Turbine Manufacturing B.H.E.L., Haridwar: An Industrial Training Report ON
Turbine Manufacturing B.H.E.L., Haridwar: An Industrial Training Report ON
Turbine Manufacturing B.H.E.L., Haridwar: An Industrial Training Report ON
ON
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After that they told about the Steam Turbine its types, parts like Blades, Casing, Rotor etc. Then
they told full explanation of constructional features and procedure along with equipment used.
Before telling about the machines used in Manufacturing of Blade, they told about the safety
precautions, Step by Step arrangement of machines in the block with a well-defined proper format.
They also told the material of blade for a particular desire, types of Blades, Operations performed
on Blades, their New Blade Shop less with Advance Technology like CNC Shaping Machine.
I would like to express my deep sense of Gratitude and thanks to (AGM) our in charge of training
in Turbine Block in B.H.E.L., Haridwar. Without the wise counsel and able guidance, it would
have been impossible to complete the report in this manner. Finally, I am indebted to all who so
ever have contributed in this report and friendly stay at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
INDEX
ABSTRACT i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii
CERTIFICATE iii
FIGURE INDEX
TABLE
INDEX
BHEL is the largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise in India in the energy related
infrastructure sector today. BHEL was established more than 40 years ago when its first plant was
setup in Bhopal ushering in the indigenous Heavy Electrical Equipment Industry in India a dream
which has been more than realized with a well recognized track record of performance it has been
earning profits continuously since1971-72.
BHEL caters to core sectors of the Indian Economy viz., Power Generation's & Transmissio n,
Industry, Transportation, Telecommunication, Renewable Energy, Defense, etc. The wide network
of BHEL's 14 manufacturing division, four power Sector regional centers, over 150 project sites,
eight service centers and 18 regional offices, enables the Company to promptly serve its customers
and provide them with suitable products, systems and services – efficiently and at competitive
prices. BHEL has already attained ISO 9000 certification for quality management, and ISO
14001certification for environment management.
The company’s inherent potential coupled with its strong performance make this one of the
“NAVRATNAS”, which is supported by the government in their endeavor to become future global
players.
B.H.E.L.
1.1. OVERVIEW
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (B.H.E.L.) is the largest engineering and manufactur ing
enterprise in India. BHEL caters to core sectors of the Indian Economy viz., Power
Generation's & Transmission, Industry, Transportation, Telecommunication, Renewable
Energy, Defense and many more.
• Established in 1960s under the Indo-Soviet Agreements of 1959 and 1960 in the area of
Scientific, Technical and Industrial Cooperation.
• BHEL has its setup spread all over India namely New Delhi, Gurgaon, Haridwar, Rudrapur ,
Jhansi, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Jagdishpur , Tiruchirapalli, Bangalore and many more.
• Over 65% of power generated in India comes from BHEL-supplied equipment.Overall it
has installed power equipment for over 90,000 MW.
• BHEL's Investment in R&D is amongst the largest in the corporate sector in India. Net
Profit of the company in the year 2011-2012 was recorded as 6868crore having a high of
21.2% in comparison to last year.
• BHEL has already attained ISO 9000 certification for quality management, and ISO 14001
certification for environment management.
• It is one of India's nine largest Public Sector Undertakings or PSUs, known as the
NAVRATNAS or 'The Nine Jewels’.
• The wide network of BHEL's 14 manufacturing divisions, 4 Power Sector regional centre,
over 100 project sites, 8 Service Centre and 18 regional offices, enables the Company to
promptly serve its customers and provide them with suitable products, systems and services
efficiently.
Power generation sector comprises thermal, gas, hydro and nuclear power plant business as of
31.03.2001, BHEL supplied sets account for nearly 64737 MW or 65% of the total installed
capacity of 99,146 MW in the country, as against nil till 1969-70.
BHEL has proven turnkey capabilities for executing power projects from concept to
commissioning, it possesses the technology and capability to produce thermal sets with super
critical parameters up to 1000 MW unit rating and gas turbine generator sets of up to 240 MW unit
rating. Co-generation and combined-cycle plants have been introduced to achieve higher plant
efficiencies. to make efficient use of the high-ash-content coal available in India, BHEL supplies
circulating fluidized bed combustion boilers to both thermal and combined cycle power plants.
The company manufactures 235 MW nuclear turbine generator sets and has commenced
production of 500 MW nuclear turbine generator sets.
Custom made hydro sets of Francis, Pelton and Kaplan types for different head discharge
combination are also engineering and manufactured by BHEL.
In all, orders for more than 700 utility sets of thermal, hydro, gas and nuclear have been placed on
the Company as on date. The power plant equipment manufactured by BHEL is based on
contemporary technology comparable to the best in the world and is also internationa lly
competitive.
