A Concept for Safe and Less Expensive Acceleration of a Marine Steam Turbine Start-up

Abstract

This paper analyses the issue of accelerated start-up of a marine steam turbine, which is an important problem because the start-up of a steam machine involves the combustion of fuel that is not transformed into useful energy. To find novel technologies that offer improvements in this aspect is essential due to restrictions on reducing ship emissions. Thus, the shorter the start-up time, the better for the environment and economy. High-pressure (HP) part of the turbine originally located on the Queen Elizabeth II unit was analysed. Advanced numerical calculations by thermal fluid-solid-interaction (Thermal FSI) were carried out. A series of simulations were performed for the accelerated start-up with controlled steam injection. A description of the chosen calculation methodology and the results obtained by simulation are included in this paper. The stress occurring during the accelerated start-up are approximately 40 MPa higher than those during the reference start-up. The relative elongations between the rotor and the hull during accelerated start-up reach a maximum value of 0.89 mm (0.83 mm for ultra-fast start-up). Reducing the steam turbine start-up time by 75% results in a 36.7 tons reduction in fuel consumption for start-up, resulting in an annual savings of 5 372 USD. In conclusion, the concept proposed by the authors is safe, less expensive and does not affect the life of the turbine. In addition, results and applications from Siemens prove that additional injection of cooling steam is possible.

Keywords

Marine steam turbine start-up / Ultra-fast start-up / Thermal stress / Relative elongations / Fuel savings / Energy management

References

[1] Armellini A, Daniotti S, Pinamonti P, Reini M (2019) Reducing the environmental impact of large cruise ships by the adoption of complex cogenerative/trigenerative energy systems. Energy Conversion and Management 198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2019.111806

[2] Arrel D (2006) Next Generation Engineered Materials for Ultra Supercritical Steam Turbines. Final Technical Report, Siemens Orlando

[3] Badur J (2005) Five lectures of contemporary fluid termomechanics. Gdansk, Poland (in Polish)

[4] Badur J, Sławinski D, Kornet S, Kowalczyk T, Bryk M, Ziołkowski PJ, Stajnke M, Ziołkowski P. Overdesign limitations from the maintaining availability of large steam turbine. Energetyka, 2016, 11: 652-654

[5] Badur J, Bryk M. Accelerated start-up of the steam turbine by means of controlled cooling steam injection. Energy, 2019, 173: 1242-1255

[6] Balcombe P, Brierley J, Lewis C, Skatvedt L, Speirs J, Hawkes A, Staffell A. How to decarbonise international shipping: Options for fuels, technologies and policies. Energy Conversion and Management, 2019, 182: 72-88

[7] Banaszkiewicz M. Multilevel approach to lifetime assessment of steam turbines. International Journal of Fatigue, 2015, 73: 39-47

[8] Banaszkiewicz M, Dudda W, Badur J. The effect of strength differential on material effort and life-time of steam turbine rotors under thermo-mechanical load. Engineering Transactions, 2019, 67: 167-184

[9] Bryk M, Kowalczyk T, Ziółkowski P, Badur J (2019) The thermal effort during marine steam turbine flooding with water. AIP Conference Proceedings 2077. https://doi.org/10.1063/L5091870

[10] Casella F, Pretolani F (2006) Fast Start-up of a Combined-Cycle Power Plant: a Simulation Study with Modelica. Modelica 2006, September. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5091870

[11] COATS R. Marine Engineering Practice Vol 1, Part 8, Marine Steam Turbines, The Institute Of Marine Engineers

[12] Domachowski Z, Dzida M (2004) An analysis of characteristics of ship gas turbine propulsion system (in the light of the requirements for ship operation in the Baltic Sea). Pol Marit Res 73–78 (Special Issue) International Gas Union 2021 world LNG report: Technical report 2021

[13] Dominiczak K, Drosińska-Kmor M, Rządkowski R, Giuch J. Optimisation of turbine shaft heating process under steam turbine run-up conditions. Archives of Thermodynamics, 2020, 41: 255-268

[14] Dotto A, Campora U, Satta F (2021) Feasibility study of an integrated COGES-DF engine power plant in LNG propulsion for a cruise-ferry. Energy Conversion and Management 245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2021.114602

