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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Welding of Haynes 282 to Steels to Enable Modular Rotors for Advanced Ultra Super-Critical Steam Turbines

Steam turbines for an Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) fossil fired power plant will operate at temperatures well above those of current commercial steam cycles with inlet temperatures more than 760 C , which is beyond the capabilities of alloy steels presently used for steam turbine applications and requires advanced materials. Large components such as steam turbine rotors may be made of nickel based super alloys such as Haynes 282 (H282). However, monolithic forgings of superalloys in the sizes required for large steam turbines rotors can be prohibitively expensive besides many technical challenges. To minimize cost and alleviate the related technical challenges, superalloy use needs to be limited to locations on the steam turbine rotor where strength and temperature requirements cannot be met by conventional steels. This is possible if nickel-based superalloys can be successfully welded to steels and the related technical challenges - machining parts made of dissimilar welded materials, non-destructive examination of such welds for flaw detection; and, material properties of such hybrid components – are sufficiently addressed. In this technology development project, we successfully welded H282 to plates up to ~ 75 mm (~ 3 inches) to a 3.5NiCrMoV steel of similar thickness. Advanced ultrasonic inspection technique called Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) was employed to examine the dissimilar H282-Steel welds, into which flat bottomed side drilled holes (SDH) of various diameters were introduced, to determine the minimum detectable feature sizes; it was shown that with PAUT SDH of dia. down to 0.5 mm could be detected in the base alloys and SDH with dia. down to 2.4 mm could be detected in the weld metal under multiple orientations successfully. An autonomous machining process monitoring system was developed and demonstrated whereby the forces acting on the cutting tool could be actively monitored as the cutting tool transitioned from H282 to Steel across the weld using which the machining parameters can be potentially altered without interruption to extend tool life. This project successfully achieved its objectives of - i. Developing a welding methodology and viable welding geometries, to successfully join H282 to steel 3.5CrMoNiV steel to enable manufacture of modular steam turbine rotors for AUSC applications (conditions of at least 760 °Celsius and 3,100 psia (pounds per square inch absolute pressure) and evaluate the material properties of the welded specimen. ii. Employ the advanced ultrasonic inspection technique to the dissimilar weld metal joint and determine the minimum detectable feature sizes. iii. Develop effective machining techniques to machine such hybrid structures with online tool force monitoring and effect machine state metrics for optimal results.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Cast Alloys for Advanced Ultra Supercritical Steam Turbines

The proposed steam inlet temperature in the Advanced Ultra Supercritical (A-USC) steam turbine is high enough (760 °C) that traditional turbine casing and valve body materials such as ferritic/martensitic steels will not suffice due to temperature limitations of this class of materials. Cast versions of several traditionally wrought Ni-based superalloys were evaluated for use as casing or valve components for the next generation of industrial steam turbines. The full size castings are substantial: 2-5,000 kg each half and on the order of 100 cm thick. Experimental castings were quite a bit smaller, but section size was retained and cooling rate controlled to produce equivalent microstructures. A multi-step homogenization heat treatment was developed to better deploy the alloy constituents. The most successful of these cast alloys in terms of creep strength (Haynes 263, Haynes 282, and Nimonic 105) were subsequently evaluated by characterizing their microstructure as well as their steam oxidation resistance (at 760 and 800 °C).

super critical steam turbines↗
DOE OSTI2015

Materials for Advanced Ultrasupercritical Steam Turbines Task 3: Materials for Non-Welded Rotors, Buckets, and BoltingMaterials for Advanced Ultrasupercritical Steam Turbines

