IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v327y2025ics0360544225020328.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The performance degradation mechanism and improving techniques of the last stage of a steam turbine in deep load regulation scenario

Author

Listed:
  • Wang, Weiliang
  • Peng, Shiliang
  • Lyu, Junfu
  • Ke, Xiwei
  • Ma, Qingzhong

Abstract

Large scale access of new energy power requires thermal power units to be frequently regulated to ultra-low load condition, leading to a significant degradation of the last stage performance of a steam turbine. The affecting mechanisms and improving techniques of performance degradation were investigated through numerical simulation. It is found that the volumetric flow rate of the steam at the inlet of the rotor blade is almost linear to the relative torque of the stage and deemed as a key state parameter of load change. Approaches of reducing the back pressure and cutting half of the LP (low pressure) cylinder both obviously increase the volumetric flow rate at the inlet of the rotor blade, improve the flow field of the last stage, and significantly enhance the overall performance of the last stage at low load. A combination of the two approaches achieves a synergistic effect, increasing the volumetric flow rate at the inlet of the rotor blade by around 183 %, and recovering the blade torque by 182 % of the unit value. Meanwhile the highest temperature at the blade tip is reduced from 360 K to 305 K, resulting in significant improvements in the safety and efficiency performances in the last stage.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Weiliang & Peng, Shiliang & Lyu, Junfu & Ke, Xiwei & Ma, Qingzhong, 2025. "The performance degradation mechanism and improving techniques of the last stage of a steam turbine in deep load regulation scenario," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:327:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225020328
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.136390
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544225020328
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2025.136390?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brunner, Christoph & Deac, Gerda & Braun, Sebastian & Zöphel, Christoph, 2020. "The future need for flexibility and the impact of fluctuating renewable power generation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 1314-1324.
    2. Gu, Yujiong & Xu, Jing & Chen, Dongchao & Wang, Zhong & Li, Qianqian, 2016. "Overall review of peak shaving for coal-fired power units in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 723-731.
    3. Kosman, Wojciech & Rusin, Andrzej & Reichel, Piotr, 2023. "Application of an energy storage system with molten salt to a steam turbine cycle to decrease the minimal acceptable load," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    4. Brouwer, Anne Sjoerd & van den Broek, Machteld & Seebregts, Ad & Faaij, André, 2015. "Operational flexibility and economics of power plants in future low-carbon power systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 107-128.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yu, Jianxi & Liu, Pei & Li, Zheng, 2020. "Hybrid modelling and digital twin development of a steam turbine control stage for online performance monitoring," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    2. Jianjun Wang & Jikun Huo & Shuo Zhang & Yun Teng & Li Li & Taoya Han, 2021. "Flexibility Transformation Decision-Making Evaluation of Coal-Fired Thermal Power Units Deep Peak Shaving in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-15, February.
    3. Chunning Na & Huan Pan & Yuhong Zhu & Jiahai Yuan & Lixia Ding & Jungang Yu, 2019. "The Flexible Operation of Coal Power and Its Renewable Integration Potential in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Jun Zhao & Bo Shen, 2019. "The Strategies for Improving Energy Efficiency of Power System with Increasing Share of Wind Power in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-22, June.
    5. Wang, Zhenpu & Xu, Jing & Ma, Suxia & Zhao, Guanjia & Wang, Jianfei & Gu, Yujiong, 2025. "Comparative investigation on heat pump solutions for peak shaving and heat-power decoupling in combined heat and power plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    6. Zhao, Xiaoli & Chen, Haoran & Liu, Suwei & Ye, Xiaomei, 2020. "Economic & environmental effects of priority dispatch of renewable energy considering fluctuating power output of coal-fired units," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 695-707.
    7. Alimou, Yacine & Maïzi, Nadia & Bourmaud, Jean-Yves & Li, Marion, 2020. "Assessing the security of electricity supply through multi-scale modeling: The TIMES-ANTARES linking approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    8. Igor Donskoy, 2023. "Techno-Economic Efficiency Estimation of Promising Integrated Oxyfuel Gasification Combined-Cycle Power Plants with Carbon Capture," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-18, February.
    9. Isogai, Hirotaka & Nakagaki, Takao, 2024. "Power-to-heat amine-based post-combustion CO2 capture system with solvent storage utilizing fluctuating electricity prices," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 368(C).
    10. Rao, A. Gangoli & van den Oudenalder, F.S.C. & Klein, S.A., 2019. "Natural gas displacement by wind curtailment utilization in combined-cycle power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 477-491.
    11. Michał Jurczyk & Tomasz Spietz & Agata Czardybon & Szymon Dobras & Karina Ignasiak & Łukasz Bartela & Wojciech Uchman & Jakub Ochmann, 2024. "Review of Thermal Energy Storage Materials for Application in Large-Scale Integrated Energy Systems—Methodology for Matching Heat Storage Solutions for Given Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-28, July.
    12. Yang, Weijia & Yang, Jiandong, 2019. "Advantage of variable-speed pumped storage plants for mitigating wind power variations: Integrated modelling and performance assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 720-732.
    13. Zhao, Guanjia & Cui, Zhipeng & Xu, Jing & Liu, Wenhao & Ma, Suxia, 2022. "Hybrid modeling-based digital twin for performance optimization with flexible operation in the direct air-cooling power unit," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PC).
    14. Andrychowicz, Mateusz & Olek, Blazej & Przybylski, Jakub, 2017. "Review of the methods for evaluation of renewable energy sources penetration and ramping used in the Scenario Outlook and Adequacy Forecast 2015. Case study for Poland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 703-714.
    15. Chang, Miguel & Lund, Henrik & Thellufsen, Jakob Zinck & Østergaard, Poul Alberg, 2023. "Perspectives on purpose-driven coupling of energy system models," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    16. Maitanova, Nailya & Schlüters, Sunke & Hanke, Benedikt & von Maydell, Karsten, 2024. "An analytical method for quantifying the flexibility potential of decentralised energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 364(C).
    17. Hong, Feng & Wang, Rui & Song, Jie & Gao, Mingming & Liu, Jizhen & Long, Dongteng, 2022. "A performance evaluation framework for deep peak shaving of the CFB boiler unit based on the DBN-LSSVM algorithm," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PA).
    18. Ma, Tingshan & Li, Zhengkuan & Lv, Kai & Chang, Dongfeng & Hu, Wenshuai & Zou, Ying, 2024. "Design and performance analysis of deep peak shaving scheme for thermal power units based on high-temperature molten salt heat storage system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    19. Thellufsen, Jakob Zinck & Lund, Henrik & Mathiesen, Brian Vad & Østergaard, Poul Alberg & Sorknæs, Peter & Nielsen, Steffen & Madsen, Poul Thøis & Andresen, Gorm Bruun, 2024. "Cost and system effects of nuclear power in carbon-neutral energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 371(C).
    20. Adams, T. & Mac Dowell, N., 2016. "Off-design point modelling of a 420MW CCGT power plant integrated with an amine-based post-combustion CO2 capture and compression process," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 681-702.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:327:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225020328. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.