ELIMINATING A RUB-INDUCED STARTUP

VIBRATION PROBLEM IN AN ETHYLENE DRIVE STEAM TURBINE

by
John C. Nicholas
President and Chief Engineer
Rotating Machinery Technology, Inc.
Wellsville, New York
Stephen L. Edney
Technical Specialist in System Dynamics
Rolls-Royce Corporation
Indianapolis, Indiana
Terryl Matthews
Senior Mechanical Engineering Associate
The Dow Chemical Company
Houston, Texas
and
Francisco J. Mourente Varela
Maintenance Engineer, Rotating Equipment Group
Dow Chemical Ibérica, S.A.
Tarragona, Spain

Dr. Edney received his B.Sc. (1983) and Ph.D. (1990) degrees
John C. Nicholas is part owner, in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham,
President, and Chief Engineer of Rotating England. He is a member of ASME and the Vibration Institute, and
Machinery Technology, Inc., a company that an associate member of IMechE. He holds one US Patent, and has
repairs and services turbomachinery, and authored numerous reviewed technical papers covering the finite
manufactures bearings and seals. He has element modeling of shafts, the nonlinear response of rotor-
worked in the turbomachinery industry for bearing systems to shock excitation, turbulence in tilting pad
24 years in the rotor and bearing dynamics journal bearings, and the rotordynamics design of turboma-
areas, including five years at Ingersoll- chinery.
Rand and five years as Supervisor of the
Rotordynamics Group at the Steam Turbine
Division of Dresser-Rand. Terryl Matthews is a Senior Mechanical
Dr. Nicholas is a member of ASME, STLE, and the Vibration Engineering Associate with The Dow
Institute. He has authored over 35 technical papers concerning Chemical Company, Design and Construc-
tilting pad bearing design, pressure dam bearings, rotordynamics, tion, Houston, Texas. His responsibilities
and support stiffness effects. since joining Dow (1973), include specifi-
He received his B.S. degree from the University of Pittsburgh cations, technical support, mechanical and
(Mechanical Engineering, 1968) and Ph.D. degree from the performance testing, consulting, and field
University of Virginia (1977) in rotor and bearing dynamics. Dr. assistance in the area of rotating
Nicholas holds patents for a stabilized double pocket sleeve equipment for Dow Chemical worldwide.
bearing design and a spray bar blocker design that lowers tilting Mr. Matthews holds a B.S. degree
pad journal bearing operating temperatures. (Mechanical Engineering, 1972) from the
University of Houston. He is a member of ASME, a member of the
ASME International Gas Turbine Institute’s Industrial and
Stephen L. (Steve) Edney is Technical Cogeneration Committee, a member of the ASME B73 Chemical
Specialist in System Dynamics at Rolls- Standard Pump Committee, a member of the API Committee on
Royce Corporation located in Indianapolis, Refinery Equipment, and is a registered Professional Engineer in
Indiana. He has a total of 18 years of the State of Texas.
industrial experience, primarily working on
the machinery dynamics of gas and steam
turbines. Dr. Edney’s career started in the ABSTRACT
United Kingdom with eight years at GEC- A 16 megawatt ethylene drive steam turbine built in 1973
Alsthom, followed by nine years at the experienced rub related startup vibration problems for many years.
Steam Turbine Division of Dresser-Rand. The turbine would lock into a rub as it accelerated through the
His involvement in this paper began while rotor’s first critical speed causing high vibration and often damage
he was still with Dresser-Rand. to components.
65
66 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 30TH TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

Many possible causes of the rub were identified including casing

distortion from bound keys, a steam leak at the horizontal joint
flange, and a deteriorated foundation after many years of operation
subjected to high vibration. Finally, the sensitivity of the rotor’s
first critical speed was a concern.
This paper describes how these problems were attacked in a
concerted effort to eliminate the rub-induced vibration. The
horizontal joint seal face was redesigned to address the steam leak;
all sliding keys were removed, cleaned, and lubricated; the founda-
tion repaired and regrouted; the original labyrinth seals replaced
with retractable packing; and a squeeze film damper added to
reduce the critical speed response sensitivity.

