Pelton turbine

1. Introduction
The Pelton turbine is an “impulse turbine” largely employed for the energy production when low flows with high
heads are available (e.g. in alpine hydroelectric basins). In this experiment the performance characteristics of a
Pelton wheel hydraulic turbine are to be determined. The torque and power are to be presented as a function of
turbine speed.

2. Equipment description
The Pelton wheel hydraulic turbine is driven by a jet of water issuing from a nozzle and striking the buckets on the
wheel causing it to rotate and thus develops a power output. This creates a torque on the wheel. The nozzle has a
central needle (Doble needle) which functions like a spear valve and enables the adjustment of the flow. It also has d
a pressure gauge to measure the inlet pressure.

Fig 1: Section view of the Pelton wheel hydraulic turbine and its components

The flow leaves the turbine casing it empties into a hydraulic bench where its volume is measured along with the
time using a digital timer. This will then give the volumetric flow rate through the turbine. The turbine wheel
speed is measured by a digital tachometer. The torque on the turbine wheel is measured by a brake system with
spring balances.

3. Theory
The flow, Q, of a fluid discharged on the turbine is;
Q = V/t.
The pressure head provided to the turbine, H i, to produce work, is the pressure head of water at the nozzle inlet
(i.e.the one generated by the pump of the hydraulic bench) it can be measured by the pressure gauge; Hi = P/g.
Thus, the hydraulic power, Ph, provided to the turbine is;
Ph = ρgHiQ = PQ (Nm/s = W).
The power, Pb, absorbed by the brake is;
Pb = 2 πnτb (N⋅m/s = W),
where n is the number of revolutions and τb is the torque measured with the friction dynamometer that can be
calculated from; τb = r ΔF (N⋅m), where r is the radius of the friction dynamometer wheel (30 mm). And ΔF = F 1 – F2
difference between the force values measured with the spring dynamometers.
The efficiency of the turbine is the fraction of available pressure head that is converted to mechanical power
(absorbed by the brake);
ηt = 100 x 2πnτb / PQ (%)

4. Technical Characteristics
The main technical characteristics of the unit are the following:
 Diameter of stainless steel Pelton turbine, D = 100 mm,
 Number of buckets, n = 20
 Turbine speed = about 0-2000 rpm
 Pressure gauge, range 0-2.5 bar
 2 dynamometers, range 0-10 N, division 0.1 N

5. Procedure
1. Switch ON the pump of the hydraulic bench and slowly open spear valve of Pelton Turbine.
2. Adjust the screw of the friction dynamometer so that the wheel does not touch the belt
3. Set the optical tachometer near the brake wheel
4. Adjust the nozzle valve so that the tachometer reading shows the maximum speed value
5. Measure the water flow using the volumetric tank
6. Note the speed, brake force, flow rate and input pressure values
7. Adjust the screw of the friction dynamometer so that the turbine speed drops by about 200 rpm.
8. Note the speed, brake force, flow rate and inlet pressure values
9. Repeat the procedure until the screw, in order to set the dynamometers under tension, gets to the end or
the turbine stops
10. Plot a graph with torque, power and efficiency as function of the turbine speed
11. Repeat the experiment for other values of Q

6. Observations and Calculations

ΔF (N) τb (N⋅m) Ph (Nm/s) Pb (Nm/s) ηt
Q (m3/s) P (N/m2) N (s-1)
ΔF = F1 – F2 τb = r ΔF Ph = PQ Pb = 2 πnτb ηt = 100xPb/Ph

Draw graphs of torque and power as a function of turbine speed at different flow rates.