Engineering Failure Analysis 17 (2010) 13281336

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Engineering Failure Analysis

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/engfailanal

Failure investigation of an auxiliary steam turbine

E. Poursaeidi a,b,*, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani b
a b

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zanjan University, Zanjan, Iran Research & Lab Division, Iran Power Plant Repairs Co., P.O. Box 31585-1137, Karaj, Iran

a r t i c l e

i n f o

a b s t r a c t
This paper presents the results of failure investigation of an auxiliary steam turbine in a power plant. Fractures were occurred at the lacing wires in the L1 blade cascade. The failure was occurred in repaired stages of blades after 47 days of an overhaul operation period. Visual inspection showed some regular fractures in the improper brazed joints and dimensional analysis showed that the lacing wire holes in the blades of the L1 stage are smaller than the originals. Fractographic investigation of fractured surface showed that the lacing wires had been exposed to a fatigue stress phenomenon. Finite element analysis showed that there is a high stress critical point near the brazing regions in comparison with original elements. Vibration analysis was performed experimentally and computationally to nd the probable intersection points between the excitation harmonics and natural frequencies of blade cascade. Experimental test results veried the FEM analyses with good agreements. Obtained results from harmonic response analysis showed an approximate resonant condition of L1 blades during the operation of boiler feed pump turbine. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Article history: Received 6 December 2009 Accepted 22 March 2010 Available online 25 March 2010 Keywords: Vibration FEM analysis Experimental analysis Boiler feed pump turbine Lacing wire

1. Introduction Steam turbine blades are critical components in auxiliary and main power equipments in nuclear and fossil power plants. They convert the linear motion of high temperature and high-pressure steam owing down a pressure gradient into a rotary motion of the turbine shaft. As the steam enters turbine from the boiler, it passes through different stages such as high pressure (HP), intermediate pressure (IP) and low-pressure (LP) zones [1]. Often in large thermal power plants a steam line is branched from the IP turbine to drive an auxiliary small turbine (boiler feed water pump turbine, BFPT), which can be categorized as LP turbines. Due to more expansion in LP turbine, their exhaust blades are the longest in height. According to some designing considerations, such as strength of materials, vibration theory, and turbo machinery, for the best energy extraction from the superheated steam, designing of the blades is encountered with some dimensional restrictions. Usually the moving blades can sustain some huge static loads like centrifugal forces. However, the existence of frequency forces will cause the appearance of alternating stresses so fatigue phenomena, and then nally rupture of applied materials. In the other hand, since blade failures are predominantly vibration related, blade vibration studies have acquired considerable importance. A good deal of work on the determination of natural frequencies and mode shapes has been contributed by several research workers [2]. Steam turbines employ thousands of blade ranges from a few centimeters in height in the HP turbines to almost 1-m long blades in the last stage of LP turbines. As a result, blade natural frequencies in a machine can be as low as 100 Hz in the last stages of LP rotors and over a few thousand Hz in the rst stages of HP rotors. By considering the per-revolution or the nozzle passing harmonics, one stage or more may be operated near the critical condition [3]. Theoretically, a single blade performs as same as a cantilever beam. Hence, it can vibrate in its modal shapes with multiple resonant
* Corresponding author at: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zanjan University, Zanjan, Iran. Tel.: +98 912 2133496; fax: +98 261 6605929. E-mail addresses: epsaeidi@gmail.com, epsaeidi@znu.ac.ir (E. Poursaeidi). 1350-6307/$ - see front matter 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2010.03.006