The primary objective of the task was to characterize the materials suitable for mechanically coupled rotor, buckets and bolting operating with an inlet temperature of 760°C (1400°F). A previous study DOE-FC26-05NT42442, identified alloys such as Haynes®282®, Nimonic 105, Inconel 740, Waspaloy, Nimonic 263, and Inconel 617 as potential alloys that met the requirements for the necessary operating conditions. Of all the identified materials, Waspaloy has been widely utilized in the aviation industry in the form of disk and other smaller forgings, and sufficient material properties and vendor experience exist, for the design and manufacture of large components. The European program characterizing materials for A-USC conditions are evaluating Nimonic 263 and Inconel 617 for large components. Inconel 740 has been studied extensively as a part of the boiler consortium and is code approved. Therefore, the consortium focused efforts in the development of material properties for Haynes®282® and Nimonic 105 to avoid replicative efforts and provide material choices/trade off during the detailed design of large components. Commercially available Nimonic 105 and Haynes®282® were evaluated for microstructural stability by long term thermal exposure studies. Material properties requisite for design such as tensile, creep / rupture, low cycle fatigue, high cycle fatigue, fatigue crack growth rate, hold-time fatigue, fracture toughness, and stress relaxation are documented in this report. A key requisite for the success of the program was a need demonstrate the successful scale up of the down-selected alloys, to large components. All property evaluations in the past were performed on commercially available bar/billet forms. Components in power plant equipment such as rotors and castings are several orders in magnitude larger and there is a real need to resolve the scalability issue. Nimonic 105 contains high volume fraction y’ [>50%], and hence the alloy is best suited for smaller forging and valve internals, bolts, smaller blades. Larger Nimonic 105 forgings, would precipitate y’ during the surface cooling during forging, leading to surface cracks. The associate costs in forging Nimonic 105 to larger sizes [hotter dies, press requirements], were beyond the scope of this task and not investigated further. Haynes®282® has 20 - 25% volume fraction y’ was a choice for large components, albeit untested. A larger ingot diameter is pre-requisite for a larger diameter forging and achieves the “typically” accepted working ratio of 2.5-3:1. However, Haynes®282® is manufactured via a double melt process [VIM-ESR] limited by size [<18-16” diameter], which limited the maximum size of the final forging. The report documents the development of a 24” diameter triple melt ingot, surpassing the current available technology. A second triple melt ingot was manufactured and successfully forged into a 44” diameter disk. The successful developments in triple melting process and the large diameter forging of Haynes®282® resolved the scalability issues and involved the first of its kind attempt in the world for this alloy. The complete characterization of Haynes®282® forging was performed and documented in this report. The dataset from the commercially available Haynes®282® [grain size ASTM 3-4] and the finer grain size disk forging [ASTM 8-9] offer an additional design tradeoff to balance creep and fatigue during the future design process.

Saha, Deepak↗
DOE OSTI2015

Materials for Advanced Ultrasupercritical Steam Turbines Task 4: Cast Superalloy Development

