• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.44-51
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• 2012

The aim of this paper is to examine the hydraulically optimized camber of a blade. Prior studies have tried to determine the sound method of design on small-hydro turbines. These have appeared to realize a reasonably efficient small-hydro turbine. Nonetheless, specific and accurate design data have not as yet been established for the shape of the runner blade. Hence, this study examines the performance characteristic of an axial propeller turbine with 0~8% camber variations. The results of output power, efficiency, and pressure distribution of the turbine are graphically depicted. The definition of camber refers to the NACA airfoil. The commercial finite element analysis (FEA) packages, ANSYS, and CFX are used in this study. The results revealed the performance characteristics on small-hydro turbine and suggested a highly efficient section shape of the runner.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.44-49
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• 2008

As the alternative energy, renewable energy should have been developing by many techniques, in order to substitute the fossil fuel which will be disappeared in the near future. One of the small hydropower generator, main concept of tubular turbine is based on using the different water pressure levels in pipe lines, energy which was initially wasted by using a reducing valve at the end of the pipeline, is collected by turbine in the hydro power generator. A propeller shaped hydro turbine has been used in order to use this renewable pressure energy in order to acquire basic design data of tubular type hydraulic turbine, output power, head, efficiency characteristics due to the guide vane opening angle are examined in detail. First, it ensures the reliance of CFD by that of compared with experiment data. After all, the results of performance characteristics of the CFD and experiment show to confirm the data that power, head and efficiency of less than 4%, 2% and 5% respectively. Moreover influences of pressure, tangential and axial velocity distributions on turbine performance are investigated.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.182-193
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• 2016

Introduction of intermittent electricity production systems like wind and solar power to electricity market together with the deregulation of electricity markets resulted in numerous start/stops, load variations and off-design operation of water turbines. Hydraulic turbines suffer from the varying loads exerted on their stationary and rotating parts during load variations since they are not designed for such operating conditions. Investigations on part load operation of single regulated turbines, i.e., Francis and propeller, proved the formation of a rotating vortex rope (RVR) in the draft tube. The RVR induces pressure pulsations in the axial and rotating directions called plunging and rotating modes, respectively. This results in oscillating forces with two different frequencies on the runner blades, bearings and other rotating parts of the turbine. This study investigates the effect of transient operations on the pressure fluctuations exerted on the runner and mechanism of the RVR formation/mitigation. Draft tube and runner blades of the Porjus U9 model, a Kaplan turbine, were equipped with pressure sensors for this purpose. The model was run in off-cam mode during different load variations. The results showed that the transients between the best efficiency point and the high load occurs in a smooth way. However, during transitions to the part load a RVR forms in the draft tube which induces high level of fluctuations with two frequencies on the runner; plunging and rotating mode. Formation of the RVR during the load rejections coincides with sudden pressure change on the runner while its mitigation occurs in a smooth way.