Life assessment of turbine components based on deterministic and probabilistic procedures

摘要

Long life endurance and high availability are very important factors in the operation of large steam turbines. The operational safety is ensured by regular inspections in combination with mechanical calculations. In this context, risk-based life assessment approaches, which balance out safety and economic requirements, have become more and more important in the last years (e.g. the developing a unified approach to make risk-based decisions within inspection and maintenance in the frame of the project Risk based Inspection and Maintenance Procedure for European Industry (RIMAP)). The article shortly outlines the theoretical background of life assessment with the help of probabilistic fracture mechanics and demonstrates its application for typically heavy-loaded components of large stream turbines.