Research on Weight-Reduced Optimization Design of Large Nuclear Power Low Pressure Cylinder

Steam turbines need to be safer and more reliable when used in nuclear power plants. In order to ensure long-term reliability of nuclear power equipment, a high safety factor is usually adopted in the design of low-pressure (LP) inner casing of steam turbines. It not only leads to larger self-weight of LP outer casings and fundamental load, but also causes higher manufacturing and transportation costs. In this paper, the stress and deformation behaviors of the LP outer casings of steam turbines are first evaluated using the numerical finite element analysis. Then, two optimization design methods, size optimization and topology optimization are used to conduct the weight reduced optimization design of inner casing, in combination with the design standards, so that the structural efficiency and performance of LP inner casings are achieved. At the same time, the self-weight and related costs are also greatly reduced. This study proposes a more optimized structural design of LP inner casings of steam turbines, and it offers considerable economic benefits.