INTRODUCTION
A 16 megawatt ethylene drive steam turbine built in 1973 and
operating at a maximum continuous speed of 8400 rpm experi-
enced rub related startup vibration problems for many years. The
turbine would lock into a rub as it accelerated through the rotor’s
first critical speed of 3800 rpm. The rub would often continue up Figure 1. Integrally Forged Steam Turbine Rotor.
to operating speed, causing high 1⫻ vibration that often exceeded
4.0 mils peak-to-peak at the vibration probes. Corresponding level as the turbine accelerates up to 6800 rpm. In this case, it
casing velocity readings peaked up to 0.7 in/s zero-to-peak, which appears that the rotor locked into a hard rub at low speed and then
would be classified in the danger zone on a vibration nomograph. suddenly dropped out of the rub right after passing through the first
Many possible causes of the rub were identified including casing critical speed.
distortion from bound lateral expansion keys, a steam leak at the
casing horizontal joint flange in the high-pressure packing area,
and a deteriorated foundation after many years of operation
subjected to high vibration. Also reviewed were the response
characteristics of the rotor-bearing system and, in particular, the
unbalance sensitivity of the first critical speed.
In a concerted effort to eliminate the rub-induced vibration,
several problem areas were addressed during a scheduled mainte-
nance plant shutdown. In an attempt to eliminate the steam leak, the
horizontal flange metal-to-metal contact area was decreased,
increasing the contact loading. Furthermore, all sliding keys were
removed, cleaned, and lubricated, and the foundation repaired and
regrouted to improve structural rigidity that is essential for the
proper control of rotor vibration (Nicholas, et al., 1986). In addition,
for both startup and efficiency reasons, the original interstage
labyrinth seals were replaced with retractable packing (Johns, et al.,
1997). The tilting pad journal bearings were redesigned to provide
optimum damping (Nicholas, 1994), and a squeeze film damper
added to further reduce the critical speed response sensitivity Figure 2. Steam End Horizontal Displacement Probe Vibration –
(Edney and Nicholas, 1999). Lastly, the coupling was replaced with 07Jan99.
a reduced moment design to move a shaft overhang critical speed.
Comparing field vibration data for the turbine prior to the overhaul In contrast, the exhaust end horizontal bearing case velocity
with data after the aforementioned modifications clearly shows that probe’s signal for the same startup is shown in Figure 3. The same
the rub-induced startup vibration has indeed been eliminated. The increasing vibration trend up to the first critical speed at 3800 rpm
solution methodology presented herein is intended to be a template is observed as in Figure 2. However, the case vibration remains
that offers practical guidance for resolving similar startup vibration high up to 6800 rpm reaching a peak of 8 mm/s zero-to-peak (0.3
problems often encountered in the rotating equipment industry. in/s zero-to-peak). Unlike the displacement probe, the velocity
probe appears to indicate that the turbine locked into a rub at low
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM speed with the rub continuing up to operating speed.
Figure 1 is a photo of the 16 megawatt ethylene drive steam A different startup is illustrated in Figure 4. In this case, the
turbine rotor. The steam or inlet end is on the left where the thrust steam end horizontal displacement probe vibration increases up to
collars are clearly visible along with the mechanical trip 80 microns peak-to-peak (3.1 mils peak-to-peak) at 3800 rpm,
mechanism. The exhaust or coupling end on the right comprises a decreases slightly after the critical speed, increasing again to 80
double flow opposed exhaust section, a side engaging turning gear, microns peak-to-peak at overspeed (9300 rpm). This trend suggests
and a tapered hydraulic fit coupling shaft end with locking nut. The that the rotor locked into a rub as it traversed the first critical speed,
rotor weighs 5029 lb with a bearing span of 97.7 inches. The with the rub continuing all the way up to overspeed.
midspan shaft diameter is 13.0 inches. Yet another startup taken from the steam end horizontal
The turbine, built and installed in 1973, operates between a displacement probe is illustrated in Figure 5. In this case the
minimum governor speed of 6500 rpm and maximum continuous vibration ramps up to 100 microns peak-to-peak (3.9 mils peak-to-
speed of 8400 rpm. A typical startup is illustrated in Figure 2, in peak) at 6500 rpm. The corresponding exhaust end bearing case
which the turbine’s steam end horizontal displacement probe horizontal velocity signal is depicted in Figure 6 showing a peak
vibration increases to 120 microns peak-to-peak (4.7 mils peak-to- magnitude of 17 mm/s zero-to-peak (0.7 in/s zero-to-peak) at 6600
peak) at 3800 rpm. At 4200 rpm, the vibration suddenly drops to 30 rpm. This value is in the danger zone and most probably indicates
microns peak-to-peak (1.2 mils peak-to-peak) and remains at that that the rotor locked into a very hard rub.
 ELIMINATING A RUB-INDUCED STARTUP 67
VIBRATION PROBLEM IN AN ETHYLENE DRIVE STEAM TURBINE

Figure 3. Exhaust End Horizontal Bearing Case Velocity Probe Figure 6. Exhaust End Horizontal Bearing Case Velocity Probe
Vibration – 07Jan99. Vibration – 14Nov99.

Figure 4. Steam End Horizontal Displacement Probe Vibration –

17Feb99. Figure 7. Time Trend of Steam End Horizontal Displacement Probe
Vibration Before Overhaul.

Figure 5. Steam End Horizontal Displacement Probe Vibration –

14Nov99.

Time histories of turbine vibration from February 1999 until

May 1999 are illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. From Figure 7, the
steam end horizontal displacement probe’s normal vibration level Figure 8. Time Trend of Exhaust End Horizontal Bearing Case
is around 40 microns peak-to-peak (1.6 mils peak-to-peak) with Velocity Probe Vibration Before Overhaul.
peaks spiking up to 125 microns peak-to-peak (4.9 mils peak-to-
peak). Casing readings for the exhaust end horizontal velocity Repeated exposure to vibration levels of this magnitude took its
probe are shown in Figure 8. Normal velocity levels between 4.0 toll on the foundation, which deteriorated markedly over the years
and 8.0 mm/s zero-to-peak (0.16 and 0.32 in/s zero-to-peak) are resulting in many cracks. In addition to the deteriorating founda-
evident with peaks spiking up to 20 mm/s zero-to-peak (0.8 in/s tion, the equipment also suffered abuse. Figure 9, for example,
zero-to-peak). shows evidence of substantial rub marks on the rotor in the double
68 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 30TH TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

flow section, while Figure 10 shows severe labyrinth seal damage.

Both these photographs are clearly indicative of a very serious rub
problem, and are quite typical of the troubles that existed for many
years.

Figure 11. Cross Sectional View of Steam Turbine.

than half that of the rotor. By allowing rotor motion at the bearings,
the available oil film damping is much more effective in
suppressing shaft vibration.
Figure 9. Shaft Rub Marks in Double Flow Section.
Original Bearings and Coupling
The turbine was originally designed with spherically seated
pressure dam sleeve bearings and a continuously lubricated gear
type coupling. The steam end bearing was 4.5 inches in diameter
by 3.125 inches long yielding a unit load of 152 psi, and the
exhaust end bearing 4.5 inches in diameter by 3.5 inches long with
a unit load of 184 psi. With this arrangement, the average direct
stiffness of the bearings was roughly 1,900,000 lb/in, which is of a
similar magnitude to the rotor’s stiffness of 2,200,000 lb/in. These
values clearly did not meet the stiffness flexibility ratio of a well-
balanced rotordynamic system.
In addition, the effective overhung moment of the continuously
lubricated gear coupling was 1419 lb-in. This relatively large value
resulted in exhaust end overhang dominated second and third
modes, with the second falling inside the operating speed range
and the third just above maximum operating speed. The steam end
journal was straddled by a double collar self-equalizing tilting pad
thrust bearing of 37.8 in2 area per side.