The Company has proven expertise in Plant Performance Improvement through renovatio n
modernization and upgrading of a variety of power plant equipment besides specialized know how
of residual life assessment, health diagnostics and life extension of plants.
BHEL offer wide ranging products and systems for T & D applications. Products manufactured
include power transformers, instrument transformers, dry type transformers, series and stunt
reactor, capacitor tanks, vacuum and SF circuit breakers gas insulated switch gears and insulato rs.
A strong engineering base enables the Company to undertake turnkey delivery of electric
substances up to 400 kV level series compensation systems (for increasing power transfer capacity
of transmission lines and improving system stability and voltage regulation), shunt compensatio n
systems (for power factor and voltage improvement) and HVDC systems (for economic transfer
of bulk power). BHEL has indigenously developed the state-of-the-art controlled shunt reactor (for
reactive power management on long transmission lines). Presently a 400 kV Facts (Flexible AC
Transmission System) project under execution.
1.2.3. INDUSTRIES
BHEL is a major contributor of equipment and systems to industries. Cement, sugar, fertilize r,
refineries, petrochemicals, paper, oil and gas, metallurgical and other process industries lines and
improving system stability and voltage regulation, shunt compensation systems (for power factor
and voltage improvement) and HVDC systems(for economic transfer of bulk power) BHEL has
indigenously developed the state-of-the-art controlled shunt reactor (for reactive power
management on long transmission lines).Presently a 400 kV FACTS (Flexible AC Transmiss io n
System) projects is under execution. The range of system & equipment supplied includes: captive
power plants, co-generation plants DG power plants, industrial steam turbines, industrial boilers
and auxiliaries. Water heat recovery boilers, gas turbines, heat exchangers and pressure vessels,
centrifugal compressors, electrical machines, pumps, valves, seamless steel tubes, electrostatic
precipitators, fabric filters, reactors, fluidized bed combustion boilers, chemical recovery boilers
and process controls.
The Company is a major producer of large-size thruster devices. It also supplies digital distributed
control systems for process industries, and control & instrumentation systems for power plant and
industrial applications. BHEL is the only company in India with the capability to make simulato rs
for power plants, defense and other applications. The Company has commenced manufacture of
large desalination plants to help augment the supply of drinking water to people.
1.2.4. TRANSPORTATION
BHEL is involved in the development design, engineering, marketing, production, installation, and
maintenance and after-sales service of Rolling Stock and traction propulsion systems. In the area
of rolling stock, BHEL manufactures electric locomotives up to 5000HP, diesel-electr ic
locomotives from 350 HP to 3100 HP, both for mainline and shunting duly applications. BHEL is
also producing rolling stock for special applicatio ns viz., overhead equipment cars, Special well
wagons, Rail-cum-road vehicle etc., Besides traction propulsion systems for in-house use, BHEL
manufactures traction propulsion systems for other rolling stock producers of electric locomotives,
diesel-electric locomotives, electrical multiple units and metro cars. The electric and diesel traction
equipment on India Railways are largely powered by electrical propulsion systems produced by
BHEL. The company also undertakes retooling and overhauling of rolling stock in the area of
urban transportation systems. BHEL is geared up to turnkey execution of electric trolley bus
systems, light rail systems etc. BHEL is also diversifying in the area of port handing equipme nt
and pipelines transportation system.
1.2.5. TELECOMMUNICATION
BHEL also caters to Telecommunication sector by way of small, medium and large switching
system.
Technologies that can be offered by BHEL for exploiting non-conventional and renewable sources
of energy include: wind electric generators, solar photo voltaic systems, solar lanterns and battery-
powered road vehicles. The Company has taken up R&D efforts for development of multi-junctio n
amorphous silicon solar cells and fuel based systems.
BHEL has, over the years, established its references in around 60 countries of the world, ranging
for the United States in the west to New Zealand in the far east. These references encompass almost
the entire product range of BHEL, covering turnkey power projects of thermal, hydro and gas-
based types, substation projects, rehabilitation projects, besides a wide variety of products, like
transformers, insulators, switch gears, heat exchangers, castings and forgings, valves, wellhead
equipment, centrifugal compressors, photo-voltaic equipment etc. apart from over 1110mw of
boiler capacity contributed in Malaysia, and execution of four prestigious power projects in Oman,
some of the other major successes achieved by the company have been in Australia, Saudi Arabia,
Libya, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Egypt, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Iraq etc.
The company has been successful in meeting demanding customer's requirements in terms of
complexity of the works as well as technological, quality and other requirements viz. extended
warrantees, associated O&M, financing packages etc. BHEL has proved its capability to undertake
projects on fast-track basis. The company has been successful in meeting varying needs of the
industry, be it captive power plants, utility power generation or for the oil sector requirements.
Executing of overseas projects has also provided BHEL the experience of working with world
renowned consulting organizations and inspection agencies.
