Steam path in turbine ships

Propulsion systems, machinery, turbines, boilers, propellers, fuel consumption, etc.
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marcelo_malara
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Steam path in turbine ships

Post by marcelo_malara »

Hi all. Does anyone know the different paths steam can take from boilers to turbines? I took a look to my AOTS volumes, and there seems to be three:

-boiler - HP ahead turbine - LP ahead turbine - condenser

-boiler - cruising turbine - HP ahead turbine - LP ahead turbine - condenser

-boiler - HP astern turbine - LP astern turbine - condenser

The questions are, is there any way for steam to be admitted directly to the LP turbine in case the HP one is damaged? Why is the steam routed thru the HP turbine in case the cruising turbine is used?
OpanaPointer
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Re: Steam path in turbine ships

Post by OpanaPointer »

I'm a retired Machinist Mate, the rating that's responsible for main propulsion turbines in the USN. The layout of the "main propulsion plant" is usually a mashup of what the designers wanted and what the builders would do. That being said the philosophy behind the designs would have been documented as part of the builder's manuals provided with the ship. The DANFS entries for each ship shows the builders, so you can contact them if they're still in operation. If they're not then the National Archives would be a second route to pursue.
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