Experiment 5

To obtain the characteristic curves of an axial flow impulse turbine at different

rotor speed.

INTRODUCTION
What is an Axial Turbine?
An axial turbine is a turbine in which the flow of the working fluid is parallel to the
shaft, as opposed to radial turbines, where the fluid runs around a shaft, as in
a watermill. An axial turbine has similar construction as an axial compressor, but it
operates in the reverse, converting flow of the fluid into rotating mechanical
energy. A set of static guide vanes or nozzle vanes accelerates and adds swirl to the
fluid and directs it to the next row of turbine blades mounted on a turbine rotor. It
can be either single stage or multistage.

Figure 2. Axial Turbine

Figure 1 Flow in Axial Turbine

Types of Axial Turbines

1. Propeller Turbine:
When the vanes are fixed to the hub, they are not adjustable. They are known as
propeller turbine.
2. Kaplan Turbine:
If vanes are adjustable on the hub, it is known as Kaplan Turbine. It can work with
large quantity of water when low heads are available.

Figure 3: Kaplan Turbine

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RADIAL AND AXIAL FLOW TURBINES:

RADIAL FLOW TURBINES
1. The water may flow radially from
outwards to inwards or from
inwards to outwards.
2. If water flows from outwards to
inwards through a runner, it is
called inward radial flow turbine.
3. If water flows from inwards to
outwards, the turbine is called
outward radial flow turbine.
4. Reaction turbine means that the
water at inlet of turbine possess
kinetic energy as well as pressure
energy.
AXIAL FLOW TURBINES
1. The water flows parallel to the axis of
turbine.
2. For axial flow reaction turbines, the
shaft of the turbine are vertical.
3. The vanes are fixed on the hub and
hence hub acts as a runner for axial
flow turbine.
4. If head at the inlet of turbine is sum
of kinetic energy and pressure energy
and during flow of water through
runner a part of pressure energy is
converted into kinetic energy, the
turbine is known as reaction turbine
 Figure 4: Axial vs Radial Turbine

DIFFERENT TYPES OF EFFICIENCIES

Following are the different types of efficiency terminologies for turbines:

Mechanical Efficiency: It is denoted as:

Power supplied by the rotor
ME= = x 100
Power observed by the rotor

Hydraulic Efficiency: It is observed as:

Power observed by the rotor
HE= = x 100
Useful power supplied by the fluid

Frictional Efficiency: It is written as:

Power absorbed by the brake
FE= = x 100
Power supplied by the rotor
Overall Efficiency:
The overall efficiency is:
=TE= ME x HE x FE

TE= x x


=TE=

OBSERVATIONS & CALCULATIONS:

Orifice
Differential Turbine Inlet Brake Volume Flow
Pressure Pressure Turbine Speed Force Orifice Discharge rate
dP0 P1 N Fb Co-efficient Qv
(kPa) (kPa) (Hz) (N) Cd (dm3/s)
2.615 250.53 104 0.9 0.63 0.092
2.734 251.56 104 0.8 0.63 0.094
2.871 252.4 105 0.8 0.63 0.096
3.059 252.58 105 0.8 0.63 0.099
3.367 252.75 105 0.8 0.63 0.104
3.506 252.93 105 0.8 0.63 0.108
Hydraulic
Turbine Head Power Torque Brake Overall Efficiency
Hi Ph T Power Pb Egr
(m) (W) (Nm) (W) (%)
25.59 22.98 0.021 13 58.6
25.69 23.6 0.02 13 56.7
25.78 24.26 0.02 13 55.3
25.79 25.06 0.02 13 53.8
25.81 26.311 0.02 13 50.6
25.83 27.25 0.02 13 49.3
SPECIMEN CALCULATIONS:
o Head
H =P1 /( )
=250530/(1000*9.81)
=25.53m

o Flow rate
Qv = (Cd d2 2. . ) / 4
= (0.63 x x .0482 x 2 x 1000 x 2.615 x103) /4 x 1000
= .0916 dm3/s

o Hydraulic Power
Ph= gh* flow rate
= 1000 x 9.81 x 25.53 * .0916
=22.94 W

o Torque
T=Fr
= 0.9 x 0.024
= 0.0216 Nm

o Brake Power
B.P= 2NT/60
=2 x 3.14 x 104x 60 x 0.0216/60
= 14.1 W

o Overall Efficiency
n=BP/HP
=14.1/22.94
=61.5%
Graphs:
1) BETWEEN TURBINE SPEED & FLOW RATE

Graph between turbine speed & Flow

rate
0.12
0.115
Flow rate (m3/s)

0.11
0.105
0.1
0.095
0.09
0.085
0.08
103.8 104 104.2 104.4 104.6 104.8 105 105.2
Turbine Speed(rpm)

2) BETWEEN TURBINE SPEED & BRAKE POWER

Graph between turbine speed &

Brake Power
14
12
Brake Power(W)

10
8
6
4
2
0
103.8 104 104.2 104.4 104.6 104.8 105 105.2
Turbien Speed (rpm)
 3) BETWEEN EFFICIENCY & TURBINE SPEED.

