AUTO START GUIDELINES

PURPOSE:
To define Auto start Guidelines for all YR and Multi-YR turbines. The goal of this document is
to provide an outline of the basic requirements for any turbine auto start system, and to
provide the user with a starting point from which to plan the system. This information should
be used as a guide only as each installation may have unique requirements or features that
mandate detailed review.

1. INTRODUCTION:
The use of steam turbines as emergency drivers requires complex automation and process
planning. Unlike a motor driven string that requires an electric starter, automatic start of a
steam turbine requires valves, casing and piping drainage, fault feedback, and control system
logic.

Automatic start-up operations vary in complexity depending upon the installation.

Consideration must be given to the following issues for auto start operation:

I. Auto start method

II. Driven machine characteristics
III. Installation
IV. Condensate removal
V. Bearing lubrication
VI. Controls Systems and Safety
VII. Environment
VIII. Special Considerations for Specific YR Frames

The general auto start process begins with review of the start and stop method and
consideration for special requirements due to the environment.

Unless otherwise specified, the customer will supply all required apparatus for the auto start
application.

2. AUTOSTART METHODS:
There are three (3) general methods for auto starting a steam turbine: Cold Start, Slow Roll,
and Open Exhaust. Basic rules that apply to all three (3) methods are:

2.1 BASIC AUTOSTART RULES:

I. Follow the turbine instruction manual when preparing the turbine for service.

II. Eliminate any chance of water slugging the turbine by ensuring that admitted steam is
free of water.

III. Steam condensate must not be allowed to accumulate in the casing, steam chest,
and/ or connected piping. All components that can trap steam or water such as
steam lines, casing, valves, oil cooler, etc. must be thoroughly drained after shutting
down.

IV. The bearings must be adequately lubricated any time the shaft rotates.

V. Never bypass the turbine trip and governor valves.

VI. Minimize the change in temperature as seen by the turbine from stand-by service to
on-line service to approximately 500 F. Review with Elliott if the temperature
differential is greater that 500F.
2.2 COLD START METHOD:
The preferred method of auto start is to cold start the unit. This requires opening the steam
inlet valve and starting the turbine. All YR turbines are designed to support a cold start.

There are limitations for cold starting a turbine. As a general rule, units should not be cold
started if the ambient temperature is below -20F. This temperature limit is the standard API
611/ ASME BPVC material design limit for all casing materials except class 3L (ASME A352
grade LCB). For all YR turbine frames, the change in exhaust temperature from stand-by
service to on-line service is limited to 500 F. Consult Elliott if the start-up differential
temperature is greater than 500F.

Misalignment between the turbine and the driven equipment will exist while the unit is starting
up and until thermal transients stabilize. Increased vibration is to be expected during this
transition period.

Some method is required to ensure that the exhaust valve is open prior to opening of the inlet
auto-start valve. (This is a safety issue as the casing could be over-pressurized.) This can
be done most easily by use of a check valve in the exhaust header. All turbine drains must
be trapped to collect and eliminate condensate that will collect from leakage of the check
valve.

2.3 SLOW ROLL METHOD:

Slow rolling is the second preferred method for YR turbine auto start.

Standard YR turbine slow roll speed is 500-600 rpm, minimum. The driven equipment must
always be considered for slow roll, or any other auto start installation. The driven machine
load characteristics also affect string performance. Verify with other project vendors that this
slow roll speed is acceptable. For example, some pumps may have a minimum slow roll
speed greater than 600 rpm, and to slow roll at 500-600 rpm may severely damage the pump
bearings and seals.

There are two standard arrangements for providing steam for slow rolling a turbine. These
are through the use of a needle valve or orifice in a steam inlet shutoff valve bypass.

Needle Valve-
Bypass the inlet shutoff valve with a needle valve, or similar throttling valve. Make sure the
needle valve will positively shutoff steam, or install a positive shutoff gate valve before the
needle valve. The needle valve bypass method is the recommended method.

