Pump-turbine Runner Research Articles

Internal Mechanism and Improvement Criteria for the Runaway Oscillation Stability of a Pump-Turbine

The runaway oscillation process of the pump-turbine in a high head pumped-storage power plant is usually unstable. The root cause of its instability is still unclear. In this paper, its internal mechanism and the improvement method were studied in depth. First, the flow characteristics in a model pump-turbine during the runaway process at four guide-vane openings (GVOs) were investigated by 3D transient numerical simulations. Then, the energy dissipation characteristics of different types of backflow vortex structures (BFVSs) occurring at the runner inlet and their impacts on the runaway stability were investigated by the entropy production theory. The results show that the location change of BFVSs between the hub side and the mid-span of the runner inlet around the no-load point leads to the sharp change in the energy dissipation rate, which makes the slope of dynamic trajectory positive and the runaway oscillation self-excited. If the occurrence of BFVSs at the hub side is suspended, the runaway process will be damped. Finally, the pump-turbine runner was improved to obtain a wider stable operating range.

Risk of penstock fatigue in pumped-storage power plants operating with variable speed in pumping mode

The upgrade of a pumped-storage power plant (PSPP) to allow variable speed operation offer several advantages in pumping and generating modes. However, in pumping mode at part load, both pressure and torque pulsations develop in the pump turbine runner. This paper evaluates the risk of fatigue damage in the penstock of a variable-speed PSPP due to the propagation of the pressure pulsations developing in the pump turbine runner at partial load in pumping mode. For that purpose, a simulation model of a variable-speed PSPP has been developed. The pressure and torque pulsations are generated each from a different set of sinusoidal functions calibrated from the results of a Computational Fluid Dynamic model, which was in turn validated from experimental data. A Monte Carlo simulation has been performed considering different temporal gaps between the sinusoidal functions reproducing the pressure pulsations in one and another pump turbine. The number of stress cycles that may cause fatigue damage in the penstock has been obtained from the results of the simulations and the fatigue curves defined in the Eurocode, and then transformed into the maximum number of hours per year the PSPP can operate at partial load in pumping mode to avoid fatigue damages.

Investigation on the fluctuation of hydraulic exciting force on a pump-turbine runner during the load rejection process

The flow-induced vibration is one of the important reasons causing the instability of pump-turbines during the load rejection process. However, the flow mechanism is not clear. In this study, the load rejection process of a pump-turbine was investigated, considering the clearance between the runner and stationary parts, through three-dimensional turbulent flow simulation with the dynamic mesh technology. Unsteady pressure boundary conditions were established at the inlet of the spiral-casing and outlet of the draft tube. The rotational speed of runner was calculated through coupling the rigid body motion with the water flow. The simulated rotational speed of runner shows a good consistency with the corresponding experimental data. Based on the numerical results, the fluctuation of the hydraulic thrust and hydraulic torque on the runner and their formation mechanism were analysed. The results show that there exists complex flow in the draft tube and in the vaneless space during the load rejection process. The complex flow leads to the severe fluctuation of hydraulic thrust and hydraulic torque on the runner with a low frequency, which is about 0.06∼0.4 times rated rotational frequency of the runner. Consequently, the hydraulic exciting source may induce intense vibration of the runner potentially.

Simplified hydrodynamic analysis on the general shape of the hill charts of Francis turbines using shroud-streamline modeling

