ME 452: SOLUTION TO HOMEWORK PROBLEM 1, HYDRAULIC TURBINES

1. A turbine develops 7355 kW under a head of 24.7 m at 210 r.p.m. What is its specific
speed. If this turbine is tested in the laboratory where the head water available is only 7.5
m, what power will it develop and at what speed.
Solution

N P 210 7355
Ns    327
H5 4 24.7 5 4
7355  7.53
3 2 2
PH 2
P2  3 2
  1230 kW
H1 24.7 3 2

N1 H 2 210 7.5
N2    115.7 rpm
H1 24.7

2. A turbine is to operate under a head of 25 m at 200 r. p. m. If the discharge is 9 m3/s and

the turbine efficiency is 90 %, calculate the power generated by the turbine, specifi speed
of the turbine and performance of the turbine under a heads of 20 m. Recommend type of
turbine.
Solution
P
o  or
wQH

P  wQH  o  9810  9  25  0.9  1,986.5 kW

N P 200 1986.5
Ns    159.46
H5 4 255 4
For this value of Ns, the turbine can be a Francis turbine.
The performance of the turbine under a head 20 m is the following

N1 H 2 200 20
N2    178.89 rpm
H1 25

Q1 H 2 9 20
Q2    8.05 m 3 / s
H1 25

1986.5  203
3 2 2
PH 2
P2  3 2
  1421.4 kW
H1 253 2
3. A model having scale ratio 1/10 is constructed to determine the best design of Kaplan
turbine to develop 7355 kW under a net head of 10 m at a speed of 100 r.p.m. If the head
available at the laboratory is 6 m and the efficiency of the prototype turbine is 4% better
than that of the model turbine, find
i. running speed of the model
ii. The flow required in the laboratory
iii. The output power of the model
iv. The specific speed in each case.
Solution
According to Moody’s equation,
0.2
1   o, p D 
  m  where ηop = 1.04 ηom
1   o, m D 
 p

1  1.04 o, m 1
0.2

 
1   o, m  10 
o, m  90.91 % , o, p  94.5 %

Dm N m Dp N p
i. 
 o, m H m o, p H p

1  Nm 10  100
 or N m  759.7 rpm
0.9091  6 0.945  10
 Q   Q 
ii.    
 D2  H   D2  H 
 o m  o p
P 7355
Qp    79.3 m3 / s
wH o, p 9810  10  0.945

 Q   79.3 
 2    2  or Qm  0.6 m3 / s
 1  0.9091  6  m  10  0.945  10  p
   
iii .  P   P 
 32 32 2   32 32 2 
 o H D  m  o H D  P
 P   7355 
    or P  32 kW
 3 3
2   3 3
2 
 0.9091  6 1  m  0.945 10 10  P
2 2 2 2

N P 100  7355 759.7  32

iv. Ns  5 4
, N s, p   482.3 , N s, m   457.1
H 103 2 65 4

KNUST/DEPT. OF MECH. ENG. 2 Turbomachinery, ME 452, 2013

4. In your own words, explain the various factors to consider in the selection of a suitable
type of turbine for a hydroelectric station
Solution
Factors to consider:
i. Available head of water.
Some turbines are more suited for low head application such as the Kaplan turbine (high
specific speed, Ns) whilst others are more suited for high head application such as the
Pelton and Francis turbine (low Ns).
ii. Characteristic curves
The turbines are likely to have to operate outside the design conditions. Ffor example,
the water level in the dam may drop below the design level in the dry season. Also the
turbine may be subjected to part load operation. It is therefore necessary to select the
suitable turbine(s) by studying its characteristic curves to ensure that what is selected
will be able to deliver the required output efficiently at all the variable operating
conditions that it will be exposed to.

KNUST/DEPT. OF MECH. ENG. 3 Turbomachinery, ME 452, 2013

ME 452: SOL’N TO HOMEWORK PROBLEM 2; ROTARY EXPANDERS & COMPR’RS

1. Ten successive reaction stages of a gas turbine run at 30 revs/s and have the same mean
diameter of 1.5 m. All blade sections have equal inlet and outlet angles of 90o and 20o
respectively, and the axial velocity is constant. Estimate the power output for a mass of 55 kg/s.
At inlet to the turbine the pressure and temperature are 7 bar and 700 oC, and at outlet the
pressure is 2.5 bar. Find the isentropic efficiency of the turbine, and the blade heights of the first
and last rows.. take cp = 1.15 kJ/kg K and γ = 1.333 for the gas.
Solution

