Extracting best possible value from steam turbines
MechChem Africa talks to Rudolf van Pype, the coordinator of projects for Zest WEG Steam Turbines, about the maintenance of steam turbines, some key mistakes operators should avoid, and how predictive maintenance can help deliver best value from these assets.
– comes high on the list, with entrained boiler water being the most common culprit. “Any boiler defect that prevents the boiler from delivering superheated steam to the turbine will cause problems, as well as reduce the turbine efficiency. Water in a turbine can produce erosive effects. The turbine will generally trip if water is detected in the turbine steam but if, for whatever reason, the operations staff does not open and drain the traps when such a trip occurs – which is com- mon because the system can often simply be restarted – then the water carryover problem will persist, turning the turbine into a washing machine,” he explains. Carryover of other contaminants in ‘dirty steam’ can also cause huge problems. “Many industries are installing recovery boilers, for example, using a variety of waste derived fuels that can be associated with greater contami- nation risks. From the turbine’s perspective, it all comes down to the quality of the steam that is being pushed from the boilers. This needs to be managed via proper boiler water treat-
bine is running as it was yesterday and the day before, personnel in the control room tend to relax, stop looking and they can easily over- look small issues such as oil or steam leaks. “Then there is complacency, a feeling of comfort and security that keeps operators blind to the initial signs of problems. As long as the output power is being delivered, the machine is assumed to be in perfect condi- tion,” Van Pype tells MechChem Africa. When I give hands-on training to my clients, I use these two words to hammer home the need for constant vigilance to what is really hap- pening in the background,” he adds. Keeping it clean Van Pype goes on to suggest some easy-to- implement do’s and don’ts around turbines, which he summarises as “keeping it clean” in three key areas: the oil, the steam and the water. When analysing the major reasons for steam turbine failures, he says water carryover – when solid, liquid or vapour con- taminant from a boiler gets into the turbine
“A s with any machine, opera- tors need to remember that a steam turbine has no brain, so those looking after these machines still have to use their own,” begins Rudolf van Pype, coordinator of steam turbine projects for Zest WEG Steam Turbines. “No- matter how automated the machine is or how much monitoring or predictive technology has been incorporated, one can never simply push a button and walk away. Operators need to tell the machine what to do and then continually watch what is happening to make sure that it is performing as it should,” he says. He cites two tendencies that plant op- erators need to be wary of: familiarity and complacency. “These are the common human failings that lead to problems. Familiarity causes hazards to become invisible: if the tur-
A Turbine rotor in a transport cradle, being prepared for delivery for a service.
32 ¦ MechChem Africa • July-August 2022
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