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Condensing Steam Turbines are the most commonly found in Thermal Power Plants. In a Condensing Steam Turbine, the maximum amount of energy is extracted from the steam.
Following are the precautions to be taken,

1. To maintain the vacuum level in the condensation system of the Turbine, the Vaccum ejector system should be used. A vacuum ejector uses steam pressure to draw Non Condensable fluids and to maintain a vacuum in the condenser.
2. Steam piping should be reviewed, analyzed, and designed properly before installation. The steam piping must be designed to allow expansion of the Steam piping for the Condensing Steam Turbines. There should be leakproof piping.
3. The condensate Extraction Pump should be capable to operate at condenser pressure. Most condensers are kept under a vacuum. Hence to condensate extraction pump needs to be properly chosen.
4. Water Quality for steam generation should be appropriate. Water should be free from minerals. Mineralized water leads to scale formation inside the tube surface which leads to poor heat transfer in the system.
5. Appropriate elevation should be maintained between Steam Turbine and condenser and also between the condenser and condensate extraction pump.

Buying a Steam Turbine is a critical job. Since the Steam Turbine is hooked up between the Boiler and Process, it’s functioning is very important thus the selection of steam turbine needs special attention. Following are some important points while purchasing the steam turbine,

1. The Turbine should be looked at from the total life cycle cost and not the individual equipment cost.
2. Total steady power delivery should be considered rather than the highest possible power turbine can give at peak performance. In certain instances, the maximum power delivery is higher whereas the actual power delivery is short because of the underrated performance at partial flow.
3. Performance of Turbine plays a major role, frequent shutdowns cut the per unit cost benefit.
4. Spending more on capital costs can be a wise decision rather than losing money due to frequent shutdowns.
5. The steam coming out of the turbine should deliver constant precise back pressure which leads to constant heating for the main process thus improving product quality along with the power generation benefit.
   The above few things result in the effective purchase of the equipment for the purpose.

Following are the most ignored signs during Turbine Operation:

1. Leakage of steam:
   Steam leaks can lead to abnormally warm pipes and ambient temperatures, making the facility unsafe for workers. High-pressure Steam is especially more dangerous. Burns caused by steam can severely injure workers and reduce efficiency over the long term.
2. Ruptured Pipes:
   A ruptured steam pipe is a serious problem with the potential to cause bodily harm and serious financial risk. When a steam trap fails in the closed position, it can cause condensate to back up, increasing pressure levels and causing water hammer. Poor maintenance of steam systems can also lead to a pipe and valve corrosion.
3. Vibrations:
   Vibrations are caused due insufficient clearance between rotating and stationary parts. Also, vibration can be occurred due to the shaft being located off-center in its bearing. Even if the clearance change is small, there may be significant rubbing along the rotor to cause damage. Vibrations can also be a sign of improper steam flows.
4. Noise:
   Resonance occurs when the frequency of a vibration’s exciting force coincides with one of the natural frequencies of the vibrating body, causing the vibration amplitude to increase. There can also be unhealthy noise from the steam turbine, which a well-qualified operator can identify from a usual noise.
5. Contamination of water with oil:
   The most common reliability problem with any Steam Turbines is the contamination, with water, of the oil in the bearing housing. The root cause of the problem can be anything from a faulty seal to a leaking Oil Tank top plate.
6. Low-Pressure Oil:
   If the oil pressure reaches the LOW value, the Turbine trips. This mechanism is to prevent the bearings of the Turbine from getting damaged due to lack of oil. An oil filter is used to prevent the flow of foreign particles. Differential pressure across the filter indicates if the filter got choked. Due to choking of Oil Filter pressure of oil is reduced. Hence the oil filter should be checked periodically.
7. Frequent Tripping of the Turbine
   Various safeties built into the Steam Turbine and its control system are devised to trip the turbine in case of any possible damage to the turbine itself or the surroundings. Unusual and frequent tripping of turbines which is not easily traceable to a root cause can be due to a possible hidden issue. Such trips need to be evaluated.

Steam Turbines are used for many applications for Power generation in power plants, combine power and heat application, cogeneration, etc.
There are 5 Common mistakes in turbine room construction.

