MI 304 FLUID MECHANICS

Lecture 13

B. K. Gandhi
 Turbine Classifications

(See Lecture 12) (Lecture 13) Kaplan

Mostly used turbines are  Pelton (Impulse), Francis, Kaplan, and 
Propeller (reaction )
Reaction turbines
These turbines work due to reaction of the pressure difference 
(head) between the inlet and the outlet of the runner.

Classifications of reaction turbines 

 Francis‐ Mixed Flow‐Medium heads (45m to 250m)‐ Medium 

discharge .

 Kaplan – Axial Flow‐Low heads (less than 45m)‐Maintenance 
easy due to adjustable runner blades‐High discharge.

 Propeller‐ Axial Flow‐Low heads (less than 45m)‐High 
discharge‐fixed runner blades.

 Francis is mostly installed because of its variable operational 
range. 
1.1 Francis Turbine
It is a reaction turbine developed by an
English born American Engineer, Sir J.B.
Francis.

His work on these turbines was remarkable

and Francis was able to achieve 88 percent Sir James B. France
efficiency rate. The Chief of Policy of water

At present the efficiency of 93-95% can be

achieved for Francis turbines.
1.2 Main Components of Francis turbine  
1. Inlet casing
2. Stay vanes
3. Guide vanes
4. Runner blades
5. Draft tube

Inlet /Spiral casing Draft tube Runner blades

1.2 Main Components of Francis turbine  
Stay vanes and guide vanes (CFD Modeling)

Stay vanes 

guide vanes
guide vanes
1.2 Main Components of Francis turbine  
Runner (CFD)
1.2.1  Photograph of Francis turbine 

Spiral Casing (Tokke Model)
1.2.1  Photograph of Francis turbine

Guide vanes and stay vanes  (Tokke Model)
1.2.1  Photograph of Francis turbine

Runner (Tokke Model)
1.2.1  Photograph of Francis turbine

Draft tube (Tokke Model)
1.2.2 Spiral  Casing

The fluid enters from the penstock to a spiral casing which completely
surrounds the runner.

This casing is known as scroll casing or volute.

The cross-sectional area of this casing decreases uniformly along the

circumference to keep the fluid velocity constant in magnitude along
its path towards the stay vane/guide vane.
1.2.2 Design of Spiral  Casing
dpenstock
Select a suitable value of
Q Rcasing discharge per unit: Q


Q  V penstock 2
d penstock
4
 At any angle , the radius
of casing is:

Ri Rcasing  Ri  d penstock
2
In general  =1.0, however corrected 
using CFD.

But maximum allowable value is 10 m/s (Vpenstock)

Maximum allowable head loss in Penstock =2 to 4% of available
head
1.2.3 Stay Vanes and Guide vanes
• The basic purpose of the stay vanes & guide vanes is to
convert a part of pressure energy of the fluid at its entrance to
the kinetic energy and then to direct the fluid on to the runner
blades at the angle appropriate to the design.

• Moreover, the guide vanes are pivoted and can be turned by a

suitable governing mechanism to regulate the flow while the
load changes.

• The guide vanes are also known as wicket gates.

• The guide vanes impart a tangential velocity and hence an

angular momentum to the water before its entry to the runner.

• The guide vanes are constructed using an optimal aerofoil

shape, in order to optimize off-design performance.
1.2.3 Design of Guide vanes
How to choose the guide vane maximum angle 0 at full load ?

 go  4   4   2  13    1
Coefficient for guide vanes

   Q

Speed Number 

   / 2 gH
Flow Number 

Q  Q / 2 gH
1.2.3 Design of Guide vanes
Level of Overlapping of the guide vanes
1.2.3 Design of Guide vanes Guide vanes at 
positions for Tokke 
model installed at 
Water power 
laboratory Norway

Guide vanes at design  Guide vanes at closed 
position (9.84 °) position (0 °)
.

Guide vanes at closed 
position (14 °)
1.2.3 Design of Guide vanes

Runner inlet
(Φ 0.870m)

Guide vane outlet for designα)

(Φ 0.913m)

Closed
Max. Opening
Position

Guide vanes
 1.2.3 Design of Guide vanes
How to choose the number of vanes

• The number of guide vanes has to be different 
from the number of runner vanes.

zGuide Vanes
 Integer
z Runner Vanes
 1.2.3 Design of Guide vanes
Number of guide vanes
30

28
Number of Guide Vanes

26

24

22

20

18

16
0,0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1,0 1,2 1,4 1,6

Speed Number
   / 2 gH
1.2.3 Design of Guide vanes
Number of Guide Vanes
Ns Z=8 10 12 14 16 18 20 24

<200 <250 250 - 400 - 600 - 800 - 1000 125 >1700

400 600 800 1000 1250 0
170
0
>200 <300 300 - 450 - 750 - 1050 1350 170 >2100
450 750 1050 1350 1700 0
210
0
N Pin  hp
Ns  5/ 4
H in  m
1.2.4  Runner
1.2.5 Working principle of Francis turbine
• The water enters the turbine through the outer periphery of the
runner in the radial direction and leaves the runner in the axial
direction, and hence it is called ‘mixed flow turbine’.

