Research on incipient and critical cavitation of a Francis turbine

Abstract

Abstract Cavitation is an important performance index to evaluate the comprehensive performance of hydraulic turbine. Determination of the plant cavitation coefficient is one of the most important tasks in the design phase of a hydro-power station. In order to improve the design rationality of the cavitation coefficient, numerical simulations of a Francis turbine were carried out to study the cavitation evolution characteristics. A detailed comparative analysis were made to clarify the different cavitation coefficients and impacts on the Francis turbine. Discussions on plant cavitation coefficient selection of hydro-power plant were made form the perspective of cavitation influence on the unit. Based on these investigations, it can be concluded that a certain safety margin of incipient and critical cavitation coefficient were needed considering the rapid efficiency drop near the critical cavitation and serious pressure pulsation near the incipient cavitation condition. The ratio between the plant cavitation coefficient and critical cavitation of the studied Francis turbine were larger than the current standard in China, which means the good cavitation performance of the unit after it put into operation. This study can provide a reference for determining the cavitation coefficient more accurately and ensuring the operation safety of the unit.