6/19/2015

CrossingtheretirementfinishlinewithhightemperaturesteamturbinerotorsEnergyTechMagazine:TurbineTech

Crossingtheretirementfinishlinewithhigh
temperaturesteamturbinerotors
ByStephenR.Reid,PE,andRachelSweigart,TGAdvisersInc.|Posted:Wednesday,May27,
20155:23pm
Background
Newenvironmentalregulationsandtheinstallationof
renewableenergysourceshaveresultedinmany
retirementsofolderlegacysteamturbinegenerating
units.Mostoftheseolderunitshavespentthe
majorityoftheirlifeinoperationbaseloaded.Asa
result,theyhaveloggedsignificantoperatinghours
withfewon/offcycles.Longterm,temperature
dependentdamagemechanismsoftheseturbinerotors
mustbeconsideredtoensuresuccessfuloperationto
thedesiredretirementdates.Thisarticlehighlights
twocasestudiesandsomeoperationalstrategiesto
extendlifetothedesiredretirementdate.

Figure1.
LarsonMillerParameterCurve

Considerhightemperature,lifelimitingmechanisms
HPandIProtorswithmaterialpropertiessimilartoASTMA470typicallyoperatewithsteaminlet
temperaturesof1,000F.Withtime,creepcrackscaninitiateinhighlystressedareas.Inaddition,the
materialcansuffersignificantembrittlementwithtime,reducingthematerialductilitythatisan
importantpropertyforremaininglifeanalysis.Thesemechanismsareatplayintherotorboreand
bladeattachmentsections.
Creep
Creepisatime,temperatureandstressdependentmechanismthatmustbeconsideredforunitswitha
significantnumberofservicehours.Forcreepcracking,rotoroperatingtemperaturesingeneralmust
beabove800Fandasignificantstresslevelmustbepresentatalltimestobeconcerning.Creeplife
targetsof30yearsarefrequentlyquotedbyOEMsforhightemperaturerotordesigns.Designlifeis
typicallydeterminedfromaLarsonMillercurve,whichrelatestime,temperatureandstressfor
crackinitiation(seeFigure1).TheLMPapproachdoesnotaccountforcrackpropagationand/orthe
interactionofcreepandfatiguefromonandoffcycling.Theindustryhasutilizedafracture
mechanicsapproachtoassesslifeoncecrackshaveinitiated,and/ortoassesspreexistingcracksin
hightemperaturezonesofsteamtemperaturerotors.
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AsnotedinFigure1,therecanbeasignificantscatterofcreepmaterialdata.TheOEMswilladd
additionalsafetymarginsanddefineaDesignCurve,whichisalwayslowerthanthecurve
producedfromtheminimumtestpoints.Asaresult,unitsusuallyfarexceedtheir30yearcreep
designtarget.Rotorlifeisoftenlimitedbypreexistingflawsthataredevelopedfromtheforging
process.Thisisespeciallytrueofrotorsproducedpriortoforgings,whichweremanufacturedusing
vacuumdegasingtechnology(i.e.airmeltprocess).
Embrittlement
Dr.SwamiSwaminathanofTurboMetInternational,whileundercontractbyElectricPower
ResearchInstitute(EPRIproject24815)performedtestingonaretiredrotortosupportneeded
materialsdataforlifeassessmentsofserviceexposedrotors.Testingprovidedmanyconcerning
changesinmaterialpropertieswithtimeandtemperature.Amainareaofconcernwasthelarge
degreeofrotorembrittlementduringtherelativelyshortoperatingperiodoflessthan200Khours.
ThedegreeofembrittlementwasquantifiedbyashiftFractureAppearanceTransitionTemperature
(FATT).TheFATTdefinesthetemperatureatwhichtherotorsteelexhibits50percentbrittleand
ductilebehavior.Theresultingcriticalcracksizesthatdefinetheburstconditionforarotorare
directlyrelatedtothematerialsductility.Thisparameterisimportantsinceithelpstodefinethe
requiredrotorsoakperiodtoensurethematerialisductilewhenitisexposedtohighstressesduring
coldstarts.
Swaminathancompletedtestingindifferentsteadystateoperatingtemperaturezonesattheboreand
peripherallocations.TheworkprovedlongtermexposuretotemperaturecouldincreasetheFATT
byapproximately200F.Anotherinterestingfactwasthatembrittlementdidnotoccurinthehighest
operatingtemperaturezone.Embrittlementwasmorepronouncedinthezonewheretemperaturewas
inthe800Frange.
Asaresultoftheseefforts,preexistingflawsinrotorshaverequiredamoreconservativematerial
propertyboundaryconditiontoassessrisksofbrittlefracture.Inmanycases,embrittlementhas
