Performance characteristics and internal flow patterns in a reverse-running pump–turbine

2011 ◽  
Vol 226 (3) ◽  
pp. 695-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Barrio ◽  
J Fernández ◽  
E Blanco ◽  
J Parrondo ◽  
A Marcos
Keyword(s):  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Performance Characteristics ◽  
Centrifugal Pumps ◽  
Pump Mode ◽  
Modes Of Operation ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Reverse Mode ◽  
Numerical Predictions

Vaneless centrifugal pumps are reversible turbomachines that can operate also as centripetal turbines in low and very low-head power plants. However, the general performance in reverse mode is difficult to predict since the internal flow patterns are different from pump mode and the performance characteristics are not usually provided by manufacturers. This article presents numerical and experimental investigations on the operation of a reverse-running pump–turbine. The numerical calculations were carried out by solving the full unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the commercial code Fluent for several flowrates between 20 per cent and 160 per cent of rated conditions and both modes of operation. A complementary series of experimental measurements were performed in a test rig in order to obtain the general characteristics of the machine in pump and turbine modes, with the purpose of validating the numerical predictions. Once validated, the numerical model was used to investigate the flow patterns at some significant locations by means of pressure and velocity contours, and also by vector maps. Additionally, the model allowed the estimation of the steady load on the impeller as a function of flowrate in both modes of operation. It was concluded that, while the radial load in reverse mode is three times smaller than in pump mode, the axial load can be up to 1.6 times larger.

scholarly journals Analysis of Performance Characteristics Predicted From Several Experimental Data and Conversion Methods for Pumps as Turbine Application Using Statistical Techniques

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-226
Author(s):  
Ombeni Mdee ◽  
Cuthbert Kimambo ◽  
Torbjorn Nielsen ◽  
Joseph Kihedu
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Performance Characteristics ◽  
Hydropower Plant ◽  
Rate Coefficients ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
Centrifugal Pumps ◽  
Pump Mode ◽  
Reverse Mode ◽  
Specific Speed

Different performance characteristics have been indicated when running centrifugal pumps in the reverse direction. The water flows from the discharge side of the pump to the suction side to run in the reverse direction and generate the mechanical rotational energy for the micro-hydropower plant. The current study evaluates the extent of variation of performance characteristics predicted by several experimental data from different pump-specific speeds and conversion methods. The performance characteristics discussed include the head, flow rate, efficiency and specific speed. The flow rate and head of a pump operating in pump mode divided with the characteristic of the pump operating in the reverse mode, at the best efficiency point, the resulting coefficient of determination (R 2 ) values were of 0.890 and 0.708, respectively. Also, the graph of head versus flow rate coefficients, which is a second- order polynomial function, has shown the value of R 2 of 0.954 for pump-specific speed ranging between 9 and 94 rpm. However, the pump in the reverse mode has smaller performance characteristics for efficiency and specific speed compared to the pump mode operation with R 2 of 0.966 and 0.999, respectively. Furthermore, schematic empirical statistical models were developed to predict the performance characteristics of several conversion methods using pump data obtained from the manufacturers.

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.

Influence of Guide Vane Setting in Pump Mode on Performance Characteristics of a Pump-Turbine

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deyou Li ◽  
Hongjie Wang ◽  
Torbjørn K. Nielsen ◽  
Ruzhi Gong ◽  
Xianzhu Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Guide Vane ◽  
Performance Characteristics ◽  
Pump Mode ◽  
Pump Turbine

Effect of Baffles in Between Stages on Performance and Flow Characteristics of a Two-Stage Split Case Centrifugal Pump

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiyun Wang ◽  
Ji Pei ◽  
Shouqi Yuan ◽  
Wenjie Wang
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Production Method ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Centrifugal Pumps ◽  
Two Stage

Two-stage split case centrifugal pumps play an important role in large flow rate and high lift water transfer situations. To investigate the influence of baffles in between stages on the performance and internal flow characteristics, the unsteady simulations for the prototype pump were carried out by solving the three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with a shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model. The structured grids were generated for the whole flow passage. The calculated performance results were verified by the experimental measurements. The entropy production method based on numerical simulation was applied to analyze the distribution and mechanism of flow losses. The results show that the turbulence dissipation is the dominant flow loss, and the viscous dissipation can be neglected. The baffles can reduce the turbulence dissipation power obviously and can improve the hydraulic efficiency by maximum 5%, especially under QBEP and over-load conditions. The baffles have the greatest effect on the hydraulic losses in the double suction impeller., because they change the flow characteristics in the channels between the first stage impeller and the double suction impeller, affecting the inflow condition dramatically for the impeller. The study can give a reference to optimize the design of the two-stage split case centrifugal pump for high efficiency.

