Hydraulics

Machines III

Name :LISBOA

StudentNo:214101819
Practical 1
Wheel

1. Aim
To investigate the operating characteristics (shaft-power, input power, torque,
overall efficiency and flow rate) against the bucket speed.
2. Apparatus

1 | Page

Hydraulic bench
Pelton wheel apparatus
Stop watch
Tachometer

FRANCIS TURBINE
INTRODUCTION: The Francis turbine is an inward flow reaction turbine which
was designed and developed by the American engineer James B. Francis. Francis
turbine has a purely radial flow runner; the flow passing through the runner had
velocity component only in a plane of the normal to the axis of the runner.
Reaction hydraulic turbines of relatively medium speed with radial flow of water
in the component of turbine are runner.
DIAGRAM:

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF FRANCIS TURBINE:

Components of the Francis turbine: Pen stoke: It is a large sized shaped; where the water is provided to the
turbine runner from the dam.
Scroll casing: Penstocks connected to and feeds water directly into an annular
channel surrounding the turbine runner. The channel is spiral in its layout.
Guide vanes: A series of airfoil shaped vanes called the guide vanes are
arranged inside the casing to form a number of flow passages between the
casing and the runner blades. Guide vanes are fixed in position (they do not
rotate with rotating runner).
Guide wheel and governing mechanism: It changes the position of guide
blades to affect variation in the water flow rate in the wake of changing load
conditions on the turbine. When the load changes, the governing mechanism
rotates all the guide blades about their axis through the same angle so that the
water flow rate to the runner.
Runner and runner blades: Runner of the Francis turbine is a rotor which has
passages formed between the drat tube and scroll casing.
Draft tube: After passing through the runner, the water is discharged to the
tail race through a gradually expanding tube.
2 | Page

WORKING OF FRANCIS TURBINE: The amount of water falls on the vanes

(buckets) of the runner. The turbine rotor is called runner. Runner revolves at
constant with the help of governing mechanism. The runner shaft is connected
with the generator; thus the electricity is produce with the help of generator.
And the water is discharge from the tail race.
THEORY OF OPERATION: The Francis turbine is a reaction turbine, which
means that the working fluid changes pressure as it moves through the turbine,
giving up its energy. A casement is needed to contain the water flow. The
turbine is located between the high pressure water source and the low pressure
water exit, usually at the base of a dam.
The inlet is spiral shaped. Guide vanes direct the water tangentially to the
runner. This radial flow acts on the runner vanes, causing the runner to spin. The
guide vanes (or wicket gate) may be adjustable to allow efficient turbine
operation for a range of water flow conditions.
As the water moves through the runner its spinning radius decreases, further
acting on the runner. Imagine swinging a ball on a string around in a circle. If the
string is pulled short, the ball spins faster. This property, in addition to the
waters pressure, helps inward flow turbines harness water energy.
At the exit, water acts on cup shaped runner features, leaving with no swirl and
very little kinetic or potential energy. The turbines exit tube is specially shaped
to help decelerate the water flow and recover kinetic energy.
APPLICATION: Francis Inlet Scroll, Grand Coulee Dam Large Francis turbines
are individually designed for each site to operate at the highest possible
efficiency, typically over 90%. They are best suited for sites with high flows and
low to medium head. Francis Turbines are very expensive to design,
manufacture and install, but operate for decades.
In addition to electrical production, they may also be used for pumped storage;
where a reservoir is filled by the turbine (acting as a pump) during low power
demand, and then reversed and used to generate power during peak demand.
Francis turbines may be designed for a wide range of heads and flows. This,
along with their high efficiency, has made them the most widely used turbine in
the world

3. Method

3 | Page

Initialize the apparatus and place it on top of the channel of the hydraulic bench.
Couple the pipe of the apparatus to the hydraulic bench.
Ensure that the pony brake is freed from the drum.
Zero each spring balance.
Then after, Switch on the pump and slowly open the flow control valve on the
hydraulic bench.

Adjust the nozzle control on the apparatus until the turbine runs at maximum
speed.
Use the tachometer to measure the speed of wheel.
Measure the inlet pressure and determine the water flow rate.
Adjust the pony brake so that the spring-balance reading 1 = 1 N
Take the measurements for the speed, flow rate, the inlet pressure head and the
readings on the spring-balance.
Repeat the procedure as 1 is increased in intervals.
Repeat the above procedure for second case where flow rate is changed.

