Experimental Evidence of Rotating Stall in a Pump-Turbine at Off-Design Conditions in Generating Mode

An experimental investigation of the rotating stall in reduced scale model of a low specific speed radial pump-turbine at runaway and turbine brake conditions in generating mode is achieved. Measurements of wall pressure in the stator are performed along with high-speed flow visualizations in the vaneless gap with the help of air bubbles injection. When starting from the best efficiency point (BEP) and increasing the impeller speed, a significant increase of the pressure fluctuations is observed mainly in the wicket gates channels. The spectral analysis shows a rise of a low frequency component (about 70% of the impeller rotational frequency) at runaway, which further increases as the zero discharge condition is approached. Analysis of the instantaneous pressure peripheral distribution in the vaneless gap reveals one stall cell rotating with the impeller at sub-synchronous speed. High-speed movies reveal a quite uniform flow pattern in the guide vanes channels at the normal operating range, whereas at runaway the flow is highly disturbed by the rotating stall passage. The situation is even more critical at very low positive discharge, where backflow and vortices in the guide vanes channels develop during the stall cell passage. A specific image processing technique is applied to reconstruct the rotating stall evolution in the entire guide vanes circumference for a low positive discharge operating point. The findings of this study suggest that one stall cell rotates with the impeller at sub-synchronous velocity in the vaneless gap between the impeller and the guide vanes. It is the result of rotating flow separations developed in several consecutive impeller channels which lead to their blockage.

Hydroacoustic Simulation of Rotor-Stator Interaction in Resonance Conditions in Francis Pump-Turbine

Sébastien Alligné, François Avellan, Christophe Nicolet, Nicolas Ruchonnet

Combined effect of rotating pressure field related to runner blade and wakes of wicket gates leads to rotor stator interactions, RSI, in Francis pump-turbines. These interactions induce pressures waves propagating in the entire hydraulic machine. Superposition of those pressure waves may result in standing wave in the spiral casing and rotating diametrical mode in the guide vanes and can cause strong pressure fluctuations and vibrations. This paper presents the modeling, simulation and analysis of Rotor-Stator Interaction of a scale model of a Francis pump-turbine and related test rig using a one-dimensional approach. The hydroacoustic modeling of the Francis pump-turbine takes into account the spiral casing, the 20 guide vanes, the 9 rotating runner vanes. The connection between stationary and rotating parts is ensured by a valve network driven according to the unsteady flow distribution between guide vanes and runner vanes. Time domain simulations are performed for 2 different runner rotational speeds in turbine mode. The simulation results are analyzed in frequency domain and highlights hydroacoustic resonance between RSI excitations and the spiral case. Rotating diametrical mode in the vaneless gap and standing wave in the spiral case are identified. The influence of the resonance on phase and amplitude of pressure fluctuations obtained for both the spiral case and the vaneless gap is analyzed. The mode shape and frequencies are confirmed using eigenvalues analysis.

International Association For Hydraulic Research2010

Hydrodynamics of a Pump-Turbine Operating at Off-Design Conditions in Generating Mode: Experimental Investigation

François Avellan, Francisco Botero, Mohamed Farhat, Vlad Hasmatuchi, Steven Roth

Modern pump-turbines are subject to frequent switching between the pumping and generating modes with extended operation under off-design conditions. Depending on the specific speed of the pump-turbine, the discharge-speed as well as torque-speed characteristics at constant guide vanes opening can be “S-Shaped”. In this case, the machine operation may become strongly unstable at runaway speed and beyond, with a significant increase of structural vibrations and noise. In the present work, hydrodynamics of a low specific speed radial pump-turbine scale model experiencing unstable operation at runaway condition in generating mode for 10° guide vanes opening angle (see Figure 1) is experimentally investigated. Measurements of wall pressure in the stator synchronized with high-speed flow visualizations in the vaneless gap between the impeller and the guide vanes using air bubbles injection are performed. Detailed analysis presented in Hasmatuchi* et al. (2011) is focused on the onset of the flow instabilities when the machine is brought from best efficiency point (BEP) to runaway and turbine brake mode. At these severe operating conditions, one stall cell covering about half of the vaneless gap circumference is found to rotate with the impeller at subsynchronous speed (about 70% of the impeller rotational frequency), being the effect of rotating flow separations developed in several consecutive impeller channels that lead to their blockage. High-speed movies reveal a quite uniform flow pattern in the guide vanes channels at BEP, whereas at runaway the flow is highly disturbed by the rotating stall passage; the situation is even more critical at low positive discharge, where backflow and vortices develop in the guide vanes channels during the stall passage (see Figure 1). Then, a specific image processing technique is detailed and applied to create a synthetic instantaneous view of the flow pattern on the whole guide vanes circumference, for a low positive discharge operating point, using the acquired high-speed visualizations.

2011

Physical Mechanisms governing Self-Excited Pressure Oscillations in Francis Turbines

Andres Müller

The importance of renewable energy sources for the electrical power supply has grown rapidly in the past decades. Their often unpredictable nature however poses a threat to the stability of the existing electric grid. Hydroelectric powerplants play an important role in regulating the integration of renewable energy sources into the network by supplying on-demand load balancing as well as primary and secondary power network control. Therefore, the operating ranges of hydraulic machines has to be continuously extended, which potentially produces undesirable flow phenomena involving cavitation. An example is the formation of a gaseous volume in the swirling flow leaving a Francis turbine runner at off-design operating conditions. At high load, this so called vortex rope is shaped axisymmetrically and may enter a self-excited oscillation, measurable through significant fluctuations of the pressure throughout the system and the mechanical torque transferred to the generator. The main objective of the present work is the identification of the physical mechanisms governing this self-sustained, unstable behavior by measurement. Furthermore, the key parameters of numerical approaches using one-dimensional hydroacoustic flowmodels or CFD require experimental validation. For this purpose, the measurements provide a comprehensive data base of various flow and system parameters at varying operating conditions. Two test cases are studied, a small scale hydraulic circuit with a micro-turbine as well as a reduced scale physical model of an existing Francis turbine. On the first test case, the study of the flow rate fluctuations up- and downstream of the oscillating vortex rope in the draft tube, together with the volume of the cavity, revealed the destabilizing effect of the flow swirl in the draft tube inlet. The second test case accurately simulates the behavior of an actual hydraulic power plant. Investigations range from a local study of the flow field in the draft tube cone bymeans of LDV, PIV, high speed visualization and wall pressure measurements to a global analysis, considering the response of the hydraulic and mechanical system to the excitation by the vortex rope oscillation. Among the main observations is a periodical variation of the flow swirl in the draft tube, synchronized with the pressure oscillations. This is likely to be caused by a cyclically appearing volume of cavitation on the runner blades, modifying the relative flow angle at the outlet. The interaction of the blade cavitation and the vortex rope oscillation via the flow swirl is found to play a crucial role in the occurrence of self-excited pressure oscillations in Francis turbines.