Experimental determination of gap flow-conditioned forces at turbine stages and their effect on the running stability of simple rotors
Instabilities in turbine operation can be caused by forces which are produced in connection with motions involving the oil film in the bearings. An experimental investigation regarding the characteristics of such forces in the case of three typical steam turbine stages is conducted, taking into account the effect of various parameters. Supplementary kinetic tests are carried out to obtain an estimate of the flow forces which are proportional to the velocity. The measurements are based on the theoretical study of the damping characteristics of a vibrational model. A computational analysis of the effect of the measured fluid forces on the stability characteristics of simple rotor model is also conducted.