In addition to demonstrated capability to undertake turnkey projects on its own, BHEL possesses
the requisite flexibility to interface and complement with international companies for large projects
by supplying complementary equipment and meeting their production needs for intermediate as
well as finished products.
The success in the area of rehabilitation and life extension of power projects has established BHEL
as a comparable alternative to the original equipment manufacturers (OEM’S) for such plants.
To remain competitive and meet customers' expectations, BHEL lays great emphasis on the
continuous up gradation of products and related technologies, and development of new products.
The Company has upgraded its products to contemporary levels through continuous in house
efforts as well as through acquisition of new technologies from leading engineering organizatio ns
of the world.
The Corporate R&D Division at Hyderabad, spread over a 140 acre complex, leads BHEL's
research efforts in a number of areas of importance to BHEL's product range. Research and product
development centers at each of the manufacturing divisions play a complementary role.
BHEL's Investment in R&D is amongst the largest in the corporate sector in India. Products
developed in-house during the last five years contributed about 8.6% to the revenues in 20002001.
BHEL has introduced, in the recent past, several state-of-the-art products developed in-house: low-
NOx oil / gas burners, circulating fluidized bed combustion boilers, high-efficiency Pelton hydro
turbines, petroleum depot automation systems, 36kV gas-insulated sub-stations, etc. The Company
has also transferred a few technologies developed in-house to other Indian companies for
commercialization.
Some of the on-going development & demonstration projects include: Smart wall blowing system
for cleaning boiler soot deposits, and micro-controller based governor for diesel-electr ic
locomotives. The company is also engaged in research in futuristic areas, such as application of
super conducting materials in power generations and industry, and fuel cells for distributed,
environment- friendly power generation.
The most prized asset of BHEL is its employees. The Human Resource Development Institute and
other HRD centers of the Company help in not only keeping their skills updated and finely honed
but also in adding new skills, whenever required .Continuous training and retraining, positive, a
positive work culture and participative style of management, have engendered development of a
committed and motivated workforce leading to enhanced productivity and higher levels of quality.
The major units of BHEL have already acquired ISO 14001 Environmental Management System
Certification, and other units are in advanced stages of acquiring the same. Action plan has been
prepared to acquire OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System
certification for all BHEL units.
In pursuit of these Policy requirements, BHEL will continuously strive to improve work particles
in the light of advances made in technology and new understandings in Occupational Health,
Safety and Environmental Science Participation in the "Global Compact" of the United Nations.
The "Global Compact" is a partnership between the United Nations, the business community,
international labor and NGOs. It provides a forum for them to work together and improve corporate
practices through co-operation rather than confrontation.
BHEL has joined the "Global Compact" of United Nations and has committed to support it and the
set of core values enshrined in its nine principles.
LABOUR STANDARDS
1. Business should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right
to collective bargaining.
3. Eliminate discrimination.
4. The elimination of all form of forces and compulsory labour.
5. The effective abolition of child labour.
6. Eliminate discrimination.
ENVIRONMENT
7. Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges .
8. Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility and
9. Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
By joining the "Global Compact", BHEL would get a unique opportunity of networking with
corporate and sharing experience relating to social responsibility on global basis.
Table-1
1.6.1. LOCATION
It is situated in the foot hills of Shivalik range in Haridwar. The main administrative building is at
a distance of about 8 km from Haridwar.
1.6.2. ADDRESS
Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL)
1.6.3. AREA
BHEL Haridwar consists of two manufacturing units, namely Heavy Electrical Equipment Plant
(HEEP) and Central Foundry Forge Plant (CFFP), having area
Central Foundry Forge Plant (CFFP) is engaged in manufacture of Steel Castings:Up to 50 Tons
per Piece Wt & Steel Forgings: Up to 55 Tons per Piece Wt.
1.6.4. UNITS
There are two units in BHEL Haridwar as followed:
III) Turbines & Steam , Hydro Turbines, Gas turbines, Turbine Blade, Special Tooling.
Auxilary
IV) Feeder Winding of Turbo ,Hydro Generators, Insulation for AC & DC Motors
V) Fabrication Fabricated Parts of Steam Turbine, Water Boxes, Storage Tank, Hydro
Turbine Parts
VI) Fabrication Fabricated Oil Tanks, Hollow Guide Blades, Rings, Stator Frames and
Stamping & Die Rotor Spindle, All Dies, Stamping for Generators and Motor
Manufacturing
VIII) Heaters & LP heaters, Ejectors, Glands, Steam and Oil Coolers, Oil Tank, Bearing
Coolers Covers
Table-2
Table -3
1. THERMAL SETS:
• Steam turbines and generators up to 500 MW capacity for utility and combined cycle
applications
• Capability to manufacture up to 1000 MW unit cycle.
