Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.

Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro

projects based on numerical flow analysis

by
Jacek Swiderski
Swiderski Engineering
Ottawa, Canada

Preamble
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) already established its strong presence in the
hydropower industry as an engineering tool. Since 1842, when Navier in France first
formulated general form of equations, enhanced later by Stokes in England, which in
their opinion gave complete description of behavior of the viscous compressible flow,
application engineers had to wait many years before a practical solution to it was
found.
So now we have 3D viscous flow, multiple frame of reference, multi-block, structured
or non-structured grids, two cavitation models, transient states simulations, two
turbulence models to suit our needs. This presentation is about selected practical
applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based on CFX-TASCflow
software.

Why would older turbines need to be upgraded – classical design methods

Classical design methods, used in development of turbines in question, had been

published and lectured for many years. Until today, we do not have a consistent
theory on how to solve a 3D design problem, although we know how to simulate the
3D real water flow with a very good proximity, which very often is within a physical
measurements error.

As we know today, from sophisticated observations conducted in fluid dynamics (

i.e.: hydro and aero) laboratories and from the CFD results that there are several
factors, which are neglected in the 2D theories. Let’s attempt to list them:

a) Flow around the leading edge – air and water – big difference
b) Existence of 3rd dimension component of the flow within the blade-to-blade
space of a turbine runner
c) The upstream influence

As the leading edge flow can be resolved with the 2D approach, the flow - and
therefore energy and momentum transfer between the analyzed surfaces is, by the
2D theory neglected.
Omissions or simplifications of the above listed aspects result in a sometimes-
significant discrepancy of the desired and tested turbine performances. The model
testing therefore must be a part of a design process. So how efficient could it be, if
the construction of a physical model is included, testing numerous modifications?
This very costly and time labor consuming process could be implemented by large

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Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.
Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

organizations, which are involved in major projects. Thanks to scalability of fluid

behavior, the small hydro industry could apply some of hydraulic solutions from the
large hydro projects.

Experimental verifications

The crucial feedback, which had to come from laboratory investigations, regarded
general performances of the turbine like output, efficiency, cavitation, as well as
some/limited observations of the turbine behavior e.g. stability/pressure pulses It is
difficult, even applying sophisticated observations methods, to determine local flow
phenomena, which could help to locate any source of the undesired behaviors. The
observer associated with the stationary reference system, can make only indirect
measurements (i.e. strobe light) and observations, which were difficult to translate
to a set of data helpful to make a decision on how to modify the hydraulics of the
turbine to reach a goal.

Design based on CFD verification

Following the assumption that results of CFD analysis represent a real flow, the
virtual hydraulic laboratory can be established. This would allow conducting various
observations of the flow – the observatory can travel into areas, which are physically
impossible to reach in the real laboratory and observations can be made in stationary
and rotating coordinate systems. With this new laboratory, the design process can
proceed as per the classical algorithm (model-testing-observations-corrections), or
other methods can be explored, while the entire process can be programmed.

The following are major design strategies exercised by the industry:

(A) Classical design approach:

model – CFD analysis– observations – modifications

(B) Newer approach – as above, but atomized:

model generation – CFD analysis – decision on shape modification

(C) Attempts to solve reverse problem – should there be a strict mathematical to

the N-S equations, the solution to a problem of finding a shape of flow
channel to achieve certain effect would be possible. As there is no such a
solution yet, theoretical attempts are dealing with certain simplifications to
the NS equations, so they are easier to solve mathematically. However the
flow phenomena presented by the mathematical model is getting further from
the near-reality description.

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Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.
Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

Methodology of an upgrade
The following are steps, which must be undertaken in order to successfully complete
and upgrade project:
1) Numerical model – full geometry of the turbine including
- Intake
- Spiral casing
- Distributor (all stay vanes and wicket gates)
- Runner
- Draft tube
2) Tuning-up the numerical model
- Grid quality: verification and refinement. Based on couple of runs of the flow
analysis, the nodes distribution is adjusted according to the velocity/pressure
field.
- Operating parameters. In the non-dimensional factors, the CFD results must be
within a certain range from the field measurements.
3) CFD analysis – flow solver
4) Analysis of results
- Energy dissipation field (losses).
- Pressure gradients – estimate possibilities for cavitation
- Determination of the flow areas, where the velocity field has highest non-
uniformity
5) Strategy for upgrade based on expected cost/benefit ratio
- Intake shape
- Distributor (wicket gates profile, stay vanes set-up)
- Runner design
- Draft tube shape

intake casing stay ring wicket gates

runner

draft tube elbow

draft tube extension

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Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.
Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

Upgrades implemented
Spiral Case Kaplan Unit

Vertical Kaplan turbine unit, designed in 1970’s, tested in laboratory, was

commissioned in early 1980’s. The nominal capacity of this unit is 2400 kW, however
the maximum power a turbine has been able to reach was 2250 kW. As the machine
operates under the design nominal Net Head, it was proposed to the owner to
conduct full CFD-based diagnostics of the turbine unit to locate possible points of
improvement. The flow simulation of the entire turbine pointed to two major areas
for improvement:
1) Stay ring
2) Runner blades
The design team decided that the stay vanes modification must be conducted first,
because it could improve runner inflow significantly. The applied solution was not
ideal, due to time constrains, however the project is a very good example of the bad
spiral case-stay ring assembly design. As it is clearly visible on the presented flow
field pictures, each stay vane had to have different position, in order to minimize
head lo9sses within the distributor. It is a very common situation for non-proper
spiral case design.
After the CFD model was tuned-up, the design work progressed and the final new
stay vanes position and shape was found to minimize hydraulic losses in the
distributor. The predicted increase of the power output (simulation of the entire
turbine – approx. 1.2 million nodes), due to efficiency and flow increase was 8.2%.
The guaranteed increase of 2.0% was enough to justify an expense of stay vanes
replacement. Having two identical units, the owner decided to conduct modification
on unit 1 and compare production figures of both units. After over 4 months, 8%
increase in energy production was recorded, and the customer decided to conduct
modification on the second unit.