Orifice-
Bypass the inlet with an orifice and positive shutoff gate valve. There is a chance that the
orifice will not pass enough steam to start the slow roll process. Open the primary inlet valve
to start the string, and then close the orifice bypass gate valve as the unit reaches slow roll
speed. An additional consideration when using an orifice is that the orifice steam flow rate is
strongly influenced by the steam parameters, and they cannot be tuned online to
accommodate unforeseen steam parameter differences.
2.4 OPEN EXHAUST METHOD:
The least preferred method is to open the exhaust valve and expose the unit to exhaust
header steam. This will put limited heat into the casing and bearings; however, it also
presents some risks that must be considered. Since the shaft is not rotating, the user must
make sure the carbon rings remain free to seat and are not fouled from steam contaminants
such as boiler carry-over, etc. Since the turbine will not reach operating temperature, the
shaft will not fully expand and the seal clearance at the carbon rings will be greater than when
at normal operating temperature. This additional clearance will result in excess steam
leakage. Furthermore, fluctuations in exhaust temperature will affect seal leakage. In order
to reduce the risk of lube oil water contamination and collection of condensate in the packing
case, it is recommended that a gland vacuum device be used to evacuate steam from the
packing case. Either a water eductor or steam ejector are acceptable. The user is cautioned
that a water eductor may never be blocked, and that were water to flow into the turbine
packing, significant damage to the unit is probable (e.g. rotor bow, damage packing).

3. DRIVEN MACHINE CHARACTERISTICS:

The driven machine must apply load to the turbine as the turbine accelerates. If the turbine
and driven machine (or gear and driven machine) are started unloaded, and the turbine is not
loaded until the turbine reaches rated speed, the turbine will inevitably trip out.

If no load is applied to the turbine when it is started rapidly, the inherent high starting torque of
a single stage turbine, combined with the governor valve being opened when the turbine is
idle, results in an acceleration rate which prevents any governor from controlling the turbine
speed before the trip speed is reached.

Centrifugal pumps, fans, and compressors can provide sufficient load to prevent the unit from
accelerating beyond the speed governor setting.

Alternating current electric generators require special consideration.

4. INSTALLATION:
See the turbine instruction manual for details and recommended piping practice.

A tachometer with remote readout capability is recommended for mounting in the control
room. In addition, vibration monitoring equipment is recommended if the installation is in
critical service. The required turbine utilities (i.e. steam, air, water, oil) must be available for
any auto start application.

5. CONDENSATE REMOVAL:
Steam condensate must not be allowed to accumulate in the steam inlet piping, steam chest,
casing, seal piping (if applicable), or packing cases. If a turbine has been shut down, it will
have condensate in it, and this must be removed before the turbine is started. The turbine
casing and steam chest drain connections must be equipped with electric or pneumatic
operated valves, or steam traps. The drain valves must be closed shortly after the turbine is
started when steam quality is good.
Steam traps are recommended for an auto start application as they are economic and
reliable. Steam traps cycle as required, so that the unit is always prepared for a quick auto
start. The traps open when cold and close when exposed to hot steam. If the steam
temperate is low, however, the traps may not function properly. So if the steam temperature
is close to the condensate temperature, the operation of the trap must be verified; or it may be
necessary to use a more complicated system that utilizes solenoid operated valves on the
drains. When using these valves it will be necessary to furnish a control system that will open
the valves and use a time delay relay to allow for the draining of the casing before letting the
turbine start.

When ambient temperature is below freezing and the casing is cold much of the steam may
condense on cold start-up. The customer is advised to take the proper precautions for
condensate removal.

Drain connections are supplied on the turbine to remove condensate. Turbine drain
connections are:
M - Turbine casing drain. Connect through suitable valve and steam trap to open drain.
M1 - High pressure casing drain (on BYRH, BYRHH and MYR). Connect through suitable
valve and steam trap to open drain.
M4 - Below seat drain (steam chest). Connect through suitable valve and steam trap to open
drain.
M5 - Above seat drain (steam chest). Connect through suitable valve and steam trap to open
drain.
L3-1 - Intermediate leak-off header (BYRHH packing case only). Connect through suitable
valve and steam trap to an intermediate pressure header at 75-125 psig.

