Efficiency increase of steam

turbines through retrofitting

Piotr Czerwinski
International Conference Power Plants 2014
2831 October 2014, Zlatibor

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
What is influencing steam cycle efficiency?
Efficiency improvement of existing units with steam turbines
can be achieved through analysis of existing reserves:
modernization of major equipment (boiler, turbine, generator,
condenser, etc.) for its efficiency increase
analysis of current / future load profile
possibility of live and reheat steam parameters (mainly
temperature) increase
possibility of feed water temperature increase
optimization of cold end
optimization of steam uptakes for district heating or process
application possibility of fuel heat recovery system
International Conference Power Plants 2014 P 2
ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
What is influencing steam cycle efficiency?
For new units it is observed continued increase in steam parameters
In case of existing units substantial increase in steam parameters
is limited by:
Unit efficiency increase

+6.2%
+5.5%
necessity of extensive boiler modifications,
exchange of main steam
+4.2%
piping and high pressure and
intermediate pressure turbine modules

probable necessity of BoP equipment exchange (like heaters,

extraction pipelines and fixture)
baseline
After application of in-situ
self-calibrating system for steam
260 barto 275
170 bar it260
bar
temperature measurement
is bar
possible
increase
live and reheat
600C any
540C by565C
600C
steam temperatures even
4C without
changes to boiler
600C
585C
540C
620C
and main piping

Increase of live and reheat steam temperature

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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
What is influencing steam cycle efficiency?
According to EN 12952-3 and TRD 300 standards design temperature
for boiler components and piping is strictly connected with maximal
allowable operational steam temperature
one of the predefined components (additions) is temperature
measurement uncertainty equal to 5C
Measurement uncertainty comprises:
measurement inaccuracy of standard thermocouples 2C
additional inaccuracy of the measurement chain 2C

drift of temperature of the standard thermocouples due to ageing 1C

Application of special temperature measurement system allows to limit

total measurement uncertainty to 1C

In-situ self-calibrating temperature measurement system

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ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
What is influencing steam cycle efficiency?
thermoelement for measuring
temperature above the fix-point cell
thermoelement for fix-point
temperature measurement

Temperature without correction [C]

590
585

calibration point
578,7C

580
fix-point
cell

midget heating

575

fix-point melting /
solidification stage =
calibration points

570
910 920

930

940

950

960

970

In-situ self-calibrating temperature measurement system

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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

980 min

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Performance improvement example for Nikola Tesla A6

In-situ self-calibrating temperature measurement system

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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Modernization of unit 6 in Belchatow PP (Poland)
Boiler modernization

Turboset modernization
New HP and IP
turbine modules

Generator
modernization

New, additional
HP heaters

45

Modernization of boiler pressure part

Furnace and fuel handling system
Air preparation system
Air preheater
Auxiliary systems
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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

30
15

HR [kJ/kWh]

60

0
255

tFW [C]
260

265

270

275

280

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Modernization of unit 6 in Belchatow PP (Poland)
Change in steam parameters
before
modernization

after
modernization

182 bar

190 bar

Live steam temperature

540C

570C

Reheat steam temperature

540C

570C

Feed water temperature

248C

275C

Parameter
Live steam pressure

Change in live steam pressure control

p0

p0

(sliding control in wider load range)

No control stage in the new solution for

HP module
Power output at generator terminals
Gross heat rate
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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

m0

m0

363 MW

395,8 MW

8069 kJ/kWh

7681 kJ/kWh

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Steam turbine efficiency increase

Relative stage efficiency

Impulse or reaction technology?

14 stages

For reaction blading it is required

to apply more stages (about 60%)
to achieve optimal turbine module
efficiency. However, space for both
solutions is nearly identical

Reaction
Impulse

23 stages
Velocity coefficient at root diameter (Ur/C0)

Enthalpy drop coefficient MUEY

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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
HP Retrofit of a 750 MW Machine
5%

11%

7%
19%

9%

7%
14%
9%

19%

Guide profile

Runner profile

Guide secondary
Tip leakage & interaction

Runner secondary
Root leakage & interaction

Annulus
Balance piston

Leaving loss

30% Leakage and interaction

54% Blading
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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Steam turbine efficiency increase
Reducing profile, secondary losses and leakage losses

aft loaded blade profile

better surface roughness

optimized fillet radii

rough
contoured shims

trailing edge thickness

gap masking (optimized axial clearances)

optimized interstage sealing

0,1 0,3%

smooth
0,2 0,8%

0,04 0,1%
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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

up to 0,5%

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Steam turbine efficiency increase
Exhaust diffuser proper shaping

However, experience shows that CFD methods are not really adequate
for exhausts - and design needs to be based on experiment
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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Optimization of HP turbine solution
Load profile

Power output

Pel1
Pel2
Pel3
Mon

Tue

Wed

Thr

Fri

Importnat whole
operational range

Sat

Important nominal load

or sliding operation

Sun

Important some
part loads

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ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Optimization of HP turbine solution
Heat rate
Nozzle control solution with control
stage in HP turbine module
Nozzle control solution with control
stage and overload valve
Throttling control without control stage,
but with overload valve
Sliding control without control stage,
but with overload valve

Live steam mass flow

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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Optimization of HP turbine solution

Reheater

Superreheater

Does maximization of HP turbine efficiency ensure maximization

of cycle efficiency?
Answer: Not always
Increase in HP efficiency leads to:
decrease of steam enthalpy (and temperature) at HP
outlet hence at reheater inlet
decrease of sprays into reheater.
sprays

HP

IP

LP

When sprays into reheater are small, modernization

of HP part could lead to situation, that it will not be
possible to maintain nominal reheat steam temperature
and positive effect of better turbine module efficiency
would be reduced by lower steam parameters entering
IP turbine.

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ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Importance of steam tables for HP and IP efficiencies
Caluclations for older units were performed with application of IFC67 steam tables

Difference in efficiency

Today IAPWS-IF97 steam tables are commonly accepted as more phisical

HP
IP
HP part
p0 = 140 bar, t0 = 540C
p2 = 40 bar

IP part
p0 = 37 bar, t0 = 540C
p2 = 5 bar

Global module efficiency calulated with IFC67

Difference in steam enthalpies
between IAPWS-IF97 and IFC67
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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Difference in module efficiencies

when using IAPWS-IF97 instead of IFC67

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Economical justification for efficiency increase
Every change in steam cycle is connected with certain
investment cost
For proper analysis of investment feasibility the following
parameters are subject for consideration:
payback time
Net Present Value
Internal Return Rate

It is necessary to analyze a few different possible

solutions in order to find the optimal one
When technical condition of particular equipment is poor the most
optimal approach is its deep modernization with exchange of major
components vulnerable to degradation due to high temperature
environment (casings, valve chests, blading of HP and IP parts)
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that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Economical justification for efficiency increase
Investment cost

100%

Payback time

HP module
+ overhaul

Major
overhaul
Overhaul +
seals improv.

Overhaul +
HP upgrade

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ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

HP & IP module
+ overhaul

Efficiency increase of steam turbines

through retrofitting
Summary
Retrofits of existing equipment enables achievement
of up-to-date performances ensuring short payback times
Each Project is Unique
Consideration of the specific clients needs
Identification of the best solution
Todays market requires
bespoke innovative solutions
state-of-the-art technology catering for a wide range
of application possibilities
reliable project execution and installation

sustained high performance operation

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ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.

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