Mathematical Model for the Effect of Blade Friction on the Performance of Pelton Turbine

Abstract

Water turbines have been used in electricity generation for well over a century. Hydroelectricity now supplies 19% of world electricity. Many hydro power plants are operated with Pelton turbines, which is an impulse turbine. The main reasons for using impulse turbines are that they are very simple and relatively cheap. As the stream flow varies, water flow to the turbine can be easily controlled by changing the number of nozzles or by using adjustable nozzles. Scientific investigation and design of turbines saw rapid advancement during last century. Most of the research that had been done on turbines were focused on improving the performance with particular reference to turbine components such as shaft seals, speed increasers and bearings. There is not much information available on effects of blade friction on the performance of turbine. The main focus in this paper is to analyze the performance of Pelton turbine particularly with respect to their blade friction.