High-capacity Kharkov turbines for nuclear power plants

In the Soviet Union, Turboatom is the main producer of turbines for nuclear power plants. In the 80's, it started production of 810 MW turbines and since then it has been involved in upgrading the product and increasing its capacity. A 1100 MW turbine has been developed featuring 1,450 mm long blades in the power stage. The blades are corrosion resistant and moisture separation characteristics are upgraded. With increasing capacity, increased costs are required for improving reliability. Currently, all Turboatom turbines are provided with an automatic control system that almost excludes an operator error. A package of measures aimed at increasing reliability allowed extending the life of the machines to 20-30 years and the time between overhauls to 5-7 years. The technical standard of the Soviet turbines is comparable to the world standard. (M.D.)