Reaction Turbines-I Introduction—Evolution of Reaction turbines—Evolution of ‘axial- flow turbines—Francis turbine—Draft tube—Power, losses and efficiencies of a Francis turbine—Francis turbine proportions— Outward vs. inward flow reaction turbines—Some Francis turb.ne installations in India —Deriaz turbine 61. Introduction As described in chapter 4, a reaction turbine isa pressure turbine i.e. the water enters the wheel under pressure after passing: through the guide vanes. At the outlet of turbine, the pressure is atmospheric or below atmospheric if the discharge is taken through a draft tube into the tail race. Owing to this difference of pressure, the water flows through the vanes of the turbine towards the outlet. Thus different pressures exist throughout the runner. The difference of pressure betveen guide vanes and the runner, called reaction pressure, is responsible for the motion of the runner. Therefore, such a turbine is also called a reaction turbine. As the water passes through the vanes, pressure energy is continuously converted into the velocity energy which is transferred to the wheel and it rotates. As areaction turbine operates under pressure and has more pressure at the inlet than at the outlet, the wheel must run fullina closed casing and water has to be admitted over the whole circum- ference of the wheel. Finally, water is discharged into the tailrace through a draft tube which is a closed tube of enlarging cross-section, the other end’ of which is submerged in the tailrace. 62. Evolution of Reaction Turbines The power produced by a turbine is proportional to QH. If, the demand permits, we would like to produce as much power possible from a unit. If the water is available in abundance at high? altitudes, obviously we can produce as much power as desired. The design criteria will only be limited by mechanical considerations: of the turbine ie. material, space etc. and not by hydraulic considerations.But in a bid to tap more resources of power, medium and low heads are also to be utilised. For low heads (#7) and limited flow (Q) itis not recommended to go for power production as it can be too lpm to bear the cost of production. In cases where enough quantity of water flows at low heads and it is desired to produce as much power as possible by increasing i discharge Q (H is limited), design criteria for a turbine will be on goss ed noton mechanieal.considerations. But,is it possible to.increase Q to any extentin a turbine to get high power ? From the discussion on Pelton turbines in chapter 5, itis: ebserved that the impulse wheel gives best performance or highest*offjeiency when its speed ratio is approximately 0°46. ie K= u nm DN __ pe u— / 22H 60 V/2gH This means, for low heads H, either D or N has to be reduced to-maititain this constant speed ratio. But N, speed of the runner, SatrHtofl Be decreased as the turbines are to be coupled with high speed ee “generators. Thus, diameter of the runner D has to be . "With limited size of the runner, discharge through the Hegzie WIM alse be limited due to jet ratio limitations. Hence, Pelton Sibings eee me unsuitable for low heads. This. limitation of Pelton or impulse turbines led to the westigatien of some other type of turbines. As a result, reaction turbine came into existance in which water is admitted all around the turbine runner under pressure and turbine functions under a i of’ pressure between the inlet and the outlet. For such a ype ePeabInE, it has been found that speed ratio can be increased safely to a higher value to have larger wheels that will admit high. flow to.pass through them. 63, Sivetqtion of Axial Flow Turbines 046 In a reaction turbine, water has to enter either around the pele ircumference and come out axially along the shaft for ey reversely, it can enter the centre and move outwards. Another alternative is that the water is admitted axially from one side or face of the runner and comes out from the other. Neglecting the effect of thickness of runner blades, flow through @ reaction turbine at any point in the runner is given by, Q= Area of flow x Velocity of flow =Circumference of ranner x Width x Velccity of flow. =nDXx BXV; sehere = Velocity of flow at the point. B=Width of runner perpendicular to V+. Thus the flow can be increased by increasing either D, B or VrTo study the effect of Vs, consider the three possible outlet: velocity triangles shown in Fig. 6°1. Yo or, energy conversion in the turbine =9(H—h’) -—[ ve (ws Fe Ve )] =ga—n') -[ 2 —on'— Vat 2 Obviously, the term V4?