Spent the last 10 years (up until last month) as a turbine engineer on some 500 and 700MW units.
The energies involved are tremendous...200 Tonnes of steel spinning at 3,000 RPM, on a layer of oil the thickness of ATF.
Have seen some pretty impressive failures in my time, but always contained.
Here's one in South Africa, that proves a couple of rules about rotational kinetic energy, and centripetal forces...when "stuff" happens, it happens quickly.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Eskom-makes-R3bn-boo-boo-20110327
The energies involved are tremendous...200 Tonnes of steel spinning at 3,000 RPM, on a layer of oil the thickness of ATF.
Have seen some pretty impressive failures in my time, but always contained.
Here's one in South Africa, that proves a couple of rules about rotational kinetic energy, and centripetal forces...when "stuff" happens, it happens quickly.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Eskom-makes-R3bn-boo-boo-20110327
Last edited by a moderator: