Development of a method for calculating medium-power steam turbines for nuclear power plants using CFD code in the NUMECA software package

Modern nuclear power plants play a key role in ensuring energy security. However, innovative approaches to the design and operation of key components, such as steam turbines, are needed to improve their efficiency. The purpose of this article is to justify an improved method for calculating a medium-power steam turbine for a nuclear power plant based on the use of numerical simulation tools for fluid and gas flows. During the study, a geometric model of the flow part of a medium-power steam turbine was constructed using the NUMECA software package and specialised modules FINE/Turbo, Autogrid 5 and Autoblade. Using the refined steam turbine calculation method, control calculations were performed for flow section of a medium-capacity steam turbine manufactured by the Kaluga Turbine Plant for the Kaluga Nuclear Power Plant — TK-35/38-3.4 at different operating modes (condensation and heat supply) with the optimal choice of turbulence model. The developed calculation method can be applied at the design and modernisation stages of the flow part of low- and medium-power steam turbines used at nuclear combined heat and power plants. The formulated proposals significantly simplify the labour costs of specialists in the field of turbine construction, compared to traditional design methods.
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