This build thread will detail the design and construction of a 10-Stage, axial flow, Parson’s type turbine. The steam generator (aka, boiler) for this turbine will copy the SES Boiler-Burner design developed in the mid 1970’s for automotive use and has proven steam output of 10 LPM at 1000 F (538 C) at 1000 psi, and will be covered in a separate thread.
This turbine will use water as the working fluid, and will therefore need multiple rotor-stator stages to extract as much of the steam’s energy as possible. Modern power plants use steam turbines with 20 or more rotor-stator pairs which allow the steam to expand around 800 time. These turbines are very energy efficient, but they are also quite large and complex. My end use needs a mobile engine, so I've made a compromise between greatest efficiency and simplest, smallest design; 10 rotor-stator pairs should extract the majority of the steam's energy.
The high temperature & pressure I plan to use requires extensive use of stainless steel; the turbine case, nozzle, and stators are all made from 304 stainless. Heavy grid-lines in the drawing below are 1 inch.
I chose to use a split case design as it allows for easy assembly & diss-assembly and also provides for good visual checks of blade clearance, but of course the split case will also be a challenge to properly seal.
The finished case is made up from 4 separate pieces; top & bottom high-pressure section, which is welded to the top & bottom low-pressure section.
High pressure case halves were machined from a single block of 304 stainless, which was cut in half.
Each half was machined on my CNC mill and lathe.
This turbine will use water as the working fluid, and will therefore need multiple rotor-stator stages to extract as much of the steam’s energy as possible. Modern power plants use steam turbines with 20 or more rotor-stator pairs which allow the steam to expand around 800 time. These turbines are very energy efficient, but they are also quite large and complex. My end use needs a mobile engine, so I've made a compromise between greatest efficiency and simplest, smallest design; 10 rotor-stator pairs should extract the majority of the steam's energy.
The high temperature & pressure I plan to use requires extensive use of stainless steel; the turbine case, nozzle, and stators are all made from 304 stainless. Heavy grid-lines in the drawing below are 1 inch.
I chose to use a split case design as it allows for easy assembly & diss-assembly and also provides for good visual checks of blade clearance, but of course the split case will also be a challenge to properly seal.
The finished case is made up from 4 separate pieces; top & bottom high-pressure section, which is welded to the top & bottom low-pressure section.
High pressure case halves were machined from a single block of 304 stainless, which was cut in half.
Each half was machined on my CNC mill and lathe.
Attachments
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