Seminar Paper on

Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine

(A paper prepared for the Partial fulfillment of Undergraduate in Industrial Engineering)

By:
Shiva Kumar Thapa
Undergraduate in Industrial Engineering
Tribhuwan University
Institute Of Engineering (IOE),
Thapathali Campus
Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Get comments at: kumar7rela@gmail.com

November, 2010

Abstract

A perfect hydraulic design of turbine components, in principle, should yield cavitation-free

geometry. But when the surface integrity changes due to sand erosion even a cavitation-free
design is found prone to cavitation. The reason is that both the phenomena are more likely to
occur in high water velocity zones. Some of the eroded turbines have appearance of both sand
erosion and cavitation. Study and analysis of the synergistic effect of erosion with cavitation is
complex.
In the pages following cavitation in water is explained along with sand erosion and discussed as
it applies to hydraulic turbines. Applicable basic formulas are elaborated upon and the relative
merits of avoiding cavitation and sand erosion of minimizing its effects are presented. By
describing that efficiency upgrading to improve operational efficiency of hydraulic power plants,
this paper presents actual examples of performance improvement in the Francis Turbine. Visual
observation of the worn out parts indicates that combine effect of sand erosion and cavitation
erosion is more than sum of their individual effects. Case study in Middle Marsyangdi
Hydropower Station even elaborates the combined effect of Cavitation and Sediment Erosion in
Nepalese Hydropower. Ceramic coating and perfection in design is found to have better erosion
resistance in cavitation, sand erosion and their combined effect.

Keywords: cavitation, Sediment erosion, Francis Turbine, soft coating, hard coating, HVOF

1 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
Chapter-1
1.1 Introduction
The amount of maintenance required to keep hydroelectric generating units in repair and in top
operating condition is an important factor in the production of hydropower. Not only is the actual
cost of maintenance a considerable portion of the operating cost, but during periods of power
capacity shortages the outages for repairs can seriously reduce standby capacity.

The most troublesome maintenance problems encountered with hydraulic turbines are usually the
erosion, corrosion and pitting of runners and other turbine parts in contact with water under high
velocities. These three different types of wear are the result of three entirely different conditions.
Each type has a distinct characteristic appearance of its own, easily recognized by experienced
observers.

Erosion is caused by foreign matter such as sand, silt or glacial deposit in the water, and is most
serious in combination with high water velocities. Eroded material usually has smoothly cut
grooves that look as though they might have been gouged out with a chisel.

Corrosion is caused by the action of chemicals in the water. Corrosion damage has the appearance
of rusted iron or steel and looks as though the material were being removed in the form of flakes.
Corrosion is most active at points of high velocity, apparently because the flow removes the
protective rust coating and a new clean surface is continuously presented to the corrosive action.

Pitting is an eroding action produced by cavitation and occurs at points of low pressure and high
water velocities where there are changes in the shape of the passageway. Pitted material has a
large number of small craters or depressions which look as through tiny pieces of material had
been removed once at a time. This gives it a distinct rough appearance, and hence the name
pitting.

Of the three types of wear , the pitting produced by cavitation and erosion produced by sand is by
far the most common and therefore presents the biggest maintenance problem. However, before
considering various possible means for preventing, reducing or repairing pitting and sand erosion,
it is desirable to have a thorough understanding of the physical aspects of the cavitation
phenomenon and how it actually attacks material to produce pitting along with combined effect of
sand erosion.

1.2 CAVITATION

1.2.1 CAVITATION PHENOMENONA:

It is known that when velocity of flow increases, the pressure falls. In liquids, the pressure cannot
fall below vapour pressure which depends upon the temperature and height above mean sea level
of the site. In any part if the pressure drops below the evaporation pressure, the liquid boils and a
large number of small bubbles of vapour are formed. These bubbles mainly formed on account of
low pressure are carried by the stream to higher pressure zones where the vapours condense and
the bubbles suddenly collapse, as the vapours are condensed to liquid again. This results in the
formation of a cavity and the surrounding liquid rushes to fill it. The streams of liquid coming
from all directions collide at the centre of cavity giving rise to a very high local pressure whose

2 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
magnitude may be as high as 7000 atmospheres. Formation of cavity and high pressure are
repeated many thousand times a second. This causes pitting on the metallic surface of runner
blades of draft tube. The material then fails by fatigue, added perhaps by corrosion. During this
process some parts like runner blades may be torn away completely.

