Modelling Inlet Flow in Draft Tube for Different Regimes of Hydroturbine Operation

Read more One of the main sources of powerful pressure pulsations in the fluid flow parts of the hydroturbine at partial load or overload operation regimes is the precessing vortex rope forming due to high residual swirl of the flow downstream the hydroturbine wheel. Numerical simulation and experiments have been performed in order to study the influence of inlet flow conditions in the draft tube on level of the flow pulsations. Numerical calculations have shown that it is possible to reproduce velocity distributions at the draft tube inlet corresponding to different operation regimes of the real hydroturbines using a combination of two blade grids – rotor and stator. Experimental verification of numerical calculations was performed using an aerodynamic test rig and method of 3-d printing for fabrication of the blade grids and draft tube model. Velocity field measurements at entrance of the draft tube conical part making use of an laser-Doppler anemometer and level of the pressure pulsations using acoustic probes have allowed to define correlation between the velocity distribution type and amplitude-frequency characteristics of the flow pulsations which generated by the precessing rope.

Keywords:
precessing vortex rope, pressure pulsations, laser-Doppler anemometer, numerical simulation, experiment. 
УДК 532.54

Modelling Inlet Flow in Draft Tube for Different Regimes of Hydroturbine Operation