IP Library › Granted Patent US 12680469
Granted Patent B2
US 12680469 · App. 18/564,892 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Method for estimating erosion of steam turbine rotor blade using concentration of substance in feed water

Inventors: Shigeki Senoo (Tokyo, JP); Soichiro Tabata (Tokyo, JP); Tetsuya Sawatsubashi (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
F01D21/003F01D5/282F01K13/003F05D2220/31F05D2220/72F05D2260/80
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12680469
App. No.
18/564,892
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An erosion estimation method is for estimating a degree of progress of erosion of a last-stage rotor blade of a steam turbine. The erosion estimation method includes: sampling supplied water containing a substance to be detected, which is included in a material constituting the last-stage rotor blade, from a water supply line that is connected to the steam turbine; measuring a concentration of the substance; and estimating the degree of progress of the erosion of the last-stage rotor blade based on the concentration of the substance.

Claims (15)

1 . An erosion estimation method for estimating a degree of progress of erosion of a final stage rotor blade of a steam turbine, the erosion estimation method comprising:

sampling feed water including a substance to be detected that is included in a material forming the final stage rotor blade from a water supply line connected to the steam turbine;

measuring a concentration of the substance to be detected in the feed water that has been sampled; and

estimating the degree of progress of the erosion based on the concentration of the substance to be detected,

wherein, in the estimating of the degree of progress of the erosion, it is estimated to which time an initial time or a transition period in which the erosion rapidly progresses relative to the initial time after a lapse of the initial time or a stable period in which a slope of the degree of progress of the erosion is gentle relative to the transition period after a lapse of the transition period the degree of progress of the erosion corresponds from an amount of change in the substance to be detected over time.

2 . The erosion estimation method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the final stage rotor blade includes a blade main body and an erosion shield that is on a leading edge side of a tip portion of the blade main body and made of a material including the substance to be detected.

3 . The erosion estimation method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the final stage rotor blade includes a blade main body and the substance to be detected that is embedded in the blade main body.

4 . The erosion estimation method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the substance to be detected is a cobalt element.

5 . The erosion estimation method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the substance to be detected is a radioactive element that has been impregnated into the final stage rotor blade in advance.

6 . The erosion estimation method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in a steam turbine system including a condenser that cools steam discharged from the steam turbine and converts the steam back to water, a condensate pump that is on a downstream side of the condenser, an economizer that is on a downstream side of the condensate pump and preheats the water, an evaporator that heats the water preheated by the economizer to generate steam, and a superheater that superheats the steam generated by the evaporator, in the sampling of the feed water, the feed water is sampled between the condensate pump and the economizer.