2. GAS TURBINES:
• Gas turbines for industry and utility application range 3 to 200 MW (ISO).
• Gas turbines based co-generation and combined cycle system.
3. HYDRO SETS:
• Custom– built conventional hydro turbine of Kaplan, Francis and Pelton with matching
generators up to 250 MW unit size.
• Pump turbines with matching motor-generators.
• Mini / micro hydro sets.
• Spherical butterfly and rotary valves and auxiliaries for hydro station.
4. EQUIPMENT FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS:
• Turbines and generators up to 500MW unit size.
• Steam generator up to 500MW unit size.
• Re-heaters / Separators.
• Heat exchangers and pressure vessels.
5. ELECTRICAL MACHINES:
• DC general purpose and rolling mill machines from 100 to 19000KW suitable for operation
on voltage up to 1200V. These are provided with STDP, totally enclosed and duct
ventilated enclosures.
• DC auxiliary mill motors.
6. CONTROL PANEL:
Control panel for voltage up to 400KW and control desks for generating stations and EMV
sub–stations.
8. DEFENCE:
• Naval guns with collaboration of Italy.
2. STEAM TURBINE
2.1 INTRODUCTION
A turbine is a device that converts chemical energy into mechanical energy, specifically when a
rotor of multiple blades or vanes is driven by the movement of a fluid or gas. In the case of a steam
turbine, the pressure and flow of newly condensed steam rapidly turns the rotor. This moveme nt
is possible because the water to steam conversion results in a rapidly expanding gas. As the
turbine’s rotor turns, the rotating shaft can work to accomplish numerous applications, often
electricity generation.
In a steam turbine, the steam’s energy is extracted through the turbine and the steam leaves the
turbine at a lower energy state. High pressure and temperature fluid at the inlet of the turbine exit
as lower pressure and temperature fluid. The difference is energy converted by the turbine to
mechanical rotational energy, less any aerodynamic and mechanical inefficiencies incurred in the
process. Since the fluid is at a lower pressure at the exit of the turbine than at the inlet, it is common
to say the fluid has been “expanded” across the turbine. Because of the expanding flow, higher
volumetric flow occurs at the turbine exit (at least for compressible fluids) leading to the need for
larger turbine exit areas than at the inlet.
The generic symbol for a turbine used in a flow diagram is shown in Figure below. The symbol
diverges with a larger area at the exit than at the inlet. This is how one can tell a turbine symbol
from a compressor symbol. In Figure, the graphic is colored to indicate the general trend of
temperature drop through a turbine. In a turbine with a high inlet pressure, the turbine blades
convert this pressure energy into velocity or kinetic energy, which causes the blades to rotate.
Many green cycles use a turbine in this fashion, although the inlet conditions may not be the same
as for a conventional high pressure and temperature steam turbine. Bottoming cycles, for instance,
extract fluid energy that is at a lower pressure and temperature than a turbine in a conventio na l
power plant. A bottoming cycle might be used to extract energy from the exhaust gases of a large
diesel engine, but the fluid in a bottoming cycle still has sufficient energy to be extracted across a
turbine, with the energy converted into rotational energy.
Turbines also extract energy in fluid flow where the pressure is not high but where the fluid has
sufficient fluid kinetic energy. The classic example is a wind turbine, which converts the wind’s
kinetic energy to rotational energy. This type of kinetic energy conversion is common in green
energy cycles for applications ranging from larger wind turbines to smaller hydrokinetic turbines
currently being designed for and demonstrated in river and tidal applications. Turbines can be
designed to work well in a variety of fluids, including gases and liquids, where they are used not
only to drive generators, but also to drive compressors or pumps.
One common (and somewhat misleading) use of the word “turbine” is “gas turbine,” as in a gas
turbine engine. A gas turbine engine is more than just a turbine and typically includes a
compressor, combustor and turbine combined to be a self-contained unit used to provide shaft or
thrust power. The turbine component inside the gas turbine still provides power, but a compressor
and combustor are required to make a self-contained system that needs only the fuel to burn in the
combustor.
An additional use for turbines in industrial applications that may also be applicable in some green
energy systems is to cool a fluid. As previously mentioned, when a turbine extracts energy from a
fluid, the fluid temperature is reduced. Some industries, such as the gas processing industry, use
turbines as sources of refrigeration, dropping the temperature of the gas going through the turbine.
In other words, the primary purpose of the turbine is to reduce the temperature of the working fluid
as opposed to providing power. Generally speaking, the higher the pressure ratio across a turbine,
the greater the expansion and the greater the temperature drop. Even where turbines are used to
cool fluids, the turbines still produce power and must be connected to a power absorbing device
that is part of an overall system.
Also note that turbines in high inlet-pressure applications are sometimes called expanders. The
terms “turbine” and “expander” can be used interchangeably for most applications, but expander
is not used when referring to kinetic energy applications, as the fluid does not go through
significant expansion.
