Advantages of Francis Turbines

●
Francis turbines work best for medium
to
high range heads
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Easily controlled operating head
●
Francis turbines operate over the largest
range for both flow and head
parameters
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Large range in size to meet different
power requirements
○
Range from 0.25 MW to 1000 MW
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High efficiency
○
Generally around 94%
●
Francis turbines are mixed flow designs
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Francis turbines have the highest
maximum power for turbines
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Francis vs. Pelton
○
Smaller and more economical than a
Pelton wheel capable of the same
power generation
○
More resistant to wear than the
Pelton wheel
○
Francis turbines have higher levels
of efficiency
Disadvantages
●
Unclean water can cause rapid wear in
Francis turbines
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Cavitation is always a possibility
○
Runner erosion
○
Losses in efficiency
●
Difficult to maintain and clean
●
Low acceptance of head variation
●
Constant adjustment of guide vanes and
runners
●
Francis turbines are generally limited to
large hydroelectric systems