β1 = α2 = 90o, β2 = α1 = 20o
The mean blade speed, U  DN    1.5  30  141.4 m / s

V1 U
By the sine rule,  , hence V1 = 51.46 m/s
sin 20 sin 70

Vw  U  141.4 m / s

Therefore, W  U Vw  141.4 141.4 103  20 kJ / kg , hence V1 = 51.46 m/s

Since there is no change of kinetic energy between inlet and outlet, W represents the enthalpy
drop per stage per unit gas flow.
Hence, power output for 10 stages; P  10  20  55  11,000 kW

The final temperature, assuming isentropic expansion, is T2 s 

700  273  752 K
7 2.5
0.333 1.333

Now; mh1  h2   c p T1  T2   1.15  973  T2   11000 ,

Hence T2 = 526 oC =799 K

KNUST/DEPT. OF MECH. ENG. 4 Turbomachinery, ME 452, 2013

 T1  T2 973  799
Isentropic efficiency; is    78.7 %
T1  T2 s 973  752
RT
Specific volume of gas;  
p

0.287  103  973

At turbine inlet,  in   0.3989 m3 / kg
7  10 5

0.287 103  799

At turbine outlet,  out   0.917 m3 / kg
2.5 10 5

Axial velocity Va is constant at Va = V1 = 51.46 m/s

1 1
Mass flow at any section; m  A  Va   DL  Va  where L is the blade height
 
m  55  0.3989
At inlet, L    0.090 m  90 mm
DVa  1.5  51.46
55  0.917
At exit, L   0.208 m  208 mm
  1.5  51.46

2. A centrifugal compressor produces a pressure ratio of 4;1 with an isentropic efficiency of

0.80, when running at 16,000 rev/min and inducing air at 15oC in an axial direction. Assuming
that the whirl velocity of the air leaving the impeller is 0.9 times the impeller tip speed, find the
impeller diameter. Assume cp = 1.005 kJ/kg K, γ = 1.33 .
Solution
DN
U  D, C2 w  0.9U
60
  1   1
p2   oU 2C2 w   0.9 o ND 60 
2

 1  1 
p1  c pT0  
 c pT0 

Rearranging,
 1 
c pT0  60 2   p2  

D 
2
2    1
0.9   o N  p1 
2 
 
Inserting values
1.005 103  288  60 2 0.2481
D 
2
4  
 1  0.2351
0.9  0.8   2 16000 2
D  0.4848 m  485 mm

KNUST/DEPT. OF MECH. ENG. 5 Turbomachinery, ME 452, 2013

ME 452: SOL’N TO HOMEWORK PROBLEM 3; CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS

7. Determine the number of stages of a multistage pump required to lift 4200 litres/min against a
total head of 185 m, at a speed of 750 rpm if the specific speed is not to exceed 700.
Solution
The limiting Ns for each impeller is 700

N Q 750 4200 60

Thus, N s  3 4
or 700 s  3 4
which hives head/stage, H m  18.62 m
Hm Hm
185
Thus, number of stages, n   10
18.62

8. Pressures on the suction side and the discharge side of a pump are read by the pressure gauge
as (i) vacuum of 250 mm of mercury (specific gravity 13.6) and (ii) 137 kN.m2 respectively.
The gauge on the suction side is placed 600 mm below the centerline of the pump whereas the
gauge on the discharge side is placed 170 mm above the centerline. If the diameters of the pipes
on suction and discharge are 150 mm and 100 mm respectively and the quantity of water to be
pumped is 30 litres/s, calculate the power required to drive the pump assuming its efficiency to
be 60 %.
Solution
Ps 250
 13.6  3.4 m of water
w 1000
Pd 137.34  103
  14 m of water
w 9810
30  10 3
Vs   1.698 m / s
 40.152
2
Vs 1.6982
Therefore,   0.147 m
2 g 2  9.81

30  10 3
Vd   3.820 m / s
 40.102
2
Vd 3.820 2
Therefore,   0.744 m
2 g 2  9.81

KNUST/DEPT. OF MECH. ENG. 6 Turbomachinery, ME 452, 2013

 p V 2  p V2 
The manometric head is given as H m   d  d  h    s  s  h1 
 w 2g   w 2g 
   
where ” h” is the height of the pressure gauge on the discharge side above the centerline of the
pump and “h1” is the depth of the vacuum gauge on the suction side below the centerline of the
pump.
h  170  103  0.17 and h1  600  103  0.60 m
Thus, by substituting the values in the above equation, we get
H m  14  0.744  0.17   3.4  0.147  0.60  18.767 m

The power required to drive pump is given by

wQH m 9810  30  10 3  18.767
P   9.205 kW
o 0.60

KNUST/DEPT. OF MECH. ENG. 7 Turbomachinery, ME 452, 2013