RPT Runner Flow Structures Dependence on Guide Vane Opening Angle: A CFD Numerical Simulation

2018 2nd International Conference on Power and Energy Engineering

Binama, Maxime^1 ; Cai, Wei-Hua^1 ; Su, Wen-Tao^1,2 ; Li, Feng-Chen^3 ; Wei, Xian-Zhu^2 ; Muhirwa, Alexis^1

Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin

150001, China^1

State Key Laboratory of Hydropower Equipment, Harbin

150040, China^2

Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai

519082, China^3

关键词: CFD numerical simulations;    Flow charac-teristics;    Flow instabilities;    Guide vane openings;    Low flow condition;    Operating condition;    Pressure pulsation;    Reversible pump-turbine;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/192/1/012044/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1755-1315/192/1/012044

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

Pumped storage power plants are now honored for different novelties mostly to do with large energy storage ability and electrical grid stabilization capacity. However the control of Reversible pump Turbines (RPT) operations within these plants is still an issue, where the so-called S-shape flow instabilities cause different problems especially when under low discharge operating conditions. Taking from the grounds that these instabilities have been found to mostly be based within the vaneless space between the guide vanes and the runner, this paper intends to investigate the effect of guide vanes opening (GVO) on runner flow characteristics. CFD-backed numerical simulations were carried out on a RPT complete flow passage under different GVOs; namely 17mm, 21mm and 25mm openings. Instabilities were found to take source from low flow conditions where resulting hydraulic losses maybe the trigger of s-shape characteristics appearance. The GVO however, showed the ability to tame the severity of these flow instabilities and associated pressure pulsations.