Measurement of Unsteady Flow in Pump-Turbine for Hydropower Using PIV Method

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhiko Fukuda ◽  
Satoshi Someya ◽  
Koji Okamoto
Keyword(s):  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Velocity Measurement ◽  
Numerical Procedure ◽  
Hydraulic Turbine ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
High Time ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Guide Vanes ◽  
Runner Blade ◽  
Wide Range

It is thought that the pressure fluctuation can occur due to the interaction between flow through guide vanes and flow into runner blades, resulting in a vibration of turbine and a blade cracking, in a hydraulic turbine operated in a wide range for flexible power demand. High accurate velocity measurement with high time/spatial resolution can help to clarify the mechanism of the interaction and to provide good experimental data for the validation of numerical procedure. So the aim of present study is to estimate the unstable velocity field quantitatively in the area between guide vanes and runner blades, using high time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV). Two types of velocity measurements were carried out, i.e., phase-locked measurement and high time sequential velocity measurement, in a pump-turbine model with 20 guide vanes and 6 runner blades. The characteristic of the flow field varied corresponding to the operating conditions such as flow rate and rotational speed. Opening angles of guide vanes were kept uniform. A clockwise vortex was generated at inside of the runner blade under smaller rotational speed. A counterclockwise vortex was separated at the backside of the runner blade under higher rotational speed. At any operating conditions, the velocity between guide vanes and runner blades oscillated periodically at the blade passing frequency.

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.

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.

Numerical Modeling of Air-Grass Flow and BPF Noise in Lawn Mowers

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Timushev ◽  
Alexandr Gamarnik ◽  
Anton Tsipenko
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Wave Equation ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Particle Interaction ◽  
Numerical Procedure ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Sound Power ◽  
Incompressible Medium ◽  
Modeling Procedure ◽  
Wide Range

The noise of domestic machines including lawnmowers be comes an urgent issue. As the technology matures, designers need better tools to predict performance and efficiency of these machines across a wide range of operating conditions and find optimal ways to reduce noise. Computational fluid dynamics is an increasingly powerful tool which enables designer to better understand all features of unsteady flow in these machines and to find optimal designs providing higher energetic characteristics, better cutting quality and lower pressure pulsation, vibration and noise. Cutting quality linked with evacuation of grass is a key lawnmower characteristic. Due to this fact application of two-phase (air-grass) lawnmower flow model is inevitable in a prediction procedure. The modeling procedure comprises determination of lawnmower average aerodynamic characteristics and CFD-CAA analysis by acoustic-vortex method to predict sound power data. This method is based on splitting the equations of compressible fluid dynamics into two modes — vortex and acoustic Computational approach applied for the vortex mode flow is a “moving body”-technique: The problem is solved in the absolute frame of coordinates and computational grid changes during the blade passing. Computations can be made in 4 stages: 1) Computation of the incompressible medium with getting average values of energetic parameters; 2) Computation of the incompressible medium for definition the source function of inhomogeneous acoustic-vortex wave equation; 3) Solution of the acoustic-vortex wave equation; 4) Computation of 2-phase flow. In the 3rd stage the pressure pulsation field can be represented like a sum of acoustic and vortex oscillation. Wave equation is solved relatively to pressure oscillation using an explicit numerical procedure. Zero pulsatory pressure is an initial condition for solution of the wave equation. The local complex specific acoustic impedance is used to define boundary conditions for the acoustical part of the pressure field. Thus the numerical procedure gives pressure pulsations field and sound power data on blade passing frequencies (BPF). For the 4th stage computations effective grass particle parameters are determined with accounting the stubble effect on flow parameters and particularities of grass particle interaction with rigid surfaces. Results of a lawnmower air-grass flow (grass particle trajectories and concentration) and corresponding BPF sound power data prediction are presented as an example of modeling procedure application.

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 Comparative analysis of air and water flows in simplified hydraulic turbine models

2022 ◽  
Vol 2150 (1) ◽  
pp. 012001
Author(s):  
S G Skripkin ◽  
D A Suslov ◽  
I V Litvinov ◽  
E U Gorelikov ◽  
M A Tsoy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Hydraulic Turbine ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Precessing Vortex Core ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Turbine Runner ◽  
The Fourier Transform

Abstract This article presents a comparative analysis of flow characteristics behind a hydraulic turbine runner in air and water. Swirling flow with a precessing vortex core (PVC) was investigated using a laser Doppler anemometer and pressure pulsation sensors. The experiments were conducted on aerodynamic and hydrodynamic test rigs over a wide range of hydraulic turbine operating conditions. Part-load modes of hydraulic turbine operation were investigated using the Fourier transform of pressure pulsations obtained from acoustic sensors. The features of the swirling flow were shown for the range of operating conditions from deep partl-load to overload.

