Equip your steam turbine with a Woodward 505 for a smooth run!

michaelbarrowsMarch 15, 2022

235 3 minutes read

Steam turbines have played a crucial role in bringing humanity where we are today. Since its creation in 1884, steam engines have allowed us to churn the circle of life3 effectively and affluently.

Steam engines create means for mechanical work by heating water to an extent where it turns into steam. This heating is possible with viable fuel sources only, for instance, gas, coal, or nuclear power. Subsequently, this steam production makes the blades of the turbine move, which in turn produce mechanical work.

Before getting into the specifics of the steam turbine governor, Woodward 505, let’s talk about the types of steam turbines that are currently in use worldwide.

Types of steam turbines

There are three types of steam turbines which we use as per our requirements. They vary primarily due to their efficiency and energy production. These turbines’ output can be anywhere between 50 Kilowatts to 39 Megawatts.

Condensing Steam Turbine

Condensing turbines are relatively expensive and bulkier than their power output. They have 10-25% efficiency and are primarily used economically. These turbines are mostly used for private power generation by burning waste to produce low-pressure heat.

Backpressure Steam Turbine

These are generally much more inexpensive than the other type of steam turbines. It is compact, thermally efficient, and the best choice for partial generation schemes. However, it is inflexible in terms of power generation.

The ideal inlet steam condition is 4.5 Megapascals at 400 degrees Celsius. Although, it can get up to 13 Megapascals depending on the large-scale chemical industry pressure.

Its thermal efficiency is between 75-85%. Moreover, the backpressure does not affect the efficiency unless the steam is in use.

Pass-out Condensing Steam Turbine

These turbines are the most common type of turbines in the steam turbine category. Its power production is directly proportional to the adjustment of altering the proportion of steam passing to the condenser. By using a desuperheater of a reducing valve, you can adjust the electricity output by fulfilling the steam demand of the turbine capacity.

The inlet steam condition is in the range of 4.5 Megapascals and can be brought down to 1.75 Megapascals if the temperature is down to 400 degrees Celsius. The thermal efficiency of a pass-out condensing steam turbine is between 50 to 70 percent.

Steam turbine governors

It is essential for you to know why you need a governor, like Woodward 505, for your steam turbine anyway.
Here, we have discussed some of the workings of a governor and how it ensures the smooth running of a turbine.

Start-up speed control

Turbine governors like Woodward 505 are a basic necessity of every turbine. One of their essential functions is to operate and control the start-up procedure. This start-up controller monitors the speed at each state, ramp up the pace to the maximum set point, and even dwells time of each speed plateau.

Ensures smooth operations

A governor makes sure that the working of a turbine does not deviate from its daily routine. If in case it does happen, the controlling system lets the operator know through its alarm system.

Why need a Woodward 505 for your steam engine

Woodward 505 is one of the models of steam turbine governor. However, its new interface allows the operator to get all the critical information at their fingertips. In addition, it provides assistance in bringing connectivity to other Woodward’s products on the plant and other plant operations.

Soars The Performance

Woodward 505 has the unique Opti-tune PID technology that measures the best PID settings of load, pressure, speed, etc. Additionally, this technology analyzes the turbine’s dynamic system response.

Special Opti-Tune PID Technology calculates the optimum PID settings based on an analysis of the steam turbine’s dynamic system response to get the ideal settings of speed, load, pressure, etc.

Updated features

The Woodward 505 is best for single valve steam applications. It has an integrated operator control panel that protects the turbine from overspeeding and keeps a check and balance on all trip events.

Enhanced graphical interface

A turbine governor is only as good as its interface. Therefore, Woodward 505 comes with an all-new Graphic steam map and a distributed Input/output system. It also has a front panel HMI screen and a CANOpen Actuator and DSLC-II Network.

Some other graphical improvements of Woodward 505 include: