IMIA - WGP 42 (05) a group that are covered by shrouds is dependent upon the vibration characteristics of the specific

machine. For some designs, thick wires (called tie wires) are brazed into or between blades to dampen the vibration levels of the blades or groups of blades. In other cases, the tie wires are installed in the blade tips particularly in large blades in the last stages of turbines. And for some blade designs, interlocking tip shrouds (z-shaped) and midspan snubbers (contact surfaces) are utilized to dampen blade vibration, particularly for long last stage turbine blades. Steam turbine blading can be subjected to several failure mechanisms in service. These mechanisms are indicated in Table 1 along with the resultant damage and typical causes of failure. For steam turbines to operate with high reliability and availability, the ability to regularly inspect and assess the steam blading condition is important as any of the failure mechanisms in Table 1 can lead to failure if left undiagnosed or neglected. Table 1 - Steam Turbine Blading Failure Mechanisms
Failure Mechanism Corrosion Resultant Damage Extensive pitting of airfoils, shrouds, covers, blade root surfaces Airfoils, shrouds, covers permanently deformed Thinning of airfoils, shrouds, covers, blade roots
Cracks in airfoils, shrouds, covers, blade roots

Cause(s) of Failure Chemical attack from corrosive elements in the steam provided to the turbine
Deformed parts subjected to steam temperatures in excess of design limits 1) Solid particle erosion from very fine debris and scale in the steam provided in the turbine 2) Water droplet erosion from steam which is transitioning from vapor to liquid phase in the flowpath 1) Parts operated at a vibratory natural frequency 2) Loss of part dampening (cover, tie wire, etc.) 3) Exceeded part fatigue life design limit 4) Excited by water induction incident - water flashes to steam in the flowpath Damage from large debris in steam supplied to the turbine (foreign) or damage from debris generated from an internal turbine failure (domestic) which causes downstream impact damage to components Specialized type of cracking caused by the combined presence of corrosive elements and high stresses in highly loaded locations Parts subjected to rapidly changing temperature gradients where thick sections are subjected to high alternating tensile and compressive stresses during heat-ups and cooldowns or when a water induction incident occurs where the inducted cool water quenches hot parts

Creep Erosion

Fatigue

Foreign/Domestic Object Damage (FOD/DOD) Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) Thermal Fatigue

Impact damage (dents, dings, etc.) to any part of the blading Cracks in highly stressed areas of the blading Cracks in airfoils, shrouds, covers, and blade roots

2.A.2 Discs, Rotors, Shafts, Blade Rings, Shells, and Diaphragms To transmit the torque produced in each stage of the turbine, the rotating blading is fastened to discs or wheels through a specially designed attachment shape at the blade base or root. The root shape may be fir-tree, T-slot, or semi-circular fir-tree shaped or may use multiple pins to hold the blades to the discs. The turbine discs may be shrunk fit onto a shaft with an antirotation key or the discs may have been forged with the shaft as an integral assembly. The output shaft from the shrunk fit or integral disc rotor is then connected to the driven equipment through a flange connection or flexible coupling. 7

IMIA - WGP 42 (05) Many of the remaining failures are driven by long term operation where the applicable failure mechanisms (erosion, corrosion, FOD/DOD) eventually wear the part to failure. These are generally not as high in frequency and severity as the previous types of failures. There continue to be resonance issues/failures with steam turbine blading. While many of the problems with older turbine designs have been resolved or managed, some of the new turbine designs for either small or large units have had cracks/failures particularly with the last stage blades.
Table 3 - Composite Industry Steam Turbine Failures - Mechanisms and Causes (HSB Files) (1=Highest, 4=Lowest) Component Failure Cause(s) Frequency Severity Mechanism Rank Rank Turbine Rotor and Loss of lube oil 1. Pressure switches did not work. Bearings 2. Backup lube oil pump did not work. 1 3 3. Duplex filter switching problem 4. Oil supply valve leaked 5. Ruptured bearing oil line Bucket or Bucket Fatigue, 1. Blade and/or cover cracked, pitted, Cover Failure corrosion, thinned or eroded and finally broke. erosion, 2. Corrosive chemicals in the steam rubbing, and 3. High backpressure for last turbine SCC stage. 2 2 4. Water induction 5. Resonance sensitive bucket design 6. Bowed rotor and/or humped shell Turbine Rotor Overspeed (OS) 1. NRV stuck open during shutdown. with or without 2. Mechanical OS device did not Water induction work. 3 1 3. Main Steam Stop/T&T valve stuck partly open. 4. Lost control of test 5. Controls - OS did not work Turbine Rotor Major rubbing, 1. Quick closing valve did not close high vibration properly (broken disk) 2. Direct contact of rotor with 2 2 buckets, nozzles, seals, and shells 3. Misalignment 4. Protective system did not work Nozzle and Solid particle 1. Exfoliation - boiler inlet piping. Buckets, HP and erosion 2. Main Steam Stop/T&T valve inlet 3 4 IP Stages strainer broke. Nozzle and Droplet erosion 1. Saturated steam in the LP turbine. Buckets, LP 2. Poor turbine design. 3 4 Stages Nozzles and Foreign or 1. Debris in inlet line to turbine. Buckets, All Domestic Object 2. Main Steam Stop/T&T valve inlet Stages Damage strainer broke. 4 3 (FOD/DOD) 3. Parts adrift inside turbine, or broken nozzle partitions or bucket shrouds.

