• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.274-281
• /
• 2013

The variable demand on the energy market requires a great flexibility in operating hydro turbines. However, Francis turbine operated at off-design conditions poses technical challenges related to large unsteady forces given by residual swirl and angular momentum. In order to improve the performance of a Francis turbine, the paper presents a numerical investigation of the 3D flow in the turbine at off-design conditions and discusses the influence of variable guide vane openings on the internal flow of a Francis turbine with the help of computational fluid dynamics. First, the internal flow characteristics of Francis turbine operated by varied guide vane angle at off design condition are computed and the optimal guide vane angle is obtained. Secondly, the Francis turbine is operated with guide vane number varies at the optimal guide vane angle. Finally, pressure contours and velocity distributions in the distributor are discussed and compared.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.132-141
• /
• 2015

This paper presents a CFD-based methodology for the prediction of guide vane torque in hydraulic turbine distributor for aligned and misaligned configurations. A misaligned or desynchronized configuration occurs when the opening angle of one guide vane differs from the opening angle of all other guide vanes, which may lead to a torque increase on neighbouring guide vanes. A fully automated numerical procedure is presented, that automates computations for a complete range of operation of a 2D or 3D distributor. Results are validated against laboratory measurements.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.36 no.10
• /
• pp.1267-1274
• /
• 2012

A guide vane plays a key role in controlling the flow rate of water supplied to the turbine of a hydropower plant. It has been reported that guide vane bearing bushings are subjected to considerable wear, which requires them to be maintained. An ancillary service such as frequency control and black start causes cyclic low opening operation of the guide vanes. It is empirically well known that such operation increases the wear rate of the guide vane bearing bushing. In this study, the effect of low opening operation on the increasing wear of the guide vane bearing bushing is quantitatively assessed via finite element flow analysis, finite element stress analysis, and relative wear evaluation. As a result of the assessment, it is identified that the pressure applied on the guide vane surface increases and the contact length between the outer surface of the guide vane stem and the inner surface of the bearing bushing decreases with a decrease in the opening of the guide vane. In addition, low opening of the guide vanes results in an increase in the relative wear owing to the generation of high contact pressure on the bearing bushing surfaces.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2005.06a
• /
• pp.443-446
• /
• 2005

The Kaplan turbine model has been tested and analyzed. The blade angle and the guide vane opening of the turbine model were designed to be varied according to the best combination of guide vane and runner blade opening. When the changes in head and output were comparatively large, the efficiency drop were small, so the efficiency characteristics and stability of the entire operating condition were maintained in good condition. These results showed that the developed model in this study will be suitable for small hydro power stations with large changes in head and load.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2007.05a
• /
• pp.1992-1996
• /
• 2007

The Kaplan turbine model has been tested and analized. The blade angle and the guide vane opening of the turbine model were designed to be varied according to the best combination of guide vane and runner blade opening. When the changes in head and output were comparatively large, the efficincy drop were small, so the efficiency characteristics and stability of the entire operating condition were maintained in good condition. These results showed that the developed model in this study will be suitable for small hydro power stations with large changes in head and load.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.154-163
• /
• 2017

Performance characteristics in pump mode of pump-turbines are vital for the safe and effective operation of pumped storage power plants. However, the head characteristics are different under different guide vane openings. In this paper, 3-D steady simulations were performed under 13mm, 19mm and 25mm guide vane openings. Three groups of operating points under the three GVOs were chosen based on experimental validation to investigate the influence of guide vane setting on flow patterns upstream and downstream. The results reveal that, the guide vane setting will obviously change the flow pattern downstream, which in turn influences the flow upstream. It shows a strong effect on hydraulic loss (power dissipation) in the guide and stay vanes. It is also found that the hydraulic loss mainly comes from the flow separation and vortices. In addition, in some operating conditions, the change of guide vane opening will change the flow angle at the runner inlet and outlet, which will change the Euler momentum (power input). The joint action of Euler momentum and hydraulic loss results in the change of the head characteristics.

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

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.27-31
• /
• 2001

The Kaplan turbine model has been tested and analized. The blade angle and the guide vane opening of the turbine model were designed to be varied according to the best combination of guide vane and runner blade opening. When the changes in head and output were comparatively large, the efficiency drop were small, so the efficiency characteristics and stability of the entire operating condition were maintained in good condition. These results showed that the developed model in this study will be suitable for small hydro power stations with large changes in head and load.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2006.06a
• /
• pp.495-498
• /
• 2006

The Kaplan turbine model has been tested and analyzed. The blade angle and the guide vane opening of the turbine model were designed to be varied according to the best combination of guide vane and runner blade opening. When the changes in head and output were comparatively large, the efficiency drop were small, so the efficiency characteristics and stability of the entire operating condition were maintained in good condition. These results showed that the developed model in this study will be suitable for small hydropower stations with large changes In head and load such as agricultural reservoir.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
• /
• v.10 no.3 s.42
• /
• pp.17-24
• /
• 2007

This paper presents the design procedure of a vertical wind turbine named jet-wheel-turbo turbine and the numerical and experimental verifications. The design parameters such as the rotor inlet angle, the diameter-to-hub ratio, the inlet guide outlet angle and the solidity were optimized to maximize the energy transfer, and to further increase the turbine efficiency by applying the side guide vane and the side opening to the rotor. The maximum power coefficient of 0.59, which is much higher than the ever-designed three-bladed horizontal turbines, was experimentally obtained when the optimal inlet- and side-guide vanes were installed and both sides of the rotor were 80% opened. The maximum power coefficients occur at the tip speed ratio ranging between 0.6 and 0.7. This vertical-axis turbine model can be applied to the large-scale power generation system with the speed and torque control algorithm for the specified wind characteristics.