François Avellan

Interaction of a pulsating vortex rope with the local velocity field in a Francis turbine draft tube

Acoustic resonances in Francis turbines often define undesirable limitations to their operating ranges at high load. The knowledge of the mechanisms governing the onset and the sustenance of these instabilities in the swirling flow leaving the runner is essential for the development of a reliable hydroacoustic model for the prediction of system stability. The present work seeks to study experimentally the unstable draft tube flow by conducting a series of measurements on a reduced Francis Turbine model. The key physical parameters and their interaction with the hydraulic and mechanical system are studied and quantified. In particular, the evolution of the axial and tangential velocity components in the draft tube cone is analysed by means of Laser Doppler Anemometry. Combined with the calculation of the instantaneous vortex rope volume based on flow visualization and the measurement of the pressure fluctuations, the nature of the auto-oscillation in the draft tube flow is investigated.

Impact erosion prediction using the finite volume particle method with improved constitutive models

Erosion damage in hydraulic turbines is a common problem caused by the high- velocity impact of small particles entrained in the fluid. In this investigation, the Finite Volume Particle Method is used to simulate the three-dimensional impact of rigid spherical particles on a metallic surface. Three different constitutive models are compared: the linear strain- hardening (L-H), Cowper-Symonds (C-S) and Johnson-Cook (J-C) models. They are assessed in terms of the predicted erosion rate and its dependence on impact angle and velocity, as compared to experimental data. It has been shown that a model accounting for strain rate is necessary, since the response of the material is significantly tougher at the very high strain rate regime caused by impacts. High sensitivity to the friction coefficient, which models the cutting wear mechanism, has been noticed. The J-C damage model also shows a high sensitivity to the parameter related to triaxiality, whose calibration appears to be scale-dependent, not exclusively material-determined. After calibration, the J-C model is capable of capturing the material’s erosion response to both impact velocity and angle, whereas both C-S and L-H fail.

Experimental Identification and Study of Hydraulic Resonance Test Rig with Francis Turbine operating at Partial Load

Resonance in hydraulic systems is characterized by pressure fluctuations of high amplitude which can lead to undesirable and dangerous effects, such as noise, vibration and structural failure. For a Francis turbine operating at partial load, the cavitating vortex rope developing at the outlet of the runner induces pressure fluctuations which can excite the hydraulic system resonance, leading to undesirable large torque and power fluctuations. At resonant operating points, the prediction of amplitude pressure fluctuations by hydro-acoustic models breaks down and gives unreliable results. A more detailed knowledge of the eigenmodes and a better understanding of phenomenon occurring at resonance could allow improving the hydro-acoustic models prediction. This paper presents an experimental identification of a resonance observed in a close-looped hydraulic system with a Francis turbine reduced scale model operating at partial load. The resonance is excited matching one of the test rig eigenfrequencies with the vortex rope precession frequency. At this point, the hydro-acoustic response of the test rig is studied more precisely and used finally to reproduce the shape of the excited eigenmode.