/2 is smaller than V,?/2, which shows that the energy transfer in the turbine has been further increased. Energy variation for such a tube has been shown in Fig. 6'7 (d). Height of a Draft Tabe. The maximum height of the turbine above tailrace level and the length of the draft tube are influenced by the following two considerations : =gH— 1. The flow ina draft tube is a diverging one, i.e. Area of cross-section of the flow increasees in the direction of the flow. Also the pressure at the outlet of the draft tube is lower than at the inlet. In such cases there is a danger of flow separation from the walls of the draft tube which may result in the formation of eddies and los; is there. The phenomenon is known as separation. It. has been found from cxperience that the total angle of divergence sheuid not exceed 9 to 10 degrees.2. Use of draft tube creates a vacuum or negative pressure at the outlet of the turbine. Lowering of pressure of any fluid lowers its boiling point also. Thus, in case the height of the turbine is raised above a certain value, there is probability that the water starts boiling at the room temperature and bubbles are formed. When these bubbles reach some region of increased pres— sure, they collapse and, with high pressure, collide with the surface in. contact and in due course of time, pits or cavities are formed there: The phenomenon is known as cavitation and will be discussed in chapter 12. Hence every effort should be made to avoid cavitation. Efficiency of Draft Tube. If Az represents the friction and’ other losses in the draft tube, then efficiency of the draft tube is given by, —(Vo2—Va?)/2—ghr. ma VF—Va)]2 +(6°4): Types of Draft Tubes. Following are the usual form of” draft tubes : 1. Conical Tube. It is a simple divergent tube of increased area. It should be sufficiently immersed in water so that its outlet end remains in water even if the water level in the tail race falls. The angle of divergence should not be more than 9 to 10 degrees as. discussed earlier. It should be tong enough to decrease the velocity at its outlet to about 1 m/s. It is used where sufficient depth of" water in tailrace is there. Its efficiency is around 90%. 2. Spreading Tube or Hydracone. The design of the spreading draft tube was introduced by ‘Moody’. Annular area is. provided by a solid conical section inside, that gives increase in area in lesser length of the tube. Therefore, it is suitable where conicaf tube is not able to give sufficient increase in area due to separation problems. When ihe turbine runs at part louds, the outlet velocity no: longer remains radia! and there is a component of whirl which may produce eddies in the flow. A spreading tube helps in reducing the Bene. component. The efficiency of this tube is approximately fo. : 3. Elbow Tube. Sufficient increase in areca can be made im lesser depth by giving a bend to the tube. It is suitable where it is not possible to dip the tube into the tail race sufficiently below the level. This also gives the outgoing flow a direction consistent with the flow in the tailrace, Outlet of the elbow tube can be made either circular or rectangular in section. The efficiency of the former is 60% whereas the latier has a little higher efficiency.Various types of draft tubes have been shown in Fig. 6°9. (a) Conical (6) Spreading high-cone (©) Spreading low-cone (d) Elbew, circular outlet pt (©) Elbow, rectangular outlet Fig. 6-9. Example 61. What will be the increase in power and efficiency of @ reaction turbine producing 500 kW, under a head of 6mada . of 10 m/s, if ite draft tube of cylindrical cross-section of diameter 1°75 m iz replaced by a tapered one having an outlet diameter of 2m. Assume efficiency of the draft tube 92%. Sol. H=6m Q=10 m*/s P=500 kw na=0°92 Di =175m De=2mVelocity at the inlet of draft tube 10 i Vom Sap TeF = 416 m/s Velocity at the outlet of draft tube, 10 : Vox Taye 3 18 m/s «. Head gained -( od) x tha 29 4°16°—3°18? 