Bansilal Ramnath Agarwal Charitable Trusts

Vishwakarma Institute of Technology

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)

A Project report on

DESIGN OF AXIAL FLOW PROPELLER TURBINE

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Technology in Mechanical Engineering(Heatpower)
BY

POFALKAR AKSHAY A.

GR NO.15M110

Guide

Prof. N. V. Borse

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

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2015-2016

Bansilal Ramnath Agarwal Charitable Trusts

Vishwakarma Institute of Technology

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project entitled
DESIGN

OF AXIAL FLOW PROPELLER TURBINE

is a bonafide work carried out by
POFALKAR AKSHAY A GR NO.15M110

Of M.Tech Mechanical Engineering under the supervision and guidance of Prof. N. V. Borse
during the academic year 2015-2016. It is approved for the partial fulfillment of the
requirements of Savitribai Phule Pune University, for the award of the Degree of Master of
Technology in Mechanical Engineering (Heat Power).

Place: Pune
Date:15 Dec.2015

Prof. N. V. BORSE
Project Guide

Prof. H. G. Phakatkar
Project Examiner (HOD, Dept. of Mechanical Engg.)

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AKNOWLEDGEMENT
It is with immense pleasure that we present to you our project titled,
DESIGN

OF AXIAL FLOW PROPELLER TURBINE

We take this opportunity to express our gratitude and sincere thanks to all those who directly
and indirectly have contributed in matters related to this project.
We wish to thank our guide Prof. N. V. Borse of Mechanical Engineering Department for
helping us throughout this project. His continuous support and advice have contributed
tremendously towards bringing this project to Fulfill.
We also thank Prof. H.G. Phakatkar, Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, for his
kind co-operation. We are also thankful to supportive staff of Mechanical Engineering
Department.
Place: Pune
Date: 15 Dec. 2015

POFALKAR AKSHAY A. GR NO. 15M110

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Abstract
PROPELLER developed the adjustable blade, axial flow runner in 1912 best suited
for low heads, and large flow rates. The runner was an axial type with low hub tip ratios, the
flow being coaxial to the shaft axis.
PROPELLER turbines are widely used throughout the world for electrical power
production. They cover the lowest head hydro sites and are especially suited for high flow
conditions. Large PROPELLER turbines are individually designed for each site to operate at
the highest possible efficiency, typically over 90%. They are very expensive to design,
manufacture and install, but operate for decades.

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Literature review
Turbine types suit specific ranges of head, flow rate and shaft speed and are
categorised by specific speed. In the pico range, under 5kW, the requirements are often
different to that of larger scale turbines and qualitative requirements become more influential.
Pico hydro turbines can be applied beyond these conventional application domains, for
example at reduced heads, by using non-traditional components such as low speed generators.
This paper describes a method to select which turbine architecture is most appropriate for a
low-head pico hydro specification using quantitative and qualitative analyses of 13 turbine
system architectures found in literature. Quantitative and qualitative selection criteria are
determined from the particular requirements of the end user. The individual scores from this
analysis are weighted based on perceived relative importance of each of the criteria against
the original specification and selects a turbine variant based on the total weighted score. This
methodology is applied to an example of a remote site, low head and variable flow
specification and used to select a propeller turbine variant or single-jet Turgo turbine for this
specification.
Hydropower has been the source of renewable energy for more than a century
leading to reduction in burning of fossil fuels which has impact on the environment. More
and more efficient hydro turbines have been developing for the power production with focus
on the hydrodynamic behavior of the turbines. Emerging numerical codes specially designed
to evaluate the efficiency of the turbine these days has made design of turbine a step ahead.
Very small hydroelectric power schemes (pico hydro) with outputs of less than 5 kW
can provide cost effective power to remote rural communities with water resources. Many
sites have low heads (2 to 10m) but few have been developed because there has been a lack
of appropriate turbine designs. A project carried out by the authors in collaboration with
Practical Action (assisted by funds from the Leverhulme Trust) provides a general design
procedure for such turbines. Laboratory testing and computer modelling in the UK were used
to develop these designs
In all cases, researchers have found that estimates of blade-strike probability obtained
using numerical models exceed observed injury and mortality rates (from all causes) from
prototype-scale tests with live fish. These differences appear to be a function of biological
factors (the mechanics of injury for fish struck by runner blades) and the physical dynamics
of the blade-fish impact process. Turnpenny et al. (2000) found that fish geometrically
aligned so that strike would occur if other factors did not intercede, would have a variable
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probability of collision with a blade, depending upon their absolute mass, the location of the
center of mass relative to the leading edge of the turbine blade, and the fluid dynamics at the
leading edge of the turbine blade.
The large scale model of a Free Stream Energy Converter (FSEC) is built, and can be
installed in protected as well as in tidal areas. This is one of the determined objectives of the
EU-Project HYLOW, funded by the FP7. First field tests with rope winch and towing boat
were done; further, in a protected area near Rostock, and the installation in the River Ems
under tidal conditions and ship traffic, are planned for the first half of 2011. Besides, the
permanent design control for the FSEC is as necessary as the monitoring of the behavior of
the model positioned in all the sites. If design changes or modifications are necessary, these
can be done directly on site, respectively in the Steel Construction Company nearby. Whether
it is suited for practice, however, is still dependent on other factors. The investigations are
primarily limited on technical and ecological level. It is now necessary to look at the costsided development, too. Starting with considerations for the financing and economic
efficiencies about expressive cost-benefit analyses up to design and material costs, the
European need should be determined in hydropower for low potentials. Realization of
hydropower plans takes a long period.

