Evolutions of Pressure Fluctuations and Runner Loads During Runaway Processes of a Pump-Turbine

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linsheng Xia ◽  
Yongguang Cheng ◽  
Zhiyan Yang ◽  
Jianfeng You ◽  
Jiandong Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Axial Force ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Radial Force ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Spanwise Direction ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Change Rate ◽  
Runaway Process

The pressure fluctuations and runner loads on a pump-turbine runner during runaway process are very violent and the corresponding flow evolution is complicated. To study these phenomena and their correlations in depth, the runaway processes of a model pump-turbine at four guide vane openings (GVOs) were simulated by three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3D-CFD). The results show that the flow structures around runner inlet have regular development and transition patterns—the reverse flow occurs when the trajectory moves to the turbine-brake region and the main reverse velocity shifts locations among the hub side, the shroud side and the midspan as the trajectory comes forward and backward in the S-shape region. The locally distributed reverse flow vortex structures (RFVS) enhance the local rotor–stator interaction (RSI) and make the pressure fluctuations in vaneless space at the corresponding section stronger than at the rest sections along the spanwise direction. The transitions of RFVS, turning from the hub side to midspan, facilitate the inception and development of rotating stall, which propagates at approximately 45–72% of the runner rotation frequency. The evolving rotating stall induces asymmetrical pressure distribution on the runner blade, resulting in intensive fluctuations of runner torque and radial force. During the runaway process, the changing characteristics of the reactive axial force are dominated by the change rate of flow discharge, and the amplitude of low frequency component of axial force is in proportion to the amplitude of discharge change rate.

Unstable Characteristics and Rotating Stall in Turbine Brake Operation of Pump-Turbines

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Widmer ◽  
Thomas Staubli ◽  
Nathan Ledergerber
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Market ◽  
Flow Instability ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Vortex Formation ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Momentum Exchange ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Stationary Vortex

Reversible pump-turbines are versatile in the electricity market since they can be switched between pump and turbine operation within a few minutes. The emphasis on the design of the more sensitive pump flow however often leads to stability problems in no load or turbine brake operation. Unstable characteristics can be responsible for hydraulic system oscillations in these operating points. The cause of the unstable characteristics can be found in the blocking effect of either stationary vortex formation or rotating stall. The so-called unstable characteristic in turbine brake operation is defined by the change of sign of the slope of the head curve. This change of sign or “S-shape” can be traced back to flow recirculation and vortex formation within the runner and the vaneless space between runner and guide vanes. When approaching part load from sound turbine flow the vortices initially develop and collapse again. This unsteady vortex formation induces periodical pressure fluctuations. In the turbine brake operation at small guide vane openings the vortices increase in intensity, stabilize and circumferentially block the flow passages. This stationary vortex formation is associated with a total pressure rise over the machine and leads to the slope change of the characteristic. Rotating stall is a flow instability which extends from the runner, the vaneless space to the guide and the stay vane channels at large guide vane openings. A certain number of channels is blocked (rotating stall cell) while the other channels comprise sound flow. Due to a momentum exchange between rotor and stator at the front and the rear cell boundary, the cell is rotating with subsynchronous frequency of about 60 percent of the rotational speed for the investigated pump-turbine (nq = 45). The enforced rotating pressure distributions in the vaneless space lead to large dynamic radial forces on the runner. The mechanisms leading to stationary vortex formation and rotating stall were analyzed with a pump-turbine model by the means of numerical simulations and test rig measurements. It was found that stationary vortex formation and rotating stall have initially the same physical cause, but it depends on the mean convective acceleration within the guide vane channels, whether the vortex formations will rotate or not. Both phenomena lead to an unstable characteristic.

scholarly journals Simulation and Experimental Investigation of the Stay Vane Channel Flow in a Reversible Pump Turbine at Off-Design Conditions

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandro Erne ◽  
Gernot Edinger ◽  
Anton Maly ◽  
Christian Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Transient Flow ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Design Flow ◽  
Flow State ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Load Range ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Stall Inception

