Steam 

Turbine Vibration 
Resonance of Pedestal, Vibration 
Investigation with 
Countermeasures in Singapore

Kyoichi Ikeno
 Presenter/Author bios
Makoto Katagake is Senior Mechanical Engineer of the Turbine Design Section, Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries Compressor Corporation, in Hiroshima, Japan.
He has experience detail design of mechanical components with R&D for mechanical drive
turbines for 22 years.

Kyoichi Ikeno is Manager of Turbine Engineering & Design section, Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries Compressor Corporation, in Hiroshima, Japan. He is the specialist of detail
design of rotating components in mechanical drive steam turbines and has experience with
R&D for those turbines for 17 years. Mr. Ikeno has B.S. of Miyazaki University and M.S.
degrees (Mechanical Engineering) from Kyushu University.

Satoshi Hata is the Vice President of Engineering for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Compressor International Corporation in Houston, Texas. He has 33 year experience in
R&D for nuclear uranium centrifuges, turbomolecular pumps, heavy-duty gas
turbines, steam turbines and compressors. Mr. Hata has B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees
in Mechanical Engineering from Kyusyu Institute of Technology.
Preface
A Steam Turbine had been in operation for several years and this turbine
experienced the wear damage of governor linkage.
Then, measured the vibration velocity profile on Governor side pedestal to
identify the excited vibration mode and frequency.
According to collected data, investigated the possible root causes and conducted
3D vibration response analysis to the existing and the improved pedestal.
And, improved pedestal was supplied to the client and applied for actual machine
during turnaround. And, finally, the advantage of new improved pedestal was
confirmed.
This case study introduces the typical phenomena, RCA investigation, detail
vibration analysis, countermeasures and verification results as technical process.

Contents
1) Vibration situation for Steam Turbine
2) Root cause analysis and evaluation method
3) Countermeasure with result
3
1. Specification of Steam turbine with Gov, side pedestal
HP Casing
TTV(Steam inlet) E/H actuator HP Casing

HP/LP casing Cylinder

Casing
BRG pedestal
support
Rotor
Contact / Slide Casing support
surface
Base plate BRG pedestal Gov, side brg, pedestal with cover,
Section drawing of turbine linkage assembly
Turbine specification ; Major specification of bearing pedestal
Max, power ; 44MW with cover assembly;
Speed ; 3451 – 4263rpm 1) Fabricated welding structure
Plant start ; from 2000 2) Separated fabricating casing support
3) Material is Carbon steel (Eq, ASTM A36) 4
2.1 Background
Historical events at field ;
・Turbine start up in 2000
・ Gov, side pedestal Vibration increase from after 2nd turnaround 2009
・ Vibration causes linkage lever wear 25
and required control limit
X1 X1:Oil cylinder vibration

Vibration [mm/s] (0-P)

20
Y3 Nov,2010
X2 15 3850 rpm

Y6 10
X3
5
Z1
0
Site measurement points X1 X2 X3 Y3 Z1 Y6
(View from Gov, side) Pedestal vibration record in 2010 5
 2.2 Background
F・B LEVER
Impact of lever wear damage;

Actuator Lift A (mm)

Offset the neutral point of pilot valve Lift relation
Roller
Wear amount
≒ offset Shift
B F・B LEVER
A Valve

Actuator 0
Valve Lift B (mm)
F・B LEVER moved 
Pilot valve/Cylinder
from center, and 
Linkage lever arrange heavily worn Impossible control lift
Operation condition ;
It was shifted actual inlet steam flow with valve lift B
against E/H actuator lift A.
Also, Impossible control area occurred. 6
2.3 Background
Site vibration measurement record ;
12
O.A ; 10 mm/s
Vibration [mm/s]
10
8 X3 Spectrum plot @ 3850 rpm
6
64Hz The main characteristic is
4
2 rotating speed
(0-P)

0
0 50 100 150 Pedestal
Frequency Hz The out-of-phase mode
Cylinder Cylinder
E/H actuator Casing support
Exh,side Original position

Casing support
Measured vibration mode at 3850 rpm (59Hz)
X3 The main characteristic of the vibration mode is an
out-of –phase (counter-motion) mode between
Pedestal main pedestal and casing support
Measured vibration mode under operation
Site measurement points (No,30) (View from Exh, side) 7
3. Root Cause Analysis for Bearing Pedestal Vibration

Root cause failure analysis found on 3 main items as below;

1, Excessive external force

2, Increase of modal mass on bearing pedestal

3, Decrease of dynamic stiffness

・ Foundation degradation with
change of alignment condition

・ Bearing pedestal stiffness Resonance with

rotating speed
・ Natural frequency excitation
8
4.1 Response analysis of 3D Full modeling
In order to clarify the vibration mechanism, it performed vibration 3D response
analysis(cod-Nastran) with current bearing pedestal.