E. Poursaeidi, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani / Engineering Failure Analysis 17 (2010) 13281336

1329

frequencies [4]. Steam turbine designers attempt to apply methods for inhibiting blade displacements due to free or forced vibration. Also they try to determine the source of forced excitations and their frequencies. For example, satisfying the rst consideration, shroud bandings and lacing wires are commonly applied methods in the steam turbine blade cascades. Exciting factors are important requirements for designing and utilizing the steam turbines. Most of excitations in turbo machinery are sinusoidal form, and sometimes impact-like excitations can be seen. Surge, water slugs, and volute tongue pressure distribution are some examples of such loading. Marscher [5] has classied the excitations factors into three categories: those involving free vibration, those creating forced vibrations, and those involving self-excited instability phenomena. Also, Sanders [6] has presented an analogous chart for categorizing various sources of vibratory stimuli in the steam turbines. Usually the steam turbine manufacturers present vibration charts, which are named, Campbell diagrams [7]. By using them, the power plant operators adjust the turbine speeds for a safe limit. In this investigation, a wide range of modal analysis was performed experimentally and computationally to nd the probable intersection points between the excitation harmonics and the natural frequencies of blade cascade. The results showed an approximate resonant condition of L1 blades during the operation of BFP turbine. The authors have presented the results of experimental investigations, including metallurgical analysis and surface fracture fractography and etc. in a paper titled Failure Analysis of Lacing Wire in a Steam Turbine at the Conference on Application and Design in Mechanical Engineering (CADME07) [8]. After researching more in the resumption of last work, it was found that the inconvenient brazing for connecting lacing wires to the blades caused the changing of the L1 blade natural frequencies and then the failure was resulted. 2. Background The blade under evaluation is the 15th stage (L1) of a 15 MW boiler feed water pump turbine with 10 in. in length. It belongs to a 440 MW unit of a thermal power plant and operated with 4450 rpm. The rotor consists of two tandem low-pressure turbines with 13.49 ata steam pressure, 359 C steam temperature and 44.67 t/h steam ow rate. During the unit overhaul (January 2006), the original L0 and L1 blades were replaced by a new manufactured blade set continuously coupled

Fig. 1. The view shows mono block rotor of BFPT with the positions of three repaired stages.

Fig. 2. Photographs showing the two different positions which lacing wires are failed (arrowed positions). (a) Impact effects of released segments are visible on the trailing edge. (b) A typical wire fracture adjacent to the excess of brazing around one blade hole.

1330

E. Poursaeidi, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani / Engineering Failure Analysis 17 (2010) 13281336

Fig. 3. (a) Stereo microscope view of a failed lacing wire and (b) the schematic feature in accordance to view (a).

360 around the row by the brazed lacing wires at the 0.6-span, Fig. 1. The blade had been made of AISI 422 stainless steel by machining procedure. The lacing wire had been made of AISI 420 stainless steel and the brazed metal was BAg-1 which had been used by a manual process, oxyacetylene brazing method. Exactly after 47 days unit operation, the water-feeding pump was tripped due to a mechanical problem. Also the controlling system alarmed due to increasing the condensed water conductivity from 4.1 to 49 micro siemens, which forced the unit to be shut down. Investigation was started by inspecting the condenser housing and observing a hole in the wall of a condenser tube that showed the plastically punctured hole created by impaction of a foreign object. Visual inspection of L1 row from the pump side of rotor showed that pieces of lacing wire had been separated in two positions and cracked in nine positions. Most of fractures were near the concave side of blade similarly. The common damages due to impaction of two released wire segments were surface deformations on the concave side and trailing edge of some blades in L0 and L1 rows, Fig. 2. Notice that the turbine consists of 16 pair stages, which are assembled symmetrically on a monoblock rotor, Fig. 1. During the overhaul, three stages were repaired. The original blades of L0 row (stage No. 16) from the turning gear side were refurbished and then reinforced by lacing wire. Also the blades of rows L0 and L1 (stage Nos. 15 and 16) from the pump side were replaced with new ones, and similarly reinforced by the same procedure applied for the refurbished L0 stage. The brazing procedure was performed manually. During visual inspection, no problem was seen concerned to other rows, especially the refurbished old stage on the side of turning gear. 3. Metallurgical investigation Metallurgical investigation of the failed lacing wires was carried out by providing some samples and applying metallurgical analysis, SEM (scanning electron microscopy), fractography, and chemical analysis too [8]. Fractographic evaluations were performed on the exposed crack surface of fractured wires by using optical stereo microscopy. Fig. 3a shows one of typical fractured surface. At the zone B, there are crack origins on slightly different planes, forming ratchet marks; the cracks from these origins have been combined to form a single crack front, which progressed through the zone C. Signicantly crack origination zone in the left is adjacent to the excess of brazing (zone A). Fig. 3b is the schematic view of the same fractured surface that is divided into different zones; the crack initiation zone is on the left side which is colored gray (zone A). In fact it is the boundary regions covered by a layer of braze metal. The crack propagation zone is the largest area including: shear steps and beach marks (zones B and C). The nal fracture zone is quite smaller on the right side (zone D). Signicantly, the two obtuse angles are showed on two lateral intersection points. The angles are made by the peripheral border line of the fractured section and the tangentional line of the nal fracture curvature (the last beach mark). According to ASM standards (p. 111 of Ref. [9]), these signs are attributed to the existence of a mild stress concentration with a low nominal tensile stress in a unidirectional bending condition during the failure event. The presence of beach marks on the fracture surface commonly indicates that more events participated in fatigue propagation. The beach marks divide the fracture surface into zones of different roughness, which correspond to different loading conditions during operation [10]. 4. Dimensional measurements Dimensional measurements were done in two steps [8]. At rst for determining the quality of blade cascade arrangement, the distances of blade tips in the both leading and trailing edges were measured practically and concluded that there was a