This work presents the assessment of the mean flow field and low frequency disturbances in the stay vane channel of a model pump turbine using transient numerical simulations and LDV-based measurements. The focus is laid on transient CFD simulations of characteristic flow states in the stay vane channel when operating at off-design conditions in pump mode. Experimental and numerical investigations obtained a shifting velocity distribution between the shroud and hub of the distributor when continuously increasing the discharge in the part-load range. Simulations captured the occurrence of this changing flow state in the stay vane channel reasonably well. A further increase of the discharge showed a uniformly redistributed mean flow of both hub and shroud side. Monitoring points and integral quantities from measurements and transient simulations were used to interpret the development of transient flow patterns in the stay vane channel at the operating point of strongest asymmetrical flow. During simulation and measurement, a dominant rotating stall inception was observed near the design flow of the pump turbine. At this point where the stall becomes severe, a high level of correlation between the signals of the upper and lower stalled flow in the stay vane channel was calculated. Further simulations for different guide vane positions predicted a strong influence of the guide vane position on the structure of rotating stall.

scholarly journals Experimental Research on the Rotating Stall of a Pump Turbine in Pump Mode

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2426
Author(s):  
Xue ◽  
Liu ◽  
Lu ◽  
Gao ◽  
Meng
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Experimental Research ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Positive Slope ◽  
Pump Mode ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Pump Performance

The rotating stall is an unstable flow phenomenon of pump turbines in pump mode, which is of increasing concern to scientists and engineers working on pump turbines. However, at present, various studies are carried out based on CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation, while directly measured data and experimental research on flow fields are seldom reported. By utilizing PIV (particle image velocimetry) measuring equipment, the flow field within the guide vane zone of a low specific speed pump turbine in pump mode was measured. By measuring and analyzing the transient flow field, the evolutionary process of the rotating stall within the guide vane passages was determined. We found that for all three tested guide vane openings, regardless of whether the positive slope appeared or not, a pre-stall operating point was found for each opening in the process of decreasing the flow rate. The analysis of the loss within the flow field indicated that the dissipation-induced loss increased greatly after the rotating stall appeared. The pump performance curves at the three guide vane openings showed an inflection at the pre-stall point. When the flow rate is larger than that of the pre-stall point, the head of the pump turbine dramatically increases as the flow rate decreases. However, when the flow rate is smaller than the pre-stall point, such increases noticeably slows down.The research results showed that whether the positive slope on the pump performance curve occurred or not, instability caused by the rotating stall should be of great concern.

scholarly journals Numerical Study of Pump-Turbine Instabilities Under Pumping Mode Off-Design Conditions

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uroš Ješe ◽  
Regiane Fortes-Patella ◽  
Matevž Dular
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Electrical Network ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pumping Mode ◽  
And Performance

Pumped storage power plants, using reversible pump-turbines, are a great solution to maintain the stability of an electrical network. The continuous operating area of reversible pump-turbines machines is usually delimited by cavitation or a hydraulic instability called hump phenomena at part load. If the machine operates under these off-design conditions, it might be exposed to vibrations and performance losses. The paper focuses on the numerical analysis of the pumping mode regime and pays special attention to the prediction of the hump shaped characteristic curve and associated rotating stall. The investigations were made on a high head pump-turbine design (nq=27) at model scale for four different guide vane opening angles and a wide range of flow rates. Numerical simulations were performed and analyzed in LEGI and were compared to the global experimental data, provided by Alstom Hydro.

Experimental Evidence of Rotating Stall in a Pump-Turbine at Off-Design Conditions in Generating Mode

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vlad Hasmatuchi ◽  
Mohamed Farhat ◽  
Steven Roth ◽  
Francisco Botero ◽  
François Avellan
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Frequency Component ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Image Processing Technique ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Guide Vanes ◽  
Radial Pump ◽  
Generating Mode