7 -( es )xo-92 =0°337 m Head increase Origiral head = 2332 x 500 ~. Increase in power = xP =28':08 kW pes . ee 500 Original ficiency, "= $0 Gar = TOOOXTOXS BINS =0°85 or 85%. -. Gain in efficiency i pp Nicnb# = Original efficieney x Gree fe Bower / aa 4 ton Ceased ports | =0'85 x 28°08 Z ! \ 500 ael =0°0477 or 477%. ©6. Power, Losses and Efficiencies of a Francis Turbine Various losses and efficiencies occurring in a turbine have been descrifed in chapter 4. These are again given below in brief. 1. Hydraulic efficiency. We know that, Power produced by runner/unit mass=Viti-LVvotls. . But asthe reaction turbines are usually designed for radial flow ‘at the outlet and the whirl component V’... is zero, < 3Pdwer:produced/unit mass e =Vuoiti Power input to the runner/unit mass =gH“. Hydraulic efficiency, ee Vooiths | If blade losses due to friction, eddies etc. are neglected, energy loss will be only in the form of velocity energy loss at the outlet and the energy utilised by the runner will be ( gH- > and aie .-(6°5) While solving problems, the condition of frictionless blades may be assumed, if not stated otherwise. 2. Volumetric Efficiency. Volumetric loss occurs due to the leakage of water through the side clearance between the runner and the casing. Let Q=Total discharge through the turbine Q.=Actual quantity of water striking the blades Qc=Quantity of water not striking the biades. Then volumetric efficiency Qa _ Q-Qu (6°6) Qa @ 3. Mechanical Efficiency. Mechanical losses occur in the bearings of the shaft and the wind friction (friction encountered by a rotating wheel in a fluid). Thus the energy available at the shaft end is further reduced. Mechanical efficiency, 7 , Shafi output om Runner output Runner output = Actual mass of water striking the blades Runner output/unit mass = Qa Vit Shaft output seat we We (67) 4. ‘Overall Efficiency. It takes into account all the losses Occurring in the turbine and it is the ratio of the shaft output to ths -available power.Thus overall efficiency, _ _ Shaft output ‘e~ Available power ___Shaft output pg. QH Shaft output Qa Viti = 2.Qa Puts SJ Vei Vi (Bi-% Fig. 6°11 Thus P=(1000 x 2°93 x 25°76 x 20°94) W =1586'5 kW Vow ©) m= 25°76 X 2094 = 981 X60 / =0°916 or 916% "Example 6:4, An inward-flow reaction turbine operates under a head of 45m. Diameters at the iniet and the outlet ure 09m and 0°6 m respectively. The runner has a constant width of 12 cm through out. Blade angle at the outlet is 15°. Discharge velocity is 3°5 m/s and és radial at the outlet. Assuming hydraulic efficiency of 90%, find (a) Speed of the turbine (0) Discharge (c) Inlet blade angles of fixed and the moving blades (a) Power produced. Sol.— 7D. N (@) Uo= = forjwhich{u, is}given by the relation, tan B= ae 2 3°5 uo or tan 15°= Uo= 13°06 m/s == of <4} or Fig. 6°12. _ Gaz EX OOXN 13°06 20 N=415'7 rpm. ® Q=nD.B, Vio =nx06X012X3'S =0°792 m/s. Vii ot © tan o,= We have, Q=r Di BV =KRDoBV 0 xXx0°9XO12X Vi=x X06 X0'12K3°5 i Vese=2°33 m/s orrDN and “=a __ ®x09x415'7 ~ 60 =19°59 m/s Also Vwi=20°28 m/s 2°33 20°28 a= 6° 33’ fe Vii tan B= Ae aie _ 233 ~~ 20°28— 19°59 B:=73° 30° (d) Power =pQ Voi uy =(1000 x 0°792 x 20°28 x 19°59) W =3146 kW. Example 65. 4 Francis turbine has a constant flow velocity of :2°5 m/s through the turbine and the discharge is radial. Width of the turbine at the inlet is 22 cm and the guide blade angle is 15° tothe dangent of the wheel. Diameters of wheel at the inlet and the outlet are 0°8 m and 0°6 m respectively which runs at 200 rpm. Find (a) Absolute velocity of water at the inlet (®) Runner blade angles (c) Power developed (d) Hydraulic efficiency of turbine. ‘Thus tan %j—= =0'1148 =3°377 ‘Sol. N=200 rpm . Vye=Vse=2'5 m/s B;=0°22 m. aj=15°. ‘@ Va=V; sin 2°5=V; sin 15° Vi=9'66 m/s. @) tan B= — 24 VitWe have ur zee X08 x 200 60 8°38 m/s. V; cos %; 9°66 cos 15° =9'33 m/s Fates —~J and Vu Fig. 6-13. 