Research on the Aerodynamic Performance and Collaborative Optimization Design of the Full-Scale Compact Inlet Chamber of a Nuclear-Powered Steam Turbine

In nuclear-powered steam turbines, the aerodynamic performance of the inlet chamber tends to be contradictory to the compact design, which makes it difficult to achieve optimal efficiency and power in a nuclear-powered steam turbine. In this study, the quantitative correlation between compact design and aerodynamic performance was investigated to reveal the interaction mechanism between the aerodynamic performance of the inlet chamber of the steam turbine with its compactness. First, the effects of peripheral quantity and arrangement of inlets in the chamber inlet on its aerodynamic performance were studied. The results indicated that the proposed cross configuration exhibited optimized aerodynamic performance in multiple aspects. Then, the effects of two compactness indices (inlet/outlet area ratio and axial spacing at outlet) on the aerodynamic performance of the inlet chamber were investigated. The results indicated that the volume of the inlet chamber was proportional to the inlet/outlet area ratio, and an appropriate design of the inlet chamber can achieve compactness without significantly affecting its aerodynamic performance. In addition, the influencing mechanism of the compact optimization design on the aerodynamic performances of the inlet chamber was revealed. This study provides references for optimization designing an effective and compacted inlet chamber of steam turbines.