Gear units for small CHP applications

At Power Gen Europe, Kawasaki announced the development of a M5A-01 GT for small CHP applications. The 5 MW machine is designed to fit between the company’s existing M1A and M7A series. The M5A-01 will be commercial in 2018.

Design is an important component in Renk’s new MS clutch, with automatic clutch engagement at any synchronous speed. The clutch’s coupling consists of two main elements: Gear coupling (axial, radial and angular displacement) and a synchronous mechanism that automatically engages and disengages. The MS clutch is designed for combined cycle power plants (CCPP), CHP and compressed energy storage facilities. It is tailored to operate in the range of 0.5 to well over 200 MW.

Turboden, a specialist in Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology, and industrial boiler company Bono Sistemi, have designed Steam & Power ORC, a cogeneration system for manufacturing processes. The innovative principle of Steam & Power ORC is the temperature level of the cycle, allowing the cogeneration of electricity and medium-pressure steam with high energy efficiency.  This system is suited for manufacturing processes that require thermal energy in the form of steam with different pressure levels, based on the application, such as oil & gas, pulp & paper, chemical & pharmaceutical, and food & beverage.

New gears

Also at PowerGen, Voith debuted its BHS AeroMaXX technology for turbo parallel-shaft gear units. The inner housing and optimized sleeve bearings are said to reduce power loss and oil consumption by 30% or more. This solution has a passive-mechanical character and does not require any additional accessories. Due to the high pitch-line velocities of up to 200 m/s, oil swirling and oil squeezing in the gear mesh account for a substantial part of the power loss of high-speed turbo gear units. The AeroMaXX technology reduces these losses by separating the lubrication from the cooling.

An inner housing in the direct vicinity of the gear set absorbs heat and dissipates it into the external surface on the inner housing via cooling oil. This means that a substantially smaller volume of oil is required for the actual lubrication of the teeth-contact surfaces and the swirling oil and air mixture is minimized.

AeroMaXX is said to increase gear unit efficiency by up to 0.5%. At the same time, oil consumption is reduced by at least 30%. AeroMaXX is designed for high pitch-line velocities in connection with medium-to-high power that occurs in the driveline of power plants with compressors and generators.

 (Voith BHS AeroMaxx)

Reintjes also featured a new gearbox at PowerGen EU. Its new product is said to cover the whole portfolio of powertrains: Steam turbines, gas turbines and compressors. In addition to flexibility, its gearboxes come with standalone components, such as a Quill Shaft and Rotor Turbine Device.

The Quill Shaft allows torsional flexibility by reducing torsional stresses in the shafts. It also compensates for radial deflections in full steel, and is maintenance-free. The Rotor Turning Device, available as a standalone component or as a gearbox option, provides the breakaway torque needed to start steam or gas turbines and accelerates the turbines up to the turning speed in a time span specified by the user.

(Reintjes RTG 630 gearbox)

This also makes it possible to rotate the turbine during cool-down. The soft starter on the Rotor Turning Device enables a controlled start and provides adjustable ramp times, start values and current limits. Reintjes high-speed gearboxes are equipped on CHP, pulp & paper, waste incineration, and ethanol plants.