The Steam Turbine critical stationary structural components are high integrity Large Shell and Valve Casing heavy section Castings, containing high temperature steam under high pressures. Hence to support the development of advanced materials technology for use in an AUSC steam turbine capable of operating with steam conditions of 760°C (1400°F) and 35 Mpa (5000 psia), Casting alloy selection and evaluation of mechanical, metallurgical properties and castability with robust manufacturing methods are mandated. Alloy down select from Phase 1 based on producability criteria and creep rupture properties tested by NETL-Albany and ORNL directed the consortium to investigate cast properties of Haynes 282 and Haynes 263. The goals of Task 4 in Phase 2 are to understand a broader range of mechanical properties, the impact of manufacturing variables on those properties. Scale up the size of heats to production levels to facilitate the understanding of the impact of heat and component weight, on metallurgical and mechanical behavior. GE Power & Water Materials and Processes Engineering for the Phase 2, Task 4.0 Castings work, systematically designed and executed casting material property evaluation, multiple test programs. Starting from 15 lbs. cylinder castings to world’s first 17,000 lbs. poured weight, heavy section large steam turbine partial valve Haynes 282 super alloy casting. This has demonstrated scalability of the material for steam Turbine applications. Activities under Task 4.0, Investigated and characterized various mechanical properties of Cast Haynes 282 and Cast Nimonic 263. The development stages involved were: 1) Small Cast Evaluation: 4 inch diam. Haynes 282 and Nimonic 263 Cylinders. This provided effects of liquidus super heat range and first baseline mechanical data on cast versions of conventional vacuum re-melted and forged Ni based super alloys. 2) Step block castings of 300 lbs. and 600 lbs. Haynes 282 from 2 foundry heats were evaluated which demonstrated the importance of proper heat treat cycles for Homogenization, and Solutionizing parameters selection and implementation. 3) Step blocks casting of Nimonic 263: Carried out casting solidification simulation analysis, NDT inspection methods evaluation, detailed test matrix for Chemical, Tensile, LCF, stress rupture, CVN impact, hardness and J1C Fracture toughness section sensitivity data and were reported. 4) Centrifugal Casting of Haynes 282, weighing 1400 lbs. with hybrid mold (half Graphite and half Chromite sand) mold assembly was cast using compressor casing production tooling. This test provided Mold cooling rates influence on centrifugally cast microstructure and mechanical properties. Graphite mold section out performs sand mold across all temperatures for 0.2% YS; %Elongation, %RA, UTS at 1400°F. Both Stress-LMP and conditional Fracture toughness plots data were in the scatter band of the wrought alloy. 5) Fundamental Studies on Cooling rates and SDAS test program. Evaluated the influence of 6 mold materials Silica, Chromite, Alumina, Silica with Indirect Chills, Zircon and Graphite on casting solidification cooling rates. Actual Casting cooling rates through Liquidus to Solidus phase transition were measured with 3 different locations based thermocouples placed in each mold. Compared with solidification simulation cooling rates and measurement of SDAS, microstructure features were reported. The test results provided engineered casting potential methods, applicable for heavy section Haynes 282 castings for optimal properties, with foundry process methods and tools. 6) Large casting of Haynes 282 Drawings and Engineering FEM models and supplemental requirements with applicable specifications were provided to suppliers for the steam turbine proto type feature valve casing casting. Molding, melting and casting pouring completed per approved Manufacturing Process Plan during 2014 Q4. The partial valve casing was successfully cast after casting methods were validated with solidification simulation analysis and the casting met NDT inspection and acceptance criteria. Heat treated and sectioned to extract trepan samples at different locations comparing with cast on coupons test data. Material properties requisite for design, such as tensile, creep/rupture, LCF, Fracture Toughness, Charpy V-notch chemical analysis testing were carried out. The test results will be presented in the final report. The typical Haynes 282 large size Steam Turbine production casting from Order to Delivery foundry schedule with the activity break up is shown in Figures 107 and 108. • From Purchase Order placement to Casting pouring ~ 26 weeks. 1. Sales and commercial review 3 2. Engineering Drawings/models review 4 3. Pattern and core box manufacturing 6 4. Casting process engineering review 4 5. FEM and solidification simulation analysis 4 6. Gating & Feeder Attachments, Ceramic tiling 2 7. Molding and coremaking production scheduling 6 8. Melting planning and schedule 3 9. Pouring, cooling and shake out 2 • From Pouring to casting Delivery ~ 29 weeks 10. Shot blast and riser cutting, gates removal 3 11. Homogenizing , solutionizing HT furnace prep 4 12. Grinding, Fettling 2 13. Aging HT Cycle, cooling 2 14. VT and LPT NDT inspections 2 15. Radiographic inspection 4 16. Mechanical testing, Chemical analysis test certs 4 17. Casting weld repair upgrades and Aging PWHT 4 18. NDT after weld repairs and casting upgrades 3 19. Casting Final Inspection and test certifications 3 20. Package and delivery 2 Hence the Total Lead time from P.O to Casting delivery is approximately 55 weeks. The Task 4.2 and Task 4.3 activities and reporting completed.

Thangirala, Mani↗
NASA NTRS1981

Steam Turbines

Turbonetics Energy, Inc.'s steam turbines are used as power generating systems in the oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceuticals, metals and mining, and pulp and paper industries. The Turbonetics line benefited from use of NASA research data on radial inflow steam turbines and from company contact with personnel of Lewis Research Center, also use of Lewis-developed computer programs to determine performance characteristics of turbines.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ensemble Manufacturing Techniques for Steam Turbine Components Across Length Scales

