After cancellation of the steam turbine conference in 2020 due to the pandemic and an online steam turbine event last year, this year the conference was held again in attendance so that the usual two-year rhythm can be maintained. With around 260 participants from Germany and abroad and an accompanying trade exhibition with 37 exhibitors, the event took place in Cologne from June 14 to 15, 2022.
The high number of participants and the large trade exhibition underline the importance of this vgbe Conference on the one hand and the great interest in a face-to-face event on the other. In addition to the technical importance, this aspect was particularly emphasised in the opening speech by Hartmut Strangfeld: “An event like the Steam Turbine Conference not only lives from the technical content, but in a special way from the personal contacts among participants and exhibitors, from networking and the shared experience.”
Networking and personal contact were given additional space: A special “vgbe Meeting Point” with representatives of the vgbe Technical Group “Steam Turbines” provided ample opportunity for technical exchange and detailed information on the activities and projects of this vgbe body.
This year’s lecture programme focused on the following topics:
- Repair possibilities and measures
- Numerical analyses and reverse engineering
- Retrofits and possibilities for plant optimisation
- Steam quality and analysis
- Government regulations on the energy market (Grid Code, Energy Tax Act, etc.)
(f.l.t.r.) Dr. Jens Göhler and Christian Frank
The issue of repair for example was dealt with by Dr. Jens Köhler Göhler and Christian Frank who presented innovative repair solutions for stationary and rotating components of industrial steam turbines by using mobile laser technology. This technology uses Yt-YAG fibre lasers pulsed on diodes with a wavelength of 1070 nm which enables welding of a wide range of materials and alloys. A special feature of this process is the elimination of post-weld heat treatment of the component, which is otherwise mandatory with conventional welding processes.
The topic of “reverse engineering” was addressed in a paper by Dr. Stephan Schwab. The basic procedure of the reverse engineering process was described for the steam turbine sector and practical examples were explained on the basis of several projects. If components are to be modified during reverse engineering, this can be realised e.g. with the help of numerical analysis. Thus, safe turbine operation is ensured by means of strength analyses and rotordynamic considerations. Furthermore, fluid mechanical analyses can also be used to optimise the energy conversion within the steam turbine.
Plant optimisation, increased availability and optimised condition monitoring are always topics on top of the agenda. In a lecture by Clemens Bueren et al, the possibilities of operational balancing were presented under the heading “Small mass, big effect”. Balancing of steam turbines is a long-established option for improving the vibration amplitude, or the running behaviour of the turbine. The speakers emphasised the importance of careful analysis – a prerequisite for successfully improving the vibration and operating behaviour prior to actual balancing. This requires proven and suitable measuring instruments as well as qualified personnel who prepare and carry out balancing in close cooperation with operator and vibration experts to ensure good operating behaviour.
The experts from vgbe´s Technical Services were also present at the conference. Dr Christian Ullrich, Managing Director of vgbe-service GmbH and head of vgbe Technical Services, gave a presentation on “Damage due to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) on turbines and compressors”. In the past, SCC has been identified as a cause of premature turbine failure. Three unfavourable conditions that mutually influence each other – occurrence of a critical liquid medium, presence of a sensitive material condition and tensile stress at a sufficient level – can lead to SCC. Three damage examples were used to illustrate how operational reasons (e.g., poor steam and air quality, inadequately executed maintenance measures) create conditions that lead to SCC. vgbe Technical Services can make a valuable contribution to prevent such unfavourable conditions.
The well-positioned trade exhibition could be visited during breaks. Manufacturers and service companies presented their products and services and were able to maintain old and new contacts and continue and deepen the discussions from the plenary session. The high value of networking, which was already emphasised at the beginning of the event, is also of particular importance in the trade exhibition. At present, it is also about the generation change in companies. Experienced colleagues are leaving due to age and are being replaced by younger successors. Accordingly, the exchange of experience on the fringes of trade conferences can also be considered as kind of “knowledge management” and the preservation of long-standing, well-functioning business partnerships.
The vgbe community also had to say goodbye: Peter Richer who had been the steam turbine expert at vgbe energy e.V. from 1999 to 2021, is retiring. With Peter Richter, the vgbe community is losing an experienced and humorous steam turbine expert with a high level of technical expertise and reputation.
However, vgbe energy e.V. is pleased to welcome Anna-Maria Mika as new vgbe steam turbine expert, who has already been working for the association since July 2021. Anna-Maria Mika succeeds Peter Richter and, thanks to her mechanical engineering studies at the Technical University of Braunschweig, specialising in energy and process engineering, as former project manager in the field of revision turbomachinery, design engineer for screw-type compressors and expert for spare parts recommendations for revisions of turbo trains, she is a proven and experienced steam turbine expert who will continue the successful work of Peter Richter at vgbe energy e.V.
This year’s steam turbine conference was also accompanied by a welcome social programme. In early summer temperatures, participants and exhibitors had the opportunity to deepen the collegial exchange during a Rhine cruise and to say goodbye to Peter Richter in a pleasant atmosphere.
The vgbe conference team would like to thank all participants, speakers and exhibitors for their participation and support and is looking forward to the next vgbe Steam Turbine Conference, which will take place in Würzburg on May 28 to 29, 2024.
For more information, please visit the new vgbe event platform and vgbe energy journal.