2:5 4 Ss tan P:= 933-838 =2'632 Bi =69° 12’ Tr tan Corte Do But Uo= = mee x 0°6 x 200 Bo=24k° 42” (c) Power P=0Q Vwi wi where Q=nD.B; Vs: mxO'8 X022x2'5 =1°38 m3/s." P=(1000 x 1°38 x 9°33 x 8°38) W =1079 kW. Voi Hi @ WOH 2H can be found out from the relation, 2 gH— ue = Vii Uy +592 gH=933x 8384+ 22P =81°31. ; = 933x838 i us Brat =0°962 or 962%. Example 6°6. Runner diameter of a reaction turbine is 3 m at the inlet and 2 m at the outlet. Its inlet vane angle is 120°. Discharge through the turbine is 80,000 litres/s which is radial at the outlet having a velocity of 13°5 m/s. Working head for the turbine is 160 m. Assume width of the wheel constant. Hydraulic efficiency is 90%. Determine : (a) Power produced (b) Speed of the turbine. Sol. H=160m Vjo= 13'S m/s Di=3m Q=80 m3/s D,=2 m Be== 120° Bs’ =180°—120°=60°, .(@) =— OVy; ue Wehave Q=« DiBV p=" D,BV jo or RX3XVe=eX2X13°S (Cv Be=B,) or Vyi=9 m/s — Vier te UV wi) Un — ogee _ un tac Be’) ua ( at ete) io, (&—9 cot 60°) us oe 9°81 x 160 Fiz. 614u4= 40°27 m/s Vor=u—Vw1 =40'27—9 cot 60°= 35°08 m/s P=(1000 x 80 x 35°08 x 40°27) W =113'013 kw. x DN () “=H ax3xN 60 N=256'4 rpm. 40°27 = Example 6°7. An inward-flow reaction turbine is supplied 300 lsres of water per second. Outlet pipe of the turbine is 36 cm in Gamster. The turbine works under a head of 35 m. Radial velocity of lew through the wheel is same as velocity in the oulet pipe. Wheel velovity at the inlet is 20 m/s. Find (a) Guide blade angles (6) Blade angles at the inlet (c) Power developed. Sol. H=35 m; ui=20 m/s D,=D,=0°36 m Q= 300 lit/s=0°3 m°/s. (@) tan ai ape As O=n/4 D,? Vio 0°3=n/4 (0°36) Vo "947 m/s. Also, Vr=Vjo=2-947 ms Vee 2 Vio= and Vo, u=gH— Vwi X 20=9'81 x3s— OOa Vin =16°95 m/s. 2°947 16°95 un 9° 52’. tan a= =0°174Fig. 6°15 = Penile Pepe tutti Oar © tan Be gy = 169s = 0966 Bi’ = 44° i= (180° —44°) = 136°. (c) P= OVwi mu = (1000 x 0°3 x 16°95 x 20) W=101'7 kW. Example 6°8. 4 Francis turbine has inner diameter of wheel 0°6 times the outer diameter. Water enters the turbine at 12° to the tangent of the wheel Blade angles are radial at the inlet. Velocity of flow is constant through the turbine and is 2°5 m/s. Speed of the runner is 280 rpms The width of wheel at the inlet is 10 cm. 5% of area of flow 4s blocked by runner blades. Determine (a) The inner and the outer diameters of wheel (8) Working head (c) Blade angles at the outlet (@) Power produced. Sol, BH0lm — V,,.=Vj.=2°5 m/s k=1—0°5S=0°95 N=280 rpm ai=12° D,=0°6 Dt Bs=90°. D, is the diameter at the outlet and not outer diameter.(2) 14-2 DN Vin As tan a= Vor 5 25 tan 12°= Voor ‘wi=11°76 m/s. ua+=Vi= 11°76 m/s. B 7 2D x 280 o 11-76— = Di=0°802 m. (Outer diameter) D,=0°802 x 0°6 =0°481 m (inner diameter) 2 ® gH Vin Vous , Vo? z +a ag . 11°76 x 11°76 (2°5)? = F8i + oxog 71442 m. or H= (c) tan B,= oe where Ug= ae 25280 =7'056 m/s tan Bp= = 7 = smear = 0°354 o=19° 31’ (a) PW» ius But Q=knD BW 0°95 xx x 0°802 x O°1 x 2°5=0°598 m/s P=(1000 x 0°598 x 11°76 x 11°76) W = (82°76 108) W or 82°76kW Example 6'9. Ina turbine with radial vanes at the inlet, the velocity of flow at the outlet is k times that at the inlet. Prove that, 2 @ = TR tan a, eae 2gH ® wa SER aaSol. The inlet angles of the vanes are radial or Bi=90° Also Uj=Vy, and Vo=Vj=kV pt Poe 4 Fig, 6°17 Viyitty ue @ uw" SH git Ve? We have, gH. -— z= Voy tlt V2 or sy + @ V, is given by, tan aye 2A > eo Vovt or Vei=Vyo; tan on or kVp =kVy, tan a (Multiplying by & on both sides) or Vye Voi tan xe Vro=kV pi) or Vo=k.u tan ai Vy and Vyy=V_) (i) becomes, 2 tan? eH— Fug = ne 2 tan? or gH=ue ( 14H ura) (ii) ue 2 1 2+ tan? os(8) From (ii) peer eee ee Seance ii tant ai 2+K* tan® x 14S 2 2gH_ bi 2+K? tan® ai Example 6°10. The following data relate to a reaction turbine = Head= 130 m Discharge=60 m/s Power=68000 kw Runner diameter=3 m Number of pairs of poles of the alternator =12 Frequency=50 Hz. Determine the speed ratio and the overall efficiency. Assuming a hydraulic efficiency of 92%, find the degree of reaction of the turbine. Sol. N= SL Owe 25 Tpm. jee ON “ 9/2gH 60 4/2gH meX3xX250 =O \7 3x9 81x 130 = 39°27 x 0°0198=0°78 titer Ne 2H 68000 x 108 : = JOO x60xF8Ix1350 ~ 7 888 Degree of reaction -=1— Ey (Eq. 1°46) Qu? 9°81 x 130x0°92 =1— ax Goa OO