If present, the Trip and Throttle Valve (TTV) will also have drains. See the TTV vendor's
recommendations for these drains.

Never block the atmospheric leak-off connections (designated Lx on Elliott drawings). Leak-
off connections must be piped to an open drain with no obstructions in the line and the
minimum length possible.

Packing Cases-
Removing leak-off steam/ condensate from packing cases is a critical consideration on all
units with a backpressure greater than 100 psig and on all units when the Open Exhaust auto
start method is used. This is of particular importance on BYRH, BYRHH, CYRH, DYRH, MYR
and condensing units. An alternative that eliminates seal leakage is to use dry gas/
mechanical face seals. Elliott has experience with John Crane and Flowserve mechanical
face seals; however, Elliott does not recommend mechanical face seals for auto start
applications due to the potential for significant damage should condensate be ingested by the
seal.

High Backpressure Applications-

A vacuum sealing system is required for the packing case leak-off on high backpressure units
having an exhaust pressure greater than 100 psig. The vacuum system must operate any
time the casing is pressurized. The vacuum system must be in operation before the unit is
started. The system should be sized to provide 0.5 psi vacuum at the packing case leak-off
connection.

Water Eductor or Steam Ejector-

The Elliott YR standard is to supply a water eductor as the primary vacuum device. Eductors
must be run to an open drain to avoid any possibility of water backing into the turbine packing
cases. Water in the packing cases will bow the rotor.

A steam ejector may be specified in lieu of a water eductor. Steam ejectors may be run to an
open drain, or they may be run to a condenser system. When supplied, the Elliott standard is
to have a condenser first system, which requires a seal pot height of 72 inches.

Condensing Turbines-
On condensing units, sealing steam is required for the packing cases to prevent ingress of air
into the steam system. The sealing system may operate continuously, or it may be started
with the unit. Automatic valves are recommended for steam admission control. The rotor
must be rotating when the sealing system is operating in order to prevent a rotor bow.

6. BEARING LUBRICATION:
The turbine bearings must be lubricated any time the shaft rotates. Units with a steam inlet
temperature greater than 750F are typically furnished with an Auxiliary Oil Pump (AOP).
Whenever an AOP is provided it must run 30-40 minutes after the unit is shut down to assist
in cooling the turbine.

Oil Selection-
Select lubricating oil according to Elliott standard recommendations as specified in the turbine
instruction manual. For cold ambient temperature applications, a polyalphaolefin synthetic oil
with high Viscosity Index (VI) should be considered.

Ring oil lubrication-

If provided, oil rings will properly lubricate the bearings during start up as long as the oil
viscosity is no too high. Cooling water for the cooling water chamber in the bearing cases
must be supplied when the turbine is started. Automatic valves (either electric or pneumatic)
are recommended for this application. When the turbine is idle, water should not be
circulated to the cooling water chambers in order to avoid atmospheric condensation in the
bearing cases.

A polyalphaolefin synthetic oil with a VI greater than 120 should be used to limit the increase
in lubricating oil viscosity with low temperature. The minimum oil temperature for start-up of a
ring-oil lubricated turbine is 40F. If the temperature of the oil is expected to be below 40F it
will be necessary to heat the oil prior to start-up. This can be accomplished by:
a. Running hot water through the bearing housing heat exchanger.
b. Wrapping the bearing housing and water supply lines with heat traced insulation.
c. Using immersion heaters located in each bearing housing sump.

Pressure lubrication-
A force feed lubrication system is ideal for turbine auto start applications. However, other
methods are also acceptable. Cooling water for the oil cooler must be supplied when the
turbine is started. For pressurized lubrication, the minimum starting oil temperature is 70 F.
The following features are necessary for a standby service turbine pressure lube system:

