Open AccessImprovement of hydro-turbine draft tube efficiency using vortex generator
Author(s) -
Xinliang Tian,
Huachen Pan,
Soon-Sam Hong,
Yuan Zheng
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
advances in mechanical engineering/advances in mechanical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.318
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1687-8140
pISSN - 1687-8132
DOI - 10.1177/1687814015595339
Subject(s) - draft tube , turbine , streamlines, streaklines, and pathlines , vortex , marine engineering , tube (container) , francis turbine , vortex generator , inlet , mechanical engineering , mechanics , engineering , environmental science , physics
Computational fluid dynamics simulation was employed in a hydraulic turbine (from inlet tube to draft tube). The calculated turbine efficiencies were compared with measured results, and the relative error is 1.12%. In order to improve the efficiency of the hydraulic turbine, 15 kinds of vortex generators were installed at the vortex development section of the draft tube, and all of them were simulated using the same method. Based on the turbine efficiencies, distribution of streamlines, velocities, and pressures in the draft tube, an optimal draft tube was found, which can increase the efficiency of this hydraulic turbine more than 1.5%. The efficiency of turbine with the optimal draft tube, draft tube with four pairs of middle-sized vortex generator, and draft tube without vortex generator under different heads of turbine (5–14 m) was calculated, and it was verified that these two kinds of draft tubes can increase the efficiency of this turbine in every situation