Graph between turbine speed &

Overall Efficiency
60
Overall Efficiancy (%)

58
56
54
52
50
48
103.8 104 104.2 104.4 104.6 104.8 105 105.2
Turbine Speed (rpm)

Comments:
Since we have a very little turbine speed range, thats why our graph has
sharp curves.
Turbine speed and flow rate have a direct relation. By increasing flow rate,
turbine speed increases.
We can obtain a higher efficiency by increasing rotor speed.
 Experiment 6
To obtain the characteristic curves of an axial flow impulse turbine for different
flow rates.

OBSERVATIONS & CALCULATIONS

Orifice
Differential Turbine Inlet Turbine
Pressure Pressure Speed Brake Force Orifice Discharge Volume
dP0 P1 N Fb Coefficient Flow rate
(kPa) (kPa) (Hz) (N) Cd Qv (dm3/s)
2.991 256.5 86 1.8 0.63 0.098
2.786 257.5 87 1.8 0.63 0.095
2.82 257.8 87 1.8 0.63 0.095
2.939 258.1 87 1.8 0.63 0.097
Hydraulic Power
Turbine Head Hi Ph Torque Brake Power Overall Efficiency
(m) (W) (Nm) Pb (W) Egr (%)
26.2 25.2 0.04 23 90.8
26.3 24.4 0.04 23 94.7
26.34 24.6 0.04 23 94
26.35 25.1 0.04 23 91.5

SPECIMEN CALCULATIONS:

o Flow rate
Qv = (Cd d2 2. . ) / 4
= (0.63 x x .0482 x 2 x 1000 x 2.991 x103) /4 x 1000
= .278 dm3/s

o Head
=P1/(density x g)
= 256.5/(1000 x 9.81)
=26.14m

o Hydraulic Power
= x flow rate
= 1000 x 9.81x 26.14 x 0.094
= 24.10 W

o Torque
T=Fr
= 1.8 x 0.024
= 0.0432 Nm

o Brake Power
B.P= 2NT/60
=2 x 3.14 x 86x 60 x 0.0432/60
= 23.3 W

o Overall Efficiency
= BP/HP
= 23.33/24.1
= 96.8%

GRAPHS:

1) BETWEEN TURBINE SPEED AND FLOW RATE.

Graph between turbine speed & Flow rate

0.0985
0.098
Flow rates (m3/s)

0.0975
0.097
0.0965
0.096
0.0955
0.095
0.0945
85.8 86 86.2 86.4 86.6 86.8 87 87.2
Turbine Speed (rpm)

2) BETWEEN TURBINE SPEED & BRAKE POWER.

 Graph between turbine speed & Brake
Power

24
Brake Power (W)

23.5

23

22.5

22
85.8 86 86.2 86.4 86.6 86.8 87 87.2
Turbine Speed (rpm)

3) BETWEEN TURBINE SPEED & OVERALL EFFICIENCY.

Graph between turbine speed &

Overall Efficiency

96
Overall Efficiency (%)

95
94
93
92
91
90
85.8 86 86.2 86.4 86.6 86.8 87 87.2
Turbine Speed (rpm)

COMMENTS:
Since we have very little change in turbine speed, so trend in graphs cant
be properly explained.
Brake power is constant for all rotor speeds.
It is obvious from graphs that as turbine speed increases flow rates are
decreased.
 Experiment 7
To obtain the characteristics curves of a propeller turbine.

INTRODUCTION
Kaplan Turbines

A Kaplan turbine is basically a propeller with adjustable blades inside a tube. It is

an axial-flow turbine, which means that the flow direction does not change as it
crosses the rotor. Figure 1 shows a simplified Kaplan turbine.
The inlet guide-vanes can be opened and closed to regulate the amount of flow
that can pass through the turbine. When fully closed they will stop the water
completely and bring the turbine to rest. Depending on the position of the inlet
guide-vanes they introduce differing amounts of swirl to the flow, and ensure that
the water hits the rotor at the most efficient angle for the highest efficiency. The
rotor blade pitch is also adjustable, from a flat profile for very low flows to a heavily-
pitched profile for high flows (see Figure 2). This adjustability of both inlet guide-
vanes and rotor blades means that the flow operating range is very wide (a
characteristic from the inlet guide-vanes).

