All articles by Tracey Honney
Arabelle goes to new lengths
The two Arabelle steam turbine trains at Hinkley Point C in the UK, currently under construction, will each be capable of producing an astonishing 1770 MW (gross). A key contributor to this unprecedented power output is the deployment of 75in last stage blades in the Low Pressure (LP) modules, the longest such blades ever made. The size, coupled with strict limits on their weight, posed significant challenges for the development team, requiring new design tools and manufacturing processes. The result: a high performance last stage, manufacturable at moderate cost.
By Ivan McBean Principal Engineer, Aerodynamics, Arabelle Solutions, Baden, Switzerland