Tilting Pad Bearings and Coupling Retrofit

Figure 10. Damaged Labyrinth Seals.
A coupling change was made in 1990 replacing the original gear
design with a dry disc style. Unfortunately, however, the effective
STEAM TURBINE
overhung moment was only slightly reduced by 8.3 percent to 1302
A cross-sectional view of the steam turbine is shown in Figure lb-in. Consequently, there was no noticeable change in the
11. It is a condensing design with a double flow opposed exhaust locations of the first three critical speeds or associated amplifica-
section, and an exhaust end mounted side engaging turning gear. tion factors. Essentially, all that had been eliminated were the
The rotor (Figure 1) is a solid forging with a Lb/Ds ratio of 7.5. In lubrication and maintenance requirements of the gear coupling.
general, the flexural response of a rotor increases with Lb/Ds ratio, The sleeve bearings were retrofitted with tilting pad designs in
resulting in higher amplification factors and increased sensitivity to 1993 comprising a five pad load-between-pivot configuration. The
unbalance. A good rule of thumb is that a well-proportioned rotor pad axial lengths were reduced to 3.0 inch at the steam end and 3.375
should have a Lb/Ds ratio less than 10, as is the case here. inch at the exhaust end, yielding slightly increased unit loads of 158
However, there are other factors and criteria that should be and 191 psi, respectively. Even though the tilting pad bearings had
considered in the design of a well-balanced rotor-bearing-support some axial misalignment capability, they were designed to fit the
system. These include the shaft proportions through the packing original bearing case spherical seat to minimize rework of field
cases and overhangs (and hence stiffness distribution), the location components. As with the coupling change, this retrofit hardly altered
and modal influence of any concentrated masses (such as wheels, the rotor’s overall transient response characteristics due to only a
thrust discs, and couplings), bearing design, and support structure small reduction in the average direct bearing stiffness of 1,800,000
characteristics. For example, a small shaft diameter through the lb/in, with rubs still experienced during startups.
packing case and journal, although good for reducing steam An increase in tilting pad axial length ideally should have been
leakage and improving bearing performance, can significantly made to decrease the bearing unit loading thereby yielding a softer
reduce the overall flexibility of the rotor resulting in an increase in hydrodynamic oil film. This would have decreased the bearing
response. A second and equally as important rule of thumb, stiffness, thus increasing the effective bearing damping as reported
therefore, is that the average direct bearing stiffness should be less in Nicholas and Kirk (1982). However, dimensional constraints of
 ELIMINATING A RUB-INDUCED STARTUP 69
VIBRATION PROBLEM IN AN ETHYLENE DRIVE STEAM TURBINE

the original housings limited the axial length of the tilting pad Squeeze Film Damper
retrofits that could be accommodated. A schematic and two photographs of the steam end squeeze film
ROTOR-BEARING UPGRADE damper are shown in Figures 13 to 15, respectively. The inner
bearing is a new tilting pad design comprising four pads oriented
As part of a review of the possible causes of the startup rub in a load-between-pivot configuration. Although the stiffness and
problems, the dynamic characteristics of the rotor, particularly the damping characteristics of this bearing by itself are somewhat
sensitivity of the first critical speed, were brought into question. similar to the five pad design, this configuration was chosen due to
Other areas of concern were the location of the second critical symmetry considerations that help to reduce the overall response
speed falling in the normal operating range, as well as the close levels as documented in Nicholas and Kirk (1982).
proximity of the third to the maximum operating speed. Hard rubs
were often observed between the wheels in the double flow section
(Figure 9), which is an area of high response in a second mode
unbalanced condition. In order to improve the stiffness flexibility
ratio and hence better balance the rotordynamic system, one of the
solutions proposed was to add a squeeze film damper in an attempt
to reduce the sensitivity of the first critical speed as well as lower
the second below the operating range. Since it was known that the
addition of a squeeze film damper would lower the third critical
speed, which could not be tolerated due to its close proximity to the
operating range, a coupling change and turning gear wheel modifi-
cation were also made to reduce the effective overhung moment.

Coupling and Turning Gear Wheel

The relatively small shaft diameter through the exhaust end
bearing and coupling area combined with the heavy weights of the
coupling and turning gear wheel resulted in an exhaust end
overhang dominated third mode response. Since no major changes
could be made to the rotor geometry, the only practical alternatives
were to lighten or make integral (for stiffness) all shrunk-on
components. An integral coupling flange could not be used since
the turning gear wheel had to be removable for replacement in the
case of tooth damage. Reducing weight, therefore, was the only
approach that could be taken.
The coupling was replaced with a reduced moment disc style
having an effective overhung moment of 622 lb-in, a 48 percent
reduction. The original turning gear wheel was straight-sided with Figure 13. Schematic of Steam End Squeeze Film Damper Bearing.
an overall width of 2.5 inches. By profiling the sides (Figure 12),
an additional overhung moment reduction of roughly 25 percent
was also achieved. Other rotor changes involved the five shrunk-on
shaft sleeves located in the high-pressure labyrinth packing area.
These sleeves were changed from shrunk-on to integral. The main
purpose here was to eliminate the possibility of the sleeves coming
temporarily loose during thermal transients, a problem that had
occurred in the past and another factor that could aggravate a rub.
Although the increase in shaft stiffness as a result of this modifica-
tion was negligible, it was a change in the right direction.

