scholarly journals An Experimental Investigation of the Air Injection Effect on the Vortex Structure and Pulsation Characteristics in the Francis Turbine

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-113
Author(s):  
Dmitry Platonov ◽  
Andrey Minakov ◽  
Dmitry Dekterev ◽  
Alexandra Maslennikova
Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1182
Author(s):  
Seung-Jun Kim ◽  
Yong Cho ◽  
Jin-Hyuk Kim

Under low flow-rate conditions, a Francis turbine exhibits precession of a vortex rope with pressure fluctuations in the draft tube. These undesirable flow phenomena can lead to deterioration of the turbine performance as manifested by torque and power output fluctuations. In order to suppress the rope with precession and a swirl component in the tube, the use of anti-swirl fins was investigated in a previous study. However, vortex rope generation still occurred near the cone of the tube. In this study, unsteady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes analyses were conducted with a scale-adaptive simulation shear stress transport turbulence model. This model was used to observe the effects of the injection in the draft tube on the unsteady internal flow and pressure phenomena considering both active and passive suppression methods. The air injection affected the generation and suppression of the vortex rope and swirl component depending on the flow rate of the air. In addition, an injection level of 0.5%Q led to a reduction in the maximum unsteady pressure characteristics.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (22) ◽  
pp. 7626
Author(s):  
Tao Guo ◽  
Lihui Xu ◽  
Wenquan Wang

The inter-blade passage vortex, the vortex rope of the draft tube, and the vortex in the guide apparatus are the characteristics of flow instability of the Francis turbine, which may lead to fatigue failure in serious cases. In the current study, in order to accurately capture the transient turbulent characteristics of flow under different conditions and fully understand the flow field and vortex structure, we conduct a simulation that adopts sliding grid technology and the large-eddy simulation (LES) method based on the wall-adapting local eddy viscosity (WALE) model. Using the pressure iso-surface method, the Q criterion, and the latest third-generation Liutex vortex identification method, this study analyzes and compares the inter-blade passage vortex, the vortex rope of the draft tube, and the outflow and vortex in the guide apparatus, focusing on the capture ability of flow field information by various vortex identification methods and the unique vortex structure under the condition of a small opening. The results indicate that the dependence of Liutex on the threshold is small, and the scale range of the flow direction vortex captured by Liutex is wider, but the ability of the spanwise vortex is relatively weak. The smaller the opening, the more disorderly the vortexes generated in each component and the more unstable the flow field. In the draft tube, the original shape of the vortex rope is destroyed due to the interaction between vortexes. Under the condition of a small opening, an inter-blade passage vortex is generated, affecting the efficient and stable operation of the turbine.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subodh Khullar ◽  
Krishna M. Singh ◽  
Michel J. Cervantes ◽  
Bhupendra K. Gandhi

Abstract The presence of excessive swirl at the runner outlet in Francis turbines operating at part load leads to the development of flow instabilities such as the rotating vortex rope (RVR). The presence of RVR causes severe pressure pulsations, power swings, and fatigue damage in the turbine unit. Air and water injection in the draft tube have been reported to reduce the detrimental effects of RVR formation in the Francis turbines. Air injection is one of the oldest and most widely used methods. In contrast, water jet injection is a relatively new methodology. The present work reports the numerical simulations performed to compare the respective effectiveness of these methods to mitigate the RVR and the related flow instabilities. The efficacy of the two methods has been compared based on the pressure pulsations and pressure recovery in the draft tube cone. The results show that the air and water injection influence the draft tube flow field in different ways. Both air and water injection led to a reduction in pressure pulsation magnitudes in the draft tube cone. However, the air injection led to a negative pressure recovery while the water injection improved the draft tube action.


2020 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 889-898 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atmaram Kayastha ◽  
Biraj Singh Thapa ◽  
Bhola Thapa ◽  
Young Ho Lee

Author(s):  
Tarik Azzam ◽  
Richard Paridaens ◽  
Florent Ravelet ◽  
Sofiane Khelladi ◽  
Hamid Oualli ◽  
...  

In an axial fan, a leakage flow driven by a pressure gradient between the pressure side and the suction side occurs in the gap between the shroud and the casing. This leakage flow is in the opposite direction to the main flow and is responsible for significant energy dissipation. Therefore, many authors have worked to understand this phenomenon in order to reduce these inherent energy losses. Up to now, most of the studies reported in the literature have been passive solutions. In this paper, an experimental controlling strategy is suggested to reduce the leakage flow rate. To this end, a fan with hollow blades and a specific drive system were designed and built for air injection. Air is injected in the leakage gap at the fan periphery. The experiment was performed for three rotation speeds, five injection rates and two configurations: 16 and 32 injection holes on the fan’s circumference. The experimental results of this investigation are presented in this article.


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