ME 559: ADVANCED FLUID

MACHINERY
C. SEKYERE (PhD)
 Ch.1: Hydraulic Turbines

• Fluid machines convert fluid energy to mechanical energy

or vice versa.
• If they convert fluid energy to mechanical energy, they
are referred to as TURBINES or MOTOR; ex. hydraulic, gas
and steam turbines.
• If they convert mechanical energy to fluid energy, they are
called PUMP; ex. reciprocating compressors, vane pumps
and rotary compressors.
 Fluid Machines
• They are also classified according to their mode of
operation as:

i. Positive Displacement Machines

ii. Turbomachines (or Rotodynamic machines or

simply Dynamic machines)
 Positive Displacement Machines
• These transfer energy between fluid and machine by
changing the volume of trapped fluid by a movable
member such as a piston in a reciprocating compressor
• They are fitted with valves that ensure positive admission
and delivery of the working fluid and thereby prevent any
undesirable reversal of flow within the machine.
• They depend essentially on hydrostatic pressure force
exerted on a moving boundary and dynamic effects are
only incidental.
 Turbo (rotodynamic) machines
• These depend essentially on dynamic forces:
• Energy exchange occurs between a rotating rigid
member (rotor or runner) and the fluid in motion.
• Rotation of the rotor produces dynamic effects that
either add energy to the fluid or extract energy from
it.
• There is no valve or other means in the machine to
prevent flow reversal.
• The process in the machine is a steady flow process
and work is transferred by virtue of the change in
momentum of a stream of fluid flowing at high speed
over a rotating runner.
 Turbo (Dynamic) machines
Further classification:

• Radial flow, Axial flow and Mixed flow according to the

direction of fluid flow relative to the plane of impeller
rotation
• Slow, medium and fast runner depending on the runner
specific speed

For hydraulic turbines: Low head, Medium head and High

head turbine depending on the head under which they
operate
 Hydraulic turbine
The Pelton wheel (an impulse turbine)
 Hydraulic turbine
The Francis turbine (a reaction turbine):
 Hydraulic turbine
Review of basic definitions (Pelton wheel):
i. Spout Velocity, C,
• refers to the ideal velocity of the jet issuing out of
the nozzle;
C = 2 gH
• Due to losses (friction, etc.) in the nozzle, actual jet
velocity is C = K 2 gH
v

where Kv is the velocity coefficient of the nozzle.

Usually, 0.97  K v  0.99
 Hydraulic turbine

Review of basic definitions: Pelton Wheel

ii. Speed Ratio
• The Pelton wheel attains maximum hydraulic
efficiency ηh when the wheel velocity U is half
the spout velocity; U = 0.5C.
• In practice, maximum ηh occurs when U = 0.46C.
• For practical convenience, U is expressed in terms of H as
U = K u 2 gH
where Ku is referred to as the Speed Ratio.
 Hydraulic turbine
Review of basic definitions: Francis turbine
iv. Speed Ratio
Ku is similarly defined as K u = U 2 gH
practical values: 0.43 < Ku < 0.47.
v. Flow Ratio, ψ,
ratio of the flow velocity C1f at the inlet tip of
the vane to the spouting velocity:  = C1 f 2 gH
 Hydraulic turbine
Review of basic definitions: Pelton Wheel
iii. Jet Ratio, m
• Ratio of pitch diameter, D, of the wheel to the jet
diameter d;
m = D/d.
• For maximum efficiency of the Pelton wheel
turbine,
11  m  14
 Hydraulic turbine
Predicting performance : Unit Quantities
• Turbines operate under varying conditions of
speed (N), head (H), flow (Q), load (P), etc.
• Turbines of the same type may be working under
different conditions.
• The concept of Unit Quantities is used to predict
the performance in the above conditions.
• Also, to be able to compare the performance of
turbines of different types, the concept of Specific
Quantities is introduced.
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Unit Head
• Imagine the operating head of a turbine is reduced from H
to unity.
• The efficiency of the turbine will remain unchanged if the
velocity triangles under working head H and unit head are
geometrically similar.
• Unit Speed, Nu , is the speed of the turbine under unit
head.
• Unit Discharge, Qu , is the discharge passing through the
turbine under unit head.
• Unit Power, Pu , is the output power of the turbine under
unit head.
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Unit Head
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Unit Head
• Unit Speed, Nu
C  H and since U  C, thus, U  H
Now , N = 60 U, thus N  H or N = K H
D
where K is a constant
For H=1, N = N u ; substituting in N = K H
gives N u = K
N
Thus, N u =
H
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Unit Head
• Unit Discharge, Qu
Q = A  C f where A= flow area and Cf = flow velocity.
For a given turbine, A is constant and Cf  C and
C  H . Thus, Q H
or Q = K1 H
where K1 is a constant
For H = 1, Q = Qu; Qu = K1 1 = K1
Therefore,
Q
Qu =
H
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Unit Head
• Unit Power, Pu
Power developed: P = wQH  o
For H = 1, P = Pu, thus Pu = wQ u  1   o
Pu Qu 1
Thus = = 3 2 and
P QH H
P
Pu = 3 2
H
• The unit quantities derived above apply to all types of
turbines.
• They allow the performance of a turbine operating under
varying conditions of H, N and P to be predicted.
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Unit Head
• Knowing the performance of a turbine (N1, Q1 and P1)
under a given head H1, the performance values N2, Q2
and P2 under a new head H2 can be predicted from the
fact that the unit quantities will be the same for both
heads:
N1 N2 H
i. N u = = , or N 2 = N1 2 H
H1 H2 1

