Turbine Definition and 545 Threads

A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek τύρβη, tyrbē, or Latin turbo, meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating electrical power when combined with a generator. A turbine is a turbomachine with at least one moving part called a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades so that they move and impart rotational energy to the rotor. Early turbine examples are windmills and waterwheels.
Gas, steam, and water turbines have a casing around the blades that contains and controls the working fluid. Credit for invention of the steam turbine is given both to Anglo-Irish engineer Sir Charles Parsons (1854–1931) for invention of the reaction turbine, and to Swedish engineer Gustaf de Laval (1845–1913) for invention of the impulse turbine. Modern steam turbines frequently employ both reaction and impulse in the same unit, typically varying the degree of reaction and impulse from the blade root to its periphery. Hero of Alexandria demonstrated the turbine principle in an aeolipile in the first century AD and Vitruvius mentioned them around 70 BC.
The word "turbine" was coined in 1822 by the French mining engineer Claude Burdin from the Greek τύρβη, tyrbē, meaning "vortex" or "whirling", in a memo, "Des turbines hydrauliques ou machines rotatoires à grande vitesse", which he submitted to the Académie royale des sciences in Paris. Benoit Fourneyron, a former student of Claude Burdin, built the first practical water turbine.

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  1. K

    Gas Turbine: Full Load/Part Load Understanding

    Hi all, I am not able to physically understand the term "load" when we refer to Single Shaft Gas Turbine engines used for power generation purposes. What is causing the torque on the Gas Turbine (GT) to change? Again how the speed is maintained constant while the torque is varied? For a single...
  2. M

    Wind Turbine with Generator & Gearbox on the Ground?

    I have often wondered why conventional large wind turbines have evolved with their generators and gearboxes in the nacelle at the top of the tower where they are hard to reach and maintain. Despite this fact, I wish to believe that there may be benefits to a conventional horizontal shaft wind...
  3. G

    Measuring energy capture of river turbine

    I understand that work done if we have (510,000 Kg or 5,000,000 N) of water falling 30 meters (like in a dam) would just be 5,000,000N * 30m= 150,000,000 Newton meters. But how would one measure the work captured by a turbine for a river that say travels 50km/h. I guess assuming the same mass...
  4. M

    Simplified Method of Combustion Turbine Supercharging

    I have been interested in (the concept of) large frame industrial combustion turbine supercharging since the early 90's. However, although I believe the concept has merit and has been done successfully in at least one location nearly 3 or 4 decades ago, the concept has not evolved since...
  5. A

    Some questions regarding wind turbine

    Hey guys, I am starting with the course for wind energy and although i have a pretty good knowledge until now , but I am still confused about somethings which i hope some of you will help me to clear :) Q1. Ok ... so why is there a twist in the blade? I mean wouldn't it be much...
  6. R

    Wind Turbine Power Calculation Equations

    Glad it's Friday? I will be if you can help me with this :D : I'm trying to understand an equation about calculating the power extracted by the blades of a wind turbine. I have spent a couple of hours going over it but still not making much more sense. I'm trying to find out why P =...
  7. I

    Steam turbine performance witr reduction in inlet pressure

    Dear All, I am estimating a future problem while still in erection phase for 60 MW steam turbine. I may need your help to estimate a solution. Due to some reason my process heater is not able to generate steam at the desired pressure (other parameters including Temperature and Flow rate...
  8. M

    Can a Self-Feeding Steam Turbine Recycle Its Own Water?