1. The turbine Room layout is not planned properly.
   The turbine room layout should be planned as per the recommendations of the Turbine Supplier
2. Turbine room environment not dust free.
   For proper operation of the turbine, the turbine room should be dust free.
3. Insufficient space around the turbine.
   Sufficient space is required around the turbine for checking steam or oil leakage, maintenance of the turbine, and also for the safety of the operator.
4. The turbine room does not have sufficient air and natural light.
   The turbine room should be well-lit and ventilated.
5. Steam piping and cabling were not carried out appropriately.
   Turbine piping routing and supporting should be proper. Cabling should be routed through trenches.
   Turtle Turbines supplies steam turbines from the range of 50 kW to 5000 kW. For more information please visit www.turtleturbines.com.

The steam turbine is the most important utility which generates power for plant operations. Steam turbine conversion heat energy of process steam to power in a very economical manner.
Installing the steam turbine is most important. And steam piping plays a major role in the performance of steam turbines.

Steam piping should be reviewed, analyzed, designed, and properly installed to ensure there will be no excessive forces transmitted to the turbine flanges. Steam piping may exert forces from four sources:

Pipe dead weight

Thermal expansion

Thrust

Spring rate is caused by different types of expansion joints

The thermal expansion also causes movement of the turbine’s flanged connections, which must be considered during the piping design.

The steam piping must be designed to allow for expansion and contraction of the steam piping. The steam lines must have the correct number of appropriately sized hanger supports. Guides should ensure there are no forces or moments on the tur­bine that exceed the values provided by the turbine manufacturer. If the piping is unable to flex while accom­modating the expansion and contrac­tion, then consider the installation of an expansion device such as a pipe loop or expansion joint.
Inlet and outlet lines of the turbine should be carefully designed.
Steam piping must be designed to provide full-line steam pressure at the turbine inlet at full-load capacity. The supply line size needs to be calcu­lated not only for the load but also to include the pressure drops due to the length of pipe and system components, including valves and fittings. Any pres­sure loss in the supply line will affect turbine performance.

The discharge piping exhaust pressure will dictate the required discharge line size. As with the inlet piping, all pressure drops must be taken into consideration. Excessive pressure must be eliminated so turbine performance is not affected.

Typically the inlet and outlet steam piping size will be equal to or greater than the actual turbine connections provided by the manufacturer.

Steam traps are to be provided in all steam lines to avoid condensate accumulation.
Ensure that all the steam piping is supported properly to carry all the load and it should not produce any undesirable support reactions.

The steam turbine is the most valuable essential equipment in sugar, distillery, food industry, Edible oils, Paper Industry, Dairy plants, Cement plants, and many more industries. It generates power at the lowest cost as compared to grid power. Hence while installing steam turbines proper care needs to be taken for successful power generation. There are 5 secrets of successful steam turbine installation.

1. Avoid the dust environment of the turbine room. The steam turbine room in the powerhouse building will be provided with air washer units. The turbine room should have exhaust fans for maintaining a clean environment of turbine room.
2. Proper Piping stress analysis. Ensure the correct weight of the valve, flange, and any inline items, and mark the weight in the stress sketch. Branch piping. Check insulation density carefully. Wherever spring supports are used, define spring rate and cold load.
3. Layout considerations for turbine piping. Enough flexibility in steam turbine piping has to be provided to make up for thermal. Stresses as these lines are subjected to high temperatures by providing long-run pipes, loops, and bends. Line routing should be fabricated by bending or welding processes instead of flange connections to avoid leakage in steam lines. All main area piping has to be done by a vendor or inspected by OEM as per requirement. Steam traps are to be provided in all steam lines to avoid condensate accumulation. Expansion bellows can be used in large diameter and short span, rigid piping systems.
4. Maintain steam quality and water quality as per OEM.
   The most challenging systems to design are low-pressure steam systems, as the lower pressure steam can contain more moisture. With the help of proper separation or scrubbing devices in the steam, the drum can improve the steam quality. Maintain steam inlet pressure and temperature as per design of OEM.
5. Higher steam turbine competent operator and provide training from OEM only.
6. Follow statutory standards and norms in your turbine area as per recommended by OEM.
   Turtle Turbines have a number of successful steam turbines installation within India and abroad. Turtle Turbines always do commissioning at the site and run the turbine successfully as committed by Turtle Turbines. For more information please visit www.turtleturbines.com.

Turtle Turbines is one of the most reputed Steam Turbine Manufacturers In India.

