Experimental study of condensing steam flow in nozzles and linear blade cascade

Experimental investigations of non-equilibrium spontaneous condensation in transonic steam flow were carried out in nozzles and linear blade cascade. For the tests the geometry of the half arc nozzles were used. The linear cascade consists of the stator blades of the last stage low pressure steam turbine. The applied experimental test section is a part of small scale steam power station located at the Silesian University of Technology. The steam parameters at the test section inlet correspond to the real conditions in low pressure part of steam turbine. The static pressure measurements as well as the Schlieren pictures were used to assess the flow field in nozzles and linear stator blades cascade. The capabilities of used measurement techniques were estimated for gaining insight into condensation process in steam flow. The experimental results were compared with numerical calculations carried out by means of an in-house CFD code. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.