Mechanical

Engineering Science
CHAPTER 3

Steam
Turbines

Prime Movers
Prime Mover is a device,
which converts the available natural
source of energy into mechanical
energy, to drive other machines.
Prime mover can also be defined as a
device in which the potential energy of
steam is transformed into kinetic
energy & later the kinetic energy is
converted into mechanical energy in the
form of rotary motion of the turbine.

Parts of the Turbine

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Nozzle
Rotor
Blades
Shaft
Casing

2
4
1

Nozzles are used to convert the pressure

energy of the steam to kinetic energy &
they direct the steam to the blades.
Blades are mounted on the
circumference of the turbine rotor. The
kinetic energy is converted into the
rotary motion i.e. mechanical energy.
Rotors are the circular discs on which
the blades are mounted.
Shaft is a metal rod on which the rotor is
fixed.
Casing is the one which encloses the
entire set up.

NOZZLE
Converges

Steam at high
Steam at high
pressure
velocity

Diverges

Throat

Entry
Exit
< sub sonic
super sonic

sonic

Impulse Turbine
In an impulse turbine, the steam is
initially expanded in a nozzle, so that high pressure
steam is converted into low pressure steam.
The high
velocity jet of steam, coming out of the nozzle is
made to impend on the blades or the curved vanes
of the turbine. This in turn results in the motion of
the rotor.
The change in energy takes place as :
Pressure energy
Kinetic energy
Mechanical
energy
( rotary
motion )

If the pressure is
lowered in a single step & complete
energy transformation ( shown in the
previous page ) takes place from only one
set or one row of blades, then the rotor of
the turbine rotates at a very high speed.
Such a high speed
posses a no. of technical problems such as
increase in vibrations, quick overheating
of bearings, difficulty in lubrication, etc
Hence, the expansion of steam is
performed in several stages. The
utilization of the high pressure energy of
the steam by expanding it in successive
stages is called as Compounding.

High velocity
Low velocity
steam
steam
Resultant of all the
centrifugal forces

curved vanes
( blades )

In an Impulse turbine, the Impulse force

which is the propelling or the driving force is
defined as the resultant of all the centrifugal
forces as a result of the change in momentum
due to the change in the direction of the steam
flow.
Example : Delaval
turbine
In the Pressure - Velocity graph, ( next
page) if the turbine is 100% efficient, V in = Vout
i.e. P & R will be in the same line. It is a
straight line from B to C coz the pressure
remains a constant, hypothetically, as the area
b/w the blades is a constant. The velocity
decreases from Q to R due to the conversion of
kinetic energy to mechanical energy

Pressure Velocity diagram

Nozzle

Moving

blades

Boiler pressure

Velocity

C
B

It contains 2 types of blades,

namely Fixed blades & Moving blades. The
blades are designed in such a way that when
the steam passes over it, the steam
experiences a same effect as in the nozzle.
Hence, the pressure drops continuously as the
steam passes over the set of blades causing
simultaneous increase in the velocity of steam.
The fixed blades act as
nozzle & they direct the steam to the moving
blades. The moving blades convert the kinetic
energy to the mechanical energy & cause the
motion of the turbines.

The fixed blades are

mounted on the casing while the
moving blades are mounted on the
rotor. The blades are of Aerofoil type in
shape.
The moving blades also
act as nozzles as the pressure is never
constant when the steam passes over
them coz the area b/w the blades isnt
a constant. They are either of
Converging or Diverging type.

Moving
blade
Resultant force
(1)

(1) Reaction force

(2) Centrifugal force

(2)

The force due to the backward

reaction to the force causing the motion of
the jet is called the Reaction force.
In addition to the reaction
force, there is also a centrifugal force
exerted by the steam due to the change in
its momentum as a result of the change in
its direction while passing over the blades.
The propelling force in case of the
Reaction turbines, is the resultant of the
reaction force as well as the centrifugal
force. Hence, it is more effective than the
Impulse turbine.

Pressure Velocity diagram

Fixed blades
Moving blades
A

Boiler pressure

Velocity

C
B

Pressure Velocity diagram

( Multiple Fixed & Moving Blades )

Boiler
pressure

Exit Velocity
Input Velocity
Exit Pressure

Differences
Particulars

Impulse Turbine

Reaction TURBINE

* Pressure
drop

Only in nozzle
& not
in the moving
blades.
Comparatively
low.
Small power
plants
Profile type
High coz of
large

In fixed as well
as the
moving blades.
Comparatively
high.
Large power
plants
Aerofoil type
Low coz of
smaller
drop in pressure

* Efficiency
* Application
* Type of
blades
* Steam &
Rotor
Speeds

Particulars

Impulse Turbine

Not difficult coz

it is
profile type.
Occupies less
Space
space.
occupied
(excluding
compounding)
Size
Size for same
power
Compounding
output is smaller.
Essential to
reduce the
speed of rotor.
Blade
manufacture

Reaction
TURBINE
Complicated
coz it is
aerofoil type.
Occupies more
space
per unit power
Large size coz
of
several stages /
steps
Not necessary
as the
pressure