The paper presents a simplified one-dimensional calculation of the efficiency hill-chart for Francis turbines, based on the velocity triangles at the inlet and outlet of the runner’s blade. Calculation is done for one streamline, namely the shroud streamline in the meridional section, where an efficiency model is established and iteratively approximated in order to satisfy the Euler equation for turbomachines at a wide operating range around the best efficiency point (BEP). Using the presented method, hill charts are calculated for one splitter-bladed Francis turbine runner and one Reversible Pump-Turbine (RPT) runner operated in the turbine mode. Both turbines have similar and relatively low specific speeds of nsQ = 23.3 and nsQ = 27, equal inlet and outlet diameters and are designed to fit in the same turbine rig for laboratory measurements (i.e. spiral casing and draft tube are the same). Calculated hill charts are compared against performance data obtained experimentally from model tests according to IEC standards for both turbines. Good agreement between theoretical and experimental results is observed when comparing the shapes of the efficiency contours in the hill-charts. The simplified analysis identifies the design parameters that defines the general shape and inclination of the turbine’s hill charts and, with some additional improvements in the loss models used, it can be used for quick assessment of the performance at off-design conditions during the design process of hydraulic turbines.

Investigation on Flow Characteristics of Pump-Turbine Runners With Large Blade Lean

Frequent changes in the operating modes pose significant challenges in the development of a pump-turbine with high efficiency and stability. In this paper, two pump-turbine runners, one with a large positive blade lean and the other with a large negative lean, are investigated numerically and experimentally. These two runners are designed by using the optimum stacking condition at the high pressure edge (HPE). The experimental and the numerical results show that both runners have good efficiency performances, and pressure fluctuations for the runner with a negative blade lean are much lower than those for the runner with a positive blade lean. The internal flow field analyses clarify the effects of the blade lean on the pressure distribution around the runner blades. In the turbine mode at partial load, the negative blade lean can control flow separation in the high pressure side of the runner and then reduce the pressure fluctuations in the vaneless space.

Parametric Design of an Ultrahigh-Head Pump-Turbine Runner Based on Multiobjective Optimization

Pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) is currently the only proven large-scale energy storage technology. Frequent changes between pump and turbine operations pose significant challenges in the design of a pump-turbine runner with high efficiency and stability, especially for ultrahigh-head reversible pump-turbine runners. In the present paper, a multiobjective optimization design system is used to develop an ultrahigh-head runner with good overall performance. An optimum configuration was selected from the optimization results. The effects of key design parameters—namely blade loading and blade lean—were then investigated in order to determine their effects on runner efficiency and cavitation characteristics. The paper highlights the guidelines for application of inverse design method to high-head reversible pump-turbine runners. Middle-loaded blade loading distribution on the hub, back-loaded distribution on the shroud, and large positive blade lean angle on the high pressure side are good for the improvement of runner power performance. The cavitation characteristic is mainly influenced by the blade loading distribution near the low pressure side, and large blade lean angles have a negative impact on runner cavitation characteristics.

Evolutions of Pressure Fluctuations and Runner Loads During Runaway Processes of a Pump-Turbine

The pressure fluctuations and runner loads on a pump-turbine runner during runaway process are very violent and the corresponding flow evolution is complicated. To study these phenomena and their correlations in depth, the runaway processes of a model pump-turbine at four guide vane openings (GVOs) were simulated by three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3D-CFD). The results show that the flow structures around runner inlet have regular development and transition patterns—the reverse flow occurs when the trajectory moves to the turbine-brake region and the main reverse velocity shifts locations among the hub side, the shroud side and the midspan as the trajectory comes forward and backward in the S-shape region. The locally distributed reverse flow vortex structures (RFVS) enhance the local rotor–stator interaction (RSI) and make the pressure fluctuations in vaneless space at the corresponding section stronger than at the rest sections along the spanwise direction. The transitions of RFVS, turning from the hub side to midspan, facilitate the inception and development of rotating stall, which propagates at approximately 45–72% of the runner rotation frequency. The evolving rotating stall induces asymmetrical pressure distribution on the runner blade, resulting in intensive fluctuations of runner torque and radial force. During the runaway process, the changing characteristics of the reactive axial force are dominated by the change rate of flow discharge, and the amplitude of low frequency component of axial force is in proportion to the amplitude of discharge change rate.

