Turbine bypass valves are one of the most tough functions in a power plant. Keeping these valves working efficiently and avoiding unexpected failures is crucial for plant operation.
When engineers are asked to list probably the most tough control valve functions, turbine bypass valves are invariably mentioned. Frequent thermal cycles, excessive strain drops, and the need for tight shutoff push these valves to the limit. Unfortunately, many vegetation are likely to ignore these valves until they fail, creating unplanned outages, lost manufacturing, and excessive prices for reactive upkeep. This article offers suggested strategies of inspection to anticipate and mitigate issues beforehand, and it offers improve alternatives ought to a valve must be repaired or changed.
Strictly Severe Service
Severe service management valves are used in essentially the most tough installations inside course of plants. These installations generally embrace cavitating, erosive, corrosive, noisy, excessive strain, high temperature, excessive stress drop, or excessive velocity media. Turbine bypass valves are exposed to many of those course of conditions; yet, they need to respond flawlessly and remain leak free when closed.
As pressure gauge 10 bar suggests, turbine bypass valves are used to bypass steam turbines throughout plant startup and shutdown, as nicely as when a turbine trips off-line (Figure 1). In normal operation the valves are completely closed, forcing all of the steam via a turbine. During startup, bypass valves divert steam away from the turbine till the properties and situations of the steam are acceptable for sending it to the turbine. pressure gauge 10 bar occurs in reverse at shutdown. Using bypass valves at startup and shutdown helps to protect the turbine by diverting doubtlessly moist steam, and by making certain solely acceptable steam conditions and flows make their method to the turbine itself.
1. Depending on the ability plant design, a quantity of turbine bypass valves may be employed to instantly shunt steam round a turbine ought to it trip offline. Courtesy: Emerson
Should a turbine journey, the steam must continue flowing to keep away from gear damage because of overpressure and high temperature, so the turbine bypass valve immediately opens to hold up flow via the system.
As it operates, a turbine makes use of steam to perform work, decreasing outlet steam temperature and stress. When a turbine bypass valve opens, it will drop the pressure, but the exit steam will stay fairly superheated, probably destroying downstream tools. To keep away from that scenario, turbine bypass valves both incorporate a water injection system in the valve body, or employ a separate water injection desuperheater just downstream, in both case to decrease the exit steam temperature.
As a end result, turbine bypass valves face an ideal storm of extreme service situations. While the plant is in operation, these valves should remain tightly closed to avoid wasting vitality. When a turbine trip occurs, the bypass valves should respond immediately, exposing them to rapid temperature changes and requiring them to move very high flows at high stress drops, creating high noise and probably extreme vibration.
Getting Ahead of the Game
Given the punishing service, the reality is that just about each turbine bypass valve will ultimately fail indirectly. Unfortunately, many of those valves are put in in difficult-to-access places, are sometimes welded in place, and are typically closely insulated. As a outcome, they are typically ignored until problems start to floor. Steam leakage by way of the valve is usually the first symptom noticed, but rather more significant and doubtlessly harmful harm can happen.
The excessive stress drops invariably generate high noise and high vibration. Over pressure gauge , coupled with frequent temperature changes, fatigue the metallic within the valve, water connections, and the piping itself (Figure 2). Such metallic fatigue may end up in catastrophic failure beneath pressure.
2. Over time, the high vibrations and thermal shock experienced by turbine bypass valves will fatigue the steel and create cracks in both the valve itself and the surrounding piping. Courtesy: Emerson
To avoid this downside, every turbine bypass valve and its related piping ought to be routinely inspected. Some sort of non-destructive examination should be periodically employed to detect steel fatigue issues which might be creating however aren’t but visually apparent. If a plant lacks the information or gear to carry out these inspections, the valve vendor or approved consultant could additionally be utilized to perform turbine bypass well being examine services (Figure 3).
three. A routine turbine bypass valve well being verify and full inspection is strongly advised. Metal fatigue can develop in varied welds positioned on the valve itself, and within the inlet, outlet, and water provide piping (circled areas). Courtesy: Emerson
Fabrication welds on the body and water manifold, buyer connection welds, diffuser welds, and surrounding piping could be inspected to establish any creating issues earlier than the gear is compromised. Water injection nozzles and desuperheaters must be appropriately inspected and maintained to keep away from problems associated to quenching and cracking.
There are also threats to trim elements, corresponding to seat surface erosion. One widespread expression of such erosion, particularly on the plug, is sometimes called “gear toothing.” This happens extra generally in flow down valves, where the steam accelerates by way of the cage holes and then strikes the trim/seat area directly, inflicting excessive wear and lowering service life. Over time, this high-velocity steam, which might contain water during startup circumstances and magnetite during any condition, will erode and harm the valve seat and trim (Figure 4).