Cavitation may thus be defined as the phenomenon which manifests itself in the pitting of the
metallic surfaces of turbine parts because of formation of cavities. Cavitation has following
impact on the hydropower plant:
Cavitation can cause serious damage of turbines,
The efficiency of turbines and their power output are reduced,
Formation of bubbles and their sudden implosion create characteristic cavitational noise,
Cavitation makes turbines vibrate which can considerably damage a machine.

During cavitation the cavities may be formed on the solid surface or near to it. In case it does not
form on solid surface, the pressure generated in the cavity is propagated by the pressure waves
similar to ones occurring in water hammer. The intense pressure is accompanied by a considerable
vibration and noise.

In reaction turbines the cavitation may occur at the runner exit or the draft tube inlet where the
pressure is negative. The hydraulic machinery is affected by the cavitation in the following three
ways:

Roughing of the surface take place due to loss of material caused by pitting.
Vibration of parts is caused due to irregular collapse of cavities.
The actual volume of liquid flowing through the machine is reduced (since the volume of
cavities is many times more than the volume of water from which they are formed)
causing sudden drop in output and efficiency. (Rajput, 2009)

1.2.2 Cavitation Factor

Prof. Dietrich Thoma of Munich (Germany) suggested a cavitation factor (sigma to determine
the zone where turbine can work without being affected from cavitation. The critical value of
cavitation factor (c) is given by

c = (Ha-Hv)-h
H

Where Ha = Atmospheric pressure head in meter of water

Hv = Vapour pressure in metre of water corresponding to the water temperature
H = Working head of turbine (difference between headrace and tailrace level in meters)
h = Height of turbine outlet above tailrace level in meters.

The values of Ha with respect to the altitudes above sea level and the values of H,, with respect to
the water temperatures are tabulated in the tables (1.1) and (1.2). The values of critical factor
depend upon the specific speed of the turbine. The critical values of cavitation factors with respect
to specific speed are tabulated in tables.

3 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
 Table 1.3 Cavitation Factors

Francis Turbine
Ns c
50 0.04
100 0.05
150 0.07
200 0.1
250 0.1
300 0.2
350 0.27
(Rajput, 2009)

4 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
1.2.3 CAVITATION EROSION

Mechanical degradation of a solid material caused by cavitation is called cavitation erosion. Near
enough to the solid material. Cavitation erosion can be identified from a specific rough mark in
surfaces of component flow paths. Despite the great deal of research the actual mechanism of
cavitation erosion is still not fully clear. Cavitation erosion can be formed when cavity implosions
are violent enough and they take place. At present it is considered that there are two possible
mechanisms to cause cavitation erosion. When a cavity collapses within the body of liquid, the
collapse is symmetrical. The symmetrical collapse of a cavity emits a shock wave to the
surrounding liquid (see Figure 1.1).
When a cavity is in contact with or very close to the solid boundary, the collapse is asymmetrical.
In asymmetrical collapse the cavity is perturbed from the side away from the solid boundary and
finally the fluid is penetrating through the cavity and a micro-jet is formed (see Figure 1.1).