Faster design to manufacturing requirements were sought for steam turbine components to meet the changing demands of today’s power grid of improved efficiency through operating temperature increases and enhanced operational flexibility from baseload to cyclic operations. Advances in multiple advanced manufacturing (AM) process enabled redesign of turbine components for extreme environments with the potential to reduce cost. AM is of particular interest to improve component functionality, higher temperature capability, and superior durability in large scale steam turbine applications. AM methods have an immense potential to open-up the design space by working directly with the 3D model to produce near-net shapes, enable fast design-manufacturing iterations, thereby significantly reducing product cost and lead-time up to 25 % from current baseline. However, these benefits cannot be fully realized due to the potential for unknown AM processing defects and their resultant effect upon component performance in service. Siemens is partnering with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) to advance the knowledge of complex process-material interactions for desired microstructures and properties that are closely interlinked to component geometries across different length scales. The proposed program utilized an ensemble of multidisciplinary technologies to accelerate the development of materials, high-throughput experiments for their qualification, and design flexibility/topology optimization for repair/redesign of components to address critical failure mechanisms for improved performance and increased reliability of existing power plant components. The proposed activities, if successfully demonstrated for identified components, will enable paradigm shift in customized manufacturing and accelerated qualification/certification towards increased steam turbine component durability, increased turbine efficiency, and reduced CO 2 emissions in load-following environments compared to today’s technology. Technology maturation is built into the project as successful research will include customized process-component down-selection enabling AM methodologies to be incorporated directly into the existing supply chain. The specific activities of the proposed effort are: 1. Topology optimization of down-selected steam turbine parts that are amenable to additive and hybrid manufacturing for cost/performance improvement. 2. Process-structure-property relationships for five AM processes for steam turbine materials of interest to compare with conventional materials. 3. Perform part/assembly build process using advanced additive/hybrid machine tools followed by quality inspection of the built components for insight into qualification for production scale-up. Steam turbine rig testing of printed components under targeted, well monitored and characterized environmental conditions of for performance comparison of baseline and redesigned components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2006

Brush Seals for Improved Steam Turbine Performance

GE Energy has retrofitted brush seals into more than 19 operating steam turbines. Brush seals offer superior leakage control compared to labyrinth seals, owing to their compliant nature and ability to maintain very tight clearances to the rotating shaft. Seal designs have been established for steam turbines ranging in size from 12 MW to over 1200 MW, including fossil, nuclear, combined-cycle and industrial applications. Steam turbines present unique design challenges that must be addressed to ensure that the potential performance benefits of brush seals are realized. Brush seals can have important effects on the overall turbine system that must be taken into account to assure reliable operation. Subscale rig tests are instrumental to understanding seal behavior under simulated steam-turbine operating conditions, prior to installing brush seals in the field. This presentation discusses the technical challenges of designing brush seals for steam turbines; subscale testing; performance benefits of brush seals; overall system effects; and field applications.

Turnquist, Norman↗
NASA NTRS1976

Energy Conversion Alternatives Study (ECAS), Westinghouse phase 1. Volume 5: Combined gas-steam turbine cycles

The energy conversion efficiency of gas-steam turbine cycles was investigated for selected combined cycle power plants. Results indicate that it is possible for combined cycle gas-steam turbine power plants to have efficiencies several point higher than conventional steam plants. Induction of low pressure steam into the steam turbine is shown to improve the plant efficiency. Post firing of the boiler of a high temperature combined cycle plant is found to increase net power but to worsen efficiency. A gas turbine pressure ratio of 12 to 1 was found to be close to optimum at all gas turbine inlet temperatures that were studied. The coal using combined cycle plant with an integrated low-Btu gasifier was calculated to have a plant efficiency of 43.6%, a capitalization of $497/kW, and a cost of electricity of 6.75 mills/MJ (24.3 mills/kwh). This combined cycle plant should be considered for base load power generation.

