Some suggestions for improving the steam distribution system of the main turbine unit of the nuclear icebreaker project 22220

The purpose of this article is to determine some prospective areas for the development and improvement of the steam distribution system and the electrohydraulic power control system for steam valves of the turbine unit of the main steam turbine unit PTU-72, installed on icebreakers of project 22220, and which is the base for use on prospective icebreaking vessels and floating nuclear power plants. The article considers the design features of steam valves and of the drive part of the turbine control system, which, according to the authors, require further development as part of the modernization of nuclear icebreaker power plants during their operation, and also require consideration when developing new advanced marine power units. Possible ways to improve the steam distribution system are considered in two areas: the design of control steam valves themselves and the design of electrohydraulic power complex for controlling steam valves.

The following suggestions are formulated for consideration in the design of new steam turbine units for nuclear-powered vessels:

1) to consider the issue of eliminating unjustified duplication of steam valves on the main turbine unit (MTU) of prospective projects and returning to the proven scheme of steam supply on turbines of nuclear icebreakers of the previous generation;

2) to consider the use of non-metallic composite materials in the design of prospective turbomachinery steam distribution systems;

3) to unify the steam control and etching valves with the exclusion of the relief valve from the etching valve, replacing it with an unloading channel, and structurally ensuring the process of self-mounting the piston on the rod inside the perforated sleeve;

4) in prospective icebreaker projects, to consider the possibility of reducing the pressure of the working medium in the hydraulic control system of the MTU steam valves, which will obviously reduce the requirements for hydraulic control elements and allow for simpler technical solutions with the transition to domestic hydraulic control systems, and possibly to the electromechanical design of steam valve control servos;

5) to change the control algorithm for control valves of turbine units of serial nuclear icebreakers of the project 22220, supplementing the algorithm with functionality that ensures an increase in the service life of steam valves by modernizing the electronic digital part of the steam turbine control system.

The proposed suggestions on improving the steam distribution system for serial nuclear icebreakers may be considerably useful in newly designed nuclear icebreaker power plants of the 10510 Leader project, as well as in turbine-generating plants of the actively developing field of nuclear floating power units.

The use of unloaded steam valves in steam distribution systems of turbogenerator installations of nuclear floating power units may pave the way for the use of electromechanical power drives of steam valves in turbine units with the exclusion of hydraulic high-pressure media from the drives.

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