Figure 14. Steam End Housing with Journal Bearing Installed.

The inner bearing is supported and centered in the housing by an

arc spring, which is bolted into the housing at the horizontal split
(Figure 15). Ground shims placed at the housing shoulder
underneath the arc spring seat at the bolted joint were used to facili-
tate centering. A small controlled radial clearance is required
between the housing and inner bearing to provide the cavity for the
squeeze film damping action. Oil is supplied to this cavity and the
inner bearing via an annular groove machined into the housing. The
Figure 12. Profiled Turning Gear Wheel. inner bearing is free to float in this cavity, which is filled with oil
70 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 30TH TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

Figure 15. Steam End Housing Illustrating Arc Spring.

Figure 16. Load Versus Deflection Curve for Steam End Arc
and enclosed by O-ring end seals. The outside diameter of the inner Spring.
bearing forms the damper journal, which whirls but does not spin,
thus squeezing the oil in the small annular clearance that in turn stiffness and mass of 3,000,000 lb/in and 300 lb, respectively, were
generates an oil film pressure and, subsequently, a damping force. used at both bearings. A damping value equal to 10 percent of
The theory on which the damper analysis is based is presented critical was assumed as in Nicholas, et al. (1986).
in Edney and Nicholas (1999). Assuming a cavitated oil film, the
equations used for stiffness and damping from Gunter, et al.
(1975), are:
µ R L3 εω
Kd = 2
(1)
c3 − ε2

π µ R L3
Cd = 3/ 2
(2)
c3 − ε2
Arc Spring Design and Testing
The centering device shown in Figure 15 is an arc spring
identical to that presented in Edney and Nicholas (1999). It has a
semicircular profile and, at bottom dead center, the inside radius of
the arc spring has a raised saddle designed for line contact with the
bottom of the inner bearing housing, providing support in the Figure 17. Mass Elastic Model of Rotor.
vertical direction only. The arc spring is designed with a predeter-
mined stiffness and is preloaded to offset half the rotor weight to Undamped Critical Speed Map
center the inner bearing in the housing. An undamped critical speed map of the rotor in the original
The arc spring analysis methodology is given in Edney and configuration is shown in Figure 18. Plotted on this map are the
Nicholas (1999). The same design was used in both the steam and dynamic stiffness curves appropriate to the initial five pad tilting
exhaust end dampers. The final dimensions were as follows: 4.570 pad bearing retrofit. It is clearly evident from this figure that the
inch inner arc radius, 5.150 inch outer arc radius, and 1.125 inch rotor was operating in the vicinity of the second critical speed, with
axial width for a maximum static load of 2900 lb. small margin from the third. The third mode, being the first truly
The effectiveness of a damper is largely dependent on how well it flexural mode, is highly responsive and ideally should be as far
is centered under load. The best means of achieving this is through above the maximum operating speed as practical. Furthermore, the
static or deflection testing as described in Edney and Nicholas free-free asymptote of this mode tends toward 8180 cpm, which is
(1999). Test data for the steam end arc spring are plotted in Figure below the maximum speed of 8400 rpm. Clearly, with this rotor
16. Both sets of data are in excellent overall agreement. The average configuration there is little that can be done to tune the critical
measured stiffness of 289,017 lb/in is in good agreement with the speeds in relation to the operating range through a bearing change
finite element prediction of 304,622 lb/in, low by only 5.1 percent. alone. This condition prompted the effort to reduce the exhaust end
The measured deflection of 0.0108 inch at the design static load also overhung moment.
compared well with the 0.0095 inch calculated from the finite The undamped critical speed map for the new rotor configura-
element model. In the free condition, the vertical position of the arc tion with the reduced exhaust end overhung moment is given in
springs was offset with appropriate thickness shoulder shims. This Figure 19. Plotted on this map are the dynamic stiffness curves
offset was verified during machine assembly, with plastigage impres- corresponding to the new four pad tilting pad bearing combined
sions made of the damper radial clearance with the rotor installed. with the squeeze film damper. The resultant stiffness of the damper
bearing is 437,000 lb/in, which is much lower compared to the
ROTORDYNAMICS original sleeve and initial five pad tilting pad designs. This stiffness
The mass elastic model generated for the rotordynamics analysis is roughly one-fifth of the shaft stiffness and more than adequately
is shown in Figure 17. In all the analyses conducted, a support meets the stiffness flexibility ratio rule.
 ELIMINATING A RUB-INDUCED STARTUP 71
VIBRATION PROBLEM IN AN ETHYLENE DRIVE STEAM TURBINE

locations for the first three modes. The first mode was excited with
an unbalance of 19.2 oz-in, or roughly 32W/N, placed at the rotor’s
midspan. The second mode was excited by placing one-half of this
unbalance just inboard of each journal bearing 180 degrees out-of-
phase, and the third mode by placing one third at the midspan and
each shaft end 180 degrees out-of-phase with the midspan.
Values for critical speed, amplification factor, and maximum
amplitude at the probes are summarized in Table 1. With the
squeeze film damper, the first mode amplification factors and
maximum amplitudes are lower by factors of at least three.

Table 1. Comparison of Predicted Peak Response Speed (NC),

Amplification Factor (AF), and Maximum Amplitude (AMAX) at
Probe Locations – Sleeve, Initial Five Pad Tilting Pad, and Squeeze
Film Damper Designs.

MAX

Figures 20 and 21 illustrate the response plots for a first mode

Figure 18. Undamped Critical Speed Map – Original Rotor unbalanced condition, and Figure 22 the deflected mode shapes at
Configuration. the respective peak response speeds. With the squeeze film damper,
the first peak response speed is critically damped. The maximum
amplitude at the probes is lower by at least 25 percent compared
with the original sleeve and initial five pad tilting pad bearings.

Figure 20. Steam End Probe Response – First Mode Excitation.

