Doosan Enerbility Supplies 'Rotor with 630-Degree Endurance' to Boryeong New Combined Power Plant for the First Time

The World's Only Manufacturable
Rotation Shaft Role in Turbine

Doosan Enerbility announced on the 24th that it has succeeded in developing a 630-degree Celsius (°C) class rotor and will begin manufacturing for commercialization.

A rotor is a cylindrical product that acts as a rotating shaft in high-speed rotating equipment such as turbines and generators. It is a large forged product weighing 17.5 to 37 tons, with a diameter of 0.95 to 1.28 meters and a length of 6.1 to 8.5 meters. Multiple blades are attached to this rotor to manufacture steam turbines.

Doosan Enerbility will apply the 630-degree class rotor to steam turbines and supply this steam turbine for the first time to the Boryeong New Combined Cycle Power Plant. "Combined cycle power generation" refers to a method where power is first generated by operating a gas turbine, then steam is produced using the exhaust heat from the gas turbine, and this steam is used to operate a steam turbine to generate power a second time. The Boryeong New Combined Cycle Power Plant is the first project to apply the Korean standard gas combined cycle model.

Doosan Enerbility will supply main equipment such as steam turbines and gas turbines to the Boryeong New Combined Cycle Power Plant. The gas turbine supplied by Doosan Enerbility is a super-large product with a capacity of 380 MW. The steam produced through the combined cycle process reaches a high temperature of 620 degrees Celsius, and using existing rotors cannot guarantee strength and durability. Conversely, cooling the steam temperature to fit existing rotors reduces power generation efficiency. Therefore, a rotor capable of operating at a high temperature of 620 degrees Celsius was developed.

Rotor used in the production of steam turbines for power generation
[Photo by Doosan Enerbility]

Developing a 630-degree class rotor requires advanced steelmaking technology, forging technology, and heat treatment technology. Doosan Enerbility, which owns its own casting and forging plant at its headquarters in Changwon, Gyeongnam, has accumulated capabilities by directly performing everything from material development to product manufacturing for various power generation main equipment, including gas turbines, steam turbines, nuclear reactors, and boilers.

Doosan Enerbility began developing Ultra Super Critical (USC) technology in 2002, quickly securing high-temperature, high-pressure material development and manufacturing technology. Currently, Doosan Enerbility is the only company in the world capable of manufacturing high-strength, high-toughness 630-degree class rotors. USC technology is applied to power plants where the steam pressure entering the turbine is 246 kg/cm² or higher and the steam temperature is 593°C or higher. The higher the steam pressure and temperature, the higher the power generation efficiency, reducing fuel consumption, making it an eco-friendly, high-efficiency power generation technology.

Song Yong-jin, Vice President of Doosan Enerbility’s Strategy and Innovation Division, said, “We are honored to contribute to improving power generation efficiency in the first Korean standard gas combined cycle project with the 630-degree class rotor developed in-house. We take pride in having world-class material development and manufacturing capabilities and will continue to develop competitive products going forward.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.