However, it has been stated [Hansson and Hansson (1992), Preece (1979)] that each of these
mechanisms has features that do not give a full explanation to the observed cavitation erosion
phenomena. The shock wave is attenuated too rapidly and the radius of the cavity micro-jet is too
small to produce the degree of the overall cavitation erosion. Nevertheless, when a cloud of
cavities collapses, the cavities do not act independently, but in concert (triggering each others
collapse). The collapse of the cavity cloud enhances the effects of the cavities adjacent to or in
contact with the solid boundary.
The degree of cavitation erosion is affected by various factors. The intensity of cavitation
determines the load, which is subjected to a solid surface. Geometry of flow paths, pressure
distribution in a system, and properties of fluid, including cleanliness level of the fluid determine
the intensity of cavitation. The solid material itself does not affect the existence of cavitation.
When cavitation exists, the formed cavitation erosion is dependent on material properties like
hardness, work hardening capability, and grain size. Also stress state and corrosion resistance of a
material affect the degree of cavitation erosion. In travelling cavitation, where cavities travel with

5 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
stream flow, cavitation erosion is not formed in the place where cavitation incepts, but further
downstream. This often leads to wrong conclusions when the reasons for cavitation are discussed
and preventive actions are often targeted to wrong locations.

1.2.4 Detection techniques

The methods to detect cavitation in real machines are based on the measurement and the analysis
of the induced signals. Detection is not an easy task because, depending on the turbine design and
the operating condition, the type of cavitation, its behaviour and its location are different. So, this
affects the nature of the excitation and determines the transmission path followed up to the sensor.
Furthermore, the measured signals can be contaminated by noise coming from other excitation
sources of hydrodynamic, mechanical or electromagnetic origin. Therefore, the selection of the
most adequate sensor and measuring position on the machine is of relevant importance to improve
the detection (Xavier Escaler et al., 2006). For vibration measurements, common locations are the
turbine guide bearing pedestal, the guide vane arm and the draft tube wall, meanwhile for pressure
measurements the possible places are the draft tube and the spiral casing walls. In addition,
measurements have to be carried out at different operating conditions to monitor the complete
machine operating range. Finally, the measured signals must be recorded with a sufficiently high
sampling frequency.

1.2.4.1 Structure and fluid-borne noise

The measurement and analysis of hydraulic noise are useful for investigating the features of the
cavitation phenomenon. For real machines, the correlation can be used in industrial applications
such as hydro turbines to monitor erosive cavitation. In fact, structureborne noise can be easily
measured in turbines. Fluid-borne noise can also be used but sometimes the location of a pressure
sensor close to the runner is not possible. Anyway, it must be taken into account that the
cavitation noise cannot be directly measured because the signals are attenuated during their
propagation. In spite of that, the spectral content of the high frequency signals and the modulating
frequencies still can be used for detection.

1.2.4.2 High frequency content

The study of vibration, acoustic emission and dynamic-pressure levels in the high frequency range
is a well-known technique to detect cavitation activity. The amplitude of a given frequency band
can be compared for the various operating conditions by computing the autopower spectrum of
the time signals. A uniform and sharp increase of this band in comparison with a cavitation-free
situation can indicate the presence of cavitation. The use of acoustic emission sensors serves to
extend this analysis to upper frequencies that the accelerometers cannot reach. The information
given by the high frequency spectral content sometimes is not conclusive because other
excitations such as rubbing can also provoke this symptom. So, an amplitude demodulation
technique has to be used to improve the diagnostic.

1.2.4.3 Low frequency content

Cavitation vortices and unstable cavities with a large oscillating volume provoke the perturbation
of the main flow and result in strong pressure pulsations inside the hydraulic system. This is the
case of the draft tube swirl in certain flow conditions. This low frequency fluctuation can be
detected by the use of pressure transducers flush-mounted on the draft tube wall. If the intensity of
the fluctuation is strong, the detection can also be made from structural vibrations. So, in this
case, the procedure only requires the analysis of the frequency content of the pressure and
vibration signals within a low frequency range.

