Abstract
The energy industry must change dramatically in order to reduce CO2-emissions and to slow down climate change. Germany, for example, decided to shut down all large nuclear (2022) and fossil thermal power plants by 2038. Power generation will then rely on fluctuating renewables such as wind power and solar. However, thermal power plants will still play a role with respect to waste incineration, biomass, exploitation of geothermal wells, concentrated solar power (CSP), power-to-heat-to-power plants (P2H2P), and of course waste heat recovery (WHR). While the multistage axial turbine has prevailed for the last hundred years in power plants of the several hundred MW class, this architecture is certainly not the appropriate solution for small-scale waste heat recovery below 1 MW or even below 100 kW. Simpler, cost-effective turbo generators are required. Therefore, the authors examine uncommon turbine architectures that are known per se but were abandoned when power plants grew due to their poor efficiency compared to the multistage axial machines. One of these concepts is the so-called Elektra turbine, a velocity compounded radial re-entry turbine. The paper describes the concept of the Elektra turbine in comparison to other turbine concepts, especially other velocity compounded turbines, such as the Curtis type. In the second part, the 1D design and 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) optimization of the 5 kW air turbine demonstrator is explained. Finally, experimentally determined efficiency characteristics of various early versions of the Elektra are presented, compared, and critically discussed regarding the originally defined design approach. The unsteady CFD calculation of the final Elektra version promised 49.4% total-to-static isentropic efficiency, whereas the experiments confirmed 44.5%.
Highlights
Huge axial multistage multi-flow pressure compounded steam turbines are the backbone of electricity generation today
Thermal power plants will still play a role with respect to waste incineration, biomass, exploitation of geothermal wells, concentrated solar power (CSP), power-toheat-to-power plants (P2H2P), and waste heat recovery (WHR)
The design process based on a 1D turbine design tool, 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) optimization, and experimental verification with a compressed air turbine has overall proven itself
Summary
Huge axial multistage multi-flow pressure compounded steam turbines are the backbone of electricity generation today. In both turbines, the entire stage enthalpy respectively pressure drop is already converted to kinetic energy at the nozzle exit (absolute velocity c1). Working fluid Total inlet pressure Total inlet temperature Required mass flow rate Static exit pressure Wheel diameter, Dout Rotational speed, n Estimated expansion efficiency. If there is a deflection channel upstream of the wheel pass, the channel flow area distribution is calculated for constant pressure under consideration of enthalpy dissipation as function of the Mach number and the deflection angle like for a blade row. Several internal and external iterations must be performed until the required total inlet pressure is achieved for the given mass flow rate, and the calculated expansion efficiency coincides with the original assessed one
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