• It is a reaction turbine and therefore only a part of the available

head is converted into the velocity head before water enters
the runner.

• The pressure head goes on decreasing as the water flows

over the runner blades.

• The static pressure at the runner exit may be less than the
atmospheric pressure and as such, water fills all the passages
of the runner blades.

• The change in pressure while water is gliding over the blades

is called ‘reaction pressure’ and is partly responsible for the
rotation of the runner.
1.2.6  Hydraulic efficiency of Francis turbine

V 2
 V3 
2
h1  1
  h3    hydraulic Losses
2g  2g 
 hydraulic 
V12
 V3 
2
h1    h3  
2g  2g 
1.2.7  Losses in Francis turbine
Friction losses

Friction losses in
0.3
the spiral casing
0.5 and stay vanes

1.5 1.5 0.6

Guide vane losses

0.5

0.3 0.3

Gap losses 0.3+0.5+1.5+1.5+0.6+0.5.

0.3+0.3= 5.5%
Runner losses

Draft tube losses

1.2.7  Losses in Francis turbine

Draft tube
Hydraulic Efficiency [%]

Output Energy

Head [m]
1.2.7  Losses in Francis turbine
Hydraulic Efficiency [%]

Output Energy

Output [%]
1.2.8  Operating Conditions (Velocity triangles at runner outlet)
U = runner velocity,
W = relative velocity,
V = absolute velocity leaving the runner,
Va = axial componenet
Vt = circumferential (swirl) components.
best efficiency point (Q = QBEP)

At part-load conditions, for which the flow rate is

lower than the one at the BEP, the flow has a
positive absolute circumferential velocity in the
same sense as the runner revolution ,where Vt and
U are in the same direction).
part load (Q < QBEP)
At full-load conditions corresponding to a higher
flow rate than that of the BEP, the absolute
circumferential velocity is negative inducing a
swirling flow rotating in the opposite direction of
the runner , where Vt and U are in opposite
direction).
high load (Q > QBEP)
 2.1 Kaplan & Propeller turbine
• The Kaplan turbine is a great development of early 20th century.
• Invented by Prof. Viktor Kaplan of Austria during 1913 – 1922.
• The Kaplan is of the propeller type, similar to an airplane propeller.

• The difference between the Propeller and Kaplan turbines is that the
Propeller turbine has fixed runner blades while the Kaplan turbine has
adjustable runner blades.

• It is a pure axial flow turbine uses basic aerofoil theory.

• The Kaplan's blades are adjustable for pitch and will handle a great
variation of flow very efficiently.

• They are 90% or better in efficiency and are used in place some of the
old (but great) Francis types in a good many of installations.

• The Kaplan turbine, unlike all other turbines, the runner's blades are
movable.
2.2 Schematic of Kaplan turbine
2.3 Main Components of Kaplan turbine  

tube
Draft Tube
2.4 Specific speed of Kaplan turbine
Using statistical studies of schemes, F. Schweiger and J. Gregory 
established the following correlation between the specific speed 
and the net head for Kaplan turbines:

39.827 N P
N s  0.486 Ns  5
H H 4

P in watts
2.5 Classification of Kaplan turbines
• The Kaplan turbine can be divided in double and single 
regulated turbines. 

• A Kaplan turbine with adjustable runner blades and 
adjustable guide vanes is double regulated while one with 
only adjustable runner blades is single regulated. 

• The advantage of the double regulated turbines is that they 
can be used in a wider field. 

• The double regulated Kaplan turbines can work between 
15% and 100% of the maximum design discharge. 

• The single regulated turbines can only work between 30% 
and 100% of the maximum design discharge.
2.5 Design of Kaplan turbine (Guide vanes)
Dgo

60kug 2 gH
Dgo 
N
kug 1.3 to 2.25 : Higher values for high 
specific speeds

Number of guide vanes : 8 to 24 : Higher number of vanes 
for large diameter of guide wheel.
 2.5 Design of Kaplan turbine (Outlines)

Guide Vanes Whirl Chamber

The space between guide wheel outlet and kaplan runner is

known as Whirl Chamber.

a=0.13 Drunner & b=0.16 to 0.2 Drunner.

2.5 Design of Kaplan turbine (Runner)

Drunner

Dhub
2.5 Design of Kaplan turbine (Runner)
2.5 Design of Kaplan turbine (Adaptation 
Mechanism inside the hub )
2.5 Design of Kaplan turbine (Inside the 
hub
2.5 Design of Kaplan turbine (Parts of 
Runner )
2.5 Design of Kaplan turbine (Hub 
Diameter )
The hub diameter Di can be calculated with the following 
equation:

Dhub  0.0951 
  0.25  
Drunner  Ns 
 2.5 Design of Kaplan turbine ( Runner 
Diameter  Section)
The runner diameter can be calculated by the following
equation:

 84.5  0.79  1.602  N s 

H
Drunner
60  N
N Q
Ns  3
4
H
Thank you