Aeroelastic Characteristics of Rotor Blades of Last Stage of a Powerful Steam Turbine

Blades of powerful steam turbines are subjected to significant unsteady loads, which, in some cases, can lead to the appearance of self-excited oscillations or auto-oscillations. These fluctuations are extremely dangerous and negatively affect the life time of the blading. When developing new or upgrading existing turbine stages, it is necessary to carry out research on the aeroelastic behavior of the rotor blades. As a result of the modernization of a low-pressure cylinder of a 1000 MW steam turbine, the length of the rotor blades of the last stage increased to 1650 mm. In this regard, a numerical analysis of the aeroelastic characteristics of the last-stage rotor blades in the nominal operation mode was carried out. The analysis used the method of solving the coupled problem of unsteady aerodynamics and elastic blade vibrations, which allows the prediction of the amplitude-frequency spectrum of unsteady loads and blade vibrations in a viscous gas flow. The paper presents the results of numerical analysis of aeroelastic characteristics of the last stage rotor blades both for the mode of controlled harmonic oscillations with a given amplitude and inter-blade phase shift, and for the mode of coupled oscillations of the blades under influence of unsteady aerodynamic forces. The results of the simulation of coupled oscillations of blades for the first five natural forms are presented in the form of the time distribution of displacement of the blade peripheral cross-section, as well as the time distribution of forces and moments acting on the peripheral cross-section. The corresponding amplitude-frequency spectra of displacements and loads in the peripheral section are also given. The results of the calculations showed a positive damping of oscillations, the absence of flutter and auto-oscillations for the first five natural forms of oscillations of the blades in the nominal operation mode of the steam turbine