An experimental investigation of the rotating stall in reduced scale model of a low specific speed radial pump-turbine at runaway and turbine brake conditions in generating mode is achieved. Measurements of wall pressure in the stator are performed along with high-speed flow visualizations in the vaneless gap with the help of air bubbles injection. When starting from the best efficiency point (BEP) and increasing the impeller speed, a significant increase of the pressure fluctuations is observed mainly in the wicket gates channels. The spectral analysis shows a rise of a low frequency component (about 70% of the impeller rotational frequency) at runaway, which further increases as the zero discharge condition is approached. Analysis of the instantaneous pressure peripheral distribution in the vaneless gap reveals one stall cell rotating with the impeller at sub-synchronous speed. High-speed movies reveal a quite uniform flow pattern in the guide vanes channels at the normal operating range, whereas at runaway the flow is highly disturbed by the rotating stall passage. The situation is even more critical at very low positive discharge, where backflow and vortices in the guide vanes channels develop during the stall cell passage. A specific image processing technique is applied to reconstruct the rotating stall evolution in the entire guide vanes circumference for a low positive discharge operating point. The findings of this study suggest that one stall cell rotates with the impeller at sub-synchronous velocity in the vaneless gap between the impeller and the guide vanes. It is the result of rotating flow separations developed in several consecutive impeller channels which lead to their blockage.

scholarly journals On the Rotor Stator Interaction Effects of Low Specific Speed Francis Turbines

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Einar Agnalt ◽  
Igor Iliev ◽  
Bjørn W. Solemslie ◽  
Ole G. Dahlhaug
Keyword(s):  
Guide Vane ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Angular Position ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Blade Loading ◽  
Loading Case ◽  
Rotor Stator Interaction ◽  
Low Specific Speed ◽  
Specific Speed

The rotor stator interaction in a low specific speed Francis model turbine and a pump-turbine is analyzed utilizing pressure sensors in the vaneless space and in the guide vane cascade. The measurements are analyzed relative to the runner angular position by utilizing an absolute encoder mounted on the shaft end. From the literature, the pressure in the analyzed area is known to be a combination of two effects: the rotating runner pressure and the throttling of the guide vane channels. The measured pressure is fitted to a mathematical pressure model to separate the two effects for two different runners. One turbine with 15+15 splitter blades and full-length blades and one pump-turbine with six blades are investigated. The blade loading on the two runners is different, giving different input for the pressure model. The main findings show that the pressure fluctuations in the guide vane cascade are mainly controlled by throttling for the low blade loading case and the rotating runner pressure for the higher blade loading case.

Blade Excitation by Broad-Band Pressure Fluctuations in a Centrifugal Compressor

1988 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Haupt ◽  
M. Rautenberg ◽  
A. N. Abdel-Hamid
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Blade Vibration ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Unsteady Pressure

The mechanism of blade excitation during the operation of a high-mass-flow, high-pressure-ratio centrifugal compressor has been investigated. This was carried out in the compressor operating range below 60 percent of design speed and in the zone of unsteady flow occurrence, where considerable blade vibration has been measured but no periodic unsteady pressure pattern such as rotating stall could be identified. Experiments conducted to study the mechanism of interactions between flow and blades were accomplished using several measuring methods simultaneously, such as measurements of blade vibration, flow angle at impeller inlet, unsteady pressure at different meridional and peripheral locations, as well as flow visualization by means of oil pattern. Analysis of the measurements showed typical broad-band characteristics of the unsteady pressure field and also for the blade vibration behavior. Results of flow angle investigations at the impeller inlet together with the analysis of oil pattern show that the broad-band pressure fluctuations and blade excitation can be attributed to a strong reverse flow near the suction side of the radial blade in the shroud zone. This reverse flow has its source downstream of the impeller and is extending back up to a location ahead of the impeller inlet. Similar results were obtained when the compressor was operated with vaneless and vaned diffuser configurations.

scholarly journals Numerical Analysis of a Novel Twin-Impeller Centrifugal Compressor

Computation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 143
Author(s):  
Van Thang Nguyen ◽  
Amélie Danlos ◽  
Florent Ravelet ◽  
Michael Deligant ◽  
Moises Solis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Control ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Thermodynamic Characteristics ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Inlet Guide Vane ◽  
Operating Range

