UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

KAPLAN TURBINE

GROUP 5

NAME:
INDEX:
INTRUDUCTION
Kaplan Turbine is an axial reaction flow turbine which is suitable for low
heads and hence requires a large quantity of water to develop a large
amount of power and has adjustable blades.

OBJECTIVE
In this experiment we aim to investigate the characteristics of a Kaplan
turbine runs over several operating conditions.

Device:
HM 421 Kaplan Turbine Trainer.
Components:
1. Lever for adjusting the guide vanes.
2. Kaplan turbine.
3. Brake.
4. Tank with submersible pump.
5. Flow rate sensor.
6. Handwheel for throttle valve.
7. Switch cabinet.
8. Level indicator for tank.

Procedure
The main switch of the Kaplan trainer is to be switched on, then the shut
off flap is fully opened using the hand wheel. The torque display is reset
to show the 0 value. The pump switch is turned on, and the desired
parameters are set. The experiment is started by setting the desired
guide vanes angle by the adjusting lever, setting the desired speed using
the adjusting handle for raking torque and setting the water flow using
the hand wheel. The experiment is repeated for four different rotational
speeds of the turbine for each of the four guide vane angles. The
experiment is ended by turning off the pump switch and then the main
switch.

EQUATIONS
The governing equations of the Kaplan turbine:
𝑝𝑖 − 𝑝𝑜
Water head, 𝐻=
𝜌𝑔 .

Mechanical power, 𝑃 𝑚𝑒𝑐h =𝑇 𝜔.

Hydraulic power, 𝑃h𝑦𝑑=𝜌 𝑔𝑄𝐻 .

𝑃 𝑚𝑒𝑐h
Turbine efficiency, 𝜂= 𝑃 h𝑦𝑑

Nomenclature:
𝑁: Turbine rotational speed.
𝜃: Guide vane angle.
𝑄: Volumetric flow rate.
𝑝𝑜: Outlet pressure.
𝑝𝑖: Inlet pressure.
𝑇: Turbine shaft torque.
𝐻: Water head.
𝑃𝑚𝑒𝑐ℎ: Mechanical power.
𝑃ℎ𝑦𝑑: Hydraulic power.
𝜂: Efficiency.

CALCULATIONS
Taking, 𝜃 = 5°, 𝑁 = 3000 𝑟𝑝𝑚, 𝑇 = 3.82 𝑁. 𝑚, 𝑝𝑖 = 418 𝑚𝑏𝑎𝑟, 𝑝𝑜 = −27 𝑚𝑏𝑎𝑟,
𝑄 = 125 𝑚3/ℎ, 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝 = 27.4℃, then:

RESULTS
S. angle N Q Pi Po Tem Torque Pmech Phyd η H
Nu (deg) rpm m3/h mbar mbar Deg.c N.m W W % m
1
2 5
3
4
5 10
6
7
8 15
9