4. Flow down valve physique designs are prone to trim injury because the wet, erosive steam passes through the cage and impacts the seat. Courtesy: Emerson
Common maintenance gadgets like soft items and spray nozzles can normally get replaced comparatively simply and at minimal cost. Trim parts that need to be replaced due to heavy wear, corresponding to gear toothing, can be quite costly, especially if their supply needs to be expedited. The worst-case state of affairs for a turbine bypass valve is metal fatigue creating in the valve body or diffuser, with excessive repair procedures, or maybe a full valve alternative, required.
Upgrade Opportunities
Many of the turbine bypass valves currently in service were put in in the course of the heyday of mixed cycle plant development from 1998 to 2004. Most of these valves and piping methods are showing their age and infrequently have important signs of steel fatigue. Others have loads of life left in them however may benefit from upgrades in expertise. Technology and practices have improved, and upgrading to the most recent sealing technology may inject new life into the valve.
Another instance of a expertise upgrade is when there have been repeated failures with a welded diffuser. In this occasion, a removable two-in-one seat diffuser will scale back required upkeep.
If a turbine bypass valve must be replaced, plant personnel are strongly inspired to look past a direct substitute and evaluate potential improvements. A significantly important merchandise to think about when taking a look at substitute and enchancment opportunities is valve orientation.
Downward Flowing Valves with Horizontal Actuators. Historically, most turbine bypass valves employed a flow down trim design paired with a horizontal actuator (Figure 5, left). This association is ideal for areas with low overhead clearance, and it places the actuator closer to the deck or floor for simple access, nevertheless it creates numerous long-term operational problems. Gravity tends to lead to elevated and uneven wear on trim elements, and the side-mounted actuator is susceptible to response issues.
5. Downward flowing valves with horizontal actuators (left) were the principle possibility a couple of many years in the past for turbine bypass valves. New move up valve designs (right) may be put in with out piping modifications in most situations, offering extended service life and improved performance. Courtesy: Emerson
Downward Flowing Valves with Vertical Actuators. A superior choice for circulate down is vertical mounting of the actuator. This arrangement ends in reduced and more even wear, longer runs between upkeep outages, and improved actuator response. The problem with this orientation is that alternative opportunities are sometimes for horizontally mounted actuators, and the 2 designs aren’t readily interchangeable without significant piping modifications.
Upward Flowing Turbine Bypass Valves. When sufficient overhead space is out there with existing horizontal actuator circulate down designs, a flow up design can simply meet the prevailing face-to-face necessities of the old valve, whereas reducing a few of the wear frequent to flow down designs with a horizontal actuator, such as gear toothing. Because the trim simply switches from flow right down to move up, this modification could be made with out modifications to present piping.
Flow up valves (Figure 5, right) significantly lengthen seat and trim service life as a outcome of the steam is transferring relatively slowly as it passes over the plug and seat (Figure 6). As the steam moves by way of the small holes of the cage, it accelerates considerably, however that power dissipates into the big body cavity of the valve as a substitute of hanging the seating floor.
6. Downward flowing valves subject the seat to erosive high-velocity steam. Upward flowing steam velocities are much decrease as a end result of they move over the seat and speed up later because the steam moves through the small trim holes, greatly extending trim service life. Courtesy: Emerson
Notice how the circulate up trim (Figure 7) is certainly showing erosion, however when in comparability with the circulate down trim shown above (Figure four right), the seating floor on the seat ring and plug remain relatively undamaged, permitting the valve to close off fully, the required mode in regular operation.
7. These pictures of move up trim clearly present the erosive impact of high-velocity steam, however not like the flow down trim damage shown previously, this valve has no injury to the seating floor and may nonetheless shut off tightly. Courtesy: Emerson
The flow up valve style design nonetheless offers the identical management responsiveness and flow capability, however the model new circulate association dramatically extends the operating lifetime of the seals, seat, and valve internals.
Consult an Expert
Turbine bypass valves are extremely specialised pieces of engineered equipment that should be carefully specified, installed, and maintained. It is due to this fact wise to be proactive by reaching out to trusted consultants prior to buy as they can assist with valve sizing and specifications based mostly on particular operating circumstances.
For current installations where unplanned turbine bypass valve failures are bedeviling your facility, or if it has been some time since the plant turbine bypass valves have been absolutely inspected, it might be clever to seek the assistance of your turbine bypass valve vendor for assist and help.
Many of these vendors offer full inspection and health examine companies to establish areas where steel fatigue and stress cracking are growing. Ideally the valve can be repaired, but when a valve replacement is warranted, the vendor also can present steering in evaluating bypass valve design types and selecting the best choice for the precise application.
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