Mechanism of the S-Shaped Characteristics and the Runaway Instability of Pump-Turbines

Understanding the formation mechanism of the S-shaped characteristics (SSCs) and the relationship between flow structures and the runaway instability (RI) is the prerequisite for optimizing runner design to promote operational reliability and flexibility. In this study, a new turbine equation is derived to reveal the prime cause of the SSCs, and the influence of geometric parameters on the SSCs is analyzed. Moreover, the flow patterns in three model turbines of different specific-speeds are simulated by unsteady Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the correlation between inverse flow vortex structures (IFVSs) and the RI in the SSCs region is identified. Theoretical analysis shows that the turbine equation can theoretically predict the change trend of the first quadrant SSCs curves of the pump-turbines; the flow losses caused by small blade inlet angle, instead of the diameter ratio, are the primary cause of the SSCs. The numerical simulation results reveal that the IFVSs at the hub side of the runner inlet are the origin of the RI; when operating points are far away from the best efficiency point (BEP), the IFVS locations change regularly. For large guide vane openings (GVOs), the IFVSs first incept at the shroud side, and then translate to the hub side, and further back to the midspan, when the discharge decreases. The inception points (IPs) of the SSCs correspond to the onset of the IFVSs at the hub side, which are in advance of the zero-torque operating points (ZTOPs); therefore, the ZTOPs are located in the positive slope region, leading to RI. For small GVOs, however, the IFVSs only locate at the midspan; the IPs of the SSCs, having no definite correlation with the IFVSs, are coincided with or are below the ZTOPs, because the ZTOPs are in the negative slope region and RI disappears. It is also found that the IPs of SSCs are the turning points of the predominant states between the turbine effect and pump effect. These results are valuable for design and optimization of pump-turbine runners.

Mechanism study on pressure fluctuation of pump-turbine runner with large blade lean angle

Excessive pressure fluctuations in the vaneless space can cause mechanical vibration and even mechanical failures in pump-turbine operation. Mechanism studies on the pressure fluctuations and optimization design of blade geometry to reduce the pressure fluctuations have important significance in industrial production. In the present paper, two pump-turbine runners with big positive and negative blade lean angle were designed by using a multiobjective design strategy. Model test showed that the runner with negative blade lean angle not only had better power performance, but also had lower pressure fluctuation than the runner with positive blade lean angle. In order to figure out the mechanism of pressure fluctuation reduction in the vaneless;jik8space, full passage model for both runners were built and transient CFD computations were conducted to simulate the flow states inside the channel. Detailed flow field analyses indicated that the difference of low-pressure area in the trailing edge of blade pressure side were the main causes of pressure fluctuation reduction in the vaneless space.

Natural frequencies of rotating disk-like structures submerged viewed from the stationary frame

To understand the effect of rotation in the dynamic response of pump-turbine runners, simplified models such as disk-like structures can be used. In previous researches the natural frequencies and mode shapes of rotating disk-like structures submerged and confined have been analysed from the rotating frame. Nevertheless to measure these parameters experimentally from the rotating point of view can be a difficult task, since sensors have to withstand with large forces and dynamic loads. In this paper the dynamic response of rotating disk-like structures is analysed from the stationary frame. For this purpose an experimental test rig has been used. It consists on a disk confined that rotates inside a tank. The disk is excited with a PZT attached on it and the response is measured from both rotating frame (with miniature accelerometers) and from the stationary frame (with a Laser Doppler Vibrometer). In this way the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the rotating structure can be determined from the stationary reference frame. The transmission from the rotating to the stationary frame is compared for the case that the rotating structure rotates in a low density medium (air) and in a high density medium (water).