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5. Scheduled Maintenance and Overhaul Practices

5.A U.S. Maintenance Practices There are no regulatory maintenance practices or intervals specified for non-nuclear steam turbines regardless of the industry or application. As such, the frequencies and tasks are defined by the turbine manufacturers, consultants, industry organizations such as EPRI, plant personnel, plant process requirements, or insurers based on past experience. Tables 4 and 5 indicate what is considered to be the minimum recommended practice for achieving high levels of reliability and availability, based on the discussions in Sections 2-4 and based on attempting to mitigate the risk of high probability and high consequence type failures.
Table 4 - U.S. Annual Steam Turbine Maintenance Frequencies and Tasks Frequency Maintenance Task Daily or Less 1. Conduct visual inspection of the unit for leaks (oil and steam), unusual noise/vibration, plugged filters or abnormal operation 2. Cycle non-return valves Weekly or Less 1. Trend unit performance and health. Hand-held vibration readings should be taken from the steam turbine and gearbox if permanent vibration monitoring system is not installed 2. Test emergency backup and auxiliary lube oil pumps for proper operation 3. Test the main lube oil tank and oil low pressure alarms 4. Test the simulated overspeed trip if present 5. Cycle the main steam stop or throttle valve 6. Cycle control valves if steam loads are unchanging 7. Cycle extraction/admission valves if steam loads are unchanging. Monthly or Less 1. Sample and analyze lube oil and hydraulic fluid for water, particulates, and contaminants 2. Deferred weekly tests or valve cycling that experience has indicated sufficient reliability to defer them to a one month interval. Annually 1. Conduct visual inspection and functional testing of all stop, throttle, control, extraction and non-return valves including cams, rollers, bearings, rack and pinions, servomotors, and any other pertinent valves or devices for wear, damage, and/or leakage. 2. Conduct visual Inspection of seals, bearings, seal and lubrication systems (oil and hydraulic), and drain system piping and components for wear, leaks, vibration damage, plugged filters, and any other kinds of thermal or mechanical distress. 3. Conduct visual, mechanical, and electrical inspection of all instrumentation, protection, and control systems. Includes checking alarms, trips, filters, and backup lubrication and water cooling systems 4. Test the mechanical overspeed for proper operation annually unless the primary system is electronic and has an OS test switch. For that system, electronic overspeed simulations should be conducted weekly while mechanical and electrical overspeed tests should be conducted every 3 years. For electronic systems without an OS test switch, an overspeed test should be conducted annually. 5. Conduct visual inspection of gearbox (if installed) teeth for unusual wear or damage, and gearbox seals and bearings for damage.
6. Internally inspect non-return valve actuators for wear