Numerical Simulation on Pump Transient Characteristic in a Model Pump Turbine

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deyou Li ◽  
Yonglin Qin ◽  
Zhigang Zuo ◽  
Hongjie Wang ◽  
Shuhong Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Draft Tube ◽  
Performance Characteristics ◽  
Transient Processes ◽  
Pump Mode ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Pump Performance ◽  
Acceleration And Deceleration ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Hysteresis Characteristics

Pump performance characteristics of pump turbines in transient processes are significantly different from those in steady processes. In the present paper, transient processes of a flow rate that increased and decreased in the pump mode of a model pump turbine were simulated through unsteady simulations using the shear stress transport (SST) k–ω turbulence model. The numerical results reveal that there is a larger hysteresis loop in the performance characteristics of the increasing and decreasing directions of the flow rate compared with those of steady results. Detailed discussions are carried out to determine the generation mechanism of obvious hysteresis characteristics using the methods of entropy production and continuous wavelet analysis. Analyses show that the states of the backflow at the draft tube outlet and the vortices in the impeller and guide/stay vanes are promoted or suppressed owing to the acceleration and deceleration of the fluid. This contributes to the difference in pump performance characteristics of the pump turbine.

Hydrodynamic mechanism analysis of the pump hump district for a pump-turbine

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yexiang Xiao ◽  
Yangyang Yao ◽  
Zhengwei Wang ◽  
jin zhang ◽  
Yongyao Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Flow Characteristic ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Hydraulic Loss ◽  
Pump Mode ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Flow Passage ◽  
Hydrodynamic Mechanism ◽  
Flow Components ◽  
Dominant Frequencies

Purpose Numerically analyzed the flow characteristic and explored the hydrodynamic mechanism of the pump mode hump district formation of a Francis pump-turbine. Design/methodology/approach Numerical simulations were conducted of the entire pump-turbine flow passage under different discharge conditions by adopting the SST-CC turbulence model. The internal flow at hump district has been explained in detail combined with the model test in this paper. The unsteady flow and pressure fluctuation characteristics are analysed under five different discharge conditions in the hump and nearby region. The reason of the hump district formation is explored combined with the flow components hydraulic loss. Findings The large hydraulic loss, high relative peak-to-peak amplitudes and low dominant frequencies are on account of the disorganized internal flow condition. The formation of the hump district is concerned with the large hydraulic loss inside the draft tube, runner and guide vanes as there occurs secondary flow, backflow even vortex in the hump district. In addition, the low dominant frequencies at recording points inside the flow passage are always accompanied with the change of flow patterns and the spreading of the pressure fluctuations. Originality/value The analysis method of each flow components hydraulic loss combined with internal flow structure is adopted to explore the mechanism of pump mode hump characteristic. The flow characteristic and pressure pulse characteristics all correspond to the flow components hydraulic loss.

Flow characteristics prediction in pump mode of a pump turbine using large eddy simulation

2016 ◽  
Vol 231 (5) ◽  
pp. 961-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
De-You Li ◽  
Lei Han ◽  
Hong-Jie Wang ◽  
Ru-Zhi Gong ◽  
Xian-Zhu Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Pump Mode ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
Recirculation Flow ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Eddy Viscosity Model ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Operating Points

To obtain more accurate flow characteristics of pump turbines, the method of large eddy simulation with wall-adapting local eddy viscosity model is applied in simulating several operating points in the pump mode. Firstly, based on the experimental validation, the method of large eddy simulation could better predict the external performance and internal flow characteristics in a pump turbine in the pump mode compared with the method of Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes with two-equation turbulence model shear stress transport k–ω. Then, flow characteristics under 1.00 QBEP (best efficiency point), 0.91 QBEP, 0.88 QBEP, and 0.85 QBEP operating points are investigated to find out the causes of the head drop in the energy-discharge curve through large eddy simulation. The detailed analysis reveals that the head drop at the point 0.85 QBEP is related to the recirculation flow at the runner inlet. Finally, unsteady studies confirm that vortex movement at the runner inlet lead to the variation of the amplitudes and directions of the velocity, which generates the rotation of the separation vortices in the runner and stay vane channels.

Effect of Interface Condition on the Hydraulic Performance of a Pump-Turbine at Various Guide Vane Opening Conditions in Pumping Mode

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Won Suh ◽  
Seung-Jun Kim ◽  
Young-Seok Choi ◽  
Jin-Hyuk Kim ◽  
Won-Gu Joo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Interface Condition ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Pump Mode ◽  
Pump Turbine ◽  
High Flexibility

Abstract Nowadays, pumped-storage power stations require high flexibility and reliability in operation under off-design conditions, especially in the pump mode. When a pump-turbine operates under various part load conditions in pump mode, highly dynamic phenomenon such as stationary vortex and rotating stall occur. Therefore, the performance characteristics in pump mode are vital for the safe and effective operation. A number of studies have been conducted to investigate the flow characteristics in turbine or pump mode under different GVOs through numerical simulations. However, the studies about influence of the position of interface and interface condition on the pump characteristics of pump-turbines are not completely clear. In this paper, the three-dimensional steady and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations were solved for a detailed analysis of the influence of interface conditions with various guide vane opening conditions in pump mode. To ensure the reliability of the numerical analysis, the numerical results were validated in comparison with the experimental data.

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