Effect of Runner Blade Thickness on Flow Characteristics of a Francis Turbine Model at Low Flowrates

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Jun Kim ◽  
Young-Seok Choi ◽  
Yong Cho ◽  
Jong-Woong Choi ◽  
Jin-Hyuk Kim
Keyword(s):  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Vortex Formation ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Runner Blade ◽  
Blade Thickness ◽  
Interblade Vortices

Abstract Francis turbines are often used for generating hydroelectric power, but their performance characteristics significantly depend on the operating conditions. In particular, interblade vortices in the passages between runner blades can occur at low flowrates, which can degrade performance, and increase vibrations and instability during operation. In a previous study, we showed that the hydraulic performance and flow characteristics depend on the flow passage area of runner blades under low-flowrate conditions. Under such operating conditions, the runner blade thickness can affect the interblade vortex characteristics, and in turn, affect the performance of the turbine. In this study, we investigated the effect of runner blade thicknesses in the presence of interblade vortices under low flowrates; steady- and unsteady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations were solved using a shear stress transport as a turbulence model. The interblade vortices were described well at the near leading and trailing edges near the hub. These vortex regions showed flow separation and stagnation flow, and the interblade vortex characteristics were dependent on the high-magnitude unsteady pressures at the low-frequency region. For the same guide vane opening, at lower flowrates, higher blockage ratios reduced interblade vortex formation and unsteady pressure.

scholarly journals CFD Investigation of a High Head Francis Turbine at Speed No-Load Using Advanced URANS Models

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Decaix ◽  
Vlad Hasmatuchi ◽  
Maximilian Titzschkau ◽  
Cécile Münch-Alligné
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Turbulence Modeling ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Hydraulic Turbine ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Electrical Grid ◽  
Runner Blade ◽  
Pumped Storage

Due to the integration of new renewable energies, the electrical grid undergoes instabilities. Hydroelectric power plants are key players for grid control thanks to pumped storage power plants. However, this objective requires extending the operating range of the machines and increasing the number of start-up, stand-by, and shut-down procedures, which reduces the lifespan of the machines. CFD based on standard URANS turbulence modeling is currently able to predict accurately the performances of the hydraulic turbines for operating points close to the Best Efficiency Point (BEP). However, far from the BEP, the standard URANS approach is less efficient to capture the dynamics of 3D flows. The current study focuses on a hydraulic turbine, which has been investigated at the BEP and at the Speed-No-Load (SNL) operating conditions. Several “advanced” URANS models such as the Scale-Adaptive Simulation (SAS) SST k - ω and the BSL- EARSM have been considered and compared with the SST k - ω model. The main conclusion of this study is that, at the SNL operating condition, the prediction of the topology and the dynamics of the flow on the suction side of the runner blade channels close to the trailing edge are influenced by the turbulence model.

scholarly journals Development of Hybrid Airlift-Jet Pump with Its Performance Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Yao ◽  
Kwongi Lee ◽  
Minho Ha ◽  
Cheolung Cheong ◽  
Inhiug Lee
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Jet Pump ◽  
Two Phase

A new pump, called the hybrid airlift-jet pump, is developed by reinforcing the advantages and minimizing the demerits of airlift and jet pumps. First, a basic design of the hybrid airlift-jet pump is schematically presented. Subsequently, its performance characteristics are numerically investigated by varying the operating conditions of the airlift and jet parts in the hybrid pump. The compressible unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, combined with the homogeneous mixture model for multiphase flow, are used as the governing equations for the two-phase flow in the hybrid pump. The pressure-based methods combined with the Pressure-Implicit with Splitting of Operators (PISO) algorithm are used as the computational fluid dynamics techniques. The validity of the present numerical methods is confirmed by comparing the predicted mass flow rate with the measured ones. In total, 18 simulation cases that are designed to represent the various operating conditions of the hybrid pump are investigated: eight of these cases belong to the operating conditions of only the jet part with different air and water inlet boundary conditions, and the remaining ten cases belong to the operating conditions of both the airlift and jet parts with different air and water inlet boundary conditions. The mass flow rate and the efficiency are compared for each case. For further investigation into the detailed flow characteristics, the pressure and velocity distributions of the mixture in a primary pipe are compared. Furthermore, a periodic fluctuation of the water flow in the mass flow rate is found and analyzed. Our results show that the performance of the jet or airlift pump can be enhanced by combining the operating principles of two pumps into the hybrid airlift-jet pump, newly proposed in the present study.