2.2. ADVANTAGES:-
• Ability to utilize high pressure and high temperature steam.
• High efficiency.
• High rotational speed.
• High capacity/weight ratio.
• Smooth, nearly vibration-free operation.
• No internal lubrication.
• Oil free exhausts steam.
2.3 DISADVANTAGES:-
For slow speed application reduction gears are required. The steam turbine cannot be made
reversible. The efficiency of small simple steam turbines is poor.
The principle of the impulse steam turbine consists of a casing containing stationary steam nozzles
and a rotor with moving or rotating buckets. The steam passes through the stationary nozzles and
is directed at high velocity against rotor buckets causing the rotor to rotate at high speed. The
following events take place in the nozzles:
5. There is a conversion of heat energy to kinetic energy as the heat energy from the decrease in
steam enthalpy is converted into kinetic energy by the increased steam velocity.
If steam at high pressure is allowed to expand through stationary nozzles, the result will be a drop
in the steam pressure and an increase in steam velocity. In fact, the steam will issue from the nozzle
in the form of a high-speed jet. If this high steam is applied to a properly shaped turbine blade, it
will change in direction due to the shape of the blade. The effect of this change in direction of the
steam flow will be to produce an impulse force, on the blade causing it to move. If the blade is
attached to the rotor of a turbine, then the rotor will revolve. Force applied to the blade is developed
by causing the steam to change direction of flow (Newton’s 2 nd Law – change of momentum). The
change of momentum produces the impulse force. The fact that the pressure does not drop across
the moving blades is the distinguishing feature of the impulse turbine. The pressure at the inlet to
the moving blades is the same as the pressure at the outlet from the moving blades.
A reaction turbine has rows of fixed blades alternating with rows of moving blades. The steam
expands first in the stationary or fixed blades where it gains some velocity as it drops in pressure.
It then enters the moving blades where its direction of flow is changed thus producing an impulse
force on the moving blades. In addition, however, the steam upon passing through the moving
blades again expands and further drops in pressure giving a reaction force to the blades. This
sequence is repeated as the steam passes through additional rows of fixed and moving blades.
3.4 IMPULSE TURBINE STAGING
In order for the steam to give up all its kinetic energy to the moving blades in an impulse turbine,
it should leave the blades at zero absolute velocity. This condition will exist if the blade velocity
is equal to one half of the steam velocity. Therefore, for good efficiency the blade velocity should
be about one half of steam velocity. In order to reduce steam velocity and blade velocity, the
following methods may be used:
1.Pressure compounding.
2.Velocity compounding.
3.Pressure-velocity compounding.
4.Pressure Compounding.
4. TURBINE PARTS
4.1 TURBINE BLADES
• Cylindrical reaction blades for HP, IP and LP Turbines
• 3-DS blades, in initial stages of HP and IP Turbine, to reduce secondary losses.
• Twisted blade with integral shroud, in last stages of HP, IP and initial stages of LP turbines,
to reduce profile and Tip leakage losses
DISC ROTORS
All larger disc rotors are now machined out of a solid forging of nickel steel; this should give the
strongest rotor and a fully balanced rotor. It is rather expensive, as the weight of the final rotor is
approximately 50% of the initial forging. Older or smaller disc rotors have shaft and discs made
in separate pieces with the discs shrunk on the shaft. The bore of the discs is made 0.1% smaller
in diameter than the shaft. The discs are then heated until they easily are slid along the shaft and
located in the correct position on the shaft and shaft key. A small clearance between the discs
prevents thermal stress in the shaft.
DRUM ROTORS
The first reaction turbines had solid forged drum rotors. They were strong, generally well balanced
as they were machined over the total surface. With the increasing size of turbines the solid rotors
got too heavy pieces. For good balance the drum must be machined both outside and inside and
the drum must be open at one end. The second part of the rotor is the drum end cover with shaft.
5. CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES OF A BLADE
The blade can be divided into 3 parts:
• The profile, which converts the thermal energy of steam into kinetic energy, with a certain
efficiency depending upon the profile shape.
• The root, which fixes the blade to the turbine rotor, giving a proper anchor to the blade,
and transmitting the kinetic energy of the blade to the rotor.
• The damping element, which reduces the vibrations which necessarily occur in the blades
due to the steam flowing through the blades. These damping elements may be integral with
blades, or they may be separate elements mounted between the blades. Each of these
elements will be separately dealt with in the following sections.