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Table 5 - U.S. Multiple-Year Steam Turbine Maintenance Frequencies and Tasks Frequency Maintenance Task Minor Outages 1. Conduct visual inspection or borescope of turbine nozzle block/inlet stages (HP Every 2-4 Years and IP) and exhaust stages for FOD, corrosion, mechanical damage, and other damage. The inspections may be conducted more or less frequently, based on the condition of the parts. 2. Internally inspect main stop/T&T, control, admission, extraction, and NRV valve internals for wear, seat leakage, and damage. For large machines, it may be advantageous to do valves on the right side of the turbine during one minor outage and the left side during a subsequent minor outage.
3. Open, inspect, and check alignment of gearboxes with turbine/generator 4. Calibrate all alarms, trips and protective system sensors/instrumentation 5. Inspect foundations, slides, and anchoring hardware for wear. Major Overhaul Outages Every 3-9 Years 1. Conduct major overhauls of line shaft turbines and gearboxes every 3 years 2. Conduct major overhauls of steam turbines installed in reliability-critical and process-critical applications every 5-6 years 3. Conduct major overhauls of steam turbines in general service with no specific service or risk factors every 5-8 years 4. Conduct major overhauls of combined cycle steam turbines every 6-9 years in conjunction with combustion turbine hot gas inspections or complete overhauls, providing there are no risk factors or design issues with the specific model turbine. Conduct major overhauls for large fossil steam turbines every 9-12 years on a case-by-case basis based on the following factors of influence: 1. Past history of problems 2. Generic problems based on industry experience with specific or similar models 3. Operational incidents since the last major overhaul 4. Conditions found and extent of NDE and repairs conducted (or not conducted) at the last major overhaul 5. Unit performance and condition monitoring capability (Section 3.A.1/4) 6. Water and steam purity monitoring capability (Section 3.A.2) 7. Turbine water induction protection provided (Section 3.A.3) 8. Quality of operations and maintenance practices, procedures, and personnel (Section 3.B) 9. Inspections and testing conducted between major dismantles (Table 4 and Table 5 annual and minor outage maintenance tasks) 10. Service duty starts/hours per year, load duty (baseload, cycling, swing, etc.) 11. Age and remaining/end of life issues There are different approaches, methodologies, and/or criteria utilizing the factors of influence above to determine acceptable major overhaul intervals when large size turbines are involved and large overhaul intervals are desired. The various approaches are discussed in detail in Section 6. Special Outages Conduct special inspection outages or workscopes in conjunction with major overhauls to assess the remaining life of rotors/shells with very high operating hours, rotors manufactured with older materials/processes, and rotors/shells subjected to extended periods of operation with high steam temperatures and pressures. The purpose of the life assessments are to determine the suitability of continued operation and remaining life of units subjected to long term creep, fatigue, or stress corrosion damage.

Major Overhaul Outages Every 912 Years

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IMIA - WGP 42 (05) 5.B European Maintenance Practices Utilities and other operators normally adhere to their equipment manufacturers recommendations and complement them with their own know-how and operational experience and with VGB or local recommendations (the latter ones usually are either based on VGB or are very similar to VGB). As such, most of the items in Chapter 5.A, Table 4, for the U.S. are equally valid for Europe. There might be some slight differences in the extent and possibly in the frequencies of the annual maintenance programs, but these are mainly due to the different approaches which the different operators take (and the money they have available) when it comes to maintenance. There are no regulatory maintenance practices or intervals specified for non-nuclear steam turbines regardless of the industry or application. As such, the frequencies and tasks are defined by the turbine manufacturers, consultants, industry organizations such as VGB, plant personnel, plant process requirements, or insurers based on past experience. Tables 6 and 8 indicate what is considered to be the minimum recommended practice for achieving high levels of reliability and availability, based on the discussions in Sections 2-4 and based on attempting to mitigate the risk of high probability and high consequence type failures.
Table 6 - European Annual Steam Turbine Maintenance Frequencies and Tasks Frequency Maintenance Task Daily or Less 1. Conduct visual inspection of the unit for leaks (oil and steam), unusual noise/vibration, plugged filters or abnormal operation 2. Cycle non-return valves Weekly or Less 1. Trend unit performance and health. Hand-held vibration readings should be taken from the steam turbine and gearbox if permanent vibration monitoring system is not installed 2. Test emergency backup and auxiliary lube oil pumps for proper operation 3. Test the main lube oil tank and oil low pressure alarms 4. Test the simulated overspeed trip if present 5. Cycle the main steam stop or throttle valve 6. Cycle control valves if steam loads are unchanging 7. Cycle extraction/admission valves if steam loads are unchanging. Monthly or Less 1. Sample and analyze lube oil and hydraulic fluid for water, particulates, and contaminants 2. Deferred weekly tests or valve cycling that experience has indicated sufficient reliability to defer them to a one month interval. Annually 1. Conduct visual inspection and functional testing of all stop, throttle, control, extraction and non-return valves including cams, rollers, bearings, rack and pinions, servomotors, and any other pertinent valves or devices for wear, damage, and/or leakage. 2. Conduct visual Inspection of seals, bearings, seal and lubrication systems (oil and hydraulic), and drain system piping and components for wear, leaks, vibration damage, plugged filters, and any other kinds of thermal or mechanical distress. 3. Conduct visual, mechanical, and electrical inspection of all instrumentation, protection, and control systems. Includes checking alarms, trips, filters, and backup lubrication and water cooling systems 4. Test the mechanical overspeed for proper operation annually unless the primary system is electronic and has an OS test switch. For that system, electronic overspeed simulations should be conducted weekly while mechanical and electrical overspeed tests should be conducted every 3 years. For electronic systems without an OS test switch, an overspeed test should be conducted

