Thermo-Structural Analysis of Steam Turbine Startup With and Without Integrated Prewarming System Using Hot Air

Motivated by the urgent need for flexibility and startup capability improvements of conventional power plants in addition to extending their life cycle, General Electric provides its customers with a product to prewarm steam turbines using hot air. In this paper, the transient thermal and structural analyses of a 19-stage intermediate pressure (IP) steam turbine in various startup operating modes are discussed in detail. The presented research is based on previous investigations and utilizes a hybrid finite element method (HFEM-numerical FEM and analytical) approach to efficiently determine the time-dependent temperature distribution in the components of the steam turbine. The simulation strategy of the HFEM model applies various analytical correlations to describe heat transfer in the turbine channel. These are developed by means of extensive unsteady multistage conjugate heat transfer (CHT) simulations for both startup turbine operation with steam and prewarming operation with hot air. Moreover, the complex numerical setup of the HFEM model also considers the thermal contact resistance (TCR) on the surfaces between vane and casing as well as blades and rotor. Prior to the analysis of other turbine startup operating modes, the typical startup turbine process is calculated and validated against an experimental data as a benchmark for subsequent analysis. In addition to heat transfer correlations, the simulation of a turbine startup from cold state uses an innovative analytic pressure model to allow for a consideration of condensation effects during first phase of startup procedure. Finally, the presented thermal investigation focuses on the comparison of transient temperature fields in the turbine for different startup scenarios after prewarming with hot air and provides the subsequent structural investigation with required boundary conditions. As a result, the values of the highest stress are numerically determined and compared to the values obtained by means of cold startup simulation. The final evaluation clearly displays the technical potential and the benefits of the prewarming concept.