Steam turbines are used for many applications for Power generation in power plants, combining power and heat application, cogeneration, etc. It’s power generating equipment. Steam turbines are the most valuable essential equipment in sugar, distillery, food industry, Edible oils, Paper Industry, Dairy plants, Cement plants, and many more industries. It generates power at the lowest cost as compared to grid power.
While installing steam turbines proper care needs to be taken for successful power generation. There are 5 mistakes in the installation of steam turbines that are ignored sometimes.

1. Turbine room layout not planned properly – As per OEM, the turbine room layout should be planned properly. For ex. Fuel (coal) and ash circuit, air and flue gas circuit, feed water, and steam flow circuit, and cooling water circuit should be as per OEM plan layout.
2. Steam turbine generating set orientation is not done as per planned layout.
3. Drain pipes and cables are not routed through trenches.
   Underground drain pipes and cables are protected from ice storms, lightning, and high winds. Hence drain pipes and cables should be routed through trenches.
4. Steam piping layout not done properly – Turbine piping stress analysis is one of the most critical analyses that need to be done as per OEM.
5. The turbine room does not have sufficient air and natural light. The turbine room environment should be clean and clear for successful turbine operations.
   Turtle Turbines supplies steam turbines from the range of 100kW to 3000kW. For more information please visit www.turtleturbines.com.

Turtle Turbines is one of the most reputed Steam Turbine Manufacturers In India.

The steam turbine is Equipment used to produce electrical power using steam.
To have a good performance of the turbine it needs to be operated properly. Below are the secrets of successful steam turbine operation

1. Steam quality:
   Steam turbine operation and performance require the correct steam pressure at the tur­bine inlet and high steam quality (steam without condensate entrapment) to ensure high turbine reliability. Low-quality steam reduces the steam turbine efficiency and causes erosion of steam turbine components (blades, governor valves, blading, and nozzles).
2. Lubrication system:
   Lubrication of the rotating parts is very important to reduce the friction and wear and tear of the components. A proper lubrication system needs to be provided for the steam turbine which includes MOP, AOP, and EOP. Ensure the required oil level in the lube oil tank. The lubricating oil should be kept at the appropriate operating temperature as possible this is to be achieved by providing an oil cooling system.

3 Bearing maintenance: Bearings of the steam turbine shaft should be checked regularly. Desired pressure needs to be maintained in the lubrication system to circulate the oil through bearings and other passages.

4 cleanliness of the steam turbine room:
The steam Turbine room must be clean properly all the instrumentation needs to check for their proper functioning. Instruments are to be calibrated at regular intervals. Instrument air should be free of dirt and oil.

5 general maintenance of the turbine.
Steam turbine regular maintenance procedures to be followed on a timely basis to ensure the hazel-free operation of steam turbines

Turtle Turbines is one of the most reputed Steam Turbine Manufacturers In India.

The term Energy conservation itself defines the energy which can be conserved by reducing wastage and losses, improving efficiency through technological upgrades, and improving operations and maintenance.

FACT I: Many industrial facilities produce steam at a pressure higher than that demanded by process requirements. Steam passes through pressure-reducing valves at various locations in the steam distribution system to reduce its pressure. A Back-Pressure Steam Turbine can perform the same pressure-reducing function as a PRV while converting steam energy into electrical energy, which leads down to Energy Conservation. A pressure difference must exist between the steam supply and the exhaust for any Steam Turbine to operate.

FACT II: Considering waste heat from Industries, which can recover heat from a hot gas or water stream and produces steam that can be used in industrial and manufacturing processes or can be also used to drive a Steam Turbine to improve efficiency, reduces operating cost and lowering carbon footprints. This leads us to Energy Conservation. Waste Heat is basically the byproduct from Chemical Industries, Gas Turbines, etc., where this waste heat can be converted into steam, which can be used further in Steam Turbine Generators to produce Electrical Power. Ultimately this fact will increase the value of Energy Conservation.

Turtle Turbines is one of the most reputed Steam Turbine Manufacturers In India.

To make the turbine installation successful it is very important to follow the simple things. The installation success starts at the very beginning with proper application engineering. Several things like steam parameters, selection of turbine type, gearbox, alternator, control system, power evacuation, etc. are important during application engineering.

During the installation of the Turbine readiness of the site contributes to the successful installation. The steam piping’s stress analysis should be done properly and piping should be supported properly according to the stress analysis report. The steam blowing should be done until the desired target plate reading is observed. The steam consumption in the process and a total electrical load of the plant should also be matched with the Turbine design parameter or alternative provisions should be done to overcome the problem.