Dr. Barry Dooley and Dr. Bobby Svoboda presented the third webinar of the IAPWS Power Cycle Chemistry Working Group on 31 March 2026: Steam Turbine PTZ Damage, Failure, and Steam Purity Requirements.
The webinar series has again proven to be quite popular, with 497 people having registered for the event and 269 individuals attending the live stream.
This webinar covered topics in steam chemistry, phase transition zones, and damage and failure mechanisms that impact steam turbines. The major steam turbine failures and damage occur in the phase transition zone (PTZ) of the LP turbine and are influenced by the cycle chemistry used on the plant. The damage mechanisms of interest are stress corrosion cracking (SCC), corrosion fatigue (CF), pitting and deposits. Each of these was illustrated during the presentation along with the multiple processes (carryover, condensate and liquid film formation) that occur and result in the damage. IAPWS developed a Technical Guidance Document (TGD) which provides guidance on chemistry limits and actions to identify and address harmful operating and control practices.
A You-Tube video is now available at https://youtu.be/kqNQS2AhSjE and slides will be posted on the "Webinars" section of this website when they are available.