Transient Pressure Pulsations of a Model Pump-Turbine During Power Failure

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinhong Hu ◽  
Wei Zeng ◽  
Jiandong Yang ◽  
Renbo Tang
Keyword(s):  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Dynamic Pressure ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
Transient Pressure ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Power Failure

Pump-turbine can operate in either pump mode or turbine mode. The quick response to load changes as well as the ability to store energy makes it essential to the stability of power grid. When a pump-turbine works in different condition, flow-induced instabilities occur, including Rotor Stator Interaction (RSI) between the runner and vanes, vortex formations and back flow regions. To understand these complicated flow dynamics, experimental and numerical investigations have been conducted by many researchers. Among these researches, many experiments on model test rigs are mainly focused on steady state, and knowledge for instabilities during transients is still lacking. In this paper, power failure experiments with constant guide van opening are conducted on an open-loop test rig. During the process, the operating point of the pump-turbine in the 4 quadrant characteristics moves from pump region through the brake region, turbine region to turbine brake region. Finally the pump-turbine settled down at runaway rotational speed. In our experiments, flow rate, rotational speed, torque, pressure in the spiral casing and the draft tube inlet are measured. Especially, dynamic pressure sensors mounted in the guide vane channels are used to measure transient pressure pulsations. Measured data are analyzed in both time domain and frequency domain. Results indicate that during power failure pressure pulsations in the vane channels vary significantly with the operating conditions. In the pump region, pressure pulsations are mainly composed of RSI. In the brake region, intensive stochastic noises occur, and the amplitude of RSI rises. In the turbine region, the magnitude of pressure pulsations drops sharply as the noise intensity goes down. In the turbine brake region, significant noises appear, and the amplitude of RSI increases dramatically.

Computational Study of the Unsteady Flow Structure of the Buoyancy-Driven Rotating Cavity With Axial Throughflow of Cooling Air

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zain Dweik ◽  
Roger Briley ◽  
Timothy Swafford ◽  
Barry Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Flow Structure ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Structure Evolution ◽  
High Rotational Speed ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Recirculation Zones ◽  
Cooling Air ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Engine Power

Buoyancy driven flows such as the one that occurs in the inter-disk space of an axial compressor spool plays a major role in determining the gas turbine engine projected life and performance. Details of the developed flow structure inside these spaces largely impact the operating temperatures on the rotating walls of the compressor hardware and therefore impact the life of the machine. In this paper the impact of engine power condition (Idle, Highpower, and Shutdown) on the flow structure for these rotating cavities is studied under a wide range of operating conditions encountered by realistic turbomachines. A computational analysis is performed using commercially available computational tools for grid generation (ICEM-CFD) and turbulent-flow simulation (CFX). A computational test case was developed to imitate the rig-test conditions of Owen and Powell, and computed results were assessed and validated by comparison with their experimental results. A total of fifteen unsteady CFD cases covering a wide range of operating conditions (Rossby Number Ro, Rotational Rayleigh Number Raφ, and axial Reynolds Number Rez) were analyzed. The computed flow results revealed that the flow structure evolution, starting from a steady state solution, is such that radial arms of different number (according to the engine power condition), surrounded by a co-rotating (cyclonic) and counter-rotating (anti-cyclonic) pair of vortices, start to form at different locations. Cold air from the central jet enters the cavity in these arms under the combined action of the centrifugal buoyancy and the Coriolis forces. As time proceeds, the flow structure tends to become virtually invariant with time in a repeatable pattern. The number of radial arms, strength of recirculation zones, and the degree of invasion of the central cooling air toward the shroud are all dependent on the engine power condition. The computations also revealed that at high rotational speed the flow stabilizes, and the unsteady features of the flow structure (cyclonic and anti-cyclonic recirculation zones surrounding the radial arms, radial invasion of the cooling air in the radial arms, and its final impingement upon the shroud surface) eventually disappear after a threshold value of the rotational speed is reached.

