scholarly journals Experimental Study and Numerical Simulation of the FLINDT Draft Tube Rotating Vortex

2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Dan Ciocan ◽  
Monica Sanda Iliescu ◽  
Thi Cong Vu ◽  
Bernd Nennemann ◽  
François Avellan
Keyword(s):  
Laser Doppler Velocimetry ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Good Representation ◽  
Pressure Fields ◽  
Image Velocimetry ◽  
Unsteady Rans ◽  
Flow Domain

The dynamics of the rotating vortex taking place in the discharge ring of a Francis turbine for partial flow rate operating conditions and cavitation free conditions is studied by carrying out both experimental flow survey and numerical simulations. 2D laser Doppler velocimetry, 3D particle image velocimetry, and unsteady wall pressure measurements are performs to investigate thoroughly the velocity and pressure fields in the discharge ring and to give access to the vortex dynamics. Unsteady RANS simulation are performed and compared to the experimental results. The computing flow domain includes the rotating runner and the elbow draft tube. The mesh size of 500,000 nodes for the 17 flow passages of the runner and 420,000 nodes for the draft tube is optimized to achieve reasonable CPU time for a good representation of the studied phenomena. The comparisons between the detailed experimental flow field and the CFD solution yield to a very good validation of the modeling of the draft tube rotating vortex and, then, validate the presented approach for industrial purpose applications.

scholarly journals Manipulation of the swirling flow instability in hydraulic turbine diffuser by different methods of water injection

2018 ◽  
Vol 180 ◽  
pp. 02090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Rudolf ◽  
Jiří Litera ◽  
Germán Alejandro Ibarra Bolanos ◽  
David Štefan
Keyword(s):  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Flow Instability ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Hydraulic Turbine ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Vortex Rope ◽  
Wide Range

Vortex rope, which induces substantial pressure pulsations, arises in the draft tube (diffuser) of Francis turbine for off-design operating conditions. Present paper focuses on mitigation of those pulsations using active water jet injection control. Several modifications of the original Susan-Resiga’s idea were proposed. All modifications are driven by manipulation of the shear layer region, which is believed to play important role in swirling flow instability. While some of the methods provide results close to the original one, none of them works in such a wide range. Series of numerical experiments support the idea that the necessary condition for vortex rope pulsation mitigation is increasing the fluid momentum along the draft tube axis.

Performance of Francis Turbine Operating at Excess Load Condition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhannad Altimemy ◽  
Justin Caspar ◽  
Alparslan Oztekin
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Partial Load ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Excess Load

Abstract Computational fluid dynamics simulations are conducted to characterize the spatial and temporal characteristics of the flow field inside a Francis turbine operating in the excess load regime. A high-fidelity Large Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulence model is applied to investigate the flow-induced pressure fluctuations in the draft tube of a Francis Turbine. Probes placed alongside the wall and in the center of the draft tube measure the pressure signal in the draft tube, the pressure over the turbine blades, and the power generated to compare against previous studies featuring design point and partial load operating conditions. The excess load is seen during Francis turbines in order to satisfy a spike in the electrical demand. By characterizing the flow field during these conditions, we can find potential problems with running the turbine at excess load and inspire future studies regarding mitigation methods. Our studies found a robust low-pressure region on the edges of turbine blades, which could cause cavitation in the runner region, which would extend through the draft tube, and high magnitude of pressure fluctuations were observed in the center of the draft tube.

Flow in the Simplified Draft Tube of a Francis Turbine Operating at Partial Load—Part I: Simulation of the Vortex Rope

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosein Foroutan ◽  
Savas Yavuzkurt
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Axial Velocity ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Turbulence Closure ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Outer Flow ◽  
Vortex Rope ◽  
Partial Load