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annually. 5. Conduct visual inspection of gearbox (if installed) teeth for unusual wear or damage, and gearbox seals and bearings for damage. 6. Internally inspect non-return valve actuators for wear

Past OEM recommendations for one manufacturer for their medium-sized and large steam turbine sets are shown below in Table 7. The table and subsequent paragraphs indicate the typical pattern for the sequence and timing of turbine overhauls as well as the overhaul workscope. Some industry experience indicated that operators do inspections/overhauls a little more frequently than recommended by VGB in Table 8.
Table 7 - Typical European Manfacturers Multiple-Year Steam Turbine Maintenance Frequencies and Tasks

EOH 10,000 25,000 50,000 75,000 100,000

Years After Commissioning Maximum of 4 Maximum of 8 Maximum of 15 Maximum of 20 Maximum of 25

Type of Overhaul Minor Minor Major Minor Major

A minor overhauls duration would typically be about 2-4 weeks and would comprise the following workscope:
Opening of turbine casings, only if necessary Visual inspection of the LP last stage blades Endoscopic examination of accessible parts of the turbine and the generator Inspection of the bearings Check of coupling concentricity Check and recalibration of the safety devices for turbine and generator Check and readjustment/ recalibration of the turbine control system Check of lube and control oil pumps and systems Inspection of the steam valves Examination of the condensing and feed-heating systems Visual inspection of the stator end windings, their bus bars and terminals, if this is possible without extensive disassembly work. The generator rotor is not dismantled Checking of excitation equipment (exciter, brush gear and slip ring brushes) Additional checks according to the particularities of the unit and individual operational observations

A major overhauls duration would typically be about 4-8 weeks and would comprise the following workscope:
All checks and examinations made during a minor overhaul Opening of the turbine casing (or all casings if consisting of several cylinders) Examination of the blading Complete examination of the couplings, including axial run-out test Dismantling and examination of the generator rotor

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lnspections of the entire stator winding (end winding support, slot wedging, banding, bus bars, terminals) Examination of the entire stator core for strength and damage Disassembly and inspection of the excitation equipment (exciter, brush gear and slip ring brushes) Additional checks according to the particularities of the unit and individual operational observations

After reaching 100,000 EOH the OEMs typically recommend performance of an assessment of the remaining lifetime for some critical components as e.g. rotor, some highly stressed regions of the HP casing, HP inlet valves, etc. These recommendations correlate well with the VGB recommendations shown in Table 8 below.
Table 8 - VGB Multiple-Year Steam Turbine Maintenance Frequencies and Tasks Frequency Maintenance Task Minor Overhaul 1. Check spacer bolts at bearing housings and casing brackets Outages 2. Examine shutoff valves of exhaust steam pipes and of automatic and nonEvery automatic extractions on their actuator and steam sides 25,000 EOH 3. Visually examine last stage of condensing turbine for erosion (Approximately 4. Examine earthing brushes for wear/function Every 2-4 Years) 5. Examine control and protective equipment including automatic test facility, giving attention to parts subject to wear, tear and contamination 6. Perform functional testing of supervisory equipment, overhaul and calibrate equipment as necessary 7. Inspect filters and fluid pipes for damage 8. Inspect fluid vapor extraction and conditioning systems Intermediate 1. Same tasks as Minor Overhauls Overhaul 2. Check couplings (bolts, torque, alignment, runout, clearances) Outages 3. Disassemble bearings - check clearances, wear, seal ring condition Every 25,000 4. Check foundation slide condition EOH 5. Check anchor bolt preloads (Approximately 6. Check emergency stop, control, and bypass valves on the actuator and steam Every 2-4 Years) sides - replace wearing parts 7. Remove and inspect steam strainers 8. Inspect drain system pipes, fittings and traps 9. Inspect condenser interior 10.Check evacuation system 11.Inspect spray water systems (HP, LP bypass, gland and exhaust steam desuperheaters) Major Overhaul The VGB criteria are discussed in Section 6. Outages Every 100,000 EOH Special Outages The VGB criteria are discussed in Section 6.