E. Poursaeidi, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani / Engineering Failure Analysis 17 (2010) 13281336

1331

reasonable relation between situation of failed lacing wires and the value of blade distances. In fact, the most failed wires were between blades with more deviances. In the second step, all of the new replaced and refurbished blades and wires were measured dimensionally. It resulted that the diameter size of new applied wires was 5 mm as same as the original wires size. The hole diameter size for refurbished L1 blades in the rear side and exchanged L0 blades in front side were exactly 6 mm equal to original size. But it was found that the hole diameter of exchanged L1 blade in front side were 0.5 mm smaller than the original size (6 mm). 5. Monitoring results and vibration analysis Fig. 4 shows the monitored parameters by plant control room, which include, steam conductivity, unit output power, BFPT rotational speed, exhaust steam outlet and vertical vibration graphs of bearings. As it can be seen, there are many

Fig. 4. Important parameters recorded by monitoring control room during unit operation.

Fig. 5. Half section view of discussed BFPT.

1332

E. Poursaeidi, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani / Engineering Failure Analysis 17 (2010) 13281336

Table 1 Summary of observation and initial investigation of failure. Observations Position of investigation Pump side Stage No. Number of failed wires or brazing joint Status of blades Blade hole diameter Bearing vibration amplitude 15 11 Exchanged 5.5 (mm) Much 16 1 Exchanged 6 (mm) Much Turning gear side 15 Failure free Original (refurbished) 6 (mm) Less

irregularities during intervals 03/03/2006 and 05/03/2006. The maximum values at 08:40 A.M. on 05/03/2006 show the nal severe event which caused the tripping of the unit. Fig. 5 shows a half section view of BFPT. The sketch contains details of moving-nozzle blades assembled on rotor and inner casing. The small circles in different height of some blades and nozzles show the holes for installing lacing wires. By focusing on moving blades and nozzles, it is visible that in each side only the stages No. 7 up to 9 and No. 13 up to 16 are considered to have a hole for inserting lacing wires. This is due to importance of vibrational consideration in the rst design plan. In other word, during a safe operation around the manufacturer recommended nominal speed, the stages without lacing wires would be never exposed to resonant conditions and therefore they will require no lacing wire. However, the other stages may be suffered to detrimental vibrating behaviors. During a long period excitation near the natural frequency, they could be involved to a fatigue phenomenon due to alternative stresses. Using lacing wires causes to decrease displacement of blades during their vibration. However, it causes another problem as some new points with high stress levels localized on the lacing wires. In fact, lacing wires have to bear part of blades vibration energy. One of the excitation factors for blade cascade is rotor vibration that stimulates the blades from their roots. According to theory of vibration, this kind of excitation is categorized as forced support stimulation. Practically, two vertical vibration pick-ups on the bearings, which their signals are monitored by the control room, control the rotor vibration of turbine. Vibrating graphs in Fig. 4 shows evidences that the BFPT rotor has been encountered with bad conditions, especially in the front side (pump side). The difference of maximum and minimum values of vibration amplitude in the front side is more than the rear side relatively. In the other hand the energy of vibration has a relation with the amplitude of vibration wave. The more the value of rotor vibration wave amplitude in the front side is, the more energy will be absorbed by the components attached to the rotor bulk such as blades in the same side. Principally the absorbed energy by a vibrating mass is related to the second power of its wave amplitude. Assuming a forced vibrating system the mentioned relation can be proved by solving

d x dt
2

dx kx F 0 cos xt dt

where m is the mass of vibrating system, d2x/dt2 the acceleration term, c the damping coefcient, dx/dt the velocity term, k the stiffness coefcient, F0 the value of excitation force and x the angular frequency. By particular solution of the above equation and differentiating, w.r.t. time the following equations will be issued:

xt X cosxt u and;

 dx X x and x 2pf dt max

where X is the wave amplitude, u the phase angle, f the vibration frequency. And the maximum absorbed kinetic energy by the vibrating mass can be calculated