Modification of the stay vanes position resulted in 8% energy production

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Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.
Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

Semi-Spiral Case Kaplan Unit

Semi-spiral cases are formed out of concrete, which, in belief of many, makes no
difference to the turbine performances because velocities are low anyways. It is not
for the first time, that we analyzed the distributor inflow conditions, and the results
tend to repeat. Quite bad inflow conditions on one side of the runner and very good
on the other side is a typical observation one can make analyzing results of the
numerical flow simulation.

Bad inflow
conditions

Good inflow
conditions

Flow lines (streaklines) released at selected points of the turbine inlet.

(a) (b)

Illustration of the velocity (a) and energy (b) fields in Kaplan turbine distributor.

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Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.
Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

Semi-spiral Kaplan unit – cavitation diagnostics

The erosion on runner blades of this 6-blade Kaplan runner caused the tip of the
trailing edge to fall off on all blades. During full power operation the tip of the
blade, which eroded away was in “overhung” position (below sphere-cone transition
of the throat ring).

CAVITATING ZONE

Cavitation is formed just upstream the blade, so by the time bubbles implode; the
blade tip enters the area. This zone results as the overall flow at the blade –to-blade
space – in order to eliminate this zone, the blade geometry must change.

Streaklines released from the zone of interest upstream and downstream allow
tracking down the source of a problem. In this case, the two colliding streams create
a very low-pressure zone, which results in cavitation at the site conditions.

Local erosion at the blade inlet edge tip – Kaplan turbines

A very common problem in many existing Kaplan turbines consists in erosion

observed at the runner blade tip near the leading edge and on the throat ring inlet.
The inflow conditions at this area of the runner blade are complicated and can be
well studied via the CFD. During the operation at large blade opening, which related
to the full or near-full power point, the blade-throat ring gap increases as much as 5
times the design value. As this happens, the wicket gates are at largest opening and,
what is common to any Kaplan turbine design, their tip is hanging into the runner
flow passage.
Therefore the following influences the local flow conditions in the area:

a) Tip of the wicket gate trailing edge (stationary)

b) Transition radius of the bottom distributor – throat ring
c) Tip of the runner blade leading edge (rotating)

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Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.
Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

This is the most complicated and most sensitive to local cavitation configuration,
known to the Author. The numerical analysis, giving a clear picture of the local flow
field, shows well what kind of measures should be undertaken to limit the probability
of creation of the cavitational erosion.

Area of local instabilities in classical Kaplan turbines causing localized cavitation and
energy loss

Various view angles - observations of the flow around the tip of the leading edge of
Kaplan runner at full load position.

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 Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.
Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

Upgrades by replacing Francis runner

Nowadays, many understand this approach as the most economically sound

investment in hydropower. Flexibility of CFD techniques enables to make custom
design runner, which will use available water more efficiently, therefore generating
more revenue. Following the general methodology presented earlier, two Francis
turbines were upgraded last year by replacing runners only. The expected
performances stated, based on the flow simulation matched results of the field test.

Site 1
Hnet = 50m
Generator output guaranteed = 1615 kW
Generator output achieved = 1725 kW
Output increase: 15%

Final verification of the newly designed runner is conducted for the entire turbine.
output guaranteed = 5000 kW
Generator output achieved = 5200 kW

Page 8 of 10
Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.
Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

Site 2
Hnet = 105m
Output before the upgrade = 4500 kW
Output after the upgrade (only runner replaced) = 5200 kW

(a) (b)

Replacement Francis runner – static pressure distribution and streaklines on the

surface of the runner blade: (a) full power, (b) part load.

Site 3
Hnet = 67 m
Generator output = 1300 kW
Goal of refurbishment: elimination of cavitation and efficiency increase
At the manufacturing stage

Replacement Francis runner – preliminary design for the ongoing project.

Design

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Small Hydro Workshop. Montreal 2004.
Recent approach to refurbishments of small hydro projects based on numerical flow analysis
Jacek Swiderski

Acknowledgment
The Author has a duty and privilege to express sincere appreciation to the owners
and a crew of Norcan Hydraulic Turbine Inc., the company, which implements, on
everyday basis, turbine designs provided based on the CFD. This company
completed successfully projects presented in this paper.

References
1. Implementations of Computational Fluid Dynamics in a design practice - virtual
hydraulic laboratory, HYDROFORUM 2000, Poland, co-author J. Martin.
2. CFX - design tool for small hydro - in autumn newsletter, AEA Technology
Engineering Software Ltd.
3. Automated runner blade design optimization process based on CFD verification,
Waterpower XII, Salt lake City, 2001, co-authors: J. Martin, R. Norrena.
4. Application of CFD Turbine Design for Small Hydro Elliott Falls, A Case Study,
Waterpower XII, Salt lake City, 2001, co-author Bennett K.,
5. Solving Small Hydro Problems with Computational Fluid Dynamics (co-authors: K.
Bennett, J-X. Huang), Hydro Review magazine, vol. XXI, No 1, March 2002
6. Design optimisation of replacement Francis runner – CFD application in an
optimization algorithm, J. Swiderski 13th International on Hydropower Plants,
Vienna 2004 (to be published).

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