CFD based analysis of silt erosion in Kaplan hydraulic turbine

Abstract

Indian hydro power plants operating in geographically young Himalayan range have to handle silt laden flow particularly during monsoon periods. Equipment like hydro turbines causing severe damage and show declined performance after few years of operation. They get severely damaged under erosive wear. One of the major consequences of this erosive wear is gradual loss in efficiency. This paper presents CFD analysis to evaluate the efficiency of Kaplan turbine under different silt parameters. The simulation has been carried out at four different operating points in order to analyze the regions of high pressure and high velocity. The results show that the regions around trailing edge are found to be more affected due to silt erosion. Further, the CFD results are compared with the field data which are found to be in good agreement. © 2016 IEEE.