4. Presentation of results

Case1
Set
RPM

1
1362

2
1311

3
1225

4
1173

W 1( N )

142.6
28
2

137.2
88
3

128.2
82
4

122.83 114.35
6
4
5
6

W 2( N )

0.2

0.4

0.4

0.5

0.6

W 1W 2 (N )

1.8

2.6

3.6

4.5

5.4

Drum radius

30

30

30

30

30

T (N . m)

0.054

0.078

0.108

0.135

0.162

(Vl)

T (s)

5.45

5.66

5.71

5.84

5.79

550.4
59
6

530.0
35
6

525.3
94
6

513.69 518.13
9
5
6
6

32.4

31.19
8

30.92
5

30.236 30.497

7.7

10.70
8
34.3

13.85
4
44.8

16.583 18.525

rad / s

Flow rate Q(10 m /s )

Pressure head (H )(m)

Input Power
P
( w=gQH )

Power output P m (W )
o (%) efficiency
4 | Page

5
1092

out W

23.4

54.8

60.7

Calculations of, , 1 2, torque, , Flow rate, , and efficiency. The calculations

of the first set will be taken as an example on how the characteristics were calculated in
each set :
Angular velocity
2
w=
1362
60
142.628 rad /s

For effective force on drum

w 1w 2=20.2
= 1.8N

Torque
T =( W 1W 2 ) r
( 20.2 ) 30 10

0.054 Nm

Flow rate (Q)

v
Q=
t

0.03
5.45

550.459 106 m3 / s

Input power
Pw =gQH

(1000)(9.81)(550.459 103 )( 6)
32.4 W

Output Power
Pm=T w
0.054 142.628
7.702W

5 | Page

1 m3 =1000l
3 l=0.03 m3

Overall efficiency
Pm
% = P 100
w
=

7.7
100
32.4
23.4 %

5. Graphs
Shaft Power vs Bucket speed
20
15

Shaft Power(Output Power W) 10

5
0
1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

Bucket speed rpm

Input Power vs Bucket speed

33
32.5
32
31.5
Input Power W

31
30.5
30
29.5
29
1050 1100 1150 1200 1250 1300 1350 1400
Bucket speed rpm

6 | Page

Toque vs Bucket speed

0.18
0.16
0.14
0.12
0.1
Toque Nm 0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
0
1050

1100

1150

1200

1250

1300

Bucket speed rpm

7 | Page

1350

1400

Case 2
Angular velocity
=

2N
60

2 1717
60

= 179.804 rad/s

Toque
W1 W2 = 2 0.1 = 1.9
T = (W1 W2) r
= 1.9 0.03
= 0.057 N.m.
Power Output
Pm=T
= 0.057 179.804

Q=

= 10.249 W

Flow rate
v
t

0.003
6.17

0.486 103 m3 /s

Input Power
Pw =gQH

8 | Page

1000 9.81 0.486 103 6

42.909 W

Efficiency
ovr =

POUT
P

10.249
100
42.909
= 23.9%

Set
RPM

1
1717

2
1640

3
1578

4
1496

5
1442

rad / s

179.804

171.740

165.248

156.661

151.006

W 1( N )

W 2( N )

0.1

0.15

0.3

0.45

0.6

W 1W 2 (N )

1.9

2.85

3.7

4.55

5.4

Drum radius

30

30

30

30

30

T (N . m)

0.057

0.086

0.111

0.137

0.162

(Vl)

42.909

42.556

44.498

44.145

46.441

T (s)

6.17

6.23

5.95

5.7

0.486

0.482

0.504

0.5

0.526

10.249

14.769

18.343

21.463

24.463

23.9

34.7

41.2

48.6

52.8

6 3
Flow rate Q(10 m /s )

Pressurehead (H )(m)
Input Power
P
( w=gQH )

Power output P m (W )
o (%) efficiency

9 | Page

out W

Graphs

Graph of shaft Power vs Bucket speed

30
25
20

Shaft Power (W)

15
10
5
0

200

400

600

800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

Bucket speed (RPM)

10 | P a g e

Graph of Input Power vs Bucket speed

Input Power (W)

50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

200

400

600

800

1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

Bucket Speed (RPM)

11 | P a g e

Graph of Torque vs Bucket speed

0.18
0.16
0.14
0.12
0.1

Torque (N.m)

0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
0

200

400

600

800

1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

Bucket speed (rpm)

12 | P a g e

Graph of Overall effeciency vs Bucket speed

60
50
40

Overall Effeciency (%)

30
20
10
0

200

400

600

800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

Bucket Speed (rpm)

Conclusion

From the practical report that has been done, it was clear that the shaft power is inversely
proportional to rotational speed of the bucket speed of the pelton wheel. On the other
hand the bucket speed is directly proportional to the input speed to the pelton wheel. As
the speed increase the overall efficiency decreases and lastly torque and bucket speed are
inversely proportional
In conclusion I can say the practical experiment was successful. However not for all
characteristics needed to be calculated .the graphs including overall efficiency, input shaft
power and flow rate shows irregular shapes. The caption of time played a vital role in this
practical, the irregular shapes of these graphs were due to incorrect and inadequate

13 | P a g e

caption of time which results unreliable results. In order to prevent such errors during
practical conduction, there must be number of students taking readings, and the
experiment must be repeated as well.
References
Fluid mechanics Part 2 CF Meyer
www.wikipedia.com

14 | P a g e