1. Have a reservoir immersion heater to maintain proper oil temperature (steam or electric, at
customers discretion).
2. Have an AOP that continuously circulates oil.
3. Shaft-driven or motor-driven Main Oil Pump (MOP). Pressure lubricated turbines are
normally equipped with a positive displacement oil pump driven from the turbine shaft.
The pump suction line is furnished with a check foot valve to maintain oil in the pump
casing and inlet piping to assure normal pump operation when the turbine is started.
4. Motor-driven AOP. An AOP is recommended to assure priming of the MOP when starting
the unit. (If the check valve in the MOP suction line fails, an AOP will assure priming and
supply of the system.) When the unit has an oil trip cylinder or a separate oil operated Trip
and Throttle Valve, an AOP is required to pressurize the cylinder in order to open the trip
valve for start-up. The AOP may be electric, pneumatic or steam driven, per customers
specification.
7. CONTROL SYSTEMS and SAFETY:
Automatic Steam Admission Systems-
The automatic steam inlet valve system as given in API 614 R3 Figure A-19, is the
recommended auto start setup. (This figure is provided below.) This system is composed of
three branches: Automatic steam admission branch, Manual inlet valve branch, and the Slow
Roll branch.

Automatic steam admission branch (required)-

The turbine may be started, stopped and restarted by control of this valve. The primary auto
start line should consist of a solenoid operated positive shutoff valve. The valve is to be
isolated through upstream and downstream block valves, with drain traps installed as
required. (Additional steam traps may be required, depending on the piping installation.) A
solenoid valve, mounted in the air supply line to the turbine inlet steam valve actuator, is to be
three way, passing an air signal to the actuator when (energized / de-energized) and
exhausting the signal when (de-energized / energized).

Automatic valve-
The inlet control valve must be located no more the (5) feet upstream of the turbine inlet
flange. The inlet valve shoulod open in (20) seconds and close in (2) seconds. The valve
should be ANSI Class IV shutoff or better, and should be sized to pass full steam supply with
the minimum possible pressure drop. The pressure drop across this valve must be
considered in calculating the turbine steam rate.

Manual inlet valve branch (recommended but optional)-

This valve is the standard manual positive shutoff steam service block valve. This valve is
used to manually operate to unit.
Slow roll branch (recommended but optional)-
See Slow Roll section 2.3.

Turbine Governor Valve-

The governor valve can be used to control steam flow when driving high inertia equipment.
(In these applications it is assumed any leakage past the governor valve will not be sufficient
to cause the turbine to rotate.)

Controls for start-up-

The customer must specify to Elliott the action of each device in the auto start system. For
example, does the unit trip on loss of power, or would the unit start on loss of power?

Governors-
The basic governor will assume control of the governor valve before the turbine has
accelerated to rated speed, provided there is sufficient load.

Mechanical hydraulic governors are generally oil relay type control systems. They are TG,
PG and UG governors. These governors have self-contained oil systems with a submerged
oil pump, and are therefore self-lubricated and self-priming. Governors must have the ability
to maintain internal oil at an acceptable temperature. Heaters or coolers may be required in
some cases.

Electronic governors consist of an electronic control system and a pneumatic controlled

governor valve positioner. They are the Peak 150, 505 and Elliott EDG with a Fisher or
Valtek positioner. It must be remembered that governors with remote speed changers may
require electrical or pneumatic power. All electronic governors requires a warm-up period of
at least 10 minutes. In standby service, electronic governors should be powered 100% of the
time.

The availability of operating air must be considered for governors with pneumatic speed
changers, or for electronic governors with pneumatic governor valve positioners.

Standard YR Trip Valve-

The standard trip valve on YR turbines is a spring loaded trip valve. The standard YR trip
valve is activated through a mechanical plunger system. The standard YR trip activates on
overspeed, per NEMA SM23 control requirements. The standard mechanical trip cannot be
reset from a remote location. A direct-connected, pneumatic trip system (RCS) is an optional
YR trip system, and may be remotely reset.

Separate Trip and Throttle Valve-

The standard separate TTV is a spring loaded, oil operated valve. The valve is manually
reset as standard. Oil pressure is required to set the valve in the ready position. An auxiliary
oil pump is required for all applications with a separate TTV.

8. ENVIRONMENT:
Ambient temperature is a major factor to consider for auto start applications.

9. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS for SPECIFIC YR FRAMES:

Slow Roll of Oil Pumps