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Acoustic Method for Detecting Air Suction in the Vacuum System of Steam Turbine Plants of Thermal Electric Power Stations

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Power Technology and Engineering Aims and scope

Insufficient density of vacuum systems in steam turbines (STs) is one of the main causes of vacuum deterioration in their condensers. It considerably affects the power and efficiency of steam turbine plants (STPs) and deteriorates the coolant quality, which affects the reliability of pipe systems of regenerative heaters. Even at air flow rates exceeding 50 – 60 kg/h, the steam jet ejector, which exhausts air from a condenser, is overloaded and cannot maintain the absolute pressure in the condenser within permissible values. The presence of several zones of increased suction makes it preferable to use portable means of detecting the suction and determining its extent. Generally, this is achieved by employing methods based on application of inert gases, infrared thermography, and acoustic approaches. Experimental study involving the detection of suction at various ST zones operating under rarefaction in eight turbine units with types PT-70-130/13, PT-65/75-130/13, T-110/120-130, and T-290/335-240 of Mosénergo branches was performed using acoustic emission equipment and inert gases. The measurements were performed in locations exhibiting the highest probability of detecting suction, such as the areas of hatches and atmospheric safety valves of low-pressure cylinders, membranes and seals of the shaft of the STP, thermocouple channels, and flange coupling of shut-off valves. Using such an acoustic device enabled the development of suction maps for vacuum systems of STPs with various capacities in a bid to develop technical solutions based on them for eliminating suction and to develop algorithms for diagnosing the state of the vacuum system of STs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research University “Moscow Power Engineering Institute,”, Moscow, Russia

    E. A. Barat

  2. PJSC Mosénergo, Moscow, Russia

    S. N. Lenev & Yu. A. Radin

Authors
  1. E. A. Barat
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  2. S. N. Lenev
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  3. Yu. A. Radin
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Correspondence to Yu. A. Radin.

Additional information

Translated from Élektricheskie Stantsii, No. 9, September 2022, pp. 55 – 62. https://doi.org/10.34831/EP.2022.1094.9.008

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Barat, E.A., Lenev, S.N. & Radin, Y.A. Acoustic Method for Detecting Air Suction in the Vacuum System of Steam Turbine Plants of Thermal Electric Power Stations. Power Technol Eng 56, 910–917 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10749-023-01609-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10749-023-01609-6

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