    I'm trying to design or find a design for a steam turbine that recycles it's water, or at least a large percentage of it, to prevent refilling of a boiler tank. My thoughts; The turbine will be powered by steam heated through copper tubing which is fed from a large unheated, (or partially...
  9. A

    Building Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine: Testing Blade Designs without Generator

    Good day! I was thinking of building a horizontal-axis wind turbine and testing various blade designs but i can't afford a generator to test the power output of each variation. Is it sensible/possible to get the output without a generator? Can equations in finding torque be used? Thank...
  10. G

    Dual axial flux PMG wind turbine

    I am making a small vertical savonius type wind turbine and would like some general rule guidelines. I am using 14awg magnetic wire--70 turns (2"oval) and ceramic block 1" x 2" x.375" magnets. I am hoping to get the most power possible at lower wind speeds. Is there a rule that states a...
  11. A

    How to Calculate RPM of Wind Turbine generator

    I am going to design 10 kw, Permanent Magnet, Direct Drive Wind Turbine Generator. The main problem is, how to determine the rotational speed of the Wind Turbine. This is important for me because I have to design the PMG and its rated rpm values...
  12. I

    Find optimum angle for turbine blades

    This isn't a homework problem, but i embarrassingly keep getting stuck on this simple problem.. Suppose my turbine's blades are flat surfaced. the green lines represent the wind towards the black turbine blade at the right. the blade is drawn as an edge view, such that you'd be looking...
  13. B

    Micro hydro turbine calculations

    Hi! I'v been looking into this for way too long and have come to that point where nothing makes sense, hoping you guys could help me out! :smile: Basically i have been given a net head of 20m and need to provide a micro hydro turbine with 5kW of power for over one minute. What i want to...
  14. E

    Troubleshooting Alarm Logging on a Gas Turbine

    Can anyone tell me what is alarm loging? I m working on a gas turbine,there is a problem in its controller.my instrument fellow told me that alarm loging is not working,I m from mechanical engineering background. Thanks in advance
  15. K

    Gas Turbine: Making Rotor as Stator and vice versa

    Hi, Just wondered why the rotor of a gas turbine (generally inside) is not made stationary and the casing (drum that surrounds the rotor) made to rotate...kind of reversed gas turbine... One limitation i thought about was the combustion can placement... Any other views as to why we don't see...
  16. E

    Why Are Impulse Stages Used Before Reaction Stages in Steam Turbines?

    I have seen modern steam turbines with velocity compounding, they start with impulse stage then reaction stages,can anyone tell me, why There is a impulse stage first,why not a reaction stage first?
  17. A

    Acceleration of the tips of wind turbine blades

    Homework Statement A wind turbine has a rotor (its rotating section) which has a moment of inertia I = 1.26 × 10^7 \text{kgm}^2. At peak output, with the rotor completing 0.25 \text{ revolutions per second}, the turbine produces a power of P = 3\text{MW}. The tips of the rotor blades sweep out...
  18. J

    Calculating the turning moments for a passive wind turbine under yaw

    Hi I have been looking for some simple equations that describe the turning moments on the rotor as wind direction changes. I know this can be relatively complex but I am looking for simplified equations. Has anyone got any information where I can find these? The wind turbine is a small...
  19. J

    Effect of wind turbine yaw on rotor rotational speed

    Hi From what I understand as the rotor yaws, there are gyroscopic forces that act upon it and the magnitude of these depends on the speed of yawing (e.g. 10 degrees per second). What happens to the rotor rotational speed during yawing? Does it slow down? Is the aim to slow down the rotor...
  20. K

    How does a compressor stall affect the operation of a gas turbine?

    Hi, I went through many resources but I am not able to understand as to what stall/surge means for an axial compressor means. I am not able to imagine or correlate it. I want to physically understand what happens in a compressor when it is stalled. For eg: Can a ceiling fan stall when the angle...
  21. B

    Slow Speed Turbine: Exploring Efficiency and Torque

    Is there such a thing (other than wind) as a slow speed turbine? If not is it an efficiency issue or what? Turbines seem to be able to put out high horsepower but at a cost of speed. By that I mean its too fast to get useable torque at low speeds. With gas being the source of power and not...
  22. W

    Optimizing Wind Turbine Efficiency: Exploring the Impact of Blade Size and Shape

    Hi - I know someone must have thought of this already, so maybe you can help me understand. When I look at some of these modern wind turbines, the blades seem massively long. I see this lumbering set of blades moving slowly and I imagine that the bulk of the wind does not even touch the...
  23. gfd43tg

    Solving Steam Entering Turbine Problem

    Homework Statement Exhaust gas at 400°C and 1 bar from internal-combustion engines flows at the rate of 125 mol s-1 into a waste-heat boiler where saturated steam is generated at a pressure of 1,200 kPa. Water enters the boiler at 20°C (T_σ), and the exhaust gases are cooled to within 10°C of...
  24. G

    Calculating Power Output of a Turbine: What Factors Should Be Considered?

