Equipment that extracts energy from the fluid — pressure, velocity or enthalpy — and converts it into shaft work. They are the functional mirror of Energy Addition to the Fluid: the same turbomachinery physics, traversed in the opposite direction.
Families
- Hydraulic Turbines — extract energy from water heads and streams (Francis, Kaplan, Pelton, Bulb, Turgo).
- Steam Turbines — expand boiler-generated steam (ISO 14224 class ST).
- Gas Turbines — Brayton cycle: expand combustion gases (class GT).
- Expanders — recover work from pressurized process gases (turboexpanders — class TE — and volumetric expanders).
Boundary note: steam and gas turbines also act as drivers of pumps and compressors. Classification here follows the primary function on the machine's own working fluid (extracting energy from it); the driver role is the service rendered to the driven equipment — see Drivers.