Fluid Mechanics - II

CE-331

HYDRAULIC TURBINES
(Part -I)

Engr. Muhammad Naeem Bashir Awan

Professional Diploma in Construction Engineering Management – NUST
MS Geo-technical Engineering – NUST
BS Civil Engineering – MUST

SWEDISH COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (SCET) WAH CANTONMENT, PAKISTAN

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Hydraulic Turbines
 Hydraulic Turbine
 Hydraulic turbines occupy a distinct place amongst the
prime-movers used for power generation by virtue of
their high efficiency.
 Turbines are the machines which convert hydraulic
energy into mechanical energy which in turn is used in
running an electric generator to produce electricity.
 In general a turbine consists of a wheel called Runner,
provided with vanes or buckets along its periphery,
connected to a shaft, a mechanism which controls the
quantity of water and passages leading to and from the
wheel.
The high velocity water strikes on the vanes
which deflect the water towards outlet and in
doing so impart the energy to the runner and
causes it to rotate about the shaft axis.
The shaft of the runner is directly coupled to
the generator shaft thereby the rotation is
passed on to the generator. The generator
armature so rotated produces hydropower.
 CLASSIFICATION OF TURBINES

Turbines

Hydraulic Direction of Specific

Head
Action flow Speed
Classification Based on hydraulic Action:
The modern hydraulic turbines classified in respect
of hydraulic action are
a) Impulse turbine
b) Reaction turbine
 TYPES OF TURBINES

Types of
Turbines

Impulse Reaction Deriaz

turbine turbine turbine

Pelton Francis Kaplan Propeller Bulb

turbine turbine turbine turbine turbine

Adjustable
Fixed blade
blade
IMPULSE TURBINE
(PELTON WHEEL )
IMPULSE TURBINE
(PELTON WHEEL )
Impulse turbine
 Wheel or Rotor
The wheel or rotor is fitted over a
shaft from which the useful
power is available. It is a rotating
element of the turbine on which
moving blades are fixed.
 Nozzle
The nozzle is a passage for the flow of steam where pressure energy is
converted into kinetic energy. Its main function is to produce a jet of
steam with a high velocity
 Blades
In above figure, only one set of impulse type blades is rigidly fixed to the rim of
the rotor or wheel. It converts the kinetic energy of steam into mechanical work
 Casing
The casing is the outside cover of the turbine fixed over a frame. It is fitted with nozzle.
 Working principle
 The potential energy of water is converted into kinetic
energy, before it acts on the runner, by expanding
through a nozzle.

 It has one or more free jets of water discharging into an

aerated space and impinging on a series of split buckets
mounted around the periphery of a wheel.

 A needle valve in the nozzle for controlling the rate of

flow without any change in jet direction, thereby
eliminating shock losses at the entrances to the bucket
and maintaining sustained high efficiency at part load, a
housing and discharge passage.
 The jet is produced by passing the water
brought by the penstocks through a
contracting nozzle.

 In small turbines only one jet is used while in

large turbines two or more jets impinge on
different points around the wheel.

 It causes the wheel to revolve free in air and

water is in contact with only a part of the
wheel at a time.
 The pressure of water is all along atmospheric and
such there is no difference of pressure in the water
at the inlet to the runner and that discharging from
the bucket to the tailrace.

 To guide the water discharged from the bucket to

tailrace as also to prevent splashing a casing is
provided. The wheel must not turn full having been
placed at the foot of the fall and above the tailrace.

 The impulse turbines are made in both horizontal

and vertical shaft configuration. These turbines are
essentially low- speed turbines and are used for high
heads 150 to 1000m and low discharges; the
maximum head of over 1770 m has been utilized in
Switzerland.
 To cater water hammer occurrences in the penstock in
case the nozzle is suddenly closed, a bypass valve is
provided with some nozzles which opens whenever the
needle valve is closed quickly.

 Likewise a jet deflector can be provided to deflect the

jet away from the wheel in the case of drop in load.

