Flow Deflection between Guide Vanes in a Pump Turbine Operating in Pump Mode with a Slight Opening

Abstract

During the startup and shutdown processes of a reversible-pump turbine (RPT) working in pump mode, abnormal sounds and vibrations usually occur in the distributor when the guide vanes (GVs) are at a slight opening (max opening of about 6%). The objective of this paper is to apply a three-dimensional numerical CFD method to study the unsteady flow behavior in the guide vane region of a pump turbine operating in pump mode. The dynamic meshing technique is introduced to simulate the startup and shutdown processes, and it is shown to be critical in accurately capturing the details of the flow pattern variations. In addition, the RNG k-epsilon two-equation turbulence model is applied and the governing equations are discretized with the finite volume method. Moreover, the boundary conditions are set through the calculation of the transient process of the power station. The results show that the main flow between the GVs is deflected during the startup and shutdown processes. In the shutdown process, the deflection occurs when the guide vane opening (GVO) is between 1.99 and 5.32 degrees, on average. In the startup process, the deflection occurs when the GVO is between 2.83 and 4.11 degrees, on average. In these processes, the velocity field and pressure field change dramatically. Simultaneously, the hydraulic torque (HT) on the GVs has a sharp change. The abrupt change in the HT leads to vibrations and abnormal sounds.