Figure 19. Undamped Critical Speed Map – Rotor with Reduced
Overhung Moment. Of more interest, however, is the rotor’s general shape and
reduction in midspan amplitude as shown in the deflected shape
Furthermore, with the reduced overhung moment, the third plot of Figure 22. The rotor’s deflected shape with the damper
mode free-free asymptote of 10,670 cpm is now well above the bearing is almost purely straight, with a reduction in midspan
maximum operating speed. Also evident from Figure 19 is that in amplitude of greater than 50 percent. In this condition, the
order to reduce the second mode below the operating range, a possibility of an interstage rub is greatly reduced.
bearing stiffness well below 800,000 lb/in is required. While this This plot also helps in explaining the difficulty of controlling the
could not have been achieved with a conventional bearing (sleeve rotor’s vibration with the conventional bearings. The locations of
or tilting pad), this turned out to be a secondary benefit of adding the nodal points are determined by the relative flexibility of the
the squeeze film damper. rotor compared with the resultant support flexibility, with two
consequences as the nodal points move closer to the bearings.
Unbalance Response
First, the effective bearing damping is greatly reduced due to the
Calculated synchronous response plots and rotor deflected shapes restricted motion in the bearings. Second, the response amplitude
comparing the three rotor-bearing configurations are included in at the rotor’s midspan is considerably greater than at the probe
Figures 20 to 28. The plots are at the steam and exhaust end probe locations. This latter situation can lead to a potentially damaging
72 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 30TH TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

Figure 21. Exhaust End Probe Response – First Mode Excitation. Figure 23. Steam End Probe Response – Second Mode Excitation.

Figure 22. Rotor Deflected Shape at Peak Response Speed – First

Mode Excitation.

rub condition if the midspan vibration amplitude builds up

sufficiently to exceed the running clearances at the interstage seals.
With the squeeze film damper, however, the nodal points are now
sufficiently away from the bearings with enough relative amplitude Figure 24. Exhaust End Probe Response – Second Mode
to allow the available bearing damping to be more effective. Excitation.
The second mode response plots are included in Figures 23 and
24, and the deflected shape at the respective peak response speeds
in Figure 25. With the squeeze film damper, the second peak
response is critically damped and well below the minimum
operating speed. Although the response over the operating range at
the probe locations indicates only a slight improvement, the
deflected shape plot illustrates the primary benefit. With the
damper, the new coupling, and the new turning gear wheel, the
exhaust end overhung response is almost entirely eliminated with
a reduction in shaft end amplitude by a factor of three.
Furthermore, this mode is quickly passed through as the turbine is
brought up to speed. With the conventional bearings, this mode
was in the vicinity of the normal operating range and could be
excited by any residual unbalance in the rotor assembly. A
common source of overhung unbalance is from the coupling,
which would greatly aggravate the overhung response of this
mode. With the conventional bearings, heavy rub marks were often
observed in the double flow section of the rotor, which could be
indicative of this overhung mode being excited possibly from Figure 25. Rotor Deflected Shape at Peak Response Speed –
residual unbalance in either the coupling or coupling fit. Second Mode Excitation.
 ELIMINATING A RUB-INDUCED STARTUP 73
VIBRATION PROBLEM IN AN ETHYLENE DRIVE STEAM TURBINE

The third mode response plots of Figures 26 and 27 best illustrate

the improvement with the reduced exhaust end overhung moment.
The third critical speed is raised almost 2000 rpm and is well above
the maximum operating speed. The response at the probe locations
over the normal operating range are also lower, by a factor of two
at the low end of the speed range and six at the high end.

Figure 28. Rotor Deflected Shape at 8400 rpm – Third Mode

Excitation.

logarithmicdecrement correspond to the first forward whirl mode.

With the squeeze film damper, the dynamic stability is improved by a
factor of two over the initial five pad tilting pad design. In the original
configuration with pressure dam bearings, the system was marginally
stable although there were no reported instability problems.

Table 2. Comparison of Eigenvalue Analysis at 8400 rpm – Sleeve,

Initial Five Pad Tilting Pad, and Squeeze Film Damper Designs.
Figure 26. Steam End Probe Response – Third Mode Excitation.

TURBINE CASING HORIZONTAL

JOINT STEAM LEAK
Possible causes of a casing joint steam leak include repeated
startups, improper makeup, damaged joint faces, warped joints,
and incorrect design. Of these, startup is by far the most critical and
has the greatest potential for resulting in permanent damage.
During startup, the casing inside diameter (ID) heats up at a faster
rate than the outside diameter (OD), creating a thermal gradient
across the casing wall. This thermal gradient tries to make the ID
expand, which is constrained by the OD. If the gradient is large
enough, the ID and/or flange faces will yield and permanently
deform. Once steady-state conditions are reached and the gradient
has reduced, the yielded area inside of the bolt pattern will open up
providing a pocket for steam erosion or wire drawing. This
condition can be avoided by not starting up a machine too quickly,
Figure 27. Exhaust End Probe Response – Third Mode Excitation. thus minimizing these harmful thermal gradients.
Repeated thermal cycling can aggravate this condition
The overhung influence is best illustrated in the deflected shape compounding the residual stresses and hence casing distortion. As
plot given in Figure 28. In this figure, the deflected shapes are all the stress levels rise, the yielding increases causing the casings to
at the maximum operating speed of 8400 rpm, and not their respec- distort further out-of-round. In some instances, the horizontal joint
tive peak response speeds. In the new configuration the maximum will also warp, further opening up gaps. Improper makeup, on the
response, which is at the exhaust end, is lower by roughly a factor other hand, is the most common reason for leakage usually through
of two. Clearly, the reduced overhung moment resulting from the not following the correct assembly procedure and/or stud-
coupling change and turning gear wheel modification were tightening diagram and values. Less common reasons include
necessary in successfully tuning the rotor’s dynamic characteristics incorrect flange design and damaged faces by not protecting them
in relation to the operating speed range. when the casing is open.
Over the years, the subject machine had quite a history of
Stability
horizontal joint leak problems. In addition to the performance,
The initial results of an eigenvalue stability analysis of the integrity, and safety concerns, it was thought that these leaks could
original sleeve, five pad tilting pad, and squeeze film damper have been contributing to the rub problems through casing distor-
designs are compared in Table 2 at the maximum operating speed tion from thermal differentials affecting the internal alignment. On
of 8400 rpm. The values given for damped natural frequency and initial disassembly of the machine, the sealing surface of the
74 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 30TH TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

