Sediment flow through hydro turbine causes erosion of hydraulic components resulting in drop of turbine efficiency, parti- cularly in hydropower plants of the Himalayan region. The measurement of erosion and monitorin...Sediment flow through hydro turbine causes erosion of hydraulic components resulting in drop of turbine efficiency, parti- cularly in hydropower plants of the Himalayan region. The measurement of erosion and monitoring of sediment flow in turbine are major concerns in erosion study. Attempts have been made to study erosion mainly in Pelton and Francis turbines. In this study, a simple and effective method has been presented to measure erosion in a Kaplan turbine of a run-of-river scheme Chilla hydropower plant in foothills of Himalaya. Recent techniques were used to measure sediment parameters like concentration, size, shape and mineral content. A standard erosion model is applied to estimate the erosion in Kaplan turbine blade, runner chamber and draft tube cone. A calibration factor has been proposed to apply the erosion model for site specific conditions. It has been found that the outer trailing edges of the turbine blade and upper rtmner chamber are most erosion prone zones. Sediment analysis revealed that effective operation can reduce erosion in turbine components. The estimated erosion values from model are found to be consistent with measu- red values. Finally, suggestions for design improvements and effective operation of erosion affected hydropower plants are given.展开更多
基金Ministry of Human Development Resource (MHRD),India for the financial support
文摘Sediment flow through hydro turbine causes erosion of hydraulic components resulting in drop of turbine efficiency, parti- cularly in hydropower plants of the Himalayan region. The measurement of erosion and monitoring of sediment flow in turbine are major concerns in erosion study. Attempts have been made to study erosion mainly in Pelton and Francis turbines. In this study, a simple and effective method has been presented to measure erosion in a Kaplan turbine of a run-of-river scheme Chilla hydropower plant in foothills of Himalaya. Recent techniques were used to measure sediment parameters like concentration, size, shape and mineral content. A standard erosion model is applied to estimate the erosion in Kaplan turbine blade, runner chamber and draft tube cone. A calibration factor has been proposed to apply the erosion model for site specific conditions. It has been found that the outer trailing edges of the turbine blade and upper rtmner chamber are most erosion prone zones. Sediment analysis revealed that effective operation can reduce erosion in turbine components. The estimated erosion values from model are found to be consistent with measu- red values. Finally, suggestions for design improvements and effective operation of erosion affected hydropower plants are given.