Analysis of the internal flow behavior on S-shaped region of a Francis pump turbine on turbine mode

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yexiang Xiao ◽  
Wei Zhu ◽  
Zhengwei Wang ◽  
jin zhang ◽  
Chongji Zeng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Flow Characteristic ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Optimal Operation ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Unit Discharge ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Runner Blade

Purpose Numerically analyzed the flow characteristic and explored the hydrodynamic mechanism of the S-shaped region formation of a Francis pump-turbine. Design/methodology/approach Three-dimensional steady and unsteady simulations were performed for a number of operating conditions at the optimal guide vanes opening. The steady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the SST turbulence model were solved to model the internal flow within the entire flow passage. The predicted discharge-speed curve agrees well with the model test at generating mode. This paper compared the hydrodynamic characteristics of for off-design cases in S-shaped region with the optimal operating case, and more analysis focuses particularly on very low positive and negative discharge cases with the same unit speed. Findings At runaway case towards smaller discharge, the relative circumferential velocity becomes stronger in the vaneless, which generates the “water ring” and blocks the flow between guide vane and runner. The runner inlet attack angle becomes larger, and the runner blade passages nearly filled with flow separation and vortexes. The deterioration of runner blade flow leads to the dramatic decrease of runner torque, which tends to reduce the runner rotation speed. In this situation, the internal flow can’t maintain the larger rotating speed at very low positive discharge cases, so the unit discharge-speed curves bend to S-shaped near runaway case. Originality/value The analysis method of four off-design cases on S-shaped region with the comparison of optimal operation case and the calculated attack angles are adopted to explore the mechanism of S characteristic. The flow characteristic and quantitative analysis all explain the bending of the unit discharge-speed curves.

Inter-Blade Vortex Characteristics With the Blockage Effects of Runner Blade in a Francis Hydro Turbine Model

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Jun Kim ◽  
Jin-Hyuk Kim ◽  
Young-Seok Choi ◽  
Yong Cho ◽  
Jong-Woong Choi
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Hydro Turbine ◽  
Runner Blade ◽  
Performance Reduction ◽  
Turbine Model ◽  
Low Flow Rate

Abstract This study presents the numerical analysis on the inter-blade vortex characteristics along with the blockage effects of runner blade in a Francis hydro turbine model with various flow rate conditions. The turbine model showed different flow characteristics in the runner blade passages according to operating conditions, and inter-blade vortex was observed at lower flow rate conditions. This inter-blade vortex can lead to performance reduction, vibration, and instability for smooth operation of turbine systems. The previous study on blockage effects on various runner blade thickness, showed its influence on hydraulic performance and internal flow characteristics at low flow rate conditions. Therefore, the inter-blade vortex characteristics can be altered with the blockage effects at low flow rate conditions in a Francis hydro-turbine. For investigating the internal flow and unsteady pressure characteristics, three-dimensional steady and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes calculations are performed. These inter-blade vortices were captured at the leading and trailing edges close to the runner hub. These vortex regions showed flow separation and stagnation flow while blockage effects contributed for decreasing the inter-blade vortex at low flow rate conditions.

Based on CFX Numerical Simulation of Francis Turbine Runner

2013 ◽  
Vol 456 ◽  
pp. 207-210
Author(s):  
Fang He
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Prediction Method ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Flow State ◽  
Hydro Turbine ◽  
Runner Blade ◽  
Vibration Prediction ◽  
Turbine Runner

This paper presents a vibration prediction method for Francis turbine: Provided with advanced CFX software, Numerical simulation of movable guide vane and Turbine runner’s internal flow state. From the source of hydraulic vibration, Focus on numerical analysis, numerical simulation for the cutting thickness of the runner blade. After analysis of the influence of the blade of hydraulic vibration. To explore new ways for the hydro turbine control hydraulic vibration.

scholarly journals Analysis of Internal Flow Characteristics of a Startup Pump Turbine at the Lowest Head under No-Load Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1360
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Xi Wang ◽  
Zhengwei Wang ◽  
Mabing Ni ◽  
Chunan Yang
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Working Condition ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Pressure Balance ◽  
Pump Turbine

The instability of the no-load working condition of the pump turbine directly affects the grid connection of the unit, and will cause vibration and damage to the components of the unit in severe cases. In this paper, a three-dimensional full flow numerical model including the runner gap and the pressure-balance pipe was established. The method SST k-ω model was used to predict the internal flow characteristics of the pump turbine. The pressure pulsation of the runner under different operating conditions during the no-load process was compared. Because the rotation speed, flow rate, and guide vane opening of the unit change in a small range during the no-load process, the pressure pulsation characteristics of the runner are basically the same. Therefore, a working condition was selected to analyze the transient characteristics of the flow field, and it was found that there was a high-speed ring in the vaneless zone, and a stable channel vortex was generated in the runner flow passage. Analyzing the axial water thrust of each part of the runner, it was found that the axial water thrust of the runner gap was much larger than the axial water thrust of the runner blades, and it changed with time periodically. It was affected by rotor stator interaction. The main frequency was expressed as a multiple of the number of guide vanes, that is, vanes passing frequency, 22fn. During the entire no-load process, the axial water thrust of the runner changed slowly with time and fluctuated slightly.