horizontal joint was found to be in somewhat poor condition. During torquing of the horizontal joint, however, space
Given the short duration of the turnaround, however, no time was constraints prohibited the use of power driven torquing equipment
available in the schedule to remachine the split (and hence casing in the transition region between the high-pressure casing and barrel
bore) to fully restore the sealing faces. After further evaluation, it section. Consequently, the studs in this area were tightened
was decided that the sealing surface was probably in good enough manually using a wrench and hammer. The reworked horizontal
condition to provide a seal and no corrective action was taken. joint initially performed satisfactorily with no steam leakage. After
A prior review of the horizontal joint design concluded that it was roughly six months of operation, however, a small steam leak
not optimal. In the high-pressure section, for example, the sealing appeared in approximately the same region as before, where the
area was quite large contributing to a low overall contact pressure. studs had been manually torqued. Manually retightening the studs
The modified design is illustrated in Figure 29, with a photograph of helped to reduce the leak.
the remachined face shown in Figure 30. The crosshatched portion
clearly shows the extent of the relieved area to provide a more TURBINE CASING REFURBISHMENT
uniform and increased contact pressure in the high-pressure section. The steam turbine case is designed to be free-floating. Keys and
A small portion of the face, as indicated by the solid shaded region, keyways allow movement in the horizontal, vertical, and axial
was built up with weld to prevent a leakage path across the directions for casing thermal expansion. After years of operation,
horizontal joint. In addition to this remachining, a revised stud- the keys were found to be bound in the keyways, thus preventing
tightening diagram was issued with slightly increased torque values. the case from growing uniformly and hence contributing to a rotor-
casing rub condition.
A bound exhaust end horizontal key is shown in Figure 31. With
the exhaust end foot removed, the key and keyway were cleaned
(Figure 32), lubricated, and reassembled. The exhaust end bearing
case bracket axial, horizontal, and vertical keys and/or keyways are
shown in Figure 33 after disassembly and cleaning. The horizontal
and vertical keys are combined as one set of “T” shaped keys on either
side of the main turbine case. The exhaust end bearing case is free-
floating, and is fitted to the bearing case bracket by sliding over the
top of the vertical protrusions of the “T” keys and down into the axial
keyway. All keys and keyways were lubricated prior to reassembly.

Figure 29. Horizontal Joint Modification.

Figure 31. Bound Lateral Expansion Key in Exhaust End Casing.

Figure 30. Remachined Horizontal Joint. Figure 32. Cleaned Keyway in Exhaust End Casing.
 ELIMINATING A RUB-INDUCED STARTUP 75
VIBRATION PROBLEM IN AN ETHYLENE DRIVE STEAM TURBINE

Figure 33. Exhaust End Bearing Case Bracket after Cleaning. Figure 35. Baseplate Removed from Foundation.

FOUNDATION REPAIR
A deteriorated support was another possible contributor to the
turbine’s high vibration problems. The foundation was examined
and some cracks were discovered in the concrete beams supporting
the baseplate. Additionally, poor grout placement and degradation
caused by oil and steam leakage over the years resulted in large
gaps at the interface of the baseplate and concrete foundation. The
overall poor condition of the concrete foundation and grout
interface had the effect of increasing the foundation flexibility,
thereby reducing the bearing’s effective damping and increasing
rotor vibration (Nicholas, et al., 1986).
Clearly, a foundation repair was necessary. While the rotor and
turbine case were undergoing rework and repair, the 9500 lb
baseplate was removed from its concrete pad (Figures 34 and 35).
In order to ensure the correct position of the baseplate during
reinstallation, optical references were taken by attaching reference
plates to the bottom of the concrete foundation using drop-in
anchors. In addition, leveling references were taken by means of a
precision site level.
Figure 36. As-Found Deteriorated Condition of Foundation.

Figure 34. Baseplate Lifted from Foundation.

From Figure 36, the deterioration of the grout under the removed Figure 37. Foundation after Repair.
baseplate is evident. Furthermore, after a careful inspection, many
cracks were observed in the concrete beams emanating from the The anchoring bolts were inspected for cracks to assure their
anchoring bolts. The whole area was cleaned and sandblasted. A integrity and the mounting pads rebuilt using an epoxy resin
repair was made that comprised injecting the cracks with a (Figure 37). The baseplate was also cleaned, sandblasted, and
pressure epoxy adhesive as shown in Figure 37. repainted.
76 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 30TH TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

Four days before the steam turbine arrived back on site, the
baseplate was reinstalled. Its position and level were accurately set
in accordance with the recorded references. After the baseplate
bolts were tightened, grout forms for the outboard and inboard
ends were installed.
Once the turbine arrived on site, it was reinstalled onto the
baseplate, the internal rotor-to-casing alignment checked, and an
initial alignment to the first body ethylene compressor made. The
baseplate was then grouted using an epoxy resin and left to cure for
a period of 24 hours. While the grout cured, no major weights were
added or removed from the baseplate. Once the epoxy was set, the
turbine case upper half was reinstalled, the turbine-to-compressor
final alignment was made, and the steam piping connected.