If circles are drawn tangential to the suction side and pressure side profiles of a blade, and their
centers are joined by a curve, this curve is called the camber line. This camber line intersects the
profile at two points A and B. The line joining these points is called chord, and the length of this
line is called the chord length. A line which is tangential to the inlet and outlet edges is called the
bitangent line. The angle which this line makes with the circumferential direction is called the
setting angle. Pitch of a blade is the circumferential distance between any point on the profile and
an identical point on the next blade.
a) Most of the turbines are partial arc admission turbines. If the first stage is are action stage, the
lower half of the moving blades do not have any inlet steam, and would ventilate. Therefore,
most of the stage heat drop should occur in the guide blades.
b) The heat drop across the first stage should be high, so that the wheel chamber of the outer casing
is not exposed to the high inlet parameters. In case of -4turbines, the inner casing parting plane
strength becomes the limitation, and therefore requires a large heat drop across the 1st stage.
c) Nozzle control gives better efficiency at part loads than throttle control.
d) The number of stages in the turbine should not be too high, as this will increase the length of
the turbine.
There are exceptions to the rule. Turbines used for CCPs, and BFP drive turbines do not have a
control stage. They are throttle-governed machines. Such designs are used when the inlet pressure
slides. Such machines only have reaction stages. However, the inlet passages of such turbines must
be so designed that the inlet steam to the first reaction stage is properly mixed, and occupies the
entire 360 degrees. There are also cases of controlled extraction turbines where the L.P. control
stage is an impulse stage. This is either to reduce the number of stages to make the turbine short,
or to increase the part load efficiency by using nozzle control, which minimizes throttle losses.
5.3 H.P. BLADE ROOTS
The root is a part of the blade that fixes the blade to the rotor or stator. Its design depends upon
the centrifugal and steam bending forces of the blade. It should be designed such that the material
in the blade root as well as the rotor / stator claw and any fixing element are in the safe limits to
avoid failure. The roots are T-root and Fork-root. The fork root has a higher loadcarrying capacity
than the T-root. It was found that machining this T-root with side grip is more of a problem. It has
to be machined by broaching, and the broaching machine available could not handle the sizes of
the root. The typical roots used for the HP moving blades for various steam turbine applicatio ns
are shown in the following figure:
T-ROOT
FORK ROOT
The LP blade profiles of moving blades are twisted and tapered. These blades are used when blade
height-to- mean stage diameter ratio (h/Dm) exceeds 0.2.
1) 2 Blading :
a. The roots of both the LP stages in –2 type of LP Blading are T-roots.
2) 3 Blading:
a. The last stage LP blade of HK, SK and LK blades have a fork-root. SK blades
have4-fork roots for all sizes. HK blades have 4-fork roots up to 56 size, where
modified profiles are used. Beyond this size, HK blades have 3 fork roots. LK
blades have 3-forkroots for all sizes. The roots of the LP blades of preceding stages
are of T-roots.
• Nozzle-passing excitation: As the blades pass the nozzles of the stage, they encounter
flow disturbances due to the pressure variations across the guide blade passage. They
also encounter disturbances due to the wakes and eddies in the flow path. These are
sufficient to cause excitation in the moving blades. The excitation gets repeated at
every pitch of the blade. This is called nozzle-passing frequency excitation. The order
of this frequency =no. of guide blades x speed of the machine. Multiples of this
frequency are considered for checking for resonance.
• Excitation due to non-uniformities in guide-blades around the periphery. These can
occur due to manufacturing inaccuracies, like pitch errors, setting angle variations, inlet
and outlet edge variations, etc.
For HP blades, due to the thick and cylindrical cross-sections and short blade heights, the natural
frequencies are very high. Nozzle-passing frequencies are therefore necessarily considered, since
resonance with the lower natural frequencies occurs only with these orders of excitation. In LP
blades, since the blades are thin and long, the natural frequencies are low. The excitatio n
frequencies to be considered are therefore the first few multiples of speed, since the nozzlepass ing
frequencies only give resonance with very high modes, where the vibration stresses are low.
The HP moving blades experience relatively low vibration amplitudes due to their thicker sections
and shorter heights. They also have integral shrouds. These shrouds of adjacent blades butt against
each other forming a continuous ring. This ring serves two purposes – it acts as a steam seal, and
it acts as a damper for the vibrations. When vibrations occur, the vibration energy is dissipated as
friction between shrouds of adjacent blades.
For HP guide blades of Wesel design, the shroud is not integral, but a shroud band is riveted to a
number of guide blades together. The function of this shroud band is mainly to seat the steam. In
some designs HP guide blades may have integral shrouds like moving blades. The primary functio n
remains steam sealing.
In industrial turbines, in LP blades, the resonant vibrations have high amplitudes due to the thin
sections of the blades, and the large lengths. It may also not always be possible to avoid resonance
at all operating conditions. This is because of two reasons. Firstly, the LP blades are standardized
for certain ranges of speeds, and turbines may be selected to operate anywhere in the speed range.
The entire design range of operating speed of the LP blades cannot be outside the resonance range.
