FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

Design of a small hydro Kaplan turbine

with a self-sealing rotor
S. Annerel, J. Vierendeels, E. Dick
Ghent University
Belgium

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Overview

Motivation and initial design

Sealing rotor
Rotor flow analysis
Diffuser flow analysis
Off-design performance

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Motivation
Turbine that can cope with flow rate variation
from design flow rate to zero flow rate
Needs movable rotor that allows complete sealing
Like variable opening valve with extraction of power
Complete flexibility in flow rate
6 locations on river Sambre in Belgium
Flow rate: 5.5 m3/s to 20 m3/s
Head: 4.40 m to 1.70 m

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Initial design

Head (m)

3.60

Flow Rate (m/s)

16.0

Outer diameter (m)

2.00

Inner diameter (m)

0.80

Rotational speed (rpm)

130

Number of blades

12

Lenght diffuser (m)

4.00

Outlet diameter diffuser (m)

2.75

Shaft power (kW)

395

Total efficiency (-)

0.70

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Initial design
Multiple stream tube analysis
Simple radial equilibrium inlet and outlet
No work exchange between streamtubes
Expressed for nine blade sections

Resulting design:

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Overview

Initial design
Sealing rotor
Rotor flow analysis
Diffuser flow analysis
Off-design performance

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Obtaining rotor sealingness

Initial design
Rated flow:

Closed:

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Means to reach sealingness

Stacking (lean and sweep) is not efficient

Solidity distribution: large chord at hub
Thickness distribution: large thickness at hub
Camber distribution:
zero camber at hub, large camber at tip
Untwist rotor: large incidence at hub (10.8)
and negative incidence at tip (-2)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Obtaining rotor sealingness

Closed at tip and hub

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Obtaining rotor sealingness

Adjustment of stagger angles: max 1.7

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Blade form

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Final design

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Overview

Initial design
Obtaining rotor sealingness
Rotor flow analysis
Diffuser flow analysis
Off-design performance

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Rotor flow analysis: CFD package FLUENT

Flow domain

Inlet Plane
Interior Plane (InletBlade)
Periodic Plane
Interior Plane (BladeOutlet)

Inlet
600mm

Outlet Plane

Blade

Outlet1
300mm
300mm

600mm

Outlet2

550mm
287mm

1050mm

1050mm
400mm

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Blade surface grid

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Rotor flow analysis

CFD Analysis
(SRF, k- SST, EWT)

Radius 475mm
Big incidence,
but lower than expected
No separation
Relative Velocity Magnitude Vector (m/s)
Static Pressure Contour (Pa)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Rotor flow analysis

Radius 700mm

Relative Velocity Magnitude Vector (m/s)

Static Pressure Contour (Pa)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Rotor flow analysis

Radius 925m
Almost zero incidence
(small negative incidence)

Relative Velocity Magnitude Vector (m/s)

Static Pressure Contour (Pa)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Rotor flow analysis

Suction side

Static Pressure Contour (Pa)

Relative Velocity Magnitude Vector (m/s)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Flow distribution stream tube analysis

Stream tube

hub

Radius ( m)

0.4

0.475

0.55

0.625

0.7

0.775

0.85

0.925

u ( m/s)

5.445

6.466

7.487

8.508

9.529

10.551

11.572

12.593

13.614

c1a ( m/s)

6.813

6.583

6.394

6.233

6.094

5.971

5.862

5.764

5.675

w1u ( m/s)

2.046

3.182

4.297

5.399

6.489

7.571

8.647

9.717

10.782

c2a ( m/s)

6.021

6.074

6.094

6.095

6.087

6.072

6.054

6.033

6.011

w2u ( m/s)

6.619

7.15

7.80

8,.514

9.282

10.094

10.938

11.801

12.676

tip

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Flow distribution CFD analysis

CFD

hub

tip

Radius ( m)

0.4

0.475

0.55

0.625

0.7

0.775

0.85

0.925

c1a ( m/s)