The nose cone on a Kaplan turbine is important hydro-dynamically to reduce losses

and prevent the formation of a core rope vortex, and also provides the space for
the complex blade pitching mechanism inside. The draft tube is also a critically
important part. Although a static fabricated part, the geometry of the draft tube is
carefully designed to extract any remaining kinetic energy from the flow by
reducing the water pressure after the rotor.
 Axial-flow machines:
Fixed propeller-type turbines are generally used for large units at low heads,
resulting in large diameters and slow rotational speeds. As the name suggests, a
propeller-type turbine runner looks like the very large propeller of a ship except
that it serves the opposite purpose: power is extracted in a turbine, whereas it is
fed into a marine propeller. The central shaft, or hub, may have the propeller blades
bolted to it during on-site assembly, thus permitting shipment by sections for a
large runner. At low heads (below about 24 metres), vertical-shaft propeller
turbines typically have a concrete spiral inlet casing of rectangular cross section.
Inlet guide vanes are either mounted on a ring or, in large units, set individually
directly into the concrete. The flow passage can be increased or decreased by
servomotor-driven wicket gates. The kinetic energy leaving the runner can be
partially recaptured by a draft tube, a conical diffusing exit section where the
velocity is decreased while the pressure is increased. This leads to improved
efficiency by keeping the loss of kinetic energy in the exit, or tail, section of the
installation to a minimum.
APPLICATIONS
Kaplan turbines are widely used throughout the world for electrical power
production. They cover the lowest head hydro sites and are especially suited for
high flow conditions.
Inexpensive micro turbines on the Kaplan turbine model are manufactured for
individual power production designed for 3 m of head which can work with as little
as 0.3 m of head at a highly reduced performance provided sufficient water flow.
Large Kaplan turbines are individually designed for each site to operate at the
highest possible efficiency, typically over 90%. They are very expensive to design,
manufacture and install, but operate for decades.

Cavitation
According to Bernoullis principle (derived by the Swiss mathematician Daniel
Bernoulli), as the flow velocity of the water increases at any given elevation, the
pressure will drop. There is a danger that in high-velocity sections of a reaction
turbine, especially near the exit, the pressure can become so low that the water
flashes over into small vapour bubbles, which then collapse suddenly. This so-called
cavitation leads to erosion pitting as well as to vibrations and must be avoided by
the careful shaping of all blade passages and of the exit passage or draft tube

OBSERVATIONS & CALCULATIONS:

Turbine Turbine Brake Orifice Volume Turbine Overall

Differential Speed Force Discharge Flow Head Hydraulic Torque Brake Efficiency
Pressure N Fb Coefficient rate Ht Power T Power Y
dPt (Hz) (N) Cd Qv (m) Ph (Nm) Pb(W) Egr
112.9 68.8 23.49 0.63 6.256 11.53 706.3 1.151 498 70.5
108.6 70.7 23.88 0.63 6.256 11.1 679.7 1.17 521 76.7
107.8 67.63 23.34 0.63 6.256 11.01 674.6 1.144 486 72
102.8 62.26 25.63 0.63 6.256 10.5 643 1.256 491 76.4
106.3 70.07 27.42 0.63 6.256 10.86 665.16 1.343 591 88.9
101.2 66.04 28.1 0.63 6.256 10.33 632.9 1.377 571 90.3
105.4 98.51 10.52 0.63 6.256 10.77 659.5 0.516 319 48.4
104.6 95.46 10.5 0.63 6.256 10.68 654.4 0.519 311 47.6
SPECIMEN CALCULATIONS:
o Brake Power
B.P= 2NT/60
= 2 x 3.14 x 68.8 x 60 x 0.0432/60
= 496.87 W

o Overall Efficiency
= BP/HP
= 496.87/706.3
= 70.34 %

GRAPHS:

1) BETWEEN TURBINE SPEED & TORQUE.

Graph between turbine speed & Torque

1.6
1.4
1.2
Torque (Nm)

1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Turbine Speed (rpm)

2) BETWEEN TURBINE SPEED & BRAKE POWER.

 Graph between turbine speed & Brake
Power

800
Brake Power (N)

600

400

200

0
60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Turbine Speed (rpm

3) BETWEEN TURBINE SPEED & OVERALL EFFICIENCY.

Graph between turbine speed & Overall

Efficiency
100
Overall Efficiency (%)

80
60
40
20
0
60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Turbine Speed (rpm)

COMMENTS:
It is surprisingly that all the graphs have same trends.
By increasing rotor speed, torque decreases.
Sensors used in the apparatus might not be giving exact values for table.
Overall efficiency has little value on higher turbine speed.
At higher turbine speeds, less brake power can be obtained.