6 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
1.2.4.4 Instrumentation
A complete measurement set-up has been used for field measurements. Vibrations have been
measured with general purpose piezoelectric accelerometers with mounted natural frequencies of
about 40 kHz and with acoustic emission sensors having a resonance frequency of about 200 Hz.
The vibration sensors have been calibrated prior to the measurements to verify their sensitivity
and typical frequency response. Dynamic pressures have been measured with piezoelectric
pressure sensors. A photoelectric tachometer probe has been used for contact-free detection of the
shaft rotation. The transducers have been conditioned and filtered to obtain the signals that have
been recorded with a RACAL V-Store tape recorder. A frequency band per channel of 100 kHz
has been used.(Xavier Escaler et al., 2006)

Chapter-2
2.1 SEDIMENT EROSION
Sediment erosion problem is a global operation and maintenance problem of hydropower plants.
Hydraulic turbine components operating in sediment-laden water are subject to abrasive and
erosive wear. This wear not only reduces efficiency and life of the turbine but also causes
problems in operation and maintenance, and ultimately leads to economic losses. Many
hydropower plants built on Sediment-loaded Rivers have faced serious problems of sediment
erosion during the first years of operation itself.
Sediment erosion is a phenomenon of mechanical wear of components. This is due to the dynamic
action of sediment flowing along with water impacting against a solid surface of hydraulic
components. Therefore, sediment flowing along with water passing through the turbine is the root
cause of sediment erosion in turbine components. The mechanical wear in hydraulic machinery is
mainly due to the suspended sediment in water, which is subjected to kinetic energy, the force of
gravity, viscosity, turbulence, centrifuge and cavitation. Even if minor abrasion may take place in
certain parts of hydro turbines, erosion is the main cause of the damage.

2.1.1 Mechanisms of solid particle erosion

In general, there are wide ranges of material degradation mechanisms. However, it can be
classified into three basic categories: mechanical, chemical and thermal actions, which are
considered the root causes of material separation as debris in erosion, but mechanisms for
reaching to those actions are different (Bhola, 2004). Figure 21 illustrates the different action
of solid particle erosion and its mechanisms.

7 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
2.2 Combined Effect of Cavitation and Sediment Erosion

Combined effect of sand erosion and cavitation erosion can be observed in high velocity regions
such as needle of Pelton turbine, guide vanes and runner blades of Francis turbine. One of the
regions in Francis turbine, where erosion caused by combined effect of cavitation and sand
erosion has been observed is the inlet region of runner blade where it joins with the hub and
shroud as shown in Figure 2.2. This cavitation erosion is caused by collapse of bubbles generated
at the guide vane shaft in the gaps between the vane and face plate. The cavitation damage in the
Pelton bucket together with sand erosion can be seen in Figure 2.3. The ripples formed by sand
erosion in needle are shown in Figure 2.4 while combined effect of sand erosion and cavitation
can be seen in Figure 2.5 with sharp pits. The damage of guide vane can be seen in Figure2.6 and
groove formed due to horse shoe vortex in presence of sand can be seen in Figure2.7.

8 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
(Study of Combined Effect of Sand Erosion and Cavitation in Hydraulic Turbines, 2007)

9 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
Chapter-3
3.1 Case Study of Middle Marsyangdi Hydropower Plant

