The new 75in blade, with an exhaust area of 58m², is considered as the longest in the world. The blade will be used in the low pressure section of Alstom’s Arabelle nuclear steam turbine.
The LP75, which builds incrementally on Alstom’s existing LP69 turbine blade, provides a reduction of one-fifth in exhaust losses compared with LP69.
Alstom Nuclear senior VP Patrick Fragman said, "The LP75 builds on Alstom’s existing expertise and will give our nuclear power customers increased electrical output to enhance their plant performance.
The latest blade is capable of providing more output in cold and very cold cooling conditions from all reactor models, the company said.
With this new blade, the Arabelle LSB line now offers three sizes. The LP75 features the same welded rotor technology of those earlier models.
The Arabelle steam turbine currently powers six nuclear units and is under various stages of construction in another 18 units in four countries.