 The peak efficiency of a good impulse turbine is high;

85-90 percent, for which the bucket width is 3 to 4
times and wheel diameter 15 to 20 times of the jet
diameter.
REACTION TURBINES
 FRANCIS TURBINE RUNNER

Nearly one million

hp (750 MW), being
installed at the
Grand Coulee Dam,
United States.
Bulb Type Reaction Turbine
A PROPELLER/ KAPLAN -TYPE RUNNER

PROPELLER KAPLAN
Rated 28,000 Hp (21 MW)

The Kaplan turbine is similar to the propeller

turbine except that its blades are adjustable.
DERIAZ TURBINE
 Reaction turbine
 In this type of turbine flow takes place under pressure in a
close chamber and atmospheric air has no access at any
point.
 The water enters all around the periphery of the wheel
under pressure, wheel passages completely full with water
and flows over the vanes.
 In the process of passing over the vanes, the pressure head
is converted into velocity head and is finally reduced to
atmospheric pressure before leaving the wheel.
 The reaction turbine utilizes pressure energy as well as
kinetic energy. As only a part of the available potential
energy is converted into velocity head at the entrance to
the runner and the balance, a substantial portion,
remains as pressure head, the water entering the turbine
has pressure as well as kinetic energy and the wheel
rotates under the action of both of theses forces.
 It obtains rotative force by deflecting the flow of
water in closed passages and utilizing the
consequent reaction.
 The water leaving the turbine is much higher
than that at the outlet. Since the water is
under pressure the wheel must run full and is
entirely submerged below the tailrace.
 It may also discharge into the atmosphere or
placed about 9 m above the foot of the fall
and discharge into suction or draft tube.
 A reaction turbine has a water tight casing a
mechanism for controlling the quantity of water
and for distributing it equally over the entire
runner intake and a draft tube.
 The wheel may run in a vertical or horizontal
position more convenient in the horizontal
position on account of more accessibility.
 The principal types of reaction turbines in general
use, are
 Francis turbine
 propeller turbine-adjustable blade and
 fixed-blade propeller turbines and Kaplan
turbines.
 Classification of reaction turbine
The reaction turbines are classified according to the direction of
flow in runner. The flow through the turbine may be radially
inward, axial or mixed i.e. partly radial and partly mixed.
a) Outward flow turbine
 It consists of a wheel in the shape of a cylindrical disc
mounted on a shaft carrying blades around the perimeter.
The wheel is surrounded by a water-tight casing capable of
running in vertical or horizontal position.
 The water enters into the wheel at the center and passes
through fixed radial guide blades into the moving blades
causing them to rotate and leaves at the outer edge. The
water is under pressure and as such the wheel must run full.
 The wheel may be submerged below tailrace or
placed in a suction or draft tube above the foot of
the fall, in which position it is convenient being more
accessible.
 The revolving wheel causes a centrifugal head to be
impressed on the water passing through it which
increases the relative velocity of the water and as a
result tends to increase the quantity of flow passing
through the wheel.
 The wheel tends to race due to increase in the
centrifugal force if there is a slight increase in speed.
 The efficiency is increased by discharging the water
radially with zero velocity of whirl at outlet.
 Inward flow turbine
 In this turbine water enters the wheel through the outer
periphery and flows radially inward i.e. towards the
center and leaves it in a direction parallel to the axis.
 The fixed guide blades surround the revolving wheel
causes a centrifugal head to be impressed on the water
acting against the radial flow of the water and as a
consequences any increase in the speed of the wheel
tends to reduce the quantity of flow through the wheel
which means reduced power but prevents racing which
is its merit over the outward flow turbine.
 The efficiency of the turbine is the highest when the
discharge is radial with the velocity of leaving water as
small as possible. The wheel maybe placed below the
tailrace or in a suction tube above the foot of the fall.
 The inward flow turbines have certain merits over
the outward flow turbines, such as
a) The speed of the turbine is better regulated in that
an increase in rotor speed tends to reduce the rate
of flow through the rotor and accordingly reduces
the power.
b) The chances of eddy formation and pressure loss are
reduced since the area of flow becomes gradually
convergent
c) Better regulation is possible as the guide vanes can
be located on the outer periphery of the runner
d) Less heads without increasing the speed of the
turbine since centrifugal head supports appreciable
part of the supply head.
Axial flow turbine
 In axial flow turbine, water enters the wheel at the side
and flows parallel to the axis and that is why also termed
as parallel flow turbine.
Mixed flow turbine
 It combines the characteristics of the inward radial flow
and the axial flow turbines by curving the blades in two
directions.
 The water flows into the wheel radially and leaves at the
center axially. However the modern mixed flow turbines
are inward flow turbines. The Francis and the Deriaz are
the two mixed flow type turbines in use.
 The latter is similar to the former except that the blade
angles can be changed according to the guide blade
position.
Impulse Vs Reaction
 Classification Based on direction of flow

Flow Direction Type of turbine

Radial inward or mixed type Francis

Tangential Pelton

Axial Propeller and Kaplan

Diagonal Deriaz
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying,
sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”
Pele

THE END

Feel Free to Contact me:

Office: Faculty Room, Civil Engineering Department 1st Floor, SCET.

Cell No: 0341-8802008
Email: naeembashirawan@yahoo.com

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