Amos, D. J.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Materials for advanced ultrasupercritical steam turbines

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) have sponsored a project aimed at identifying, evaluating, and qualifying the materials needed for the construction of the critical components of coal-fired power plants capable of operating at much higher efficiencies than the current generation of supercritical plants. This increased efficiency is expected to be achieved principally through the use of advanced ultrasupercritical (A-USC) steam conditions. A limiting factor in this can be the materials of construction for boilers and for steam turbines. The overall project goal is to assess/develop materials technology that will enable achieving turbine throttle steam conditions of 760°C (1400°F)/35MPa (5000 psi). This final technical report covers the research completed by the General Electric Company (GE) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), with support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) – Albany Research Center, to develop the A-USC steam turbine materials technology to meet the overall project goals. Specifically, this report summarizes the industrial scale-up and materials property database development for non-welded rotors (disc forgings), buckets (blades), bolting, castings (needed for casing and valve bodies), casting weld repair, and casting to pipe welding. Additionally, the report provides an engineering and economic assessment of an A-USC power plant without and with partial carbon capture and storage. This research project successfully demonstrated the materials technology at a sufficient scale and with corresponding materials property data to enable the design of an A-USC steam turbine. The key accomplishments included the development of a triple-melt and forged Haynes 282 disc for bolted rotor construction, long-term property development for Nimonic 105 for blading and bolting, successful scale-up of Haynes 282 and Nimonic 263 castings using traditional sand foundry practices, and a techno-economic study of an A-USC plant including cost estimates for an A-USC turbine which showed A-USC to be economically attractive for partial carbon and capture compared to today’s USC technology. Based on this successful materials research and a review with U.S. utility stakeholders, a new project to develop a component test facility (ComTest) including the world’s first A-USC turbine has been proposed to continue the technology development.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS1980

Regenerative superheated steam turbine cycles

PRESTO computer program was developed to analyze performance of wide range of steam turbine cycles with special attention given to regenerative superheated steam turbine cycles. It can be used to model standard turbine cycles, including such features as process steam extraction, induction and feedwater heating by external sources, peaking, and high back pressure. Expansion line efficiencies, exhaust loss, leakages, mechanical losses, and generator losses are used to calculate cycle heat rate and generator output. Program provides power engineer with flexible aid for design and analysis of steam turbine systems.

Fuller, L. C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Improve Performance and Cost for Steam Turbine Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Using Additive Manufacturing

The overall objective was to develop additive-manufacturing-enabled repair solutions for last stage bucket (LSB) and additive-manufacturing-enabled packing rings (PRs) for coal-fired steam turbines with the goal of reducing routine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) cost and improving the operating efficiency of steam turbines. GE Steam Power (GESP) and GE Gas Power (GEGP) provided technical and commercial consulting to GER with insights on steam turbine MRO design requirements, MRO duration and costs, and an overall commercialization strategy for the additive manufacturing technologies developed in the proposed effort.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS2009

Microfabricated rankine cycle steam turbine for power generation and methods of making the same

In accordance with the present invention, an integrated micro steam turbine power plant on-a-chip has been provided. The integrated micro steam turbine power plant on-a-chip of the present invention comprises a miniature electric power generation system fabricated using silicon microfabrication technology and lithographic patterning. The present invention converts heat to electricity by implementing a thermodynamic power cycle on a chip. The steam turbine power plant on-a-chip generally comprises a turbine, a pump, an electric generator, an evaporator, and a condenser. The turbine is formed by a rotatable, disk-shaped rotor having a plurality of rotor blades disposed thereon and a plurality of stator blades. The plurality of stator blades are interdigitated with the plurality of rotor blades to form the turbine. The generator is driven by the turbine and converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Frechette, Luc↗
DOE OSTI2020

Two-phase operation of a Terry steam turbine using air and water mixtures as working fluids

Terry steam turbines are employed in the safety systems of many nuclear Boiling Water Reactors to drive pumps and provide cooling water to the nuclear reactor core. While the turbine efficiency is low, the more important feature is high reliability under off-normal conditions. An important aspect of reliability is the ability to function with two-phase steam-water injection into the turbine, as most likely occurred in the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accidents. This study investigates the characteristics of a Terry turbine during air-water injection with gas mass fractions ranging from 1 (dry gas) to 0.05 (wet gas), to better understand the Terry turbine’s true operational capabilities and provide justification for extended Terry turbine use for reactor safety. Other parameters investigated are the inlet pressure, the exhaust backpressure and the turbine’s rotational speed. The turbine performance is presented in terms of dynamometer loading and pump performance change as functions of the gas mass fraction.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Materials for Advanced Ultra-Supercritical (AUSC) Steam Turbines – AUSC Component Demonstration