Q1 Q2 H2
ii. Qu = = , or Q2 = Q1
H1 H2 H1
3
 H2  2

iii. Pu =
P1
3 2
=
P2
3 , or P2 = P1  
H1 H2 2
 H1 
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
▪ The concept of Specific Turbine is used for comparing
turbines of different types.
• A Specific Turbine is defined as an imaginary turbine that
is identical in shape, geometrical proportions, blade
angles, gate settings, etc. with the actual turbine but
reduced to such a size that it will produce unit power
when working under unit head.
• It is denoted by the subscript “s”,
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
• Now, the actual turbine under unit conditions and the specific
turbine both operate under unit head and therefore the velocity
triangle “abc” shown in Fig. 1.1 will also be valid for the specific
turbine.
Thus, Us=Uu, Cfs=Cfu, etc.,
Now, Qu = D(nD )C fu and Qs = Ds (nDs )C fs hence ,
2
Qu  D 
=  
Q s  Ds 

Also, Pu = wQ u 1 o and Ps = wQ s 1 o hence

2
Pu  D 
=  
P s  Ds 
 Hydraulic turbine

Performance under Specific Conditions 2

P Pu  D 
Inputting Ps = 1, and Pu = 3 2 in =   gives
3 H P s  Ds 
4
DH
Ds =
P
Ds N s DN u
Now, Us=Uu, hence = from which
60 60
D
N s = Nu = N u Pu
Ds
3
Substituting N u = N H and Pu = P H 2 gives the
expression for specific speed, Ns: N P
Ns = 5
H 4
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
• The Specific Speed is the speed of the Specific Runner.
• Specific Speed, Ns, of any turbine may be defined as the
speed in r.p.m of a turbine that is geometrically similar to
the actual turbine but of such size that under
corresponding conditions, it will develop unit power
when operating under unit head.
• The value of Ns is computed for the operating conditions
corresponding to the maximum efficiency.
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions

Specific speed: N P
Ns = 5
4
H
• Note that the specific speed Ns is independent of the size of the
turbine.
• Thus, all turbines of the same geometrical shape having the same
efficiency will have the same specific speed, irrespective of their
size and what powers they develop under whatever head.
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
5
4
N P H
Rewriting N s = 5
as N = N s ,
H 4 P

• for a given power output P and head, H, selecting a

turbine of higher Ns allows higher runner speed, N
• Higher runner speed N means using a runner of smaller
diameter
• Smaller runner gives the advantage of savings in weight
and capital cost.
• This is the trend in the selection of turbines in practice.
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions

N P
• Substituting P = wQH  o in Ns = 5
:
4
H
N
 (w QH o ) =
N Q
Ns =   w o = N u  Qu  w o
12
5
H 4 H H
or
N s  N u  Qu
Thus, Ns may be increased by increasing the unit speed Nu
or unit discharge Qu.
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions

N s  N u  Qu

It is more convenient to increase Qu since for a given H

and Q, , it can be shown that the runner diameter is
inversely proportional to the square root of Qu ( ).

Thus, increasing Qu reduces the runner diameter

Qu = Q H may be increased if the flow Q through the
runner is increased and the head H acting on the turbine is
reduced.
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
• Axial-flow Kaplan turbine which can handle large volumes
of water has higher specific speed and are more suited for
relatively low head applications.
• Radial-flow runner has a lower specific speed and hence a
larger diameter and relatively narrow fluid passage is
required.
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
Size of runner producing same power under same head:
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
Specific Speed of Pelton Wheel

DN 84.6 K u H
U= = K u 2 gH from which N =
60 D
P = wQH   o
d 2  3

= 9.81  10   Kv 2 gH  H   o = 34.13  K v d H 2 o 
3 2

4  
N P
Ns =
H5 4

(84.6)K u ( )
1

H (34.13)  K v d  o H 2 
 1 3 2

(494.24)K u (K vo ) 2 (494.24)K u (K vo ) 2

2 2 1 1

=   = =
5
DH 4 Dd m
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
Specific Speed of Pelton Wheel
In putting the following usual practical values:
Ku = 0.46, Kv = 0.98 and ηo = 85% gives
207.5
Ns =
m
For a multiple jet Pelton wheel with “n” number of jets, it
can be shown by the same procedure that Ns is equal to
n times that for the single jet; in the derivation, the
discharge will be nQ and hence the power nP
 Hydraulic turbine
Performance under Specific Conditions
Specific Speed of Francis turbine
DN 84.6 K u H
U= = K u 2 gH from which N =
60 D
P = wQH  o
(
= w k  n D2  2 gH  H  o ) = 136.51 k n D  H2
3
2
 o 
N P  
Ns = 5
4
H

(84.6)K u ( )
1

H  (136.51)  k n D 2  H 3 2  
1
2 2

=  o

5
4
DH

N s = 988 .45 K u ( k n  o )
END OF PART 1 OF 1
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