    Hi, this is my first post on this forum, although I've often referred to many posts for random information, so thanks to all the people who dedicate time to other peoples questions, I greatly appreciate it. This is my first attempt for something like this and my knowledge of physics is very...
  25. S

    Isentropic efficiency vs polytropic efficiency of a gas turbine

    My classmates and I are working on a senior design project where we optimize a baseline turbofan for supersonic cruise. We are a little confused about when to use polytropic vs isentropic efficiencies. I have read to begin with isentropic, however is there anyone who could explain a little more...
  26. A

    Anyone have experience with gas turbine blade stress analysis?

    I'm doing a survey on the topic of "gas turbine blades stress analysis" to see what areas are not focused on in this subject. I've found that not many people talk about the aerodynamic forces on the blade. Am I missing something, are they included in the calculation or are they too small to...
  27. R

    Ideal coil size for a low wind turbine.

    I can't find anything I can make heads or tails out of so if you guys can help I thank you. I would like to design a wind turbine and be able to get as much power as I can out of each of it's coils. If I start with a magnet that is 1.1811" in Diameter and it is .125" thick with a grade of N52...
  28. I

    Turbine engine burner can hole size

    Im building a turbine engine and I am having trouble figuring out the hole sizes for the burner can, my problem is that I am not using a compressor section but rather using an air compressor for the air intake so I can't use the standard formula, can I? If I know my blad diameter and the flow...
  29. J

    Design Savonius Turbine: Find Books & Equations

    hello, i am looking for a book that has a brief intro on vertical axis wind turbine and specially on savonius turbine. I need all the necessary equations to design one. I went through google search but din't find any that contains equations. I don't even know whether this section is...
  30. I

    What is the optimal blade angle for a turbine engine?

    Hello, so I am building a small turbine engine and i need to know the best angle for the blades. Any help would be very helpful, thank you.
  31. W

    How to calculate the speed of a steam turbine?

    For a uni project one of my concepts is to use the exhaust heat of a formula student car to boil water and use the steam to either spin a turbocharger or an electric generator to produce electricity. How would i calculate how fast i could get the turbine to spin? What equations do i use? And...
  32. D

    Mechanical Nuclear coolant pumps built on turbine to generator shaft?

    Hello, I'm new to this board. I have a engineering question about the coolant pumps used to maintain reactors. I have been studying the basics of a PWR. I notice the pumps are fed mostly by electricity. While I see the logic and efficiency of that..I am left wondering why the space on...
  33. A

    What is the Shape of a Pv Diagram for an Impulse Turbine?

    We were given a project to fabricate and analyze hydroelectric power generation system. My question is what will be the shape of Pv diagram for turbine. I think it would be a point because during the process the pressure and specific volume of liquid water do not change.
  34. A

    Harnessing Wind Energy From a Car for Fuel Efficiency

    First of all, I have read some of the previous posts that related to this topic, but they are closed. I am not looking to solve the world's energy crisis, but I was wondering if there was a way to harness some of the energy given off as friction from the drag of a car. I was looking at some of...
  35. U

    Estimate the flow rate and speed of the water going into the turbine

    Homework Statement Run-of-the-river projects harness power from the natural flow and elevation drop of a river. In the Brandywine project, water is diverted from the river into a pipe (r=0.75 m) in which it flows down the hill, through the turbine, and returns to the river. The project at...
  36. K

    Hydraulic turbine transient performance

    Hi I am having difficulty explaining to my mechanical engineering supervisors the following: When a pumped storage unit is in generation mode, synchronised to the grid and in steady state and the guide vanes/wicket gates are opened more to allow more water flow and therefore more power...
  37. C

    Choosing a generator for mini wind turbine

    Hello physics forum, I am currently trying to figure out how to pick a generator for a horizontal axis mini wind turbine based on specs. I plan on buying a DC motor to use as a generator with blades directly attached to motor shaft. My goal is for the motor to be most efficient at 25mph wind...
  38. S

    Computing the work of a turbine.