On the Capability of Structural–Acoustical Fluid–Structure Interaction Simulations to Predict Natural Frequencies of Rotating Disklike Structures Submerged in a Heavy Fluid

Predicting natural frequencies of rotating disklike structures submerged in water is of paramount importance in the field of hydraulic machinery, since the dynamic response of disks presents similarities to the dynamic response of pump-turbine runners. Well-known computational methods, such as structural-acoustical fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulations, are perfectly capable to predict the added mass effects of standing submerged disks. However, the capability of these simulations to predict the effect of rotation in the natural frequencies of submerged disks has not been investigated. To obtain adequate results, the relationship between the disk rotation and the fluid rotation has to be introduced in the simulation model to consider the effects of the surrounding flow and the transmission within rotating and stationary frame. This procedure is explained and discussed in this technical brief comparing analytical, numerical, and experimental results.

GS0520 ポンプ水車特性に与えるガイドベーン開度の影響に関する数値シミュレーション

In order to clarify the instability phenomena when the pump-turbine stops in case of necessity, the experiment and the numerical simulation were performed. The past research shows that these phenomena occur when the characteristic curve observed is the serpentine curve. Also, the inlet height and the outlet height of the pump-turbine's runner has no effect on this result. Therefore, this research focuses on how the inlet and blade angle of the guide vanes affects the characteristic curve observed when the blade thickness of pump turbine's runner is changed. Three different inlet and blade angles are used for the experiment and the numerical simulation. As a result, they show that the instability of the pump turbine is decreased by the guide vanes. Besides, the numerical simulation shows the vortex occurs at the trading edge of the runner.

Optimization design of a reversible pump–turbine runner with high efficiency and stability

Frequent changes between pump and turbine operations pose significant challenges in the design of pump–turbine runners with high efficiency and stability. In this study, a multiobjective optimization design system, including a 3D inverse design, computational fluid dynamics, design of experiment, response surface methodology, and multiobjective genetic algorithm, is introduced and applied to the design of a middle-high-head pump–turbine runner. The key parameters in the design, including the blade loading, the blade lean at the high-pressure side of the runner, and the meridional channel shape, were selected as the optimized parameters. Two runners, one with a large positive blade lean and another with a large negative blade lean, were selected for further numerical investigations and measurements. Model tests show that both runners have good power performances. The runner with a negative blade lean has better stability than the runner with a positive blade lean.

Hydraulic design and optimization of a modular pump-turbine runner

A novel modular pumped-storage scheme is investigated that uses elevated water storage towers and cement pools as the upper and lower reservoirs. The scheme serves a second purpose as part of the wastewater treatment process, providing multiple benefits besides energy storage. A small pumped-storage scheme has been shown to be a competitive energy storage solution for micro renewable energy grids; however, pumped-storage schemes have not been implemented on scales smaller than megawatts. Off-the-shelf runner designs are not available for modular pumped-storage schemes, so a custom runner design is sought. A preliminary hydraulic design for a pump-turbine runner is examined and optimized for increased pumping hydraulic efficiency using a response surface optimization methodology. The hydraulic pumping efficiency was found to have improved by 1.06% at the best efficiency point, while turbine hydraulic efficiency decreased by 0.70% at the turbine best efficiency point. The round-trip efficiency for the system was estimated to be about 78%, which is comparable to larger pumped-storage schemes currently in operation.

Evaluation of Fatigue Crack Propagation of a Pump-Turbine Runner based on Measured Dynamic Stresses

Evaluation of Fatigue Crack Propagation of a Pump-Turbine Runner based on Measured Dynamic Stresses

Development of a pump-turbine runner based on multiobjective optimization

As a key component of reversible pump-turbine unit, pump-turbine runner rotates at pump or turbine direction according to the demand of power grid, so higher efficiencies under both operating modes have great importance for energy saving. In the present paper, a multiobjective optimization design strategy, which includes 3D inverse design method, CFD calculations, response surface method (RSM) and multiobjective genetic algorithm (MOGA), is introduced to develop a model pump-turbine runner for middle-high head pumped storage plant. Parameters that controlling blade shape, such as blade loading and blade lean angle at high pressure side are chosen as input parameters, while runner efficiencies under both pump and turbine modes are selected as objective functions. In order to validate the availability of the optimization design system, one runner configuration from Pareto front is manufactured for experimental research. Test results show that the highest unit efficiency is 91.0% under turbine mode and 90.8% under pump mode for the designed runner, of which prototype efficiencies are 93.88% and 93.27% respectively. Viscous CFD calculations for full passage model are also conducted, which aim at finding out the hydraulic improvement from internal flow analyses.