Numerical simulations and analysis of the vortex rope formation in a simplified draft tube of a model Francis turbine are carried out in this paper, which is the first part of a two-paper series. The emphasis of this part is on the simulation and investigation of flow using different turbulence closure models. Two part-load operating conditions with same head and different flow rates (91% and 70% of the best efficiency point (BEP) flow rate) are considered. Steady and unsteady simulations are carried out for axisymmetric and three-dimensional grid in a simplified axisymmetric geometry, and results are compared with experimental data. It is seen that steady simulations with Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) models cannot resolve the vortex rope and give identical symmetric results for both the axisymmetric and three-dimensional flow geometries. These RANS simulations underpredict the axial velocity (by at least 14%) and turbulent kinetic energy (by at least 40%) near the center of the draft tube, even quite close to the design condition. Moving farther from the design point, models fail in predicting the correct levels of the axial velocity in the draft tube. Unsteady simulations are performed using unsteady RANS (URANS) and detached eddy simulation (DES) turbulence closure approaches. URANS models cannot capture the self-induced unsteadiness of the vortex rope and give steady solutions while DES model gives sufficient unsteady results. Using the proper unsteady model, i.e., DES, the overall shape of the vortex rope is correctly predicted and the calculated vortex rope frequency differs only 6% from experimental data. It is confirmed that the vortex rope is formed due to the roll-up of the shear layer at the interface between the low-velocity inner region created by the wake of the crown cone and highly swirling outer flow.

Analysis of CFD for the Vortex Rope in the Draft Tube Urged by the Long and Short Blades Runner

2011 ◽  
Vol 105-107 ◽  
pp. 52-55
Author(s):  
Si Qing Zhang ◽  
Chang Zhen Li ◽  
Li Xiang Zhang ◽  
Xiao Xu Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Flow Pattern ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Vortex Rope ◽  
Operation Stability ◽  
Rng Turbulence Model ◽  
Blade Model

The RNG turbulence model is used to carry out the 3D steady turbulent calculation on the runner and draft tube of the Francis turbine. And the prototype of the Francis turbine is HLA351. Under 8 typical operating conditions, numerical simulation on how the runner outlet urge the vortex rope in draft tube are accomplished in this paper, and the calculation models are long blade model and mixed blade model. The results show that the runner outlet of the mixed model can lead the vortex rope location to the downstream relatively, reduce the circumfluence and cushion area and the probability of the second-vortex. What’s more, the flow pattern in mixed model is superior to the long model and that benefits the operation stability and economy of the unit.

scholarly journals Numerical Study on Performance Characteristics of Draft Tube of Mixed Flow Hydraulic Turbine

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 48-52
Author(s):  
Ruchi Khare ◽  
Vishnu Prasad
Keyword(s):  
Coming Out ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Flow Simulation ◽  
Hydraulic Turbine ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Overall Performance

Draft tube is an important component of the hydraulic reaction turbine and affects the overall performance of turbine to a large extent. The flow inside the draft tube is complex because of the whirling flow coming out of runner and its diffusion along the draft tube. The kinetic energy coming out of runner is recovered in draft tube and part of recovery meets the losses. In the present work, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used for flow simulation in complete mixed flow Francis turbine for performance analysis for energy recovery, losses and flow pattern in an elbow draft tube used in Francis turbine at different operating conditions. The overall performance of the turbine at some typical operating regimes is validated with the experimental results and found to be in close comparison.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v10i0.7103 Hydro Nepal Vol.10 January 2012 48-52

Experimental Evidence of Hydroacoustic Pressure Waves in a Francis Turbine Elbow Draft Tube for Low Discharge Conditions

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Arpe ◽  
Christophe Nicolet ◽  
François Avellan
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Fluctuation ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Hydropower Plant ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Vortex Rope

The complex three-dimensional unsteady flow developing in the draft tube of a Francis turbine is responsible for pressure fluctuations, which could prevent the whole hydropower plant from operating safely. Indeed, the Francis draft tube is subjected to inlet swirling flow, divergent cross section, and the change of flow direction. As a result, in low discharge off-design operating conditions, a cavitation helical vortex, so-called the vortex rope develops in the draft tube and induces pressure fluctuations in the range of 0.2–0.4 times the runner frequency. This paper presents the extensive unsteady wall pressure measurements performed in the elbow draft tube of a high specific speed Francis turbine scale model at low discharge and at usual plant value of the Thoma cavitation number. The investigation is undertaken for operating conditions corresponding to low discharge, i.e., 0.65–0.85 times the design discharge, which exhibits pressure fluctuations at surprisingly high frequency value, between 2 and 4 times the runner rotation frequency. The pressure fluctuation measurements performed with 104 pressure transducers distributed on the draft tube wall, make apparent in the whole draft tube a fundamental frequency value at 2.5 times the runner frequency. Moreover, the modulations between this frequency with the vortex rope precession frequency are pointed out. The phase shift analysis performed for 2.5 times the runner frequency enables the identification of a pressure wave propagation phenomenon and indicates the location of the corresponding pressure fluctuation excitation source in the elbow; hydroacoustic waves propagate from this source both upstream and downstream the draft tube.