[15] Dudda W, Banaszkiewicz M, Ziółkowski PJ (2019) Validation of a Burzyński plasticity model with hardening–a case of St12T. AIP Conference Proceedings 2077. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5091877

[16] Głuch J, Drosińska-Komor M. Neural Modelling of Steam Turbine Control Stage, Studies in Systems. Decision and Control, 2021, 313: 117-128

[17] Haglind F. A review on the use of gas and steam turbine combined cycles as prime movers for large ships. Part I: Background and design. Energy Conversion and Management, 2008, 49: 3458-3467

[18] Haglind F. A review on the use of gas and steam turbine combined cycles as prime movers for large ships. Part II: Previous work and implications. Energy Conversion and Management, 2008, 49: 3448-3475

[19] Haglind F. A review on the use of gas and steam turbine combined cycles as prime movers for large ships. Part III: uels and emissions. Energy Conversion and Management, 2008, 49: 3476-3482

[20] Inomata A; Yamashita K; Saito K, Inukai T, Wada K, Ikeda K; Suga T (2014) Steam turbine, method of cooling steam turbine and heat insulating method for steam turbine. United States Patent US 8,727,705 B2, May 20

[21] Ito M. Development of Mitsubishi High Efficiency Marine Propulsion Plant (Ultra Steam Turbine). KANRIN (Bulletin of The Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers), 2007, 12: 43

[22] Ji DM, Sun JQ, Dui Y, Ren JX. The optimization of the startup scheduling for a 320 MW steam turbine. Energy, 2017, 125: 345-355

[23] Ji DM, Sun JQ, Sun Q, Guo HC, Ren JX, Zhu QJ. Optimization of start-up scheduling and life assessment for a steam turbine. Energy, 2018, 160: 19-32

[24] Kehlhofer RH, Warner J, Nielsen H, Bachmann R. Combined-cycle gas & steam turbine power plants, 1999, 2nd ed., Tulsa, OK: PennWell

[25] Kosman G, Rusin A. The influence of the start-ups and cyclic loads of steam turbines conducted according to European standards on the component’s life. Energy, 2001, 26: 1083-1099

[26] Kosman W, Roskosz M, Nawrat K (2009) Thermal elongations in steam turbines with welded rotors made of advanced materials at supercritical steam parameters. Applied Thermal Engineering 29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2009.05.016

[27] Kosman G, Rusin A, Taler J, Pawlik M. Issues of design and operation of boilers and turbines for supercritical coal blocks, 2010, Gliwice: Publishing House of the Silesian University of Technology

[28] Kowalczyk T, Badur J, Bryk M (2019) Energy and exergy analysis of hydrogen production combined with electric energy generation in a nuclear cogeneration cycle. Energy Conversion and Management 198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2019.111805

[29] Madejski P, Taler D, Taler J. Numerical model of a steam superheater with a complex shape of the tube cross section using Control Volume based Finite Element Method. Energy Conversion and Management, 2016, 118: 179-192

[30] Mosleh M, Banawan A, El-Maghlany WM, Mohamed AG. Parametric Study of Marine Steam Turbine Plants. Engineering Research Journal, 2012, 35: 373-381

[31] Sinan Karakurt A, Ust Y (2011) Marine Steam Turbines, 1^st International Symposium on Naval Architecture and Maritime INT-NAM, 24–25 October, Istanbul, Turkey

[32] Wieghardt K (2015) Siemens Steam Turbine Design for AD700 Power Plants. AD700 Conference Milan

[33] Zhu S, Ma Z, Zhang K, Deng K (2020) Energy and exergy analysis of a novel steam injected turbocompounding system applied on the marine two-stroke diesel engine. Energy Conversion and Management 221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2020.113207

[34] Ziółkowski P, Kowalczyk T, Lemański M, Badur J. On energy, exergy, and environmental aspects of a combined gas-steam cycle for heat and power generation undergoing a process of retrofitting by steam injection. Energy Conversion and Management, 2019, 192: 374-384

[35] Ziółkowski PJ, Ochrymiuk T, Eremeyev VA. Adaptation of the arbitrary Lagrange–Euler approach to fluid–solid interaction on an example of high velocity flow over thin platelet. Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamicsm, 2021, 33: 2301-2314