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Handbook of Turbomachinery Second Edition Revised - Ventech!

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The manufacturers <strong>of</strong> hydraulic turbines over the years have<br />

developed several techniques for estimating the various parameters and<br />

dimensions <strong>of</strong> different parts <strong>of</strong> turbines. These techniques are based on<br />

experience gained over the years and on a thorough knowledge <strong>of</strong> the<br />

principles <strong>of</strong> theory <strong>of</strong> turbines. Since the variables are many, and all design<br />

practices are not standardized, it is quite likely to experience differences in<br />

the design <strong>of</strong> turbines from different companies. It is therefore highly<br />

desirable for an engineer to compare several designs and combine them with<br />

his or her experience before the final selection is made. The reader would<br />

thus find large variations in the design process based on the source. The<br />

procedures mentioned in this chapter are based on the recommendations <strong>of</strong><br />

Brown and Whippen [8].<br />

In a typical design <strong>of</strong> the Francis turbine, the input variables are the<br />

head under which the turbine would operate, the required speed <strong>of</strong> the<br />

runner, and the required power output. The output variables that need to be<br />

determined are then the diameter <strong>of</strong> the runner, the number <strong>of</strong> stay vanes,<br />

the number <strong>of</strong> buckets on the runner, and the height <strong>of</strong> the runner.<br />

A reasonable estimate <strong>of</strong> the flow rate through the turbine can be<br />

made from the expression for power as follows:<br />

P ¼ ZgQH ð10Þ<br />

where Z and g are the hydraulic efficiency and specific weight, respectively.<br />

At the design point the efficiency <strong>of</strong> hydraulic turbines is between 0.88 and<br />

0.94 (see Shepherd [7]). Once the flow rate Q is known, the specific speed can<br />

be computed. This fixes the most suitable type <strong>of</strong> turbine that can be<br />

selected. The velocity <strong>of</strong> the fluid entering a reaction turbine cannot be<br />

accurately determined using the orifice formula, since the pressure at the<br />

turbine inlet is greater than atmospheric. However, the orifice formula can<br />

be suitably modified to get an estimate for the inlet velocity. Thus,<br />

V1 ¼ cð2ghÞ 1=2<br />

ð11Þ<br />

where c is a coefficient between the values <strong>of</strong> 0.8 and 0.6 for specific speeds<br />

ranging from 25 to 85. Other values can be obtained by interpolation. The<br />

water from the wicket gates makes an angle a1 with the circumference <strong>of</strong> the<br />

rotor. This angle ranges from 15 to 358 when the specific speed, Ns, ranges<br />

from 25 to 85, with intermediate values obtained from interpolation. The<br />

number <strong>of</strong> wicket gates and the number <strong>of</strong> stay vanes for reaction turbines<br />

are equal and are selected somewhat arbitrarily. These are usually multiples<br />

<strong>of</strong> 4 and range from 12 to 28, depending on the size <strong>of</strong> the runner, with the<br />

higher number used for larger diameters.<br />

Copyright © 2003 Marcel Dekker, Inc.

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