This paper presents the results of simulations of the complete three-dimensional fluid flow through the Spiral Casing, Stay Vane, Guide Vane, and then through the Francis turbine runner of the Derbendikan power station. To investigate the flow in the Francis turbine and also to identify the loads acting on the turbine blades, a three-dimensional model was prepared according to specifications pr...

Nowadays, the challenge in hydraulic turbine design is the multi-objective design of turbine runner to reach higher efficiency. The hydraulic performance of a turbine is strictly depends on runner blades shape. The present paper focuses on the application of the multi-objective optimization algorithm to the design of a small Francis turbine runner. The optimization exercise focuses on the effic...

Hydraulic turbines are widely used to meet real-time electricity demands. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) techniques have played an important role in the design and development of such turbines. The simulation of a complete turbine requires substantial computational resources. A specific approach that is applied to investigate the flow field of one turbine may not work for another turbine. A ...

Sediment erosion not only reduces efficiency and life of hydropower turbines but also causes problems in operation and maintenance. Several factors are responsible for this erosion in hydro turbine components. This paper presents the sediment erosion types in hydraulic turbines and their components based upon an extensive literature review and the field observation at Cahua hydropower plant, Pe...

Studying the dynamic response of Francis turbine runners is of paramount importance in order to avoid resonance problems during operating conditions. For this purpose, the natural frequencies as well as their associated mode-shapes and damping ratios of the runner have to be determined. In this paper, an Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA) of the runner of a Francis turbine prototype has been per...

The second part of this paper presents results of stress analysis of the whole Francis turbine runner at Derbendikan power station by using the Finite Element Method (FEM). Computations were carried out with appropriate boundary and loading conditions for water pressure obtained from CFD analysis. The analysis focuses on stress distribution in the runner blades. It has been found that the maxim...

Hydropower plants may be required to operate in synchronous condenser mode in order to supply reactive power to the grid for compensating the fluctuations introduced by the intermittent renewable energies such wind and solar. When operating in this mode, the tail water in the Francis turbine or pump-turbine is depressed below the runner by injecting pressurized air in order to spin in air to re...

The energy scenario in rural, remote and hilly areas of India is characterized by inadequate, poor and unreliable supply of energy services. In such regions, the load density is low and extension of grid system is totally uneconomical, hence the small hydropower schemes can provide a solution for the energy problems besides solar photovoltaic, which is not available throughout the day. The main...