The work by the United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE)/Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) Advanced Ultra-Supercritical (AUSC) Steam Boiler and Turbine Materials Consortia from 2001 through September 2015 was primarily focused on lab scale and pilot scale materials testing. The field testing included air-cooled probes and steam-cooled “loops” that were installed into existing utility boilers to gain exposure of these materials to realistic conditions of high temperature and corrosion due to the constituents in the coal ash. Successful research and development resulted in identification of metallic alloy materials and fabrication processes suited for power generation applications with metal temperatures up to approximately 1472°F (800°C). These materials or alloys have shown, in extensive laboratory tests and shop fabrication studies, to have excellent applicability for high-efficiency low CO2 transformational power generation technologies. However, as valuable as these material field tests have been for obtaining information, their scale is significantly below that required to minimize the risk associated with a power company building a multi-billion-dollar AUSC power plant. To decrease the identified risk barriers to full-scale implementation of these advanced materials, the U.S. DOE/OCDO AUSC Steam Boiler and Turbine Materials Consortia identified the key areas of the technology that need to be tested at a larger scale. Based upon the recommendations and outcome of a Consortia-sponsored workshop with the U.S.’s leading utilities, a Component Test (ComTest) Program for AUSC was proposed. The AUSC ComTest program would define materials performance requirements, plan for overall advanced system integration, design critical component tests, fabricate components for testing from advanced materials, and carry out the tests. A Pre-FEED evaluation of the test facility including the evaluation of three potential sites has been completed and previously reported. This report describes the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED), Detailed Engineering and the Environmental Assessment of the ComTest project. A significant amount of work was accomplished during Phase 1 to identity the components, as well as the component size, that would be manufactured from advanced alloys such as INCONEL 740H or HAYNES 282 alloys. Pathways to supply these components for ComTest have been identified as well as any further development that would be required. Every project of this nature has challenges and this project was no exception. The greatest challenge has been the project cost. Largely due to the infrastructure and balance of plant equipment upgrades required for Youngstown Thermal, the estimated project cost for the “base case” project was greater than originally budgeted. The project team spent a significant amount of time exploring opportunities for reducing the project cost. These options included: • Youngstown Thermal was exploring building a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit at their facility. The Youngstown Thermal staff, supported by Thermal Engineering Group, worked with the project team to determine whether it was economically desirable to supply ComTest with steam and other utilities, which would be supplied by the CHP project. • The project team also evaluated opportunities to optimize the project scope to reduce cost, such as reducing project scope by eliminating the Superheater Outlet Header test. • Southern Company had offered two sites as possible host locations for ComTest. Both sites had infrastructure in place such as steam from an existing unit, natural gas, cooling water and ample electrical power that would be required to be added at the Youngstown Thermal site. Utilizing this existing infrastructure could reduce the project cost. An additional project challenge was the departure of Babcock and Wilcox from the project in September 2016. This project setback was overcome by GE Power’s willingness to assume the design of the ComTest superheater. Since the project could not proceed without the superheater, this was a very positive project development. The merger of the GE Power and Alstom Power steam turbine divisions created synergies leading to the conclusion that instead of building a small-scale turbine, a more practical and useful endeavor would be to validate the manufacturing technology and supplier readiness for fabricating and machining full scale steam turbine components. Consequently, in March 2017, GE Power decided that a steam turbine test would not be necessary as part of the ComTest demonstration. Removing the operational testing of the steam turbine from ComTest further reduced the total project cost. Additionally, there was an opportunity to move ComTest from Youngstown Thermal to one of the Southern Company sites and operate ComTest at supercritical steam conditions and test the steam turbine main stop/control valve at a temperature and pressure that would be representative of the conditions of a high pressure steam turbine inlet valve. The steam could also possibly be returned to the host boiler so there would be no economic penalty of using this steam for ComTest. Relocating the project could further reduce the project cost due to the infrastructure already in place, including high pressure natural gas and cooling water, and the potential for heat integration, allowing a reduction of operating costs. Due to these potential cost reductions, it was decided to move the project away from Youngstown Thermal in March 2017. As integrating ComTest at the Southern Company site was explored, an issue was raised regarding the integration of the ComTest cycle with the plant steam cycle. Steam would be supplied to ComTest at nominally ~3865 psia and 775°F. The steam would be heated with natural gas to 1400°F for the valve test and then cooled to 1000°F so that the steam would be returned to the host boiler at the same conditions as their high pressure steam turbine inlet. However, there were concerns raised that the addition of the energy (natural gas) to the steam could trigger a New Source Review on the unit. Southern Company did not want ComTest to cause this review, so condensing all of the steam exiting ComTest and returning it to the host steam cycle as condensate was explored to insure there would be no implication that ComTest was adding energy to the host plant’s steam cycle. Ultimately, Southern Company decided that they wanted to “decouple” ComTest from the operating unit, making ComTest self-supporting, similar to the Youngstown Thermal “base case.” Without the steam turbine, the project team reached a consensus that operating the ComTest Superheater and steam turbine valves at the typical pressure of a package boiler (~1000 psig) would not generate enough useful technical information to justify the cost of the test. Therefore, it was decided in the December 2017 project quarterly meeting to cancel the operational phase of ComTest. Throughout the engineering phase of ComTest, manufacturing and supply chain challenges were identified. When GE Power recommended dropping the steam turbine test from ComTest, they identified many important manufacturing issues that should be evaluated and demonstrated. Other challenges had been raised by the GE Power group designing the superheater as well as those engineering components such as pressure relief and steam turbine bypass valves. In the December 2017 meeting, the project team decided that it was more beneficial to the AUSC technology to pursue these manufacturing and supply chain issues as Phase 2 of the ComTest project. This report is organized in the following manner: • Section 2 discusses the ComTest project background and organization. • Section 3 discussed project management. • Section 4 discusses the design of the ComTest AUSC components – the Superheater, steam turbine and Superheater Outlet Header. • Section 5 discusses the implementation of ComTest at Youngstown Thermal and the Southern Company site. • Section 6 discusses the development of the AUSC Supply Chain • Section 7 discusses the recommended plan for Phase 2 of ComTest

