Abstract
Abstract Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) offers the cost-effective storage of large quantities of energy with high efficiency. Reversible pump-turbines (RPT) are used in PSPs having large head variations and where variable speed operation can enhance its efficiency and grid stability. The RPT may experience higher fatigue and vibrations due to hydraulic instabilities caused by pressure fluctuations in the vaneless space between runner blades and guide vane interaction, known as rotor-stator interaction (RSI). Because of this instability, the local components of the powerhouse vibrate severely. Therefore, there is a need to study the pressure fluctuations caused by RSI in the variable speed RPTs. The present numerical study focuses on the pressure fluctuations due to RSI in turbine mode conditions having low available head. The present study used a reduced scale high-head variable speed RPT model, and the SST k-ω turbulence model was used to carry out numerical calculations. The analysis was performed at the best efficiency point and low head operating conditions having optimized rotational speed. The analysis showed that the main source of pressure fluctuations in the RPT at all operating conditions is the RSI, where the dominant frequency is BPF and its harmonics.
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