When installed and operated properly, general purpose steam turbines are reliable and tend to be forgotten, i.e., out of sound and out of mind. But, they can be sleeping giants that can result in major headaches if ignored. Three real steam turbine undesirable consequences that immediately come to mind are:

• Injury and secondary damage due to an overspeed failure. An overspeed failure on a big steam or gas turbine is one of the most frightening of industrial accidents.
• The high cost of an extensive overhaul due to an undetected component failure. A major steam turbine...