Hydro Turbines Performance Monitoring - A Case Study

By Juned Ansari, Secure Meters Limited

Abstract
Hydro-turbines are rotary machines which convert the mechanical energy of the rotating element into electrical energy. The mechanical energy is imparted to the rotating element by a high speed jet of water stored at a height in a reservoir which is brought through a pipe; known as a penstock, to the machine. The rotating element of the machine is connected through a shaft to the generator, which in turn produces electricity. More the flow through the machine, more the power generated. A turbine is designed for a specific output at the rated net head and flow. A turbine must meet these guarantee conditions in order to deliver the rated output. This paper deals in discussing the actual field performance data of a Francis turbine of 10 MW capacity tested using thermodynamic method.

Guide vane opening, the guarantee point for the said condition have been deduced from the hill chart of the turbine. Table : A Runner Output At Turbine Shaft (kW) Turbine Efficiency (%) 91.79 1000 Designed Net Head (m) Guide Vane Opening (%)

100% - Full Load 88.0%

326.43 324.84

10,304.00 92.30 8,800.82

Rated Speed of Turbine (RPM)

Test Setup Introduction

The test was conducted on the turbine using thermodynamic method adhering to the code IEC - 60041. The test was conducted to guarantee the performance of the machine at the then prevailing operating condition. A turbine is controlled automatically for variation in demand by governor. Governor is a device which controls the needle valve or guide vane opening to vary the flow rate through the turbine. A variation in flow rate changes the power output of the turbine. For example, when the load on the turbine is reduced due to reduced consumption on the distribution side, the turbine starts to rotate at a higher speed, which in turn forces the governor to partially reduce the flow to match the speed to the rated speed. This reduces the power output from the machine to match the demand. The machine tested was manually controlled in order to generate the turbine performance curve. The controlling was achieved by changing the Guide Vane opening positions, which changed the load. Due to site constraints, the turbine could not be operated at full load and hence maximum guide vane opening position of 88% was used to certify the guarantee condition. High Pressure Side (Penstock) Two pressure transducers and two temperature probes were used on the penstock for HP side energy measurement. Low Pressure Side (Tail Race) On the tail race side, a 2 x 3 frame was used with 6 temperature probes and one submersible pressure transducer. Outliers were rejected and only those temperature readings were accepted which were found consistent in mutual agreement with the client. The arrangement is as shown under:

Temperature Probes

Submersible Transducer View towards Turbine Side View

Power Measurement Guarantee Condition

The guarantee condition of the turbine is as shown in the table A. Since, the turbine could only be operated at 88%
56 | Pumps Valves and Systems | July-Aug 2011

Power measurement was done using two wattmeter method on the generator side. The generator was producing power at 11KV and 1000 RPM.

Discharge (m3/s) 3.49 3.01

Manufacturer provided generator efficiency curve was used to evaluate the generator efficiency in order to calculate the turbine shaft output.

Results
The table 1 below shows the results obtained from the turbine test using thermodynamic method. The calculated data was corrected to the net head; 324.84m, corresponding to the 88% guide vane opening. Simultaneously, the flow was also measured using an ultrasonic flow meter. The results of which are shown in Table 2. Table 1 Test Results from Thermodynamic Test Net Head (m) 329.14 328.53 327.73 326.19 324.84 Turbine Generator Generator Efficiency Efficiency Power (kW) (%) (%) 87.60 88.21 88.94 90.66 91.43 7284.73 7498.37 7773.54 8251.55 8653.55 97.43 97.47 97.52 97.58 97.63 Turbine Shaft Power (kW) 7476.88 7693.03 7971.55 8455.82 8863.65 Turbine Discharge (m3/s) 2.643 2.705 2.787 2.914 3.041 GV Opening (%) 72.20 77.30 79.90 84.00 88.00 Corrected to 324.84m Turbine Shaft Power (kW) 7625.78 7824.36 8077.99 8508.52 8863.59 Turbine Discharge (m3/s) 2.660 2.720 2.799 2.920 3.041

Table 2 USFM Flow data Uncertainty in Flow Thermodynamic method %

Please see the following chart generated from site testing.

Hydro Power Station At Net Head of 326.43m

Thermodynamic Flow m3/s

USFM Flow m3/s

Uncertainty in Efficiency %

Turbine No: 1 Tester: AW/MAY/SP Test date: 01-Feb-2011 AEMS TEST DATA

3.8 3.55

DUTY POINT

Sr. No

DISCHARGE - m3/s TURBINE EFFICIENCY - %

3.3 3.05 2.8 2.55 2.3 2.05

TP1 TP2 TP3 TP4 TP5

2.643 2.705 2.787 2.914 3.041

2.320 2.390 2.460 2.600 2.730

1.1587 1.1572 1.1559 1.1532 1.1516

0.4685 0.4654 0.4621 0.4551 0.4511

95 93 91 89 87 85 83 81 79 77 75

The uncertainty in flow measurement (thermodynamic) is between 1.15 to 1.16% only, which is quite acceptable. Efficiency evaluation using conventional method has a tendency to make an efficient unit appear inefficient and vice versa. The uncertainty in efficiency evaluation was found to be only 0.45% at 88% guide vane opening condition. This is acceptable. The turbine satisfies the guarantee condition.
58 | Pumps Valves and Systems | July-Aug 2011

6500

7100

7700

8300

8900

9500

10100

10700

11300

TURBINE SHAFT OUTPUT - kW

Conclusion
1. The turbine satisfies the guarantee condition at 88% Guide Vane Opening. The turbine is operating at 91.43% efficiency generating 8863 kW. 2. The turbine was found to be producing slightly more power (63kW) under present condition than expected from the guarantee condition. 3. It is important to keep a watch on the turbine performance as silt/scale deposition on the turbine blades drastically affects the operational efficiency. This also unnecessarily affects the life of bearings, seals, rotor etc besides requiring more water to produce same amount of electricity. 4. It is recommended to get the hydro turbines tested. They are a green source of energy. Testing reveals any extra generation potential lying with the turbine by suitable modification in operating schedule. Subscribe to Pumps Valves and Systems now! Subscription Form available on Page No. 68

July-Aug 2011 | Pumps Valves and Systems | 59