 2 1 dx m 2 dt

and so Emax

1 mX 2 x2 2

where E is the kinetic energy. The last equation shows the relation between vibrating energy and wave amplitude and frequency [11]. According to the mentioned discussions, the rotor vibrating can affect blades as support excitation noises. In this condition, lacing wires performs an important role in damping of the blade vibrations by absorption of energy. In fact the absorbed vibrating energy by the blades can be released in two cases; fracturing the blades or rupturing the wires and their brazing joints. It seems that in this case, the vibrating energy caused the breaking of lacing wires. Table 1 presents four items for comparing the failure signs and other inspection results. The gray cells show some reasonable agreement items for the failures of stage No. 15. 6. FEM analysis According to the obtained results from fractographic investigation like fatigue signs and beach marks, the presentation of dynamic stresses can be seen. Hence FEM analyses were directed to vibrational simulation of grouped blades.

E. Poursaeidi, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani / Engineering Failure Analysis 17 (2010) 13281336

1333

Fig. 6. Transversal section views for detailing the FE models A and B.

Fig. 7. A general view of assembled and meshed model of the complex parts.

Geometrically the stage No. 15 is a kind of cyclic symmetric structure, which consists of 72 blades, every 36 units form a group by passing a lacing wire from holes at the 0.6-span. The FEM modal analyses were carried out on the grouped blades including 36 blades to simplify and reduce the solution time. The models included a half grooved rotor section, 36 assembled blades inside the groove, a lacing wire passed from blade holes and 36 cylinder shape parts as the brazed joints. The hole diameter of blades, shape and size of brazed joints were the variables of models. Model A was considered to have original size of blade hole and a cylinder shape for brazing metal with no excess in the both concave and convex surfaces of blade, Fig. 6a. Model B was created, nearly similar to the failed stage by considering both an excess of brazing in the concave side and closeness of blade hole diameter, Fig. 6b. In the next step by utilizing the ANSYS software, the FEM analyses were carried out which were included mesh generation, dening boundary conditions and material properties, and nally modal and frequency response analysis. According to the mentioned policies the grouped models A and B included 48,788 and 75,163 elements respectively, which applied meshes are described as followed: 10 Node quadratic tetrahedron (solid 187) elements were used to mesh the blade and rotor section. 20 Node quadratic hexahedron (solid 186) elements were used to mesh the wire and braze. The high-order surface to surface contact element was dened for modeling the mechanical interface of adjacent surfaces between the all parts. One of the assembled models of the complex parts is presented in Fig. 7. Material properties provided by the utility are implemented throughout the course of this study, which are assumed to be within the elastic range. For a type 422 stainless steel, the young modulus E is 2.041e+08 kPa, the Poisson ratio m is 0.29, and density q is 7980 kg m3. The boundary conditions were made by pressure load, centrifugal force and required support. Steam pressure was modeled by a constant pressure load (6070 Pa) exerting on the pressure side of blades. The centrifugal force was modeled by

1334

E. Poursaeidi, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani / Engineering Failure Analysis 17 (2010) 13281336

Fig. 8. Distribution of dynamic stresses according to the second natural mode frequency of models A and B. It should be noted that the high stress points have been appeared in the location of crack origins of fractured lacing wires. (a) The view shows the acceptable stress levels and (b) the view shows the increasing of stress level in model B on the location of crack origins.

considering a rotational speed of 4453 rpm around the center line of bladed disc. Due to axial symmetry of disc, a cylindrical support was used on the internal surface of the rotor section. 7. Finite element vibration analysis The general motion equation of such a vibratory system can be written as followed:

g Bfu _ g K fug fPgeixt M fu

i xt

where {P}e is a load vector, which is time frequency function and [B] the matrix of damping [12]. By paying attention to the results of visual inspection and fractographic investigation, the FEM analysis was focused on lacing wire as a fairly delicate component of a vibrating system. The graphical results of dynamic stresses from second natural mode frequency for models A and B are shown in Fig. 8. Obviously, the critical points on the lacing wires are near the blade hole. Fig. 9 shows both the frequency response of two models A & B and the excitation harmonic lines in a wide range of oscillation. The frequency response graphs are separated by the colors, blue and red for the models A and B respectively. As it can be seen, the model B shows higher values in amplitude in the second mode and also a distinct frequency increasing in the position of peak points rather than model A.