scholarly journals Particle Velocity Measurement In Swirl Flow, Laboratory Studies

1970 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Hari Prasad Neopane ◽  
Bhola Thapa ◽  
Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug
Keyword(s):  
Particle Velocity ◽  
Velocity Measurement ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Critical Diameter ◽  
Swirl Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Particle Velocity Measurement

This paper presents the laboratory studies of particle velocity measurement in highly swirl conditions similar to turbine flow in curved path. It includes a brief description of the developed test rig, concept of critical diameter of particle inside a Francis turbine and experimental analysis. When a particle is flowing in swirl flow, drag force and centrifugal force are two major forces influencing the particle equilibrium. The equilibrium of these two forces provides a critical diameter of the particle. While, a particle larger than the critical diameter move away from the centre and hit the wall, a particle smaller than the critical diameter flows along with the water, and ultimately sinks. For critical diameter, the particle continues to rotate in the turbine. Different shapes and sizes of particles were tested with the same operating conditions and found that triangularly shaped particles were more likely to hit the suction side of the guide vane cascade. Furthermore, this study supports the concept of separation of particles from streamlines inside the test rig, which led to the development of an operating strategy for a Francis turbine processing sediment-laden water. This study also permitted experimental verification of the size and the shape of a particle as it orbits in the turbine, until either the velocity components are changed or the particle became smaller.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/kuset.v8i1.6034 KUSET 2012; 8(1): 1-14

Viscous Flow Analysis in Mixed Flow Rotors

1980 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Khalil ◽  
W. Tabakoff ◽  
A. Hamed
Keyword(s):  
Viscous Flow ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Laminar Flows ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Field Analysis ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Stream Channels ◽  
Wide Range

A method for analyzing the viscous flow through turbomachine rotors is presented. The field analysis is based on the solution of the full Navier-Stokes equations over the rotor blade-to-blade stream channels. An Alternating-Direction-Implicit method is employed to carry out the necessary numerical integration of the elliptic governing equations. The flow analysis may be applied to various types of turbomachine rotors. Preliminarily, only the case of laminar flows are considered in this paper. The flow characteristics within the rotors of a radial inflow turbine and a radial bladed compressor are investigated over a wide range of operating conditions. Excellent results are obtained when compared with existing experimental data. The method of this analysis is quite general and can deal with wide range of applications. Possible modification of the present study to deal with turbulent flow cases are also identified.

Analysis of Inner Flow Inside Francis Turbine Runner Based on Dissipation Function

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Wu ◽  
Yulin Wu ◽  
Shuhong Liu
Keyword(s):  
Energy Loss ◽  
Flow Simulation ◽  
Dissipation Function ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Flow Energy ◽  
Runner Blade ◽  
Turbine Runner

Energy loss inside a Francis turbine runner is analyzed with dissipation function in this paper. The dissipation rate of a Newtonian flow with constant shear viscous has three constituents from dilation, vorticity, and surface strain, which is derived from kinetic energy equation presented in this paper. A commercial N-S equation solver has been employed for 3D turbulent flow simulation with a model Francis turbine, and three different operating conditions are chosen for comparison, which are part load, rated load, and excessive load. The results from simulation have been compared with model experiments to validate their preciseness and reliability. The distribution of dissipation constituents on runner blade surface have been extracted from the above simulation results. The distinction of these constituents can be used to identify flow structures inside runner. The flow energy loss is determined by dissipation function, thus it can affect the hydraulic efficiency of turbine runner. From the above results, it can be seen that what causes the energy loss, which is the dominant factor, and where it has the highest value. Thus this analysis based on dissipation function can be used for flow diagnosis inside the blade channel, and tell us which part of the blade should be improved to reduce the energy loss.

Numerical Study on the Flow Characteristics of the Francis Turbine With Various Blade Profiles

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-H. Jeon ◽  
S.-S. Byeon ◽  
Y.-J. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Francis Turbine ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Navier Stokes Equations ◽  
Ansys Cfx ◽  
Commercial Code ◽  
Sst Turbulence Model

The Francis turbine is a kind of reaction turbines, which means that the potential energy of water converted to rotational kinetic energy. In this study, the flow characteristics have been investigated numerically in a Francis turbine on the 15 MW hydropower generation with various blade profiles (NACA 65 and NACA 16 series) and discharge angles (14°, 15°, 17°, and 18°), using the commercial code, ANSYS CFX. The k-ω SST turbulence model is employed in the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The computing domain includes the spiral casing, guide vanes, and draft tube, which are discretized with a full three-dimensional mesh system of unstructured tetrahedral shapes. The results showed that the change of blade profiles and discharge angles significantly influenced the performance of the Francis turbine.

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