The 70MW Middle Marsyangdi Hydropower Plant (MMHPP) is located in Lamjung district in the
middle of Nepal. It has 96.4 m gross head and is designed for annual production 398 GWh.
Though this project has finished its commissioning in 2008 December, the project has started to
measure sediment concentration of the flowing water at three points (at center of Reservoir, after
de-sander and from draft) only from July 2010. Maximum suspended sediment concentration is
recorded as 5440 PPM on 17 July 2010 at reservoir level at 622.98 with gate-3 opening
of140mm(Laboratory of MMHPP, 2010). In 2011 the maximum suspended sediment
concentration is on 20 July- 21676 PPM at intake, 16 July-4092PPM at desander and 30 July-
5922 at draft tube (Sediment Lab MMHPP, 2011). The mineralogical content in of sediment in
this project is 60% Quartz, 30 % Feldspar 10 % Mica (Chaudhary, 1999). This power plant has
two Francis turbines each having 13 blades made up of 13Cr4Ni stainless steel (O&M Manual).
In spite of proper functioning of settling basin according to design criteria, huge quantity of fine
sand is passing through the turbine each year. These sediments are monitored by taking 2 samples
of suspended sediment every day in the draft tube of Unit 2, intake and desander. The particle size
distribution (PSD) of sediment sample from the turbine showed that more than 80% of sediment
was of less than 0.075 mm whereas particles greater than 0.125 mm are negligible. The annual
average sediment concentration through turbine is almost about 1200 PPM. Runner blades, guide
vanes, facing plates, labyrinth seal and shaft seals are most eroded components of turbines at this
power plant. Erosion effect was most critical at 16 mm from the band at the outlet edge of the
blade. From the shutdown of 15 November 2010, based on observations of 13 blades of unit 1,
each and every blade had eroded in the area of water outlet though no change in the thickness of
blade. Similar type of erosion was found in unit 2 blade. The runner gap has increased to some
extent. The guide vane clearance was increased from 0.3 mm to 0.75 mm. The lower ring of
runner was eroded to greater extent. (Raut, 2010)

3.1.1 Sediment Concentration Data Of MMHPP During The Monsoon Period

2067

Sediment Concentration(ppm)
6000

5000 5440 ppm 17

july,el.622.98

4000
desander 17
29 Oct, 2010
2240 PPM,17
ppm

3000

2000 29 Oct,2010 p/h

draft tube 68

1000
937 ppm 23
0

Intake (ppm) date Desander (ppm)

10 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
2068

25,000
ppm
MMHEP - Graph 1
Sediment Concentration at the Intake and the Desander (ppm)
Chronological order
20,000

15,000

Intake
10,000 Desander
Linear (Intake)

5,000 Linear (Desander)

Date
0

15-ago

22-ago

29-ago
11-jul

18-jul

25-jul

12-sep

19-sep

26-sep
1-ago

8-ago
4-jul
20-jun

27-jun

5-sep

3-oct

10-oct

17-oct
6,000
ppm
MMHEP - Graph 2
Sediment Concentration at the Desander and the Draft Tube (ppm)
Chronological order
5,000

4,000
Draft Tube
Desander
3,000

2,000

1,000

Date
0
15-ago

22-ago

29-ago
11-jul

18-jul

25-jul

12-sep

19-sep

26-sep
1-ago

8-ago
4-jul
20-jun

27-jun

5-sep

3-oct

10-oct

17-oct

(Source: Sediment lab MMHPP)

11 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
3.1.2 Air Admission System

For hydraulic turbine, the operating points at partial flow rate are associated with a vortex at the
runner outlet, in the draft tube cone. Cavitation develops into the low pressure zone of the vortex
cone. (Monica Sanda Iliescu et al Gabriel Dan Ciocan, 2008 Feb). To avoid vortex developing in
draft tube the turbine is equipped with a natural air admission system into the runner cone in
MMHPP. When the load is fluctuated the air admission pipe sucks the air from power house
elevation and sends it to the crown of the runner through the hollow vertical shaft of the turbine.
Table 3.1 below show the air flow through the air admission pipe with the load variation.

Table 3.1 Air flow through the Air Admission Pipe with respect to Load Variation
Spiral Draft Velocity of
Air
Penstock Case tube Air in Air
S.N. Power(MW) Discharge
Pressure(bar) Pressure Pressure Admission
(m^3/s)
(bar) (bar) pipe (m/s)
1 16 9.59 9.81 1.67 4.5 0.090
2 17 9.91 9.78 1.66 7.2 0.144
3 18 9.7 9.89 1.66 6.2 0.124
4 19 9.84 10.05 1.67 6.0 0.120
5 20 9.77 9.82 1.66 6.5 0.130
6 21 9.76 9.69 1.67 1.4 0.028
7 22 9.61 9.67 1.68 1.7 0.034
8 23 9.6 9.63 1.64 1.4 0.028
9 24 9.65 9.61 1.66 3.0 0.060
10 25 9.57 9.88 1.66 0.5 0.010
11 26 9.6 9.56 1.66 0.3 0.006
12 28.5 9.51 9.47 1.66 2.1 0.042
13 30 9.55 9.29 1.68 0.1 0.002
0.160