It is, of course, possible to design a new LP blade for each application, but this involves a lot of
design efforts and manufacturing cycle time. However, with the present-day computer packages
and manufacturing methods, it has become feasible to do so. Secondly, the driven machine may
be a variable speed machine like a compressor or a boiler-feed-pump. In this case also, it is not
possible to avoid resonance. In such cases, where it is not possible to avoid resonance, a damping
element is to be used in the LP blades to reduce the dynamic stresses, so that the blades can operate
continuously under resonance also. There may be blades which are not adequately damped due to
manufacturing inaccuracies. The need fora damping element is therefore eliminated. In case the
frequencies of the blades tend towards resonance due to manufacturing inaccuracies, tuning is to
be done on the blades to correct the frequency. This tuning is done by grinding off material at the
tip (which reduces the inertia more than the stiffness) to increase the frequency, and by grinding
off material at the base of the profile (which reduces the stiffness more than the inertia) to reduce
the natural frequency.
a) Material damping: This type of damping is because of the inherent damping properties of
the material which makes up the component.
b) Aerodynamic damping: This is due to the damping of the fluid which surrounds the
component in operation.
c) Friction damping: This is due to the rubbing friction between the component under
consideration with any other object.
Out of these damping mechanisms, the material and aerodynamic types of damping are very small
in magnitude. Friction damping is enormous as compared to the other two types of damping.
Because of this reason, the damping elements in blades generally incorporate a feature by which
the vibrational energy is dissipated as frictional heat. The frictional damping has a particular
characteristic. When the frictional force between the rubbing surfaces is very small as compared
to the excitation force, the surfaces slip, resulting in friction damping. However, when the
excitation force is small when compared to the frictional force, the surfaces do not slip, resulting
in locking of the surfaces. This condition gives zero friction damping, and only the material and
aerodynamic damping exists. In a periodically varying excitation force, it may frequently happen
that the force is less than the friction force.
During this phase, the damping is very less. At the same time, due to the locking of the rubbing
surfaces, the overall stiffness increases and the natural frequency shifts drastically away from the
individual value. The response therefore also changes in the locked condition. The resonant
response of a system therefore depends upon the amount of damping in the system (which is
determined by the relative duration of slip and stick in the system, i.e., the relative magnitude of
excitation and friction forces) and the natural frequency of the system (which alters between the
individual values and the locked condition value, depending upon the slip or stick condition).
Among the different materials typically used for blading are 403 stainless steel, 422 stainless steel,
A-286, and Haynes Satellites Alloy Number 31 and titanium alloy. The403 stainless steel is
essentially the industry’s standard blade material and, on impulse steam turbines, it is probably
found on over 90 percent of all the stages. It is used because of its high yield strength, endurance
limit, ductility, toughness, erosion and corrosion resistance, and damping. It is used within a Brinell
hardness range of 207 to 248 to maximize its damping and corrosion resistance. The 422 stainless
steel material is applied only on high temperature stages (between 700 and 900°F or 371 and
482°C), where its higher yield, endurance, creep and rupture strengths are needed.
The A-286 material is a nickel-based super alloy that is generally used in hot gas expanders with
stage temperatures between 900 and 1150°F (482 and 621°C). The Haynes Satellites Alloy
Number 31 is a cobalt-based super alloy and is used on jet expanders when precision cast blades
are needed. The Haynes Satellite Number 31 is used at stage temperatures between 900 and 1200°F
(482 and 649°C). Another blade material is titanium. Its high strength, low density, and good
erosion resistance make it a good candidate for high speed or long-last stage blading.
6. MANUFACTURING PROCESS
6.1 INTRODUCTION
Manufacturing process is that part of the production process which is directly concerned with the
change of form or dimensions of the part being produced. It does not include the transportatio n,
handling or storage of parts, as they are not directly concerned with the changes into the form or
dimensions of the part produced. Manufacturing is the backbone of any industrialized nation.
Manufacturing and technical staff in industry must know the various manufacturing processes,
materials being processed, tools and equipments for manufacturing different components or
products with optimal process plan using proper precautions and specified safety rules to avoid
accidents. Beside above, all kinds of the future engineers must know the basic requirements of
workshop activities in term of man, machine, material, methods, money and other infrastructure
facilities needed to be positioned properly for optimal shop layouts or plant layout and other
support services effectively adjusted or located in the industry or plant within a well planned
manufacturing organization. Today’s competitive manufacturing era of high industria l
development and research, is being called the age of mechanization, automation and computer
integrated manufacturing. Due to new researches in the manufacturing field, the advancement has
come to this extent that every different aspect of this technology has become a full-fled ged
fundamental and advanced study in itself. This has led to introduction of optimized design and
manufacturing of new products. New developments in manufacturing areas are deciding to transfer
more skill to the machines for considerably reduction of manual labor.
