APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY
Thousands of bolts and washers have to be assembled and tightened to guarantee a service life of over 30 years.
(Photos taken by Alexander Farnsworth) A steam turbine is a device that extracts thermal energy from
pressurised steam and converts it into rotary motion to drive a generator that in turn can make electricity. It is like a reverse fan. Hot and pressurised steam is used to spin the blades that impart rotary motion to generate electricity. The steam turbine is a key component for solar thermal power
generation. In these so-called Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants, water, and sometimes oil or liquid sodium, gets heated up by solar panels, or mirrors, which concentrate the sunlight in three different ways - a parabolic trough collector, a linear Fresnel collector, or a solar tower. In each case, the solar energy is used to make steam to drive a turbine. Interestingly, the heat can be stored for hours, for example
in tanks filled with molten salt, which means that solar thermal power plants can also supply electricity when the sun is no longer shining. Power generated in this way does not produce any pollutants like carbon dioxide. According to a one-year production estimate, two out of
every four steam turbines made in Finspång will be used in the solar industry. “The solar energy market is notoriously cyclical and highly
dependent on government subsidies,” says Lars-Göran Sjöberg, general manager for industrial steam turbines at Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery. “But we have had a good run.” “As living standards increase around the world, an incredible
need for electricity arises. And everyone agrees that renewable energy in the form of biomass, wind and solar is the way to go,” says Sjöberg.
Some notable Siemens steam turbines that are being bolted
together in the Finspång factory include the 123-MW steam turbine for BrightSource Energy Inc’s Ivanpah Solar Complex in Southern California. The order is for an SST-900 steam turbine that is especially suited for the load swings and frequent starting and stopping that is characteristic of solar energy generation. In the gas turbine field, the Siemens Energy sector launched a new industrial gas turbine on 18th November 2010, in Finspång,
Sweden. With a capacity of 37 megawatts (MW), the SGT-750 will close a gap in the Siemens industrial gas turbine portfolio, which offers a power range between 5MW and 50MW. This versatile machine can be employed for both power generation and as a mechanical drive. The new development provides economic viability and eco-friendliness as well as a high level of availability and reliability. Siemens Finspång benefits from Nord-Lock safety washers
in the following ways: • Time saving - Compared to other bolt locking systems, Nord-Lock washers are faster to install by a factor of 20.
• Ease of use - Easier to install and perform service on turbines on customer sites.
• Lower costs - 80% costs savings were achieved compared to tab washers that can only be used once.
• Safety - No risk of bolts loosening. • Corrosion resistant - Nord-Lock washers are coated with zinc flake, Delta Protect®
, as a standard.
Steam and gas turbines are assembled from pre-machined steel parts. They operate in solar plants, biomass, and in oil and gas facilities, under enormous pressures and temperatures to generate electricity.
(Photo taken by Alexander Farnsworth)
106 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 69 May 2011
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