Major historical developments in the design of water wheels and Francis hydroturbines

27th IAHR Symposium on Hydraulic Machinery and Systems

Lewis, B.J.^1 ; Cimbala, J.M.^1 ; Wouden, A.M.^1

Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

PA, United States^1

关键词: Historical development;    Hydraulic engineering;    Hydroturbines;    Large flow rate;    Turbine designs;    Water wheel;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/22/1/012020/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1755-1315/22/1/012020

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

The first record of water wheels dates back to ancient Greece. Over the next several centuries the technology spread all over the world. The process of arriving at the design of the modern Francis runner lasted from 1848 to approximately 1920. Though the modern Francis runner has little resemblance to the original turbines designed by James B. Francis in 1848, it became know as the Francis turbine around 1920, in honor of his many contributions to hydraulic engineering analysis and design. The modern Francis turbine is the most widely used turbine design today, particularly for medium head and large flow rate situations, and can achieve over 95% efficiency.