Modeling the Thermal State of the Low-Pressure Rotor of the K-200-130 Turbine During Start-Up

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DOI
Journal Journal of Mechanical Engineering – Problemy Mashynobuduvannia
Publisher Anatolii Pidhornyi Institute of Power Machines and Systems
of National Academy of Science of Ukraine
ISSN  2709-2984 (Print), 2709-2992 (Online)
Issue Vol. 29, no. 3, 2026 (September)
Pages 71-80
Cited by J. of Mech. Eng., 2026, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 71-80

 

Authors

Olha Yu. Chernousenko, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” (6, Politekhnichna str., Kyiv, 03056, Ukraine), e-mail: chernousenko20a@gmail.com, ORCID: 0000-0002-1427-8068

Vitalii A. Peshko, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” (6, Politekhnichna str., Kyiv, 03056, Ukraine), e-mail: vapeshko@gmail.com, ORCID: 0000-0003-0610-1403

Dmytro V. Ryndiuk, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” (6, Politekhnichna str., Kyiv, 03056, Ukraine), e-mail: reletive@gmail.com, ORCID: 0000-0001-7770-7547

Anatolii P. Bovsunovskyi, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” (6, Politekhnichna str., Kyiv, 03056, Ukraine), e-mail: apbovsunovsky@gmail.com, ORCID: 0000-0001-9562-0250

 

Abstract

Under the current operating conditions of the Integrated Power System of Ukraine, the reliability and operational safety of thermal power plant equipment are of critical importance. Ensuring long-term operation and evaluating the individual service life of critical turbine components following mechanical damage and repair restorations require a comprehensive investigation of their thermomechanical state. The aim of this study is to perform computational research of the spatial thermal state of the low-pressure rotor of the K-200-130 steam turbine to provide scientific and technical justification for extending its reliable operational life. The research methodology is based on the fundamental principles of transient heat conduction and continuum mechanics, utilizing the finite element method within the SolidWorks environment. A spatial 3D model of the symmetric half of the LPR (approximately 6.2 million elements) was developed with adaptive mesh refinement in stress concentration zones. The model incorporates actual post-repair geometric modifications, specifically a reduction in the shaft journal diameter in the bearing No. 5 area from 435 mm to 420 mm. Second- and third-kind boundary conditions for heat transfer were determined using similarity theory criterion equations, accounting for the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic characteristics of the steam flow in the flow path. Three-dimensional temperature fields of the rotor were obtained for the rated 200 MW load regime and during a transient cold start-up. It was found that under steady-state operation, the metal reaches a thermally stabilized state, with temperatures ranging from 160–170 °C in the steam inlet region to 40–65 °C in the last stages. During cold start-up, significant transience was observed: during rotor rolling and speed acceleration, an extreme radial temperature gradient occurs, with the outer surface heating up to 130–150 °C while inner layers warm up only to 30–40 °C. A notable thermal lag in the warming of the shaft symmetry axis was recorded, resulting from the massive rotor dimensions and the thermophysical properties of 25Cr1Mo1V steel. The resulting temperature fields and gradients provide a foundational basis for subsequent numerical analysis of the rotor’s stress-strain state, evaluation of cumulative low-cycle fatigue damage, and prediction of the power unit’s remaining individual service life.

 

Keywords: thermal power plant, steam turbine K-200-130, low-pressure rotor, temperature, resource, non-stationary thermal conductivity, thermal state.

 

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Received 22 August 2026
Accepted 02 September 2026
Published 30 September 2026