Centrifugal compressors are widely used in many industrial fields such as automotive, aviation, aerospace. However, these turbomachines suffer instability phenomenon when the flow rate is too high or too low, called rotating stall and surge. These phenomena cause the operation failure, pressure fluctuations and vibrations of the thorough system. Numerous mechanical solutions have been presented to minimize these instabilities and expand the operating range towards low-flow rates like active control of the flow path, variable inlet guide vane and casing treatment. Currently, our team has developed a novel compressor composed of a twin-impeller powered by autonomous systems. We notice the performance improvement and instabilities suppression of this compressor experimentally. In this paper, an active control method is introduced by controlling the speed and rotation direction of the impellers to expand the operating range. A CFD study is then conducted to analysis flow morphology and thermodynamic characteristics based on the experimental observations at three special points. Numerical results and experimental measurements of compressor maps are consistent.

Investigation of the Flow Instabilities of a Low Specific Speed Pump-Turbine: Part 1 — Experimental and Numerical Analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabri Deniz ◽  
Armando Del Rio ◽  
Martin von Burg ◽  
Manuel Tiefenthaler
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Turbulence Models ◽  
Operating Mode ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Flow Instabilities ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Flow Features ◽  
Low Specific Speed ◽  
Specific Speed

Abstract This is the first part of a two-part paper focusing on the flow instabilities of low-specific pump turbines. In this part, results of the CFD simulations and experiments of the research carried out on a low specific speed model pump-turbine at HSLU (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences) Switzerland are presented. The requirements of a stable and reliable pump-turbine operation under continuously expanding operating ranges, challenges the hydraulic design and requires new developments. Previous research at the HSLU [1] analyzed the instabilities of a medium specific speed (i.e. nq = 45) pump turbine. This paper presents the results of experimental (model pump-turbine at the test rig) and numerical (CFD) investigations of the pump-turbine instabilities of a low specific speed (nq = 25) pump-turbine in the turbine operating mode in the region of S-shaped characteristics (that is where the pump-turbine is synchronized and oscillations may occur during load rejection). The four-quadrant characteristics of a low specific speed model pump-turbine with two similar runners differentiating in the size (diameter) are measured. Testing of both runners with the same guide vane system provided information about the effects of the increased vaneless space (the distance between the guide vanes and runner) on the pump-turbine performance and stability both in turbine- and pump operating modes. A CFD methodology by using different numerical approaches and applying several turbulence models is developed in order to accurately predicting the characteristics of the reversible pump-turbines in the S-shaped region (speed no load conditions) as well as analyzing the flow features especially at off-design conditions. This CFD model is validated against the experimental data at 6° and 18° guide vane openings in turbine operating mode. With the measured data of the unsteady pressure measurements and detailed investigation of unstable ranges on the pump-turbine characteristics, flow instabilities in the low-specific speed model pump-turbine are analyzed. Relevant frequencies such as rotating stall, steady and unsteady vortex formations are determined. Based on the analysis of the experimental data and CFD results focusing especially on the flow features in the vaneless space and at the runner inlet, the onset and development of the flow instabilities are explored.

scholarly journals Internal Mechanism and Improvement Criteria for the Runaway Oscillation Stability of a Pump-Turbine

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 2193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Zhou ◽  
Linsheng Xia ◽  
Chunze Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Energy Dissipation Rate ◽  
Sharp Change ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Oscillation Process ◽  
Internal Mechanism ◽  
Pumped Storage ◽  
Runaway Process

The runaway oscillation process of the pump-turbine in a high head pumped-storage power plant is usually unstable. The root cause of its instability is still unclear. In this paper, its internal mechanism and the improvement method were studied in depth. First, the flow characteristics in a model pump-turbine during the runaway process at four guide-vane openings (GVOs) were investigated by 3D transient numerical simulations. Then, the energy dissipation characteristics of different types of backflow vortex structures (BFVSs) occurring at the runner inlet and their impacts on the runaway stability were investigated by the entropy production theory. The results show that the location change of BFVSs between the hub side and the mid-span of the runner inlet around the no-load point leads to the sharp change in the energy dissipation rate, which makes the slope of dynamic trajectory positive and the runaway oscillation self-excited. If the occurrence of BFVSs at the hub side is suspended, the runaway process will be damped. Finally, the pump-turbine runner was improved to obtain a wider stable operating range.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document