5.C Japanese Maintenance Practices In Japan, with deregulation advancing in various industries, the Electricity Business Law (the Law) was amended in 1995 to allow Periodic Self Maintenance in addition to the Regulatory Periodic Maintenance (maintenance mandated by government authorities based on regulatory laws), and the Regulatory Periodic Maintenance interval was lengthened to twice the previously 34

IMIA - WGP 42 (05) required period. This is due to the background of recent advances in technology increasing the reliability of the equipment and an increase in safety levels. Further, according to directives for the Law, thermal power plant owners have a duty to strictly manage their daily operations and to fully optimize their independent safety measures and attain the utmost standard of safety. Periodic Self Maintenance must be commenced within 4 years from the most recent Regulatory periodic maintenance or the periodic self maintenance, and its records must be kept for 5 years. The records will be inspected during the subsequent Regulatory Periodic Maintenance. In Table 9 the guidelines for the items for periodic self maintenance are indicated. These are nearly similar to the regulatory periodic maintenance. The detailed maintenance items and the schedules of power plants adherence to the guidelines cannot be reported since these are not disclosed to the public.
Table 9 - Japanese Periodic Self-Maintenance Steam Turbine Maintenance Frequencies and Tasks Frequency Maintenance Task Daily 1. Inspect for unusual noise and vibration 2. Inspect for leaking of steam from unit 3. Inspect for loose nuts and bolts 4. Inspect vibration or abnormal noise of the bearings as well as excessive heat-up of lube oil Every 4 Years 1. Inspection of shell interior by removing upper casing of HP and IP without removing separators and labyrinth packing 2. Inspection of the following while rotating shaft - shaft, bucket, blades and base, shroud lacing wires 3. Inspection of the upper half of HP and IP, and 1st row exhaust Inspection of separators without removing 4. Visual inspection of bearings 5. Overhaul of major valves and inspection of strainers, valve shell and valve base 6. Inspection of the speed governor systems, emergency speed governor systems and trip mechanisms Every 8 Years Inspect shell interior by removing LP casing without removing separators and labyrinth packing As Appropriate Liquid penetrant testing (PT) inspection of above parts.

The standards for widening the intervals of periodic maintenance are laid out separately from the guidelines as follows: a) For plant equipment with normal operating hours

Extension period- Up to one month

Conditions for extension
1. 2. 3. Daily operations are carried out according to the Directives of the Law Operating hours exceeding 5% of the rated pressure is within 12 hours annually. The plant has not been operated at more than 28C (50F) above the rated temperature, total hours operated at 8C (14F) above rated temperature is within 400 hours annually, and further the total hours operated above 14C (25F) is within 80 hours. Daily inspections are carried out according to the Directives of the Law. No abnormalities were detected at the previous inspection or that abnormalities or disorders were repaired and/ or prevention measures appropriately taken.

4. 5.

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6. After the previous inspection, if an accident or disorder occurred, the damaged item was permanently repaired and measures taken to prevent any recurrences, and the same prevention measures taken to any similar items of the plant.

b)

For plant equipment with low operating hours For plants with low operating hours subsequent to the last Periodic Self Maintenance or Regulatory Periodic Maintenance, an application for a change in inspection interval can be submitted with a maximum of the following, whichever comes earlier:
1. 2. Operating hours: 8,000 hours Number of startups: 240 times (480 times for units that have completed prevention measures for low cycle fatigue)

However, the maximum inspection interval allowable at any one application is 4 years.

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