RETRACTABLE PACKING RETROFIT

Another potential problem area concerned the shaft labyrinth
packing. As discussed, this steam turbine experienced numerous
rotor and packing rubs while passing through the first critical speed
causing excessive vibration and shutdowns (Figures 9 and 10). A
recent paper entitled “Steam Turbine Risk Assessment” (Christ, et
al., 1997) stated that for steam turbines, “The highest risk
component is rubs of labyrinth seals that occur during test and
startup.” In addition to high vibration, rubs bring about wear and Figure 38. Conventional Labyrinth Seal Ring.
increased leakage of the seals that degrade turbine efficiency, thus
limiting plant production. For this reason, rubs, and hence premature of the steam acting on the backside of the packing ring. As the
wear of the labyrinth seals, should be avoided if at all possible. steam flow increases, the ability of the packing segment to move
One source of steam turbine packing rubs is thermal gradients. away from the shaft is significantly reduced. Under this condition,
Unequal heating prior to and during startup can distort any shaft the shaft packing becomes essentially rigid. In theory, any rubbing
sleeves attached to the rotor under the labyrinth seal. This distor- that might occur should happen during runup through the first
tion reduces the packing clearance causing a rub. This situation is critical speed at relatively low steam flows and, thus, low steam
aggravated when passing through a responsive first critical speed forces. This would allow the packing segment to be pushed away
as was the case with this turbine (Figures 2 to 6). Even without from the shaft minimizing rub damage and rub-induced vibrations.
thermal gradients, traversing a responsive critical speed can often An alternate approach would be to somehow keep the packing
result in a severe rub. clearances wide open during the startup and shutdown period when
Localized heating during startup as a result of packing rubs due rubs normally occur, and tight during normal load and full speed
to thermal gradients and/or passing through responsive critical operation. Retractable packing (Johns, et al., 1997) operates in this
speeds will cause a turbine rotor to bow. This is a cumulative fashion. In the standard packing described above, the spring pressure
condition since the rub generates heat at the rotor’s high spot, holds the packing toward the turbine shaft, and as the turbine load
which in turn causes both the rotor and stationary parts to expand increases, the steam pressure adds force behind the packing, keeping
rapidly. The induced thermal bow introduces unbalance, which the seal clearance tight. With retractable packing, the springs hold the
results in an even harder rub. packing away from the shaft as in Figure 39, and as the turbine load
Another source of rubs is from starting the turbine with a bowed increases, the steam pressure behind the packing forces the packing
rotor. If after a turbine is shutdown and the rotor is allowed to come toward the shaft into the tight clearance condition (Figure 40).
to rest, the upper side of the rotor will become hotter than the lower
side due to hot vapor in the turbine case accumulating in the upper
half. This temperature differential around the shaft will cause the
rotor to take a bow, which will remain until the temperature is
equalized. The extent of the bow is dependent on the differential
temperature, and size and length of the rotor. To avoid this
condition, the rotor should be slowly rotated with a turning gear,
allowing the shaft temperature to equalize. Admitting steam to a
stationary turbine or improper use of sealing steam can also cause
temporary rotor bows. Starting a turbine with a bowed rotor will
almost always lead to a rub.
In order to address some of these packing rub concerns, most
steam turbine manufacturers utilize packing rings with springs
designed to force the packing ring segments toward the shaft into
a tight clearance position. A typical conventional labyrinth packing
ring design is shown in Figure 38 (Johns, et al., 1997). Each
segment is typically held in place by a flat spring located behind Figure 39. Cross Sectional View of Retractable Seal in Open
the packing. The spring holds the segment at its minimum Position During Startup.
clearance position during assembly and startup. A typical diametral
clearance between the rotating shaft and stationary packing is of By proper design of the coil springs between packing segments,
the order 20 to 25 mils. the pressure forces acting on the packing can be utilized to cause
As steam pressure builds up on the upstream side of the packing, the packing to move from a large clearance to a small clearance at
the packing segment moves downstream against a hooked shoulder a predetermined flow. The packing is designed to close beyond the
fit forming a seal. The force holding the packing ring radially point where thermal gradients occur and above the critical speed
toward the shaft is a combination of the spring force and the force range. Figure 41 shows the typical difference in clearances for
 ELIMINATING A RUB-INDUCED STARTUP 77
VIBRATION PROBLEM IN AN ETHYLENE DRIVE STEAM TURBINE

FIELD STARTUP
Forty-six days after shutdown, the turbine was ready for
overspeed testing in July 2000. After setting the mechanical trip,
the turbine was coupled to the ethylene compressors and the train
made ready for plant startup.
After a first startup, the unit was shutdown due to a process-
related problem. On August 1, 2000, the unit was restarted and the
train speed increased to 7200 rpm. No rubs or vibration related
problems were detected either going through the turbine rotor’s
first critical speed or in the operating speed range. The turbine
exhibited the lowest rotor and casing vibration amplitudes ever
recorded. Figure 43 shows 1⫻ levels below 10 microns peak-to-
peak (0.4 mils peak-to-peak).

Figure 40. Cross Sectional View of Retractable Seal in Closed

Position for Operation.

conventional packing and retractable packing during startup when the

rotor vibration increases while passing through the first critical speed.

Figure 41. Rotor Vibration Characteristic During Startup. Figure 43. Operating Speed Vibration Spectra After Overhaul.

No major rework to the turbine was required to fit the retractable A time history of turbine vibration from September 2000 until
packing with only minor modification to the packing grooves in the January 2001 may be seen in Figures 44 and 45. From Figure 44,
diaphragms. Eight rows of retractable packing were retrofitted into the steam end horizontal displacement probe’s normal vibration
the turbine. They were located in the high-pressure end nozzle and levels are around 20 microns peak-to-peak (0.8 mils peak-to-peak).
diaphragm stages up to the exhaust section. An example is shown This is half the value from Figure 7 before the overhaul. There are
in Figure 42. a handful of vibration excursions that remained under 50 microns
peak-to-peak (2.0 mils peak-to-peak) in Figure 44 compared to
peaks ranging up to 125 microns peak-to-peak (4.9 mils peak-to-
peak) from Figure 7.