Comprehensive experimental and numerical analysis of instability phenomena in pump turbines

The changes in the electricity market have led to changed requirements for the operation of pump turbines. Utilities need to change fast and frequently between pumping and generating modes and increasingly want to operate at off-design conditions for extended periods. Operation of the units in instable areas of the machine characteristic is not acceptable and may lead to self-excited vibration of the hydraulic system. In turbine operation of pump turbines unstable behaviour can occur at low load off-design operation close to runaway conditions (S-shape of the turbine characteristic). This type of instability may impede the synchronization of the machine in turbine mode and thus increase start-up and switch over times. A pronounced S-shaped instability can also lead to significant drop of discharge in the event of load rejection. Low pressure on the suction side and in the tail-race tunnel could cause dangerous separation of the water column. Understanding the flow features that lead to the instable behaviour of pump turbines is a prerequisite to the design of machines that can fulfil the growing requirements relating to operational flexibility. Flow simulation in these instability zones is demanding due to the complex and highly unsteady flow patterns. Only unsteady simulation methods are able to reproduce the governing physical effects in these operating regions. ANDRITZ HYDRO has been investigating the stability behaviour of pump turbines in turbine operation in cooperation with several universities using simulation and measurements. In order to validate the results of flow simulation of unstable operating points, the Graz University of Technology (Austria) performed detailed experimental investigations. Within the scope of a long term research project, the operating characteristics of several pump turbine runners have been measured and flow patterns in the pump turbine at speed no load and runaway have been examined by 2D Laser particle image velocimetry (PIV). For several wicket gate positions, the flow fields in the vane-less space at runner inlet observed in the experiment are compared with the results of unsteady CFD flow simulations. Physical phenomena are visualized and insight to flow phenomena is given. Analyses using both results of simulation and measurement allow deriving a consistent explanation of the fluid mechanical mechanisms leading to the S-shaped instability of pump turbines.

Resonance investigation of pump-turbine during startup process

The causes of resonance of a certain model pump-turbine unit during startup process were investigated in this article. A three-dimensional full flow path analysis model which contains spiral case, stay vanes, guide vanes, runner, gaps outside the runner crown and band, and draft tube was constructed. The transient hydraulic excitation force of full flow path was analyzed under five conditions near the resonance region. Based on one-way fluid- structure interaction (FSI) analysis model, the dynamic stress characteristics of the pump-turbine runner was investigated. The results of pressure pulsation, vibration mode and dynamic stress obtained from simulation were consistent with the test results. The study indicated that the hydraulic excitation frequency (Zg*fn) Hz due to rotor-stator interference corresponding to the natural frequency of 2ND+4ND runner mode is the main cause of resonance. The relationship among pressure pulsation, vibration mode and dynamic stress was discussed in this paper. The results revealed the underlying causes of the resonance phenomenon.

1018 ポンプ水車ランナ形状が流れに与える影響

1018 ポンプ水車ランナ形状が流れに与える影響

Full 3-D viscous optimization design of a reversible pump turbine runner

The bi-directional operation of reversible pump turbines presents a great challenge in terms of runner design. In the present paper, an optimal design system for the pump turbine runner is presented by coupling three-dimensional (3-D) inverse design with the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Design of Experiment (DoE), Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Multi Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA). A pump-turbine runner was designed using the system, with selecting blade loading distributions and blade lean as the input parameters, and the runner efficiency for both pump and turbine mode as optimization objectives. The CFD results show that a high efficiency runner can be designed using the present system.