DIFFERENT HYDRO TURBINE TYPES

AND
THEIR APPLICATIONS.

Group : 06
 What is a turbine ?
Rotary engine that exact energy from a fluid
flow and convert in to useful work.
Consists of rotor assembly with blades
attached.
Moving fluid acts on the blades.
Water, Steam, Gas turbines….
Water turbine.
 Developed in the 19th century.
 Two types of water turbines.

o Reaction turbine.
o Impulse turbine.

 Turbine selection mostly based on available water

head, less on water flow rate.
Reaction turbine.
 Water pressure drops when passing through the
turbine wheels.
 i.e. increase the kinetic energy.
 That energy transfer to the turbine wheels.
 Have a housing to contain the water pressure.
 Used in low and medium head applications.
Reaction turbine runner.
Impulse turbine
 Water is injected to the turbine by nozzles.
 That high velocity water jet impact with curved
turbine blades which change the direction of water
flow.
 That change in momentum(impulse) creates a force on
the blades, which causes to spin the turbine runner.
 No pressure change occurs at the turbine blades. So
turbine needn’t a housing.
 Used in very high head applications.
Impulse turbine runner
Francis turbine
 Developed by James B. Francis.
 Type of inward flow reaction turbine.
 Most common water turbine type.
 Water inlet is spiral shaped.
Francis Inlet Scroll, Grand Coulee Dam
Francis turbine cont….
 Wicket gates direct water tangentially to the turbine
wheels.
 Water flow is controlled by adjusting wicket gates.
Francis turbine cont…
 Efficiency is typically over 90%.
 Efficiency is reduced with flow rate.
 Can be used with 20m-700m water heads.
 Output power may vary from just a few kWs to 1 GW.
 During law power demand this can be used as a pump
to fill the reservoir.

Graph
Francis turbine cont…
PS Rated Water
Power(MW) Head(m)
 Francis turbine
Kothmale 3*67 227-189
employed PS
Victoria 3*70 208-140
in Sri Lanka. Randenigala 2*61 84-51
Rantambe 2*24.5 33.73-22
Ukuwela 2*20 89.39-70.1
Bowatenna 1*40 52.73-44.8
Wimalasurendra 2*25 227.4-245

Canyon 2*30 198.2-222

Polpitiya 2*37.5 259-265
Samanala Wewa 2*60 300-341

Kukule Ganga 2*40 140

Kaplan turbine
 Developed by Viktor kaplan in 1913.
 Evolution of Francis turbine, but revolutionized ability
to develop the low head hydro sites.
 Propeller type inward flow reaction turbine that has
adjustable blades.
 Used in high flow, low head power production.
Operation of Kaplan turbine
Kaplan turbine cont…
 Efficiency can be improved by varying the geometry of
wicket gates and turbine blades for a range of flow
conditions.
 Efficiency is typically over 90%.
 Lower in very low head
Applications.

Graph
Efficiency Vs Water Head
Kaplan turbine cont…
 Udawalawe PS employs Three kaplan turbine units.
(water head is 13m and rated power is 2MW per unit).
 Because propeller blades are rotated by high pressure
hydraulic oil, positive seal must provided to prevent
emission oil to the waterway.
Pelton wheel turbine…
 Invented by Lester Allen Pelton in 1870.
 Impulse type water terbine.
 Most efficient type of water turbine.
Plan view of a Pelton turbine
Pelton wheel turbine cont…
 Used in relatively high water heads with low flow rate.
 To get maximum power and efficiency, the velocity of
water jet should twice as the turbine runner periphery.
 used mostly in mini and micro hydro power plants.
 Can be run even in light loads efficiently, which does
not occur in Fracis or Kaplan turbines.

Graph
Pelton wheel turbine cont…
 Pelton wheel turbine employed PS in Sri Lanka

PS Rated Water head(m)

power(MW)
Old Laxapana 2*12.5 472.5-476.7
New Lakxapana 2*50 518-527
Nilambe 2*1.6 113.3-107.7
Erathne mini 2*5.15 450
hydro
Turgo turbine
 Developed in 1919 by Gilkes as a modification of the
Pelton wheel.
 Impulse type water turbine.
 Operates in head ranges where francis and Pelton
wheel overlap(i.e. medium head).
 Populer for small hydro projects.
 Runner is less expensive than Pelton wheel.
 Runner is one half times larger than a same power
pelton wheel runner.
Turgo turbine cont…
 Efficiency Vs Flow Rate

Francis

Kaplan

Pelton
Selection of Turbine.
THANK YOU…..!