0.140
Air suction from Air Admission Pipe(m 3/s)

0.120 Air Discharge

(m^3/s)
0.100

0.080

0.060

0.040

0.020

0.000
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28.5 30
Power out (MW)

Fig 3.1 Air Suction with respect to Load Variation

12 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
 Fig. 3.2 Air Suction Path in MMHPP

13 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
3.2 Runner Maintenance Review of MMHPP due to Cavitation and Sediment Erosion

The condition of runners was not found as bad as was expected. Only minor damages were observed at
both the runners. The area of the runner blades as well as runner ting mostly at outlet section was
found eroded little. In unit#1 , the area along the welded section of the blades and blades tips were
damaged whereas in Unit #2, the area above a the welded section was found damaged. The maximum
depth of the cavity was found to be 20 mm. Picture3.1 containing a few photographs shows the
damages of the runner due to erosion and cavitation.(2010)

Picture3.1. Damage to the runner

The cavities (eroded portion of runner rings as well as runner blades) were filled mainly by Arc welding with
special BOHLER brand welding electrodes and building up by TIG welding followed by grinding and cleaning.
Depending upon the depth of the cavities, no. of welding passes was made. At some places, only one welding
pass was enough whereas at other places even 7 to 8 welding passes were required in order to achieve the
finished surface. The length of the welding section varied from 10mm to maximum 100 mm. After getting
finished surface, the entire repaired surface was grit blasted with AlO 3 (Aluminum Oxide) grit prior to
application of soft coating.
Picture3.2 containing a few photographs shows the repair of runner under progress and finished surface after
grit blasting.

Picture3.2 Runner repair under progress

14 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
Runner Soft Coating
The overall condition of the runner soft coating was found good except a few eroded areas of the
runner blades and runner rings where it was found completely gone. Since the runner soft coating is
still good after facing two rainy seasons, it has been realized that the soft coating has performed very
well as it has served its purposes effectively and very efficiently in the manner it has protected the
runner significantly. If this coating had not been applied, the runner blades and runner rings would
have been eroded much faster and severely due to excessive silt contained in Marsyangdi water. And
we would have much more damages to the runner than what we have now.
After the surface preparation was carried out by grit blasting of the entire repaired surface, if was
cleaned with a special cleaner prior to primer application. Then the primer Metaline was applied and
left for curing for about six hours. After proper curing, the soft coating was applied with a specially
designed painting gun to the entire repaired surface in Unit#1. In Unit#2, however, the said coating
could not be applied at entire repaired surface due to insufficiency of soft coating material.
Alternatively, the remaining surface was coated with some similar elastomeric compound from
Belzona. Picture3.3. Containing a few photographs shows the primer and soft coating application
under progress and surfaces achieved after completion of the soft coating application.

Picture3.3. Soft coating under progress

15 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
Chapter-4

4.1 Results and Discussion

The removal of material from turbine component reduces mechanical strength of turbine and also
causes the disturbance in the flow pattern. Any uneven material removal from the runner damage
bearings and may also cause severe vibration and noise of the system. Another important effect of
turbine performance due to cavitation and sediment erosion is reduction in efficiency.

The drop in hydraulic efficiency in turbine is due to several reasons such as leakage of the water
without doing useful work. The head loss is subsequently high when there is leakage of water due to
cavitation and sediment erosion on the runner, wicket gate, wearing ring and facing plate. After the
overhauling of November, 2010 only 65% opening of wicket gates were sufficient for generating
35MW but now in 10 months period it requires 85% opening for same power generation (courtesy
MMHPP).

