A turbine trip is the emergency shutdown of a power-generation
turbine
A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating e ...
due to unexpected events. Due to the number of issues that may cause a trip, they are relatively common events. Although it can occur on any such turbine, the term is most often seen in the field of
nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
.
Many events can cause a turbine trip, including:
* turbine overspeed condition where the turbine accelerates over its design speed, typically by 10%
* low vacuum in the secondary cooling loop, or condenser
* lubrication failure for any number of reasons
* vibrations due to any number of issues
In order to trip the turbine, inlet steam has to be removed from the feed. This is normally accomplished with dump valves that re-route the feed stream from the turbine inlet directly into the condensers.
References
* {{cite web , url=https://www.nuclear-power.net/nuclear-power-plant/turbine-generator-power-conversion-system/what-is-steam-turbine-description-and-characteristics/turbine-trip/ , title=Turbine Trip
Power station technology
Turbines