4.981

6.011

5.944

5.961

6.022

6.098

6.165

6.200

5.106

w1u ( m/s)

2.305

3.249

4.384

5.472

6.563

7.626

8.692

9.737

10.586

c2a ( m/s)

5.360

6.430

6.238

6.087

5.920

5.880

6.128

5.994

4.930

w2u ( m/s)

7.002

7.645

8.395

9.250

10.104

11.035

11.842

12.697

12.931

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Rotor flow analysis

CFD

hub

tip

radius ( m)

0.4

0.475

0.55

0.625

0.7

0.775

0.85

0.925

W ( m/s)

25.577

28.423

30.028

32.144

33.743

35.966

36.456

37.267

31.924

Work extracted by turbine is bigger than intended

Flow is aligned to tip section:
more flow rate, more work
Unloading of the hub (fortunate)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Performance
Diffuser recovery factor 0.70
Stream tube analysis: Q= 16 m3/s, H= 3.60 m
Pshaft= 387 kW, glob = 0.69
CFD-analysis
Pshaft= 540 kW, Q= 16 m3/s, H= 4.40 m ,glob = 0.74
(with mechanical losses: glob = 0.72)
rematching necessary

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Rematching

Work extracted by turbine is too big

allow bigger flow rate
Open stator and open rotor
= 26.5 23 , tip= 63.5 60
Some loss of efficiency glob 0.70

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Overview

Initial design
Obtaining rotor sealingness
Rotor flow analysis
Diffuser flow analysis
Off-design performance

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Diffuser design
Geometry

Velocity Inlet

Mixing Plane
Inlet
Blade
Cone

Pressure Outlet

Diffuser
370mm

600mm

4000mm

400mm

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Diffuser analysis
CFD Analysis (Mixing plane, k- SST)
Static Pressure Contour(Pa)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Diffuser design
CFD Analysis (Mixing plane, k- SST)
Radial Velocity Magnitude Contour (m/s)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Diffuser design
CFD Analysis (Mixing plane, k- SST)
Axial Velocity Magnitude Contour (m/s)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Diffuser performance verification

Analysis planes
Inlet rotor

Outlet rotor Inlet diffuser

Outlet diffuser

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Diffuser performance: pressure recovery factor

Diffuser maps:
LR

L
R2

AR

A4
A2

1
1 2
2
2
Dtip
Dhub
2 0.82
2
2
2
2
R4
1.37
2.235
2
R2 0.91652

Cp

0,700

4.364

Cp 0.700

CFD analysis:
Cp

p4 p2
1 2
v
2 2

p2
11468.77Pa
p4 1608.21Pa
v2 6.112 m s

Cp 0.700

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Diffuser performance: = 26.5 20: post-swirl

Velocity variation

Inlet diffuser

Outlet diffuser

Axial Velocity (m/s)

Tangential Velocity (m/s)

Inlet diffuser

Outlet diffuser
Inlet diffuser
= mixing plane

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Outlet diffuser

Overview

Initial design
Obtaining rotor sealingness
Rotor flow analysis
Diffuser flow analysis
Off-design performance

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Off-design performance:
= 26.5 20 ; = 63.5 78; Q=8 m3/s (H=3.20 m)
Rotor
Velocity Vector Fields:
No separated flow!

Relative Velocity Magnitude Vector (m/s)

at radius 475mm

Relative Velocity Magnitude Vector (m/s)

at radius 925mm

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Off-design performance: glob = 0.60

Diffuser
Static Pressure Contour (Pa)

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent

Conclusion
Design of an axial hydro turbine with a movable rotor and
blade shape such that the rotor can be completely closed
was successful
Rated conditions: Q= 16 m3/s, H= 3.60 m
Pshaft= 390 kW, glob = 0.70
Half flow rate: glob = 0.60

Department of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics www.FloHeaCom.UGent.be

Ghent University UGent