With the experience from measurements at Norwegian hydropower plants, Brekke (1978) proposed
the thumb rule for loss of efficiency of Francis turbine as If the total clearance between covers and
guide vanes have increased from 0.2% (new at full pressure) to 0.4% (after erosion), a loss of about
1% can be expected at best efficiency.
Here are some methods listed below to avoid cavitation and sediment erosion:
Runner/turbine may be kept under water. But it is not advisable as the inspection and repair
of the turbine is difficult. The other method to avoid cavitation zone without keeping the
runner under water is to use the runner of low specific speed.
The desander flushing should be done regularly in proper time so the sediment settle would
not enter in the tunnel toward the turbine.
The cavitation free runner may be design to fulfill the given conditions with extensive
research.
Air Admission system should be installed in the hydropower to reduce the vortex formation
on the suction side of the runner toward the draft tube cone.

16 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
 It is possible to reduce the cavitation and sediment erosion effect by selecting material which
resist better both the effect. The cast steel is better than cast iron and stainless steel or alloy
steel is still better than cast steel.
The cavitation and sediment erosion effect can be reduced by polishing the surface. The
runner blade inlet edges are hard coated while the surface are soft coated with metaline
785 elastomeric chemical. The chemical material is G-X5 Cr Ni 13 4 (OMM)
The cavitation may be avoided by selecting a runner of proper specific speed for given head.

4.2 Conclusion

There is a possibility of combined effect of sand erosion and cavitation in the hydraulic turbine
components. Even in cavitation free geometry, surface roughness due to sand erosion at high velocity
region may initiate cavitation erosion. The synergic effect of sand erosion and cavitation is more
pronounced than their individual effects. After the visual inspection of runner of MMHPP I have
known that, how devastating the effect of cavitation and sediment erosion is. From the case study of
Middle Marsyangdi Hydropower Plant, it is observed that the air admission system and soft coating
reduce considerably the erosion of turbine. But main attention should be given to the design of
turbine, material selection, specific speed and efficient sediment flushing arrangements.

4.3 Acknowledgements

My deep gratitude goes to the Tribhuvan University, Inistitute of Engineering, Thapathali Campus,
Thapathali for allowing me an opportunity to prepare this siminar paper in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the Degree of Bachelor in Industrial Engineering. Likewise I would like to express
my sincere gratitude to my senior teacher Dr. Govinda Raj Pokherel, Shambhu Yadav and Spandan
Mishra for his valuable guidance, continuous supervision and inspiration in completing this paper
work. Similarly my heartfelt thank goes to all the staff members of Middle Marsyangdi Hydropower
Plant, whom provided me required information and materials.

17 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011
4.5 Bibliography
Bhola, Thapa. 2004. Sand erosion in Hydraulic machinery. 2004.

2010. Completion report on shutdown repair and maintenance of plant. November 2010.

Monica Sanda Iliescu et al Gabriel Dan Ciocan, Francois Avellan. 2008 Feb. Analysis of the Cavitating Draft
Tube Vortex in a Francis Turbine. 2008 Feb.

O & M Manual Voith Hydro.

Rajput, R.K. 2009. A text book of fluid mechanics and hydraulic machines. s.l. : S.Chand & Company Ltd., 2009.

Raut, Suresh. 2010. Study of Erosion Behaviour of Runner and Guide Vane and its rectification in Hydropower
Station. 2010.

Study of Combined Effect of Sand Erosion and Cavitation in Hydraulic Turbines. Upadhyay, Bhola Thapa et al
Pralhad Chaudhary et al Ole G.Dahlhaung et al Piyush. 2007. 2007. International Conference on Small
Hydropower-hydro Sri Lanka.

Xavier Escaler et al., Eduard Egusquiza,Mohamed Farhat, Francois, Miguel Coussirat. 2006. Detection of
cavitation in hydraulic turbines. www.sciencedirect.com. [Online] 2006.

18 Seminar Paper on Cavitation and Sediment Erosion on Hydropowers Turbine September 2011