In impulse turbine, the drop in pressure of steam takes

place only in nozzles and not in moving blades. This is

obtained by making the blade passage of constant cross-
sectional area.
Impulse-Reaction turbine
- In this type, the drop in pressure takes place in fixed
nozzles as well as moving blades.
- The pressure drop suffered by steam while passing through
the moving blades causes a further generation of kinetic
energy within these blades, giving rise to reaction and add
to the propelling force, which is applied through the rotor
to the turbine shaft.
- The blade passage cross-sectional area is varied

In the case of Impulse turbines, the available fluid energy

is fully converted into Kinetic Energy before striking the
buckets where as in reaction turbines the energy of the
fluid is partly transformed into Kinetic energy before it
enetrs the runner of the turbine.

In impluse turbines, the chemical energy of the gas/steam

is converted to kinetic energy only in nozzle i.e. pressure
drop is only through nozzle. In reaction turbine, the
pressure drop is across both (turbine nozzle and buckets).

Impulse turbines buckets (blades) will ony transfer energy

whereas in reaction turbine buckets, both energy transfer
and transformation takes place