General Purpose Steam Turbine Reliability.

Abstract

Several aspects of maintaining and operating small steam turbines at the A von Refinery are discussed. The discussion concentrates on areas that have historically resulted in unreliable performance and repetitive failures. The scope of this discussion is limited to general purpose steam turbines as defined by the American Petroleum Institute in API 611 General Purpose Steam Turbines For Refinery Service; i.e., steam turbines with inlet conditions not exceeding 600 psi at 750°F with speeds below 6000 rpm and horsepowers below 2500. The intent herein is to focus on critical areas of turbine design and share with the reader the methods used at the Avon Refinery to successfully improve the integrity and reliability of turbines in those areas. Areas discussed will be bearing failures, coupling failures, governors, overspeed, and performance monitoring.