• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제9권2호
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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.

• 한국압력기기공학회 논문집
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.78-84
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• 2016

The FHX (Forced-draft sodium-to-air Heat Exchanger) employed in the ADHRS (active decay heat removal system) is a shell-and-tube type counter-current flow heat exchanger with M-shape finned-tube arrangement. Liquid sodium flows inside the heat transfer tubes and atmospheric air flows over the finned tubes. The unit is placed in the upper region of the reactor building and has function of dumping the system heat load into the final heat sink, i.e., the atmosphere. Heat is transmitted from the primary cold sodium pool into the ADHRS sodium loop via DHX (decay heat exchanger), and a direct heat exchange occurs between the tube-side sodium and the shell-side air through the FHX tube wall. This paper describes the DHRS and the structural design of the FHX.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.197-208
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• 2017

When Francis turbines operate at partial load, residual swirl in the draft tube causes low-frequency pulsation of pressure and power output. Scale effects and system response may bias the prediction of prototype behavior based on laboratory tests, but could be overcome by means of a 1D analytical model. This paper deals with the two most important features of such a model, the compliance and the source of excitation. In a distributed-parameter version, compliance should be represented as an exponential function of local pressure. Lack of similarity due to different Froude number can thus be compensated. The normally unknown gas content in the vortex cavity has significant influence on the pulsation, and should therefore be measured and considered as a test parameter.

• 한국유체기계학회 논문집
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.11-19
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• 2015

Recently, the cross flow turbines attract more attention for their good performance over a large operating regime at off design point. This study employs a very low head cross flow turbine, which has open inlet duct and has barely been studied before, to investigate the performance of the cross flow turbine with air suction from the rear part of the runner. Unlike conventional cross flow turbines, a draft tube is attached to the outlet of runner to improve the turbine performance. Water level and pressure in the draft tube are monitored to investigate the influence of air suction. Torque at local blade passage of three parts of runner is examined in detail under the conditions of different air suction. Consequently, it is found that with proper air suction in the runner chamber, the water level in the draft tube gradually drops to Stage 2 of the runner and the efficiency of the turbine can be raised by 10%. Overall, the effect of air-layer on the performance of the turbine is considerable.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제2권4호
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• pp.295-302
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• 2009

The flow in the draft tube cone of Francis turbines operated at partial discharge is a complex hydrodynamic phenomenon where an incoming steady axisymmetric swirling flow evolves into a three-dimensional unsteady flow field with precessing helical vortex (also called vortex rope) and associated pressure fluctuations. The paper addresses the following fundamental question: is it possible to compute the circumferentially averaged flow field induced by the precessing vortex rope by using an axisymmetric turbulent swirling flow model? In other words, instead of averaging the measured or computed 3D velocity and pressure fields we would like to solve directly the circumferentially averaged governing equations. As a result, one could use a 2D axi-symmetric model instead of the full 3D flow simulation, with huge savings in both computing time and resources. In order to answer this question we first compute the axisymmetric turbulent swirling flow using available solvers by introducing a stagnant region model (SRM), essentially enforcing a unidirectional circumferentially averaged meridian flow as suggested by the experimental data. Numerical results obtained with both models are compared against measured axial and circumferential velocity profiles, as well as for the vortex rope location. Although the circumferentially averaged flow field cannot capture the unsteadiness of the 3D flow, it can be reliably used for further stability analysis, as well as for assessing and optimizing various techniques to stabilize the swirling flow. In particular, the methodology presented and validated in this paper is particularly useful in optimizing the blade design in order to reduce the stagnant region extent, thus mitigating the vortex rope and expending the operating range for Francis turbines.

• 한국수자원학회논문집
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• 제38권5호
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• pp.365-377
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• 2005

본 연구는 수력발전시설에서 물고기의 생존과 상해를 유도하는 흐름현상을 파악하기 위한 진보된 수치해석기법의 개발을 다루고 있다. 원형 젤의 LES를 실시하여 난류젤의 전단지역에 물고기를 방류하는 실험의 결과를 수치적으로 해석하였다. 이 연구에서는 순간 LES 흐름장이 유속, 압력 그리고 와도의 강한 변동으로 특성지울 수 있으며, 이것이 물고기에게 시간평균 정상류보다 상당히 큰 추진력과 모멘트를 발휘함을 보여준다. 이 연구는 아울러 수력터빈 드래프트관에서의 부정류를 RANS/LES의 혼성모형 즉 DES를 이용하여 해석하였으며, 물고기가 드래프트관내에서 방향감각을 상실하거나 과도하게 지체하도록 할 수 있는 난류가 발생함을 보여준다.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.199-208
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• 2011

This work presents numerical results, using OpenFOAM, of the flow in the swirl flow generator test rig developed at Politehnica University of Timisoara, Romania. The work shows results computed by solving the unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations. The unsteady method couples the rotating and stationary parts using a sliding grid interface based on a GGI formulation. Turbulence is modeled using the standard k-${\varepsilon}$ model, and block structured wall function ICEM-Hexa meshes are used. The numerical results are validated against experimental LDV results, and against design velocity profiles. The investigation shows that OpenFOAM gives results that are comparable to the experimental and design profiles. The unsteady pressure fluctuations at four different positions in the draft tube is recorded. A Fourier analysis of the numerical results is compared whit that of the experimental values. The amplitude and frequency predicted by the numerical simulation are comparable to those given by the experimental results, though slightly over estimated.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.220-220
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• 2015

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제2권4호
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• pp.346-352
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• 2009

The objective of the present work is to improve numerical predictions of unsteady turbulent swirling flows in the draft tubes of hydraulic power plants. We present Large Eddy Simulation (LES) results on a simplified draft tube consisting of a straight conical diffuser. The basis of LES is to solve the large scales of motion, which contain most of the energy, while the small scales are modeled. LES strategy is here preferred to the average equations strategies (RANS models) because it resolves directly the most energetic part of the turbulent flow. LES is now recognized as a powerful tool to simulate real applications in several engineering fields which are more and more frequently found. However, the cost of large-eddy simulations of wall bounded flows is still expensive. Bypass methods are investigated to perform high-Reynolds-number LES at a reasonable cost. In this study, computations at a Reynolds number about 2 $10^5$ are presented. This study presents the result of a new near-wall model for turbulent boundary layer taking into account the streamwise pressure gradient (adverse or favorable). Validations are made based on simple channel flow, without any pressure gradient and on the data base ERCOFTAC. The experiments carried out by Clausen et al. [1] reproduce the essential features of the complex flow and are used to develop and test closure models for such flows.

• 한국소음진동공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국소음진동공학회 2000년도 춘계학술대회논문집
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• pp.1027-1033
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• 2000

This paper describes the characteristics of vibration of a hydraulic turbine mainly due to cavitation occurrence. The analysis of vibration spectra of the turbine shaft shows that hub vortex cavitation occurs in the downstream of the turbine runner, which is verified from coherence analysis between shaft vibration displacement and dynamic pressure at the draft tube. Even though acceleration level measured at the guide vane lever, which is usually used for evaluation of cavitations performance, is decreased during forced aeration, it is found from the analysis of dynamic pressure spectra that cavitation around runner blades still remains unchanged. It is also found that lateral vibration of the turbine shaft is mainly due to the hub vortex cavitation of the turbine runner.