• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.209-219
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• 2015

A robust multi-fidelity optimization methodology has been developed, focusing on efficiently handling industrial runner design of hydraulic Francis turbines. The computational task is split between low- and high-fidelity phases in order to properly balance the CFD cost and required accuracy in different design stages. In the low-fidelity phase, a physics-based surrogate optimization loop manages a large number of iterative optimization evaluations. Two derivative-free optimization methods use an inviscid flow solver as a physics-based surrogate to obtain the main characteristics of a good design in a relatively fast iterative process. The case study of a runner design for a low-head Francis turbine indicates advantages of integrating two derivative-free optimization algorithms with different local- and global search capabilities.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.284-290
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• 2006

For the case of high head and critical low flow rate range of micro hydropower resources, it requires very low specific speed turbines which are lower than conventional impulse turbine's specific speed. In order to satisfy the request for very low specific speed turbine with high efficiency, a new positive displacement turbine is developed. The performance characteristics of the new turbine is tested and compared with a conventional impulse turbine, which is used for automatic water faucet system. The purpose of present study is to develop an high performance turbine that can be used to extract micro hydropower potential of a water supply system. The test results show that the positive displacement turbine is much more efficient than the conventional turbine and it can sustain high efficiency under the wide range of operating conditions. The pressure pulsations at the inlet and outlet of the positive displacement turbine can be considerably minimized by using simple pressure damper.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제3권4호
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• pp.352-359
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• 2010

In recent years, the market has shown increasing interest in pump-turbines. The prompt availability of pumped storage plants and the benefits to the power system achieved by peak lopping, providing reserve capacity, and rapid response in frequency control are providing a growing advantage. In this context, there is a need to develop pumpturbines that can reliably withstand dynamic operation modes, fast changes of discharge rate by adjusting the variable diffuser vanes, as well as fast changes from pumping to turbine operation. In the first part of the present study, various flow patterns linked to operation of a pump-turbine system are discussed. In this context, pump and turbine modes are presented separately and different load cases are shown in each operating mode. In order to create modern, competitive pump-turbine designs, this study further explains what design challenges should be considered in defining the geometry of a pump-turbine impeller. The second part of the paper describes an innovative, staggered approach to impeller development, applied to a low head pump-turbine project. The first level of the process consists of optimization strategies based on evolutionary algorithms together with 3D in-viscid flow analysis. In the next stage, the hydraulic behavior of both pump mode and turbine mode is evaluated by solving the full 3D Navier-Stokes equations in combination with a robust turbulence model. Finally, the progress in hydraulic design is demonstrated by model test results that show a significant improvement in hydraulic performance compared to an existing reference design.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국신재생에너지학회 2010년도 춘계학술대회 초록집
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• pp.191.2-191.2
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• 2010

The conventional method to assess turbine performance is its model testing which becomes costly and time consuming for several design alternatives in design optimization. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become a cost effective tool for predicting detailed flow information in turbine space to enable the selection of best design. In the present paper, Francis turbine of commercial small hydropower plants which is under 70kw is investigated. Solutions are investigated with respect to the hydraulic characteristics against an outward angle of guide vane, the number of guide vane and head (inlet velocity). By suitable modification of the runner shape, low pressure zone on the leading edge can be reduced. If the entire runner is to be optimized in this manner, flow simulation tests have to be carried out on a series of different geometrical shape.

• 한국해양공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국해양공학회 2006년 창립20주년기념 정기학술대회 및 국제워크샵
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• pp.91-98
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• 2006

This paper aims at giving an overview of the developments researchers at the Department of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, Denmark (DCE), have been involved in within the field of wave energy utilization in Denmark over the past decade. At first a general introduction is given followed by a more thorough description of three ongoing projects. These are Wave Dragon, Wave Star and Seawave Slot-cone Generator. Common for these projects are that they are being, or will soon be, tested in real sea and have benefited from the Danish Wave Energy Program. The work by the department on these projects involves substantial laboratory testing, numerical simulations and real sea prototype testing.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.174-182
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• 2014

The ultimate objective of this study is to develop a water turbine appropriate for low-head open channels to effectively utilize the unused hydropower energy of rivers and agricultural waterways. The application of a cross-flow runner to open channels as an undershot water turbine has been considered and, to this end, a significant simplification was attained by removing the turbine casing. However, the flow field of an undershot cross-flow water turbine possesses free surfaces, and, as a result, the water depth around the runner changes with variation in the rotational speed such that the flow field itself is significantly altered. Thus, clear understanding of the flow fields observed with free surfaces to improve the performance of this turbine is necessary. In this study, the performance of this turbine and the flow field were evaluated through experiments and numerical analysis. The particle image velocimetry technique was used for flow measurements. The experimental results reflecting the performance of this turbine and the flow field were consistent with numerical analysis. In addition, the flow fields at the inlet and outlet regions at the first and second stages of this water turbine were clarified.

