Steam turbines reliably generate a substantial portion of electric power and are used for mechanical drives and ship propulsion. Significant improvements in their efficiency and reliability are still being achieved from new design techniques, better materials, and better control of operation and maintenance.

Unfortunately, turbines and their auxiliaries are a major contributor to forced outages of the utility and industrial systems. Recently, the cost of lost generation during peak demand was as high as $10,000 per MW hour. In addition, wear, deposits, and outdated design cause high heat rate and lower output. Blade vibration and corrosion fatigue, stress corrosion of discs, erosion, bearing failures, creep and low cycle fatigue of the high temperature components, water induction, water hammer, and failures of the auxiliaries are the typical problems. These problems can be eliminated or reduced by improved operation, redesign, use of better materials, and by diagnostic monitoring and preventive maintenance.

This course is designed to review the basics of turbines and their auxiliaries and to introduce new developments and their applications to maintenance, life extension, and upgrading of existing installations. Interactions of different engineering and managerial disciplines and personnel are also outlined. Fossil and nuclear utility and typical industrial and marine applications will be covered.

There is time and flexibility within the course to concentrate on topics of specific interest to participants and for discussion, examples, and solving of practical problems.

Day 1

Introduction: Steam Cycle and Turbine Development, Experience and Problems

Turbine Descriptions, Auxiliaries

Materials and their Properties: Metallurgy; Strength; Fatigue; Creep; Low Cycle Fatigue; Damping; Corrosion; Leak Before Break

Turbine Failure Mechanisms: Discussion of Major Turbine Failures; Life Extension for Creep, Fatigue and Corrosion

Day 2

Thermodynamics and Flow: Thermodynamics and Basic Power Cycle; Thermodynamic Diagrams; Steam Properties; Flow Dynamics

Thermodynamics of Steam Cycles: Application to Cycle Selection; Efficiency; Heat Balance

Thermodynamic Design of Turbines: Blade Path, Valves and Extractions, Codes and Computational Methods

Mechanical Design I: Basic Considerations

Evening Session: A Panel Discussion of Participants' Turbine Problems

Day 3

Mechanical Design II: Rotors and Blades; Casing and Other Stationary Parts; Supports; Bearing and Seal Systems; Valves and Piping; Thermo-Stresses; Creep; Low Cycle Fatigue

Controls and Monitoring: Mechanical, Hydraulic and Electro-Hydraulic Systems; Cycle vs. Turbine Control; Constant vs. Sliding Pressure; Extraction Control; Diagnostic Engineering

Steam Chemistry and Corrosion Control: Deposition and Problems in Turbines; Water vs. Steam Chemistry; Control Limits; Interaction of Stress-Material-Environment; Design

Repairs and Maintenance: Maintenance; Inspection of Critical Components; Repair and Replacement

Nondestructive Testing (NDT) and Failure Analysis: Inspection Methods and Intervals; Metallurgical Failure Analysis

This course is offered in conjunction with the Center for Professional Advancement. The Center has been reviewed and approved as a Certified Provider of continuing education and training programs by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and 1.8 Continuing Education Units (CEU) will be awarded for participation in this course. This is based upon ten classroom contact hours per unit. The CEU is a nationally accepted uniform unit of measurement in qualified courses of continuing education.