Mitigation of Flow-Induced Pressure Fluctuations in a Francis Turbine Using Water Injection

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhannad Altimemy ◽  
Bashar Attiya ◽  
Cosan Daskiran ◽  
I-Han Liu ◽  
Alparslan Oztekin
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Partial Load ◽  
Flow Induced Vibrations ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

Abstract Computational fluid dynamics simulations are conducted to characterize the spatial and temporal characteristics of the turbulent flow fields inside Francis turbine operating at the design and partial load regimes. High-fidelity large eddy simulations turbulence model is applied to investigate the flow-induced vibrations in the draft tube of the unit. The water injection at 4% rate from the runner cone is implemented to control the flow-induced pressure fluctuations. The simulations are conducted at the turbine design point and two partial load operations with and without water injection. It has been demonstrated that the water injection has a profound influence in the turbulent flow structure and the pressure field inside the draft tube at the partial load operating conditions. To evaluate the effectiveness of the water injection techniques in mitigating flow-induced fluctuations, the probes at various locations along the wall of the draft tube are used to monitor the pressure signals. It appears to be a reduction in the level of pressure fluctuations by the water injection at both partial load operating regimes. However, we could not draw a firm conclusion about the level of mitigation of flow-induced vibrations. Simulations should be carried out for much longer flow time. Water injection hardly influenced the unit power generation. Hence water injection can be employed effectively without a major liability on the power generation.

Numerical Investigation of Flow in a Runner of Low-Head Bulb Turbine and Correlation With Particle Image Velocimetry and Laser Doppler Velocimetry Measurements

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Štefan ◽  
Sébastien Houde ◽  
Claire Deschênes
Keyword(s):  
Particle Image Velocimetry ◽  
Velocity Field ◽  
Laser Doppler Velocimetry ◽  
Particle Image ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Laser Doppler ◽  
Doppler Velocimetry ◽  
Image Velocimetry ◽  
Low Head ◽  
Bulb Turbine

It is a well-known fact and a much studied problematic that the performance of low-head hydraulic turbines is highly dependent on the runner–draft tube coupling. Around the optimal operating conditions, the efficiency of the turbine follows closely the performance of the draft tube that in turn depends on the velocity field exiting the runner. Hence, in order to predict correctly the performance of the draft tube using numerical simulations, the flow inside the runner must be simulated accurately. Using results from unique and detailed particle image velocimetry (PIV) and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) measurements inside the runner channel of a bulb turbine, this paper presents an extensive study of the predictive capability of a widely used simulation methodology based on unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with a k-epsilon closure model. The main objective was to identify the main parameters influencing the numerical predictions of the velocity field at the draft tube entrance in order to increase the accuracy of the simulated performance of the turbine. This paper relies on a comparison of simulations results with already published LDV measurements in the draft tube cone, interblade LDV, and stereoscopic PIV measurements within the runner. This paper presents a detailed discussion of numerical–experimental data correlation inside the runner channel and at the drat tube entrance. It shows that, contrary to widely circulated ideas, the near-wall predictions at the draft tube entrance is surprisingly good while the simulation accuracy inside the runner channels deteriorates from the leading to the trailing edges.

Detailed Analysis of the Wake of a DP Thruster Emphasizing Comparison Between LDV and SPIV Techniques

2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-88
Author(s):  
S. El Lababidy ◽  
N. Bose ◽  
P. Liu ◽  
F. Di Felice
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Laser Doppler Velocimetry ◽  
Particle Image ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry ◽  
Hydrodynamic Characteristics ◽  
Dynamic Positioning ◽  
Doppler Velocimetry ◽  
Image Velocimetry ◽  
Variable Operating Conditions

To provide experimental data on the hydrodynamic characteristics and features of dynamic positioning (DP) thrusters under variable operating conditions, wake measurements were performed on a DP thruster model using 2D laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV). These tests were performed with and without a nozzle and over a range of advance coefficient values including the bollard pull condition. In this paper, a detailed analysis of the hydrodynamic characteristics of the wake at a plane equal to a distance of 0.5 diameters downstream from the thruster, at advance coefficient values of 0, 0.4, and 0.45 are presented for both the LDV and SPIV measurements showing a comparison between the results of each technique. The effect of the duct and of changes in the advance coefficient values is presented in this paper.

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