Study on the Thermal Field of a Hydro-Generator under the Effect of a Plateau Climate

Abstract

With the advancement in the developmental project on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the influence of the plateau climate environment on the performance of a hydro-generator has received more and more attention from researchers. This study numerically simulated the thermal field of a hydro-generator with a 20 MW capacity under the effect of a plateau climate. Ambient pressure and temperature are two main factors that affect the temperature distribution of the generator. In addition, temperature distributions with different speeds are also studied under a plateau climate. The results show that the generator temperature decreases with increasing air pressure and speed. The generator temperature increases linearly with increasing ambient temperature. Among them, when the pressure lies in the range of 25–85 kPa, the temperature change gradient of the stator structure is very large. The temperature difference gradually decreases with the increase in air pressure. The temperature gradient gradually slows down when the air pressure is above 85 kPa. When the pressure is located at 55–85 kPa, the average temperature difference of the stator windings is 6.325 °C, and the average temperature difference of the stator core is 3.815 °C. Finally, the temperature distribution pattern can provide a basis for staff in different barometric pressure regions. It can also improve the safety and reliability of the hydro-generator under the effect of a plateau climate, which is important for improving its integrated hydraulic performance.