EFFECT ON EFFICIENCY OF A STEAM TURBINE OF VARIATION OF SIZE OF A TWO-RON VELOCITY STAGE WHEEL THESIS Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of MASTER OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING at the /POLYTECHNIC -INSTITUTE OF BROOKLYN MUKHTAR AHMAD June 1950 Approved;- Thesi ead of Depa/Went ProQuest Number: 27591586 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 27591586 Published by ProQuest LLO (2019). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLO. ProQuest LLO. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.Q. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 DEDICATED to iny /\FATHER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author expresses his deep appreciation and sincere thanks to Prof. Edwin F, Church Jr. of the Mechanical Engi neering department. Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn , for his encouragement and guidance in the completion of the present thesis. VITA The author , î-iuklitar Ahmad , was born on October 1st. 1927 in the town of Azamgarh , U.P, j,India.) ■ . He graduated from Muslim University High School in the year 1941. He joined the Engineering Colle^g , hhislim University , Aligarh in 1945 after completing two years in the University., He took his Bachlor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering in June 1949, During his stty in the College the author compiled a comprehensive design report on "Design of Thermo-electric Power Station". After graduation the author joined the Tata Iron and Steel Works , Jamshedpore, Tatanagçr (India) , as an apprentice in December 1346 and was with them till June 1347, The author aws selected by Government of Pakistan for studies in this country. The author |iad an opportunity to be a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering Department of the N.E.D. Engineering College, Karachi (Pakistan) from February 1948 till July 1948, He came to this country in August 1948 and joined the Poly- tchnic Institute of Brooklyn as a full-time graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering Department, The present investigation ■statted in May 1949 and was completed in January 1350, TABLE OF CONTENT; Page (l) Introduction (2) Object and Working. procedure 4 (3) Discussions 7 (4) Results and Conclusions---------------- 15 (b) Sample Calculations ------ — 19 USED. A, Ap Cross- sectional area of nozzle at exit and throat Drv^ Diameter of rotor wheel at mean blade height h Blade height in inches h ^ Nozzle exit height at ex Ah Enthalpy difference a^on actual or irreversible path in BTU per lb Cumulative enthalpy drop in BTU per lb Hpj_ Hors© Power loss due to disc friction Velocity coefficient for flow through a nozzle kh Velocity coefficient for flow through blade passage m Thickness coefficient for blades or nozzle edges N Revolution per minute P Absolute pressure in psia Mean c ircumfrencial pitch R Reheat Factor Reheat Factor for infinite no. of stages r = p/p Fressure Ratio 2. ' T-fR Ratio of blade width to radius of blade face s Entropy V^ Absolute velocity of steam issuing from nozzle V3 Absolute velocity of steam at exit from blades Vgy Relative velocity of steam at inlet to blades V^y Relative velocity .of steam at out let from blades Vb Mean peripheral velocity of blades Velocity of whirl V^ Velocity of axial flow V (Specific Volume of steam in cu ft per Ih ¥ Weight flow in lb per sec X Quality of steam o( Nozzle angle |3 Blade enterence angle Y Blade exit angle X Absolute direction of steam leaving blades Nozzle efficiency I p Ratio of blade speed to steam speed 0- Percentage of circumfrenece occupied by active nozzles Combined nozzle and blading efficiency n b Blading or Diagram efficiency Stage efficiency 1 Overall efficiency INTRODUCTION With increasing demand from Central Poorer Stations for high er efficiency , reliability and comparatively cheap turbines , high er rotative speeds were introduced to meet this demand. For a 50- cycle generator a two - pole alternator will require a speed of 500u RPM and for 6u - cycle a speed of 5,000 RPH, •Mr» O.B, Warren of the General Electric Company ( reference # has pointed out that the turbine efficiency is increased §.s the des igned speed is increased j and that the increase is small in the last stages of the turbine due to high specific volume of steam. But when the volume of steam is small -, which is generally the case when hi^ pressure and high temperature steam is used , the g- in in efficiency is greater with increasing speed. This fact made it possible to use high pressures and temperatures in the turbines. Another important feetor in using higher pressures and temperatures in turbines is that it is easier to build reliable turbines if the dimensions of t the shell and rotor etc are kept small , and higher pressures and temperatures provide these conditions. Go it becomes a very signifi cant point in the design of a turbina to design the e-arly stages of this high pressure,and high temperature turbine with great care. In this country two- row velocity wheels are nearly uni versally used as the first stage in large and medium size turbines, The choice of a t'wo-ro^v velocity wheel in the early sU-.ges is usual ly the best design for reasons to be stated presently. .Suppose we were to use pressure stages instead of a two-row velocity wheel. The number of pressure stages required for replacing (2) a two-row velocity wheel will be about to 6 stages, ( in this case , depending upon the size of the wheels) in order to absorb the energy utilizes in a two - row velocity wheel. This increase in the number of stgaes of the turbine might increase the.overall efficiency of the turbine. But the fact remains that there will be y. . considerable amount of loss in partial admission in all these early -pres sure .-.stages as compared to losses in the two-rox velocity wheel. These losses are due to the. fact that the specific volume-is small at high pressures and the flow area required is such that partial admission has to be introduced. If 'we want to avoid .partial admission and cut down the disc friction losses , with the same area available for flow , the nozzle heights and the cor ‘esponding blade heights will be shorter. But using shorter blades ther is a definite decrease in the nozzle efficiency , and the stage efficiency shows a greater trend towards low values • This may be due to t^;fact ; . .. that tfie turbulance and other disturbances in the flow passages are q-. ite Hight. Not only this but by using two-row/wiieel the pressures within the shell will be considerably lowered and hence- the ^pressure ' ' A, on high pressure packings and on diaphgram packings will be reduced to a graeter extent. These losses are major items to be taken-care of in low volume flow. The rotational losses in the early stages of the turbine are also reduced considerably^ • r.'. ' ; There is no doubt that a t%m-row: velocity stage is not as efficient as a single pressui'e stage , but the efficiency . ith a two-row velocity stage rems.ins relatively constant over a wide r range of operating loads. We find that use of a t o-row velocity stage is desirable for reasons of efficiency , less cost and greater, reliability in operation.