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
NASA NTRS1973

A high-speed photographic system for flow visualization in a steam turbine

A photographic system was designed to visualize the moisture flow in a steam turbine. Good performance of the system was verified using dry turbine mockups in which an aerosol spray simulated, in a rough way, the moisture flow in the turbine. Borescopes and fiber-optic light tubes were selected as the general instrumentation approach. High speed motion-picture photographs of the liquid flow over the stator blade surfaces were taken using stroboscopic lighting. Good visualization of the liquid flow was obtained. Still photographs of drops in flight were made using short duration flash sources. Drops with diameters as small as 30 micrometers (0.0012 in.) could be resolved. In addition, motion pictures of a spray of water simulating the spray off the rotor blades and shrouds were taken at normal framing rates. Specially constructed light tubes containing small tungsten-halogen lamps were used. Sixteen millimeter photography was used in all cases. Two potential problems resulting from the two-phase turbine flow (attenuation and scattering of light by the fog present and liquid accumulation on the borescope mirrors) were taken into account in the photographic system design but not evaluated experimentally.

Barna, G. J.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Increasing the Efficiency of Forming Coatings on the Working Rotor Blades of Steam Turbines{sup 1}

The article is devoted to an analysis of the characteristics of the KGB-5M electric-spark plant developed by the authors for use in the formation of erosion- and abrasion-resistant protective-reinforcing coatings on the leading and trailing edges of the rotor blades of the steam turbines of thermal and atomic power stations. It is shown that an increase in the thickness of electric-spark coatings and the efficiency of the plant may be produced by decreasing the “stray” inductance of the external discharge circuit and through rational selection of new wear- and erosion-resistant synthetic materials. The results of metallographic investigations of coatings produced by the KGB-5M plant are presented. The KGB-5 plant, which consists of a low-voltage vessel and a high-voltage vessel, was developed to achieve electric safety in the formation of coatings in closed metallic vessels (for example, in the capacitor of a turbine).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