3D full FEM modeling

Rotor modeling with exciting force

Mass data with Boundary condition

Dynamic vibration response analysis

Original pedestal New pedestal

9
 4.2 Response analysis of 3D Full modeling
Rotor modeling with excitation force calculation

Step-1 : Calculate BRG

reaction force (F)

Step-2 : Analysis
Vibration response

10
5.1 Analysis result of original pedestal in hot condition
Comparison between Measurement data and Analysis result by animation mode.
View from TOP View from 3D Result；
・Well matched in both results.
・High responded Out-of-Phase mode
between main pedestal and casing support.

Main pedestal
Cylinder
Z
View from front side View from side Y
Casing support
Cylinder

Casing support
Analysis vibration mode result
Measured vibration mode at site (View from Exh, side)
11
5.2 Analysis result of original pedestal in hot condition
Final analysis results of fabricated pedestal type
Result；
・Natural frequency 74 Hz is close to the turbine operating
X3 speed range at hot condition.
・Vibration level in analysis is from 2 to 10 mm/s 0-P around
normal to maximum speed as same as site vibration level.
Contact surface 74 Hz

64 Hz

Operation range ; 57.5 – 71.0 Hz

12
6. Comparison of original and improved pedestals
Requirement for new pedestal design；
1) Full contact condition of pedestal surface.
2) Rigidly connection between pedestal body and
casing support without freestanding.

Old fabricated type New casting type

Casting pedestal type has more high stiffness than original type 13
7.1 3D analysis result of improved pedestal in hot condition
Final analysis results of Casting pedestal type
Result；
a) Natural frequency 41.0Hz to be out of operation range,
and satisfied with API standard (less than 48Hz).
X3
b) Vibration level in operation to be much lower at 0.2 to
0.4 mm/s 0-P even by 5-times of API unbalanced limit

Contact surface
Original(74Hz)
41.0 Hz

Operation range ; 57.5 – 71.0 Hz

14
7.2 3D analysis result of improved pedestal in hot condition
Following shows vibration mode of animation for original and improved pedestal .

New casting pedestal has a big

advantage against original pedestal

Z Z
Y Y

Original pedestal Improved pedestal 15

8. Site verification result for permanent solution
Result for applying of new improved pedestal
Improved pedestal
Vibration [mm/s] (0-P) Lower casing with cover
25
Nov,2010 3850 rpm E/H actuator with linkage
July, 2015 4150 rpm
20

15
Contact surface
10 Removed old pedestal,
checked alignment
5 Out view of similar turbine
Result ;
Vibration level in rotating speed to be much
0
reduced, which means reduction of 1/10 (one-
X1 X2 X3 Y3 Z1 Y6
Vibration record improved tenth) over compared with the existing pedestal
pedestal in 2015 vibration level. 16
9. Conclusion
(1) Summary of analysis result
Analyzed Vibration level
Pedestal Note
N・F in operation
Maximum
Fabricated type 74.0Hz 10mm/s 0-P
(Original design) (Hot condition)
(H-direction)
Less than 28% separation margin against 57.5Hz
Casting type
(Improved design)
41.0Hz 1mm/s 0-P (Min. speed) satisfied with API standard
(H-direction) of more than 16%

2) 3D response analysis was carried out using field measurement data.

- Analysis was confirmed root cause of site pedestal vibration.
- Analysis model used to design new bearing pedestal, and
confirmed the expected vibration include separation margin.
- Improved bearing pedestal retrofit to similar machines. (KSA/Singapore/China)
- Field record verified the improved vibration response analysis. 17
10. Lessons Learned
Requirement items to future structure design.

- The robust design that can applicable a wide operation speed range.

- The high stiffness design include separation margin based on API.

- Utilize full 3D analysis based on actual structure modeling with loading data,
and establishment of guidelines.
Sample ; Design check sheet for Dynamic response analysis
Operation range with margin

Allowable vibration line

Vibration(p-p)
(μm）

Safety zone
Should be applied the 
Turbine structure design.
Operation speed（Hz） 18
Thank you for your attention

19