    I am preparing for a re-exam, this is a problem from the exam I took, but I can't see what I did wrong and why. Homework Statement Case: A turbine that is producing work dW is powered by compressed air (treated as a diatomic ideal gas). Known quantities: P_0, P_f, T_0 Wanted...
  39. J

    Where Can I Buy a Small Radial Inflow Microturbine for a Lab Demonstration?

    Hello, would someone know where could one purchase a radial inflow microturbine of diameter 1 - 2 cm All I need is a contact web address or similar of the manufacturer or seller. Many thanks
  40. C

    Why are gas turbine engines not used in automobiles?

    barring a few exceptions i read that it is because they aren't effecient at small scale. can someone elaborate on that? also, would even smaller turbines need some time to start up?
  41. N

    Energy and speed of a wind turbine

    Homework Statement Modern wind turbines can convert up to 30% of the kinetic energy of the incoming wind blowing through their blades to electricity. Assuming that the wind at a proposed offshore location blows steadily at 20 knots, how much electrical power can be generated from a turbine...
  42. S

    Why are turbine blades twisted?

    Hi guys, in gas turbines, the blades of the turbine are twisted.I have searched it and as far I understand it has to do with the angle of attack,as the blade has the shape of an aerofoil.Does anyone know why are they twisted? Why they could not just have an angle without been twisted? I would...
  43. C

    Why use a double fed wound rotor induction generator in wind turbines?

    With large wind turbines which have AC generators why do they convert from AC to DC and then back to AC before connecting to the grid, why not just connect straight from generator to the grid without converting? Very confused please can someone explain!
  44. D

    Why not use turbine engines in cars?

    Thank you for reading. Turbine engines have been used earlier by Chrysler. If throttle response is a reason they aren't prevalent there are many ways to reduce it. If I am not wrong, the compressor can have variable geometry vanes(similar to VGTs) and thereby reduce lag. I learned that it...
  45. C

    Could a Tesla turbine recharge electric car battery?

    Assuming you have an electric car that can go 100miles at 70mph on a single charge, what kind of range could you get with the following configuration? An electric car that runs off the main battery bank. Vents on the outside of the car funnel air to a Tesla turbine while the car is in motion...
  46. J

    Turbochargers, what's the diffrence between the turbine and compressor

    Hello everyone. I'm new to the forum. I'm an engineer...admittedly perhaps not a great one. I wanted to know about a typical automotive fixed geometry turbocharger. Generally it seems that the compressor is larger than the turbine. Despite being more mass flow on the turbine side. :confused...
  47. S

    Turbomachinery: number of stages and power of steam turbine

    Please help! Steam turbine. Given parameters: turbine speed, steam flow, steam inlet and outlet pressures, nozzle and blade velocity coefficients, blade angles and blade velocity. I can find all efficiencies. How could I calculate number of stages required and the actual power produced?
  48. D

    How do you calculate torque produced by high speed winds on a turbine

    Salutations... I am new to this and have a project that I am working on for power generation in high wind conditions and could use some enlightenment. I am using a proprietary, lite weight turbine (impeller) design, enclosed in a duct, that has the following dimensions: 4 blade turbine...
  49. J

    Torque on shaft of wind turbine

    Today this guy at work told me that a 2MW wind turbine required 20K ft lbs on the main shaft at 20 rpm. I thought that I had recently read that a 750KW wind turbine might need 20K ft lb torque. I am not looking for exact numbers but which seems correct?
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