E. Poursaeidi, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani / Engineering Failure Analysis 17 (2010) 13281336

1335

Fig. 9. The graph of lacing wire frequency response for models A and B with the excitation harmonic per-revolution of rotor.

Fig. 10. An accelerometer type: 4382, Bruel & kjaer was attached near the lacing hole on the blade suction side and the stimulation was performed on the middle point of blade pressure side.

Fig. 11. The graph of blade frequency response near the wire hole as function of force. The graph shows three natural mode frequencies like the lacing wire response in Fig. 9.

8. Experimental analysis To verify the results of FEM analysis, the L1 stage blades were analyzed by practical vibration test, Fig. 10. A Bruel & Kjaer 2035 Signal Analyzer and a portable SCHENCK Analyzer were used to determine the vibrational blade behavior near the blade hole as a relatively exact tracking of lacing wire mechanical behavior. The test was performed by using a force pickup in frequency range from zero up to 1000 Hz. The result is presented in Fig. 11. It shows the existence of three peak points

1336

E. Poursaeidi, M.R. Mohammadi Arhani / Engineering Failure Analysis 17 (2010) 13281336

similar to the result of computational harmonic analysis of lacing wire in Fig. 9. It should be noted that there are little differences between practical and computational method. This is due to lack of blade stiffening phenomena resulting from centrifugal load during the mentioned practical test. 9. Discussion and conclusion Visual inspection of the failed BFPT showed some regular fractures of lacing wire in similar positions between L1 stage blades. Fractography of broken surfaces of fractured lacing wires showed that they have been exposed to a fatigue phenomenon. Also the excess of brazing material on the fractured position around the wires was observed. More investigation was carried out by the FEM analyses for simulation two different CAD models according to the failed rotor. The high stress points obtained from FEM analysis, showed a good agreement with the results of experimental inspected fracture positions on the back side of failed lacing wires. Another nding was a frank difference of stress values in two FE models A and B. According to Fig. 8 the results of harmonic analysis for the von-Misses stress value of lacing wire are presented in two resonance frequency ranges. Frequency response analysis showed that these stress values and the frequency of resonance states are obviously increased for the model B rather than the model A Figs. 8 and 9. Logically the mentioned problem is due to excess brazing around the lacing wire near the blade hole which causes the increasing of the blade cascade rigidity. So the more rigidity of a vibrating system is equal to more stiffness or less exibility of system that causes the shifting of the natural mode to the higher frequency levels with the higher values of dynamic stresses. Consequently, the outgoing of stress values from the design limits has caused the reducing of the fatigue life of the wires effectively. Also experimental vibration tests were carried out for verifying the FEM analysis results and showed good agreements between performed methods. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Mr. Borumandi, Mr. Monokchian, Mr. Khamse and Mr. Razi for their helps in different stages of the project. References
[1] Mokhopadhyay NK, Ghosh Chowdhury S, Das G, Chattoraj I, Das SK, Bhattacharya DK. An investigation of the failure of low-pressure steam turbine blades. Eng Fail Anal 1998;5(3):18193. [2] Rao JS. Turbomachine blade vibration. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Publications; 1991. [3] Rao JS. Application of fracture mechanic in the failure analysis of a last stage steam turbine blade. Mech Mach Theory 1998;33(5):599609. [4] Rao JS. Turbine blade life estimation. Pang Bourne: Alpha science international, Ltd. Publications; 2000. [5] Marscher William. Sawyers gas turbineengineering handbook, vol. 1. 3rd ed. Turbo: Machinery International Publication; 1985 [chapter 7]. [6] Sanders William P. Turbine steam path. Tulsa: Penn Well Publications; 2001. [7] Kostyuk A, Frolov V. Steam and gas turbines. Moscow: Mir Publishers; 1988. [8] Poursaeidi E, Mohammadi MR. Failure analysis of lacing wire in a steam turbine. In: Proceedings of the rst conference on application and design in mechanical engineering (CADME07), Perlis, Malaysia, 2526 October; 2007. [9] ASM metals hand book. Failure analysis and prevention. vol. 11, 9th ed. ASM International Publications; 1987. [10] Mazur Z, Hernandez Rossette A, Garcia Illescas R. Investigation of the failure of the L0 blades. Eng Fail Anal 2006;13:133850. [11] Singh VP. Mechanical vibration, Delhi; 2001. [12] MSC-PATRAN users manual. Tehran: Taraah Publication; 2002 [translated by Talebi H, Farzadi A, Mehri A].