Flow simulation of a partial-admission steam turbine

This thesis discusses the CFD simulation of the flow in an industrial steam turbine, equipped with a control stage. Due to partial admission, the rotor blades suffer from high cyclic blade loading. Specific losses occur. The circumferential asymmetry of the flow involves high gradients of the flow variables in circumferential direction. At the boundaries, between the admitted and the non-admitted sectors, high velocities appear. The specific flow patterns produce high flow unsteadiness of the rotor resulting in cyclic blade loading. Due to the pressure fluctuations the aerodynamic forces, acting on the rotor blades, are many times higher than the average forces in the admitted sector. The thesis describes the high cyclic blade loading, together with the unsteady and three-dimensional flow patterns inside the control stage and the attenuation in the adjacent turbine stages. Modifications to the geometry within the control stage show severe influence on the dynamics.