Chapter 2

COMMON TYPES OF STEAM TURBINES

2.1 Types of Turbines

There are numerous types of turbines and they are classified in several
ways. In chapter 1 we have saw a common, classification with respect to
the action of the steam is:

1. Impulse.

2. Reaction.

3. Impulse and reaction.

Other classifications are:

1. Simple or compound- One or more revolving vane discs, separated by

stationary reversing vanes, a turbine is said to be simple or compoundi. In
this type steam expands in low pressure and high pressure casings
separately.

2. Single-stage or multistage- With respect to the number of step

reductions in steam momentum, a turbine is either single-stage or
multistage. Generally the number of rotors separated by diaphragms
determine the number of stages.

3. Axial, radial, or tangential- With respect to the direction of steam flow,

a turbine can be an axial, radial, tangential, mixed helical, or the re-entry
type.

4.Extraction or accumulator- With respect to the source of the steam, a

turbine is classified as an extraction or accumulator type.

5. Non condensing or condensing type-.With respect to the terminal

pressure, it is a non condensing or condensing type.

Impulse Turbine- In chapter 1 you have seen the action of steam on the
curved blades of the rotor. Steam, after expansion in the nozzle to
increase velocity, enters and leaves the passages between the blades
and gives the kinetic energy into the rotor through the rotor blades in the
simple impulse turbine (Fig. 10 &11). The blades are usually removable
and renewable.

2.1
 Figure 10
A simple impulse turbine.

Figure 11

Single-stage, impulse turbine rotor and blade assembly.

2.2
Fig.12 shows how the velocity of the steam increases as it passes through
the diverging section of the nozzle.

Figure 12
Nozzle used before the rotor in an impulse turbine.

2.3 Single-Stage Impulse Turbines

This type of turbine intakes and expands the steam in a single row of
nozzles and the kinetic (velocity) energy of steam is converted into a
mechanical one, by one (Rateau stage) or two (Curtice turbine) rows of
buckets. The turbine shown in Fig.1 in chapter 1 is single stage turbine
known as YR turbine. Single-stage turbines are used mainly for small
output service,1500 kW or less, such as driving a pump.
The Curtice turbine provides higher efficiency than the Rateau turbine
when the differential pressure across the turbine is rather high.
Figure 13 shows how a Curtice turbine works. As can be seen in the
figure, the stationary blades shift the direction of steam flow from the 1st
row of buckets and reorient it against the 2nd row of backets further to
recover the energy.

Figure 13
Curtice turbine.

2.3
2.4 COMPOUND TURBINES

A compound turbine is a steam turbine in which there are two casings,

a high-pressure casing and a low-pressure casing, operating in concert
to extract work from a single source of steam. The steam is partially
expanded in the high-pressure casing, then exhausted to the low-
pressure casing. The rotor arrangement can be either tandem-compound
in which the two axles are joined end to end, or cross-compound in which
the two turbines have separate axles. In the cross-compound case two
separate generators are usually supplied, although a gearbox can reduce
this to one.

The principal advantages of compound turbines are the reduction in size

of any one casing, the confinement of the highest pressure to the smaller
casing (which may be made of stronger and more expensive materials)
and the possibility of divided flow in the low-pressure casing for the
purpose of equalizing end thrusts. Fig.14.

Figure 14
Compound impulse turbine rotor and blade assembly.

2.4
2.5 Multistage Turbines

A multistage turbine consists of a series of stages arranged on a single

shaft. It is designed so that each stage shares only a part of the total-
pressure difference.
Each stage has a set of nozzle rows and bucket rows and is arranged in
series to expand the steam by turns. The latter stages have nozzles and
buckets of larger area, i.e. longer blades. The simplified construction is
shown in Figure 15.
Multistage turbines are utilized to achieve a higher efficiency than single
stage ones mainly in high-heat-drop (enthalpy drop) operations, and are
suitable for medium to large power service to drive large pumps,
compressors, and (electric) power generators.

Figure 15
A
simplified
construction
of a
multistage
turbine.

In a multistage turbine pressure energy of the steam is progressively

transformed into kinetic energy in two or more pressure stages. There is
only one rotor to each stage. There is a separate compartment for each
stage, indicated in Fig. 16 & 17.