Figure 42. Retractable Seals Installed in High-Pressure Packing Figure 44. Time Trend of Steam End Horizontal Displacement
Case. Probe Vibration After Overhaul.
78 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 30TH TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

• As part of routine maintenance, all keys and keyways should be

cleaned and lubricated to ensure that they function correctly. Bound
or restricted keys are a prime contributor to casing distortion that
often leads to rotor-casing internal misalignment and hence rubs.
• The rub-induced startup vibration problem was successfully
eliminated. The turbine is currently operating with the lowest rotor
and casing vibration amplitudes ever recorded.

NOMENCLATURE
AMAX = Maximum amplitude (mils)
AF = Amplification factor at NC (dim)
c = Damper radial clearance (in)
Cd = Squeeze film direct damping (lb-sec/in)
Ds = Rotor mid-shaft diameter (in)
Kd = Squeeze film direct stiffness (lb/in)
L = Damper axial length (in)
Figure 45. Time Trend of Exhaust End Horizontal Bearing Case
Lb = Rotor bearing span (in)
Velocity Probe Vibration After Overhaul.
N = Maximum operating speed (rpm)
NC = Critical speed (rpm)
Casing readings for the exhaust end horizontal velocity probe
R = Damper radius (in)
(Figure 45) all range below 1.6 mm/s zero-to-peak (0.06 in/s zero-
W = Rotor weight (lb)
to-peak) compared to 20 mm/s zero-to-peak (0.8 in/s zero-to-peak)
ε = Damper eccentricity ratio (dim)
from Figure 8 before the overhaul. Nominal velocity levels of
µ = Oil viscosity (lb-sec/in2)
about 0.8 mm/s zero-to-peak (0.03 in/s zero-to-peak) are evident
ω = Shaft speed (rad/sec)
from Figure 45 compared to between 4.0 and 8.0 mm/s zero-to-
peak (0.16 and 0.32 in/s zero-to-peak) from Figure 8. REFERENCES
CONCLUSIONS Christ, T. J., Drosjack, M. J., and Tanner, G. M., 1997, “Steam
Turbine Risk Assessment—A Tool to Assist in Optimizing
• The critical speed and stability characteristics of machines with Inspection and Overhauls of Industrial Steam Turbines,”
sensitive or problem rotors can be greatly improved by modifying
Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Turbomachinery Symposium,
the bearings to incorporate a squeeze film damper. If performed
Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College
carefully, this solution can be implemented relatively quickly and
Station, Texas, pp. 87-93.
inexpensively compared to other options such as modifying the
rotor and/or the case. Edney, S. L. and Nicholas, J. C., 1999, “Retrofitting a Large Steam
Turbine with a Mechanically Centered Squeeze Film Damper,”
• The dynamic stability of a rotor supported on conventional
Proceedings of the Twenty-Eighth Turbomachinery Sympo-
bearings (either sleeve or tilting pad) can be significantly extended
sium, Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M University,
by the addition of a squeeze film damper. With the squeeze film
College Station, Texas, pp. 29-40.
damper, the stability threshold was increased by a factor of two
compared to the initial five pad tilting pad design. Gunter, E. J. Jr., Barrett, L. E., and Allaire, P. E., 1975, “Design and
Application of Squeeze Film Dampers for Turbomachinery
• The squeeze film damper reduced both the location and response Stabilization,” Proceedings of the Fourth Turbomachinery
sensitivity of the first and second peak response speeds, with both
Symposium, Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M
modes critically damped. The coupling change and turning gear
University, College Station, Texas, pp. 127-141.
wheel modification raised the location of the third mode and
greatly reduced the sensitivity of the exhaust shaft end to coupling Johns, D. A., Rasmussen, D., and Beverly, J., 1997, “Turbine
unbalance. Remanufacture—One Option for Reliability and Efficiency
Improvement,” Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Turbo-
• The retractable packing retrofit contributed to both trouble-free machinery Symposium, Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas
startups and increased efficiency of the steam turbine. By
A&M University, College Station, Texas, pp. 95-110.
eliminating normal labyrinth packing wear from rubs with the seals
open during startup, tight operating seal clearances were Nicholas, J. C., 1994, “Tilting Pad Bearing Design,” Proceedings
maintained, thus reducing interstage leakage. of the Twenty-Third Turbomachinery Symposium, Turboma-
chinery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station,
• Deteriorated foundations will greatly aggravate turboma- Texas, pp. 179-194.
chinery related vibration problems. Oil and steam leakage over
the years will degrade grout, rendering the bond between the Nicholas, J. C. and Kirk, R. G., 1982, “Four Pad Tilting Pad
foundation and baseplate ineffective. Structurally weak founda- Bearing Design and Application for Multi-Stage Axial
tions and supports are poor for controlling rotor vibration by Compressors,” ASME Journal of Lubrication Technology, 104,
reducing the effectiveness of the available damping at journal (4), pp. 523-532.
bearings. Nicholas, J. C., Whalen, J. K., and Franklin, S. D., 1986, “Improv-
• Effective repairs can be made to deteriorated foundations to ing Critical Speed Calculations Using Flexible Bearing
restore them like new as described herein. Repairs of this nature Support FRF Compliance Data,” Proceedings of the Fifteenth
must be completed with the equipment removed from the founda- Turbomachinery Symposium, Turbomachinery Laboratory,
tion to ensure no baseplate distortion. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, pp. 69-78.