Steam

Turbine and
Nozzle

POWER PLANT ENGINEERING

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Steam Turbine and Nozzle

Introduction
A steam turbine converts the energy of high-pressure, high temperature steam
produced by a steam generator into shaft work. The energy conversion is brought
about in the following ways

 The high-pressure, high-temperature steam first expands in the nozzles

emanates as a high velocity fluid stream.

 The high velocity steam coming out of the nozzles impinges on the blades
mounted on a wheel. The fluid stream suffers a loss of momentum while
flowing past the blades that is absorbed by the rotating wheel entailing
production of torque.

 The moving blades move as a result of the impulse of steam (caused by the
change of momentum) and also as a result of expansion and acceleration of
the steam relative to them.

 A steam turbine is basically an assembly of nozzles fixed to a stationary casing and

rotating blades mounted on the wheels attached on a shaft in a row-wise manner

Flow through nozzle

 A nozzle is a duct that increases the velocity of the flowing fluid at the expense of
pressure drop.

 A duct which decreases the velocity of a fluid and causes a corresponding increase
in pressure is a diffuser.

 The same duct may be either a nozzle or a diffuser depending upon the end
conditions across it.

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 If the cross-section of a duct decreases gradually from inlet to exit, the duct is said
to be convergent.

 Conversely if the cross section increases gradually from the inlet to exit, the duct is
said to be divergent.

 If the cross-section initially decreases and then increases, the duct is called a
convergent-divergent nozzle.

 The minimum cross-section of such ducts is known as throat.

 A fluid is said to be compressible if its density changes with the change in pressure
brought about by the flow.

 If the density does not change or changes very little, the fluid is said to be
incompressible.

 Usually the gases and vapours are compressible, whereas liquids are
incompressible

 Flow through nozzle is considered as an isentropic flow

Impulse Turbines
 Impulse turbines (single-rotor or multirotor) are simple stages of the turbines.

 Here the impulse blades are attached to the shaft. Impulse blades are usually
symmetrical.

The Single-Stage Impulse Turbine

 The single stage impulse turbine is also called the de Laval turbine after its inventor.

 The turbine consists of a single rotor to which impulse blades are attached.

 The steam is fed through one or several convergent-divergent nozzles.

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 The nozzles also allow governing of the turbine by shutting off one or more of them.

 Velocity diagram:

V1 & V2  Absolute velocity at inlet and outlet

Vr1 & Vr 2  Inlet and outlet relative velocity (Velocity relative to the rotor blades.)
U  mean blade speed

1  nozzle angle, 2  absolute fluid angle at outlet

1 &  2  Blade angle at inlet and outlet

Vw1 & Vw 2  Tangential or whirl component at inlet and outlet

Vf 1 & Vf 2  Axial component of velocity at inlet and outlet

Power developed  mUVw , m  mass flow rate

Blade efficiency or Diagram efficiency or Utilization factor is given by

2UVw
b 
V12
 Optimum blade velocity for single stage impulse turbine:
U cos1
 
, V1 2

 Maximum blade efficiency neglecting friction for impulse turbine

b max  cos 2 1

Compounding in Impulse Turbine

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 If high velocity of steam is allowed to flow through one row of moving blades, it
produces a rotor speed of about 30000 rpm which is too high for practical use.

 Practically this is possible by making use of more than one set of nozzles, and
rotors, in a series, keyed to the shaft so that either the steam pressure or the jet
velocity is absorbed by the turbine in stages. This is called compounding.

 Two types of compounding can be accomplished

 Velocity compounding

 Pressure compounding

The Velocity - Compounding of the Impulse Turbine

 It is composed of one stage of nozzles as the single-stage turbine, followed by two

rows of moving blades instead of one.

 These two rows are separated by one row of fixed blades attached to the turbine
stator, which has the function of redirecting the steam leaving the first row of moving
blades to the second row of moving blades.

 Curtis turbine is an example of velocity compounding

 In the Curtis stage, the total enthalpy drop and hence pressure drop occur in the
nozzles as a result the pressure remains constant in all three rows of blades.

Nozzle Moving Blade Fixed Blade

Pressure Decreases Remains constant Remains constant
Velocity Increases Decreases Remains constant

The Pressure - Compounded Impulse Turbine

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 To alleviate the problem of high blade velocity in the single-stage impulse turbine,
the total enthalpy drop through the nozzles of that turbine are simply divided in an
equal manner, among many single-stage impulse turbines in series

 Such a turbine is called a Rateau turbine, after its inventor.

 Thus the inlet steam velocities to each stage are essentially equal and due to a
reduced enthalpy of the steam

Nozzle Moving Blade

Pressure Decreases Remains same

Velocity Increases decreases

Reaction Turbine
 A reaction turbine is one that is constructed of rows of fixed and rows of moving
blades.

 The fixed blades act as nozzles.

 The moving blades move as a result of the impulse of steam received (caused by
change in momentum) and also as a result of expansion and acceleration of the
steam relative to them. In other words, they also act as nozzles.

 The enthalpy drop per stage of one row fixed and one row moving blades is divided
among them

 Thus a blade with a 50 percent degree of reaction, or a 50 percent reaction stage, is

one in which half the enthalpy drop of the stage occurs in the fixed blades and half
in the moving blades.

 The pressure drops will not be equal, however. They are greater for the fixed blades
and greater for the high-pressure than the low-pressure stages.

 The moving blades of a reaction turbine are easily distinguishable from those of an
impulse turbine in that they are not symmetrical and, because they act partly as
nozzles, have a shape similar to that of the fixed blades, although curved in the
opposite direction.

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Enthalpy drop in rotor

 Degree of Reaction 
Enthalpy drop in stages
U
 Optimum blade velocity   cos 1
V1

 Maximum blade efficiency

2 cos 2 1
b max 
1  cos 1
1  Nozzle angle at the inlet

Comparison between impulse turbine

and reaction turbine
Impulse Turbine Reaction Turbine
Pressure drop in nozzle. No pressure drops in Pressure drop in fixed blade and moving
the moving blade. blade
Lesser power is developed More power is developed
Efficiency is less Efficiency is more
Blade cross section area is constant Blade cross section area is converging
Symmetrical blades are used Unsymmetrical blades of aerofoil shape are

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