A Design of Simulation Experiment System for the Helium Turbine

Abstract

In this paper a new design of simulation experiment system for the helium turbine is described. This experiment system is for to study the rotor dynamic performance of the helium turbine in a 10 MW high temperature reactor-based helium turbine (HTR-10GT) power generation project. The system is a vertical and biaxial arrangement. The motor rotor is on one axis and the turbine-compressor rotor is another axis. The two axes are connected by a gear box having a gear ratio of 1:5 and two couplers. The motor has a rate speed of 3,000rpm, and the turbine-compressor rotor 15,000 rpm. The turbine-compressor rotor, which is simulated, has a mass of 646 kg, a length of 3,568mm, and is supported by two radial magnetic bearings along with an axial magnetic bearing. The design load carrying capacity of the axial magnetic bearing is 9.8 kN with a clearance of 0.7mm and the radial magnetic bearing is 1.96 kN with a clearance of 0.6mm. For simulating the aerodynamic force and the unbalanced force on the turbine-compressor rotor when it was turning, we designed a magnetic load simulator which can exert axial and radial load to the rotor directly. The design axial load of the magnetic load simulator is 10kN and the radial load is 715N both with a clearance of 1mm. The whole simulation experiment system includes the ventilation and cooling system and monitoring and control system. It is the first time that the simulation test has been run for the vertical helium turbine with magnetic bearings, running at full speed. The turbine-compressor rotor will pass through the critical speeds for the first and second order of bending, before reaching the rated speed. The magnetic load simulator can exert load quickly and directly, and the load form can be changed online, which is a new application way for the magnetic bearing.