Abstract
Steam turbine rotors are the most critical and highly stressed components of a steam power plant; therefore, the life expectancy of the turbine rotor is an important consideration for the safety of a steam power plant. The objective of this paper is to develop a life estimation program for turbine rotors for all possible operating conditions. For this purpose, finite element analysis was carried out for four normal operating modes (cold, warm, hot and very hot starts) using ABAQUS codes. The results are made into databases to evaluate the life expenditure for an actual operating condition. For any other possible abnormal operating condition, the operating data are transmitted to the server (workstation) through a network to carry out finite element analysis. Damage estimation is carried out by transmitting the finite element analysis results to the personal computer, and then the life expectancy is calculated.
