Design of Kaplan Turbine

P M V Subbarao
Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department

Pure Axial Flow with Aerofoil Theory….

 Selection of Kaplan Turbine

MORE ADAPTED TYPE OF TURBINA IN FUNCTION OF

THE SPECIFIC SPEED.

Specific Speed in
Turbine type Jump height in m
r.p.m.

From 270 to 500 Slow Kaplan 50 to 15

From 500 to 800 Quick Kaplan 15 to 5

From 800 to 1100 Extra-quick Kaplan Less than 5

N P
Ns  5 P in hp and H in meters.
4
H
Design of A Kaplan Turbine
 Specific Speed of Kaplan Turbine
• Using statistical studies of schemes, F. Schweiger and J. Gregory
established the following correlation between the specific speed and
the net head for Kaplan turbines:

39.827
N s  0.486
H

N P
Ns  5
4
H
P in watts.
The Schematic of Kaplan Turbine
 Major Parts of A Kaplan Turbine

N P
Ns  5
H 4 P, in hp and H in meters.
Design of Guide Wheel
Degv

60kug 2 gH
Degv 
N
V fgv  k fg 2 gH

Q  Degv BgvV fgv

 Kug

Kfg
Kug Kfg
Flow & Geometric Details of Guid Wheel Exit
 Outlines of Kaplan Runner

Guide Vanes Whirl Chamber

The space between guide wheel outlet and kaplan runner is

known as Whirl Chamber.

a=0.13 Drunner & b=0.16 to 0.2 Drunner.

Design of Kaplan Runner

Drunner

Dhub
 Testing of Runner diameter selection
The runner diameter De can be calculated by the
following equation:

Drunner  84.5  0.79  1.602  nQE 

H
60  n
 0. 0951 
Dhub   0.25    Drunner
 n 
 QE 
2.294
nQE  3 n in rps
4
H
 Runner diameter section

Q  Q factor H D 2
runner D 2
hub 
• The hub diameter Dhub can be calculated with the following equation:

Dhub  0.35 to 0.6 Drunner

Kug

Qfactor
 Number of runner Vanes Vs Guide Wheel Diameter

Z 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 24

<300 300 – 450 – 750 – 1200 1600 2200 >4000

Dge, 450 750 1200 – - 4000
mm 1600 2200
 DESIGN OF THE BLADE

Two different views of a blade

Hydrodynamics of Kaplan Blade
 Distortion of the blade under ideal circumstances

• The velocity triangles, which occur on the blade, play a significant

role in determining its distortion.

a1 < 900
Uwheel

Vfi
Details of Blade Uwheel

Arrangement
Vfi

Uwheel

Vfe

ae = 900
 Hydraulic Energy Diagram

Hm

Hre Hri
Htotal
Hs
 Inlet Velocity Triangles Vs Ns

High Specific Speed : Fast Francis Runner

Vwi

Vfi
Vai
 Specifications of Runner

• Slow Runner: Ns=60 to 120

 ai  150 to 250
– Kui = 0.62 to 0.68
 bi  900 to 1200
– Bgv/Dmgv=0.04 – 0.033
• Normal Runner: Ns = 120 – 180
 ai  250 to 32.50
– Kui = 0.68 to 0.72
 bi  900
– Bgv/Dmgv=0.125 to 0.25
• Fast Runner: Ns = 180 to 300
 ai  32.50 to 37.50
– Kui = 0.72 to 0.76
 bi  600 to 900
– Bgv/Dmgv=0.25to 0.5
 Design for Maximum Power Retrieval
Inlet Velocity Triangle
Uwheel

Vfi
Specifications of the Runner
Velocity Triangles at Mean Runner Diameter
 Radial Equilibrium

Radial Equilibrium Equation for

Incompressible Fluid Machine

1 dp0 dV f Vw d rVw 
 Vf  0
 dr dr r dr
To define the distortion of the blade, the velocity triangles of at least six
different radiuses of the blade are to be determined.
The angle β of each radius gives conclusions on the distortion of the
blade.
The angles should be corrected for real hydraulics.
 General Rules for Selection of Whirl Component
•Free Vortex Whirl: rV  V f
 0
r 
C
V 
r
V f  constant

•Forced Vortex Whirl :

V  C  r

V f  C1  C2  r 2
Inlet Blade Distortion
Inlet Blade Distortion
 Method for Real Kaplan

Define Half Travel Point of a fluid particle as

Vfi=Vfe
Vre V∞ Vri

Vrwi  Vrwe
2
The “Tragflügeltheorie”
V∞

Fideal lift
Factual lift
Vri
 Characteristics of A Single Blade

• Ideal Blade lift coefficient:

 V 2

Vre2  V2  2 g  hatm  H s  hmin   draft ae de
V 2
 

 blade   2g 
2
KV

draft: Efficiency of draft tube: 0.88 to 0.91

K : Profile characteristic number: 2.6 to 3.0
hmin=Head equivalent to minimum allowable pressure at
Runner exit.
 The suction head

• The suction head Hs is the head where the turbine is installed;

• if the suction head is positive, the turbine is located above the trail
water;
• if it is negative, the turbine is located under the trail water.
• To avoid cavitation, the range of the suction head is limited.
• The maximum allowed suction head can be calculated using the
following equation:

patm  pvap V 2
2.294
Hs    H net
de
nQE 
g 2g H
3
4
2
V
  1.5241 n 1.46
QE  de
2 gH net
When the lifting coefficient is known, the sufficiency of ratio
l/t can be established as follows:

l gturbineH V flow 1 cos 


t V 2
U blade  blade sin b    

Allowable values of angle of slip  2.5°-- 3°

 The actual Lifting Coefficient

 blade
 b ,cascade

t
l
1.2

y = 0.026x3 - 0.2342x2 + 0.7529x + 0.0494

1
R² = 0.9946

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
 Drag Coefficient
 b,cascade

 drag
 Actual Angle of Attack

 b, a
Calculation of Actual Angle of Slip

 dragblade 
  arctan   
 b ,a 
Details of Blade Uwheel

Arrangement
Vfi

Uwheel
l
(maximum allowed )  0.9 to 1.05
Vfe t
Drunner
t
Z
Z : Number of blades : 8 to 24
ae = 900 Proportion al to Specific Speed
 Power Developed by the Runner

Power developed by a differential blade surface

dP  d m
 U bladeVwi  Vwe 

Ptotal  nblade  d m U blade Vwi  Vwe 

Ablade