Study on Pressure Pulsation and Force Characteristics of Kaplan Turbine

With the continuous increase in the size and power generation of turbines, the operational characteristics of turbines under off-design conditions are gradually receiving attention. In this paper, the Reynolds time-averaged method (RANS) is applied to the unsteady calculation of three different flow rate of a large Kaplan turbine under three heads: high head, rated head and low head. The focus is on the internal flow pattern of the turbine and the hydraulic excitation characteristics under low flow conditions. The unsteady characteristics of pressure pulsation, axial force of runner, radial force of runner and hydraulic torques along blade shank (τb) for six blades are analyzed. The results show that the pressure pulsation in the vaneless space is larger under low flow conditions, and frequencies of 0.33–1 fn ( fn is the rotating frequency of the runner) can be observed at monitoring points at different heights in the vaneless space. The analysis of the flow field under low flow conditions reveals the presence of larger scale vortices in the vaneless space. The position and intensity of vortices fluctuate periodically and cause larger amplitude pressure fluctuations. The frequency of 0.33–1 fn can also be observed for axial force, radial force, and τb for six blades due to the influence of vortices in the vaneless space. The low-frequency pulsations of pressure, force and τb are much greater under the low head and high head condition than that under rated head condition. The amplitude of pulsation of various parameters is the smallest under the low flow and rated head compared to that under the low flow conditions of other heads. The flow passage under low head is more influenced by the flow rate. Low-frequency pulsations occur under both the low flow and medium flow conditions. The asymmetry of the flow in the vaneless space causes unbalanced force and hydraulic instability of the runner, which seriously threatens the safe and stable operation of the turbine.