limitedthenumberofstopsandstartsand/orhasresultedinprematureretirementofagingrotors.
Notablecasestudies
IProtorembrittlement
AsaresultofarecentfailureofanIPstage2dovetail,TGAdvisershadanopportunitytoevaluate
theembrittlementconditiononarotorthatloggedmorethan425Kofoperatinghours.Theresulting
shiftinFATTwassignificantlygreaterthanexpected.TheFATTforthestageofconcernhad
increasedtomorethan600Fwhichwasapproximately300Fhigherthananonembrittledrotor
steelofthesamechemistry.
Withretirementplannedinthenearfuture,theutilitydecidedtoremovethestageandevaluate
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methodstoensurereliableoperationuntiltheunitsretirementdate.Duringtheremainingoperating
window,theunitwasexpectedtohavejustafewcoldstarts,whicharethemostconcerningforan
embrittledrotor.Adecisionwasmadebytheevaluatingteamtoassessmodificationsoftheexisting
rotorcoldstartproceduretoaccountfortheFATTshift.Multiplestartupsimulationswererun
varyingspeed,holdtimesandrampratestoensurehighstressesoccurredonlyaftertherotor
achievedaductilestate.Theevaluationalsoincludedanassessmentofdifferentialexpansion,which
wassignificantlychangedwithlongersoakperiods.
Theresultsoftheanalysisprovedtheembrittledrotorscouldachieveductilepropertiesbyextending
soakperiodsatlowerspeedswithoutdetrimentallyaffectingdifferentialexpansion.Theplotbelow
showsapotentialimprovementof400percentincriticalcracksizeforamodifiedcoldstart.
Adaptingtherevisedstartupprocedureshasallowedthisutilitytostayontrackwithitsretirement
plan.Followupanalysisoftheactualrevisedstartuppracticehasshownaclosematchtothe
recommendedcurves.
Controlstagefailure
AnothernotablefailurewasexperiencedonaninletstageofanHPturbinethathadaccumulated
morethan300Khoursofoperation(seeFigure2).
Thefailureprovidedanopportunityfortheutilitytotestlargersectionsofthecontrolstagediscto
determineifaweldrepairwasfeasible.Thetestprogramincluded:
RotorBoresonicTests(MT,UT,visual)
MaterialTests(actualrotormaterial)
TensileTests(detectcreepsoftening)
ImpactTests(estimatefracturetoughness)
AcceleratedCreepRuptureTest
Testingprovedthefailuretobeattributedtohightemperaturecreepnotchsensitivityinthestress
concentratedareaoftherotordovetails.Followinganassessmentoftherotormaterialpropertiesat
variousradiallocations,acutlinewasestablishedandtherotorwasbuiltup,stressrelieved,re
machinedandnewbladesinstalled.Therepairwassuccessfulandtheunitachieveditsdesired
retirementdateofapproximately10yearsaftertherepair.
Acknowledgements
TGAdviserswouldliketothanktheConsumersEnergyteamofMatthewT.Helms,Vladimir
TrbulinandMarkE.WittbrodtfortheirtechnicalsupportanddirectionwiththeHPandIProtor
assessments.TGAalsowouldliketothankDaveSheasley,RogerKarnandMarkMillerofNRGfor
thetechnicalsupportwiththeHProtorcontrolstageassessmentefforts.
StephenR.Reid,P.E.,ispresidentofTGAdvisersInc.andhasmorethan30yearsofturbineand
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rotatingmachineryexperience.Reidandhisteamprovideturbinetroubleshooting,health
assessmentsandexpertwitnessservicestomajorenergycompaniesintheU.S.andhaveprovided
conditionassessmentevaluationsonmorethan100turbinegeneratorsintheU.S.Reidalsoisa
shortcourseinstructorforEPRI,ASME,ElectricPowerandPOWERGEN,hasnumerouspatent
disclosuresandawards,andpublishedmorethan20technicalpapersandarticles.Reidwasthe
recipientofthe1993ASMEGeorgeWestinghouseSilverMedalAwardforhiscontributionstothe
powerindustryandispastchairmanoftheASMEPowerGenerationOperationsCommittee.Heisa
registeredprofessionalengineerinthestateofDelaware.Youmaycontacthimbyemailing
editorial@woodwardbizmedia.com.
RachelSweigartjoinedTGAdvisersin2014asaconsultingengineer.Shehasprovidedlife
assessment,analyticalmodelingandtroubleshootingservicesformainturbinegeneratorslocated
throughoutthecountry.SweigartisamechanicalengineeringgraduatefromLafayetteCollege.You
maycontactherbyemailingeditorial@woodwardbizmedia.com.

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