Prediction of Ingress Through Turbine Rim Seals: Part 2—Combined Ingress

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Michael Owen ◽  
Oliver Pountney ◽  
Gary Lock
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Numerical Solutions ◽  
External Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Experimental Values ◽  
The One ◽  
Empirical Constants

In Part1 of this two-part paper, the orifice equations were solved for the case of externally-induced ingress, where the effects of rotational speed are negligible. In Part 2, the equations are solved, analytically and numerically, for combined ingress (CI) where the effects of both rotational speed and external flow are significant. For the CI case, the orifice model requires the calculation of three empirical constants, including Cd,e,RI and Cd,e,EI, the discharge coefficients for rotationally-induced (RI) and externally-induced (EI) ingress. For the analytical solutions, the external distribution of pressure is approximated by a linear saw-tooth model; for the numerical solutions, a fit to the measured pressures is used. It is shown that, although the values of the empirical constants depend on the shape of the pressure distribution used in the model, the theoretical variation of Cw,min (the minimum nondimensional sealing flow rate needed to prevent ingress) depends principally on the magnitude of the peak-to-trough pressure difference in the external annulus. The solutions of the orifice model for Cw,min are compared with published measurements, which were made over a wide range of rotational speeds and external flow rates. As predicted by the model, the experimental values of Cw,min could be collapsed onto a single curve, which connects the asymptotes for RI and EI ingress at the respective smaller and larger external flow rates. At the smaller flow rates, the experimental data exhibit a minimum value of Cw,min, which undershoots the RI asymptote. Using an empirical correlation for Cd,e, the model is able to predict this undershoot, albeit smaller in magnitude than the one exhibited by the experimental data. The limit of the EI asymptote is quantified, and it is suggested how the orifice model could be used to extrapolate effectiveness data obtained from an experimental rig to engine-operating conditions.

scholarly journals An Indirect Measurement Methodology to Identify Load Fluctuations on Axial Turbine Runner Blades

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (24) ◽  
pp. 7220
Author(s):  
Arash Soltani Dehkharqani ◽  
Fredrik Engström ◽  
Jan-Olov Aidanpää ◽  
Michel J. Cervantes
Keyword(s):  
Guide Vane ◽  
Hydraulic Turbine ◽  
Indirect Measurement ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Experimental Methodology ◽  
Unstable Flow ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Runner Blade ◽  
Kaplan Turbine ◽  
Turbine Runner

Smooth integration of intermittent energy sources, such as solar and wind power, into the electrical grid induces new operating conditions of the hydraulic turbine by increasing the off-design operations, start/stops, and load variations. Therefore, hydraulic turbines are subject to unstable flow conditions and unfavorable load fluctuations. Predicting load fluctuations on the runner using indirect measurements can allow for optimized operations of the turbine units, increase turbine refurbishment time intervals, and avoid structural failures in extreme cases. This paper investigates an experimental methodology to assess and predict the flow condition and load fluctuations on a Kaplan turbine runner at several steady-state operations by performing measurements on the shaft in the rotating and stationary frame of references. This unit is instrumented with several transducers such as miniature pressure transducers, strain gages, and proximity probes. The results show that for any propeller curve of a Kaplan turbine, the guide vane opening corresponding to the minimum pressure and strain fluctuations on the runner blade can be obtained by axial, torsion, and bending measurements on the shaft. Torsion measurements on the shaft could support index-testing in Kaplan turbines particularly for updating the cam-curve during the unit operation. Furthermore, a signature of every phenomenon observed on the runner blade signals, e.g., runner frequency, rotating vortex rope components, and rotor-stator interaction, is found in the data obtained from the shaft.

Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Flowpath Profiling on Secondary Flow Losses in a Turbine Control Stage

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils Moser ◽  
Peter Steinhoff ◽  
Franz Joos
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Distribution ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
Guide Vanes ◽  
Numerical Investigations ◽  
Control Stage ◽  
Wide Range

The numerically and experimentally investigated industrial steam turbine control stage is derived from a real design. Due to the production process and costs of the guide vanes for control stages of steam turbines the flowpath profiling is rotationally symmetric. However the combination of the two-dimensional shroud contour and the flow deflection in the guide vane results in a fully three-dimensional end wall contour having a strong influence on the secondary flow features in the turbine control stage. To obtain an improved profile for the nozzle shroud the reduction of the total pressure loss over the guide vanes is taken as an optimization criterion. The three-dimensional contour generates a diffuser flowpath between the suction and the pressure side of two guide vanes perpendicular to the main flow direction. This diffuser geometry affects the pressure distribution over the guide vane and therefore the formation mechanisms of secondary flows. For the experimental and numerical investigations a baseline shroud design and two additional profiled contours are analyzed in detail. The control stage test rig is operated with air and is capable to represent a wide range of operating conditions. The measurements show a considerable increase of the stage efficiency and power output. The effect of the flowpath profiling on the pressure distribution over the guide vane is clearly proved.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document