• 대한전기학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한전기학회 2007년도 제38회 하계학술대회
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• pp.959-960
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• 2007

The wind power has been used steadily since long ago, but the importance of it has been faded because of the abundant and convenient fossil energy. Now, due to the energy crisis, experiencing the environmental problems etc, the necessity of using it growing bigger. Because the small wind turbines under a few kW grade has the merits of setting up with low costs by individuals, and get the energy saving effects that, it has the secured, separate markets from the range systems, and the developing of it is continuously proceeding. The small wind turbine system must have the output power regulating system for the over wind speed, to run steadily in the various wind speed environment. In case of the small wind turbine system, to prevent the breaking and for safety, at the over wind speed, additional system is required, and in most cases, output power is restricted by mechanical means. In this paper, the furling system makes the tail and the head move to make the blades to the wind in slanted angle, restrict the output power at the over wind speed. In thesis, small prototype wind turbine is made, and analyzing the output power characteristics at the over wind speed, and to verify, through the logical study and tests.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제2권4호
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• pp.392-399
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• 2009

The paper concerns the description of the step by step development process of the new fixed blade runner called "Mixer" suitable for the uprating of the Francis turbines units installed at the older low head hydropower plants. In the paper the details of hydraulic and mechanical design are presented. Since the rotational speed of the new runner is significantly higher then the rotational speed of the original Francis one, the direct coupling of the turbine to the generator can be applied. The maximum efficiency at prescribed operational point was reached by the geometry optimization of two most important components. In the first step the optimization of the draft tube geometry was carried out. The condition for the draft tube geometry optimization was to design the new geometry of the draft tube within the original bad draft tube shape without any extensive civil works. The runner blade geometry optimization was carried out on the runner coupled with the draft tube domain. The blade geometry of the runner was optimized using automatic direct search optimization procedure. The method used for the objective function minimum search is a kind of the Nelder-Mead simplex method. The objective function concerns efficiency, required net head and cavitation features. After successful hydraulic design the modal and stress analysis was carried out on the prototype scale runner. The static pressure distribution from flow simulation was used as a load condition. The modal analysis in air and in water was carried out and the results were compared. The final runner was manufactured in model scale and it is going to be tested in hydraulic laboratory. Since the turbine with the fixed blade runner does not allow double regulation like in case of full Kaplan turbine, it can be profitably used mainly at power plants with smaller changes of operational conditions or in case with more units installed. The advantages are simple manufacturing, installation and therefore lower expenses and short delivery time for turbine uprating.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.287-295
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• 2017

The most detrimental pressure pulsations in high-head pump-turbines is caused by the rotor-stator interaction (RSI) between the guide vanes and runner blades. When the pump-turbine operates in the S-shaped region of the characteristic curves, the deteriorative flow structures may significantly strengthen RSI, causing larger pressure pulsations and stronger vibration with an increased risk of mechanical failure. CFD simulations were carried out to analyze the impacts of flow evolution on the pressure pulsations in the S-shaped region of a model pump-turbine. The results show that the reverse flow vortex structures (RFVS) at the runner inlet have regular development and transition patterns when discharge reduces from the best efficiency point (BEP). The RFVS first occur at the hub side, and then shift to the mid-span near the no-load point, which cause the strongest pressure pulsations. The locally distributed RFVS at hub side enhance the local RSI and makes the pressure fluctuations at the corresponding sections stronger than those at the rest sections along the spanwise direction. Under the condition of RFVS at the mid-span, the smaller flow rate make the smaller difference of pressure pulsation amplitudes in the spanwise direction. Moreover, the rotating stall, rotating at 35.7%-62.5% of the runner rotational frequency, make the low frequency components of pressure pulsations distribute unevenly along the circumference in the vaneless space. However, it have little influence on the distributions of high components.