IMPULSE TURBINE – PELTON TURBINE

PELTON WHEEL TURBINE

Pelton wheel turbines operate most efficiently with a

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai
larger head and lower flowrates
PELTON WHEEL TURBINE Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai
 • Lester Pelton (1829–1908), an
American mining engineer, is
responsible for many of the still-used
• A high-speed jet of water strikes the
Pelton wheel buckets and is deflected
• The water enters and leaves the
control volume surrounding the wheel
as free jets at atmospheric pressure
• In addition, a person riding on the
bucket would note that the speed of
the water does not change as it slides
across the buckets assuming viscous
effects are negligible. That is, the
magnitude of the relative velocity does
not change, but its direction does.
• The change in direction of the
velocity of the fluid jet causes a torque
on the rotor, resulting in a power
output from the turbine.
Details of Pelton Wheel
turbine bucket Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai
IDEAL FLUID VELOCITIES FOR A PELTON WHEEL
TURBINE

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai

 V 1  V1  U  W1

V 2  U  W2 cos 180   

V 2  U  W 2 cos 

W1  W2

ENERGY TRANSFER

W sh  m U V 2  V 1 

V 2  V 1   U  W cos   U  W
V 2  V 1   W  cos   1
V 2  V 1    U  V1  1  cos  
W sh  m U  U  V1  1  cos  

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai

Inlet and exit velocity triangles
Ideally   180 o  1  cos    1  cos 180  2.0
Actually   165 o  1  cos    1  cos 165  1.966
To find U, when the power output is maximum

dW sh
 m  U  V1  1  cos    m U  1  cos  
dU

V1
 U  V1   U  0  U 
2

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai
 DEGREE OF REACTION
1 2
  
E  V1  V22  U 12  U 22  W12  W 22   
V12  V22  2
 Increase in K.E of the fluid – Dynamic head
2g change
U 12  U 22   Pressure head rise developed across the
2g impeller due to the centrifugal effect (change in
static head )
W12  W22  Diffusion of relative flow in the blade passages
2g (change in static head)
E .T by means of or resulting in change of
static pressure in the rotor
R
Total E .T in the rotor
U   W 
Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai
2 2 2 2
 U  W
 
1 2 1 2
R
 
V12  V22  U 12  
 U 22  W12  W 22
 IMPULSE TURBINE

• No change of static pressure in the rotor

• Pelton turbine, U1= U2; W1 = W2  R = 0
• E.T is wholly derived by the change in the absolute velocity
• Best suited for lower flow rate and high head

REACTION TURBINE
• Working fluid completely fills the passageways through which it
flows (unlike an impulse turbine, which contains one or more
individual unconfined jets of fluid)
• Angular momentum, pressure and velocity of the fluid decrease
as it flows through the turbine rotor
• Turbine extracts energy from the fluid
• Low head and High flow rate

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai

FRANCIS TURBINE- James B Francis – American Engineer
Radial flow type Francis Turbine

The primary function of the draft

tube is to reduce the velocity of
the discharged water to
minimize the loss of kinetic
energy at the outlet.

This permits the turbine to be

set above the tail water

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai

Radial flow type Francis Turbine

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai

Purpose for providing a draft tube

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai

Total head at 2 is equal to that at 3

Pressure
head
gained Loss in Net Gain due to
Elevation head draft tube

Caution on P2: Problem of cavitation

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai

 SPECIFIC SPEED (Ns)

Similarity and Dimensional Analysis

shape factor of the machines

fluids used by the machines to be incompressible

the acceleration due to gravity dose not vary

P Q
Ns  N Ns  N
H 5/ 4 H 3/ 4
kg 1/2/ s5/2 m1/4 m 3/4 / s3/2
Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai
Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai
Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai
 Slow runner
Nsd = 13.5-27; 1 = 15 - 25
1 = 90  -120

Normal runner
Nsd = 27-40; 1 = 25 - 32.5
1 = 90 

Fast runner
Nsd = 40.5 – 67.5;
1 = 32.5 - 37.5; 1 = 60- 90 

Dubs runner
Nsd = 63-117; 1 = 37.5 - 40
1 = 45-60

Kaplan runner
Nsd = 67.5-225; 1 < 90
1 < 90

Prof S V Prabhu, IITB, Mumbai