For producing of products materials are needed. It is therefore important to know the characteristic s
of the available engineering materials. Raw materials used manufacturing of products, tools,
machines and equipments in factories or industries are for providing commercial castings, called
ingots. Such ingots are then processed in rolling mills to obtain market form of material supply in
form of bloom, billets, slabs and rods. These forms of material supply are further subjected to
various manufacturing processes for getting usable metal products of different shapes and sizes in
various manufacturing shops. All these processes used in manufacturing concern for changing the
ingots into usable products may be classified into six major groups as
Primary shaping processes are manufacturing of a product from an amorphous material. Some
processes produces finish products or articles into its usual form whereas others do not, and require
further working to finish component to the desired shape and size. The parts produced through
these processes may or may not require to undergo further operations. Some of the important
primary shaping processes are:
• Casting
• Powder metallurgy
• Plastic technology
• Gas cutting
• Bending and
• Forging
In many cases these operations are performed on rods, bars and flat surfaces in machine shops.
These secondary processes are mainly required for achieving dimensional accuracy and a very
high degree of surface finish. The secondary processes require the use of one or more machine
tools, various single or multi-point cutting tools (cutters), jobholding devices, marking and
measuring instruments, testing devices and gauges etc. forgetting desired dimensional control and
required degree of surface finish on the work-pieces. The example of parts produced by machining
processes includes hand tools machine tools instruments, automobile parts, nuts, bolts and gears
etc. Lot of material is wasted as scrap in the secondary or machining process. Some of the common
secondary or machining processes are:
• Turning
• Threading
• Knurling
• Milling
• Drilling
• Boring
• Planning
• Shaping
• Slotting
• Sawing
• Broaching
• Hobbing
• Grinding
• Gear Cutting
• Thread cutting and
• Unconventional machining processes namely machining with Numerical control (NC)
machines tools or Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine tool using ECM,
LBM, AJM, USM setups.
7. BLOCK 3 LAY-OUT
Table 5: Lay-out of Block 3
8. CLASSIFICATION OF BLOCK 3
1. HMS
In this shop heavy machine work is done with the help of different NC &CNC machine s
such as center lathes, vertical and horizontal boring & milling machines. Asia’s largest vertical
boring machine is installed here and CNC horizontal boring milling machines from Skoda of
Czechoslovakia.
1. HMS
In this shop several components of steam turbine like LP, HP & IP rotors, Internal & external
casing are manufactured with the help of different operations carried out through different NC &
CNC machines like grinding, drilling, vertical & horizontal milling and boring machines, center
lathes, planer, Kopp milling machine.
2. Assembly Section
In this section assembly of steam turbines up to 1000 MWIs assembled. 1st moving blades are
inserted in the grooves cut on circumferences of rotor, then rotor is balanced in balancing tunnel
in bay-1.After is done in which guide blades are assembled inside the internal casing & then rotor
is fitted inside this casing. After it this internal casing with rotor is inserted into the external.
BAY 3 IS DIVIDED INTO 3 PARTS:
1. Bearing Section
In this section Journal bearings are manufactured which are used in turbines to overcome
the vibration & rolling friction by providing the proper lubrication.
2. Turning Section
In this section small lathe machines, milling & boring machines, grinding machines &
drilling machines are installed. In this section small jobs are manufactured like rings, studs, disks
etc.
3. Governing Section
In this section governors are manufactured. These governors are used in turbines for
controlling the speed of rotor within the certain limits. 1st all components of governor are made
by different operations then these all parts are treated in heat treatment shop for providing the
hardness. Then these all components are assembled into casing. There are more than 1000
components of Governor.
2. Turning Section
Same as the turning section in Bay-3, there are several small Machine like lathes machine s,
milling, boring, grinding machines etc.
Basically the design of blades is classified according to the stages of turbine. The size of LP
TURBINE BLADES is generally greater than that of HP TURBINE BLADES. At the first T1, T2,
T3 & T4 kinds of blades were used, these were 2nd generation blades. Then it was replaced by
TX, BDS (for HP TURBINE) & F shaped blades. The most modern blades are F & Z shaped
blades.
• Milling
• Blank Cutting
• Grinding of both the surfaces
• Cutting
• Root milling
Gone through rigorous 4 Weeks training under the guidance of capable engineers and workers of
BHEL Haridwar in Block-3 “TURBINE MANUFACTURING” headed by Senior Engineer of
department situated in Ranipur, Haridwar,(Uttarakhand).
The training was specified under the Turbine Manufacturing Department. Working under the
department I came to know about the basic grinding, scaling and machining processes which was
shown on heavy to medium machines. Duty lathes were planted in the same line where the
specified work was undertaken.
The training brought to my knowledge the various machining and fabrication processes went not only
in the manufacturing of blades but other parts of the turbine.