SEAL STEAM SYSTEM-STAGE1

Steam seal is provided at the shaft end of the turbine where the turbine shaft comes out of the turbine shell. Stage1 HP-IP turbine are contained in one shell and high pressure exists at the shaft end of HP-IP turbine. Shaft seal packing's are provided at the shaft end to provide sealing against steam leakage to the atmosphere. Sealing is also provided in the shaft section between HP and IP turbine to prevent internal steam leakage from one section to another.

Shaft seal packing's in case of HP-IP turbine are also called pressure packing's. In case of LP turbine, shaft ends are maintained at vacuum and shaft seal packing is provided at shaft end to prevent air ingress into the turbine and in turn deterioration of vacuum. Shaft seal packing's in case of LP turbine are also called vacuum packing's. The typical seals used for both pressure packing and vacuum packing are labyrinth seals.

 Labyrinth seals are steam throttling device consisting of stationary and rotating teeth arranged concentrically with small radial clearance thus presenting a high resistance to the flow of steam and greatly reducing the amount of leakage. The rotating element consists of step recesses machined directly in the turbine rotor shaft, while the stationary elements are segment rings provided with teeth.

Labyrinth seals

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The steam requirements of the turbine sealing system are provided from a header called the steam packing leak-off header(SPL header) or simply seal steam header. The header is maintained at a constant pressure of 0.21-0.28ksc by an oil operated regulator called the seal steam regulator. From this header steam is supplied to both pressure packing's (HP,IP turbine seals) and vacuum packing's (LP turbine seals). For vacuum packings(LP turbine seals): Vacuum packings are those which seal against a vacuum; therefore steam must be supplied to them at all loads from the seal steam header.

For pressure packings(HP & IP turbine seals): At lower loads: there is no or very little steam leaking out of the high pressure packings of the turbine and therefore the regulator must admit steam into the seal steam header to keep the header charged from where steam can be supplied for sealing the pressure packings as well as vacuum packings. At higher loads: pressure packings are self sealing i.e. no steam needs to be supplied from the seal steam header to the pressure packings and they are totally sealed by the inside pressure and flow build up. In fact, at full loads, steam flows out of these seals and enters the seal steam header, from where after sealing the vacuum packing's, the excess steam is bled into some low pressure extraction by the seal steam regulator to maintain a constant seal steam header pressure of 0.21-0.28ksc.

PACKING STEAM REQUIREMENTS VS % OF RATED LOAD

+Q=Feeding steam to packing header across high pressure admission valve. Q=Bleeding steam from the header across the unloading valve.

Case 1) Seal steam Pressure Low

Case 1) Seal steam Pressure Low

Case 2) Seal steam Pressure high