazPowerGeneration

ManagementCo.
Unevencoolingoftherotor,particularlyaftershutdown,alsocausestherotortocontactstationaryparts.Afteraunit
shutsdown,therelativelyhightemperaturerotormaybendsolelyduetothemassoftherotorandthedistance
betweenbearingsupports,ifleftinastationarypositiontocool.Thissituationcancausepermanentshaftbending.

Theeffectofapermanentshaftbendcausedbyunevencoolingwillimmediatelyappearashighrotorvibrationatthe
nextstartup.Thevibrationiscausedbyinsufficientclearancebetweenstationaryandrotatingparts,aswellasa
shaftlocatedoffcenterinitsbearing.Eveniftheclearancechangeissmall,theremaybesignificantrubbingalong
therotortocausedamage.Again,therubbingcausesfrictionbetweenstationaryandrotatingparts,localizedheating
oftherotormetalatthecontactpoint,andshaftbending.

Furthermore,unevenshaftwarmingcausedbyrubbingbetweenrotatingandstationarypartscancausefurther
bendingoftheshaftinthesamedirectionoftheexistingbowandcauseadditionalcontactwithstationaryparts,
increasingtemperaturesandthereforecausingmorebending.Theeffectcascadesifallowedtocontinue.Ifthe
bendingisallowedtocontinue,itispossiblethattheyieldstrengthofthemetalcouldbeexceeded,causinga
permanentdeformationoftheshaft.Theallowedbendingin3,000rpmturbinesisupto0.020.03mmineach
section.Whenonturninggearing,thelimitis0.05mm.