2.5
 Figure 16

Figure 17

The word "stage" relates to working pressure. In a multistage turbine,

steam passing through the turbine works at several pressures. There is a
separate compartment and set nozzles for each stage; the pressure of the
steam is constant passing through a compartment, but drops successively
as it passes through the several sets of nozzles, regenerating velocity at
each reduction of pressure.
The multistage turbine is subject to leakage at points where the shaft
passes through the walls of the compartments and requires special
packing which is usually inaccessible.

2.6 Compound Multistage Turbines

In this type, the pressure energy of the steam is progressively transformed

into kinetic energy in two or more stages, with compound working in each
stage. It has two or more compartments, each containing two or more
rotors and a set of nozzles. It is virtually two or more compound turbines
joined in series (Fig. 19). It is designed to reduce the number of stages
that would be necessary in a simple multistage turbine, especially for high
working pressure. That is, by placing two or more rotors in each

2.6
compartment, a greater pressure reduction may be made between stages,
thus reducing the number of stages. In the pressure/velocity diagram of
Fig. 19 note that the pressure remains constant in each compartment,
being reduced as the steam flows through the nozzles. Also, the velocity
falls in two steps in each compartment, remains constant in the stationary
vanes, and rises in the nozzles.

2.7 Reaction (Unequal-Pressure) Turbines

Reaction is the reverse action; a force acting in opposition to, or

balancing, another force. The real force that causes the turbine to rotate
is the raction of the impulse.
The principal parts consist of numerous rows of moving vanes separated
by alternate rows of fixed guide-vanes. The passages through the latter
are of increasing cross-section, so part of the expansion takes place there
and it is completed in the wheel. The fixed vanes perform the function of
nozzles.
Fig. 20 shows essential parts and steam distribution of a compound
reaction turbine. The diagram indicates the increase of velocity as the
steam flows through the guide vanes and the decrease as it passes
through the adjacent moving vanes. The pressure falls gradually from the
inlet to the outlet; it is maintained higher in the turbine passages than the
exhaust pressure, this being a characteristic of the reaction principle.

Fig. 2.11: Compound reaction turbine.

2.8 Condensing Turbines

2.7
A condensing turbine intakes high-pressure steam and expands it fully
through the series of stages to vacuum and exhausts it to a condenser,
where it is condensed to water instead of being released to the
atmosphere or low pressure steam system. The construction is shown in
Figure 2.12.
A condensing turbine requires less steam than a back-pressure turbine
because the recovered energy from a unit of steam can be maximized by
expanding to high vacuum.
A condensing turbine is in general, used for large output turbines or where
steam balance requires a condensing turbine.

However, disadvantages of a condensing turbine are:

1) It requires a great deal of cooling water to remove the latent heat from
the exhaust steam.

2) It requires a lot of accessories e.g., a vacuum device, a surface

condenser, condensate water pumps, etc.

Fig. 2.12: A condensing turbine.

2.9 Back-Pressure Turbines

2.8
A back pressure turbine (non-condensing turbine) utilizes only a part of
higher pressure steam by expanding it to an appropriate level of pressure
usually higher than the atmospheric pressure. Remaining energy in the
exhaust steam will be utilized as a heat source in the plant.
The back-pressure turbine is commonly used in process plants mainly as
pump drivers and sometimes compressor drivers.
It is much simpler than the condensing turbine or the extraction turbine in
operation and handling. Figure 2.13 shows the simplified construction of
the back-pressure turbine.

Fig. 2.13: A back-pressure turbine.

2.10 Extraction and Induction Turbines

An extraction turbine has additional piping connections on the turbine

casing at intermediate pressures between the inlet and the exhaust. A part
of the expanding steam is extracted from the turbine casing at each
connection and supplied to the steam header of intermediate pressure as
heat source or as driving steam for small-size steam turbines.
The extraction turbine is usually a very large steam turbine for generator
drive or compressor drive.
The amount of steam extracted at each intermediate nozzle is
automatically controlled to keep the pressure of the steam header without
affecting the output shaft power or the speed of the turbine.
Figure 2.14 shows the simplified construction of an extraction turbine.

The induction turbine has a configuration similar to the extraction turbine

but the intermediate nozzles are to induce the excess steam from the
steam header and expand it to the lower pressure level.

2.9
Fig. 2.14: An extraction turbine.

2.10