SYNOPSIS

Water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy
of water into mechanical work. Water turbines were developed in the 19th century
and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now they are
mostly used for electric power generation.
There are two types of water turbine, the reaction water turbine and the impulse
water turbine. Reaction water turbines generate power from the combined action of
pressure and moving water. Water flows through the turbine, changes pressure,
velocity, and direction. the water flow generates pressure between the front and back
of the blades, develops a reverse reaction force on the runner, and thus, forms
rotation torque to rotate the runner. With these actions, energy contained in piped
water is then converted into mechanical energy or electrical energy. The reaction
turbine must be completely enclosed to contain the water pressure and the turbine
must be fully submerged in the water flow. Reaction turbines are generally used for
applications with lower head and higher flows than impulse turbines.