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INTRODUCTION
PROPELLER TURBINE
The PROPELLER turbine is a propeller-type water turbine which has adjustable
blades. It was developed in 1913 by the Austrian professor Viktor PROPELLER, who
combined automatically adjusted propeller blades with automatically adjusted wicket gates to
achieve efficiency over a wide range of flow and water level.
The PROPELLER turbine was an evolution of the Francis turbine. Its invention
allowed efficient power production in low-head applications that was not possible with
Francis turbines. The head ranges from 1070 meters and the output from 5 to 200 MW.
Runner diameters are between 2 and 11 meters. Turbines rotate at a constant rate, which
varies from facility to facility. PROPELLER turbine generating 235MW with each of ten
4.8m diameter runners. PROPELLER turbines are now widely used throughout the world in
high-flow, low-head power production.
The PROPELLER turbine is the most commonly used type in hydropower plants.
The main reason for this is its flat efficiency curve, which is due to the turbines ability to
operate with high efficiency in a wide range of operating points and at different water heads.
The PROPELLER turbine is an axial reaction turbine, in which the pressure in the turbine
chamber is higher than the atmospheric pressure. Unlike the impulse turbine, such as a Pelton
turbine, the water at the inlet in a reaction turbine possesses both pressure energy and kinetic
energy. PROPELLER turbine classified as follows.
1. Double regulated turbines
A PROPELLER turbine with adjustable runner blades and adjustable guide vanes is
double regulated.
It is used in a wider field
It can work between 15% and 100% of the maximum design discharge
2.

Single regulated turbines

A PROPELLER turbine with only one adjustable runner blades is single regulated.
It can work between 30% and 100% of the maximum design discharge.

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PRINCIPLE
The PROPELLER Turbine is of the reaction type. The velocity of the water
decreases steadily, entering the guide vanes, passing through the runner and final exit. The
twist in water flow runs in parallel to the turbine shaft and to the fully admitted runner blades,
where the pressure for energy conversion is reduced further. Special constructional measures
are necessary to prevent cavitations. The water flow is regulated by adjustable guide vanes.
To achieve optimum efficiency at varying flows, the runner blades are automatically adjusted
in relation to the wicket gate position

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THEORY OF OPERATION
The PROPELLER turbine is an outward flow reaction turbine, which means that the
working fluid changes pressure as it moves through the turbine and gives up its energy.
Power is recovered from both the hydrostatic head and from the kinetic energy of the flowing
water. The design combines features of radial and axial turbines.
The inlet is a scroll-shaped tube that wraps around the turbine's wicket gate. Water is
directed tangentially through the wicket gate and spirals on to a propeller shaped runner,
causing it to spin. The outlet is a specially shaped draft tube that helps decelerate the water
and recover kinetic energy.
The turbine does not need to be at the lowest point of water flow as long as the draft
tube remains full of water. A higher turbine location, however, increases the suction that is
imparted on the turbine blades by the draft tube. The resulting pressure drop may lead to
cavitations. Variable geometry of the wicket gate and turbine blades allows efficient operation
for a range of flow conditions. PROPELLER turbine efficiencies are typically over 90%, but
may be lower in very low head applications.
Current areas of research include CFD driven efficiency improvements and new
designs that raise survival rates of fish passing through. Because the propeller blades are
rotated on high-pressure hydraulic oil bearings, a critical element of PROPELLER design is
to maintain a positive seal to prevent emission of oil into the waterway. Discharge of oil into
rivers is not desirable because of the waste of resources and resulting ecological damage.

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FIG. 1 Theory Of Operation

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PARTS OF PROPELLER TURBINE

Hub:
In the turbine the shaft is arranged vertically. The shaft lower end is made up of large
so it is known as hub. The hub is also called as boss.

Scroll casting:
From the pen stock the water leaves into the scroll casing and then moves to the guide
vanes. In the guide vanes the water rotes 90 degrees and to the runner the water flows axially.

Guide Vane Mechanism:

On the hub guide vanes are fixed. By opening the guide vane the power requirement is
high and by closing the guide vane the power requirement is low.

Blade control mechanism:

Blades at the joints have movable attachable joints. The main purpose of this
mechanism is used to control the angle of attack. But which the water will strike the blades
by rotating the blades because it pf their movable joint.

Draft tube:
Compared to the atmospheric pressure the pressure at the exit of the runner is less.
At the exit the water cannot be discharged directly to the tail race. For discharging of water a
tube or pipe with gradually increasing area is used for the water discharge from the turbine
exit to the tail race. Increasing area of the tube is known as draft tube. On the tube one end is
connected to the outlet of the runner and the other end is submerged below the water level in
the tail race.

Blades:
Blades are like propellers in the PROPELLER turbine. In other turbines blades are
planer but in PROPELLER the blades are not planer.

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FIG.2 Parts Of PROPELLER Turbine

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WORKING OF PROPELLER TURBINE

The PROPELLER turbine is an inward flow reaction turbine, which means that the
working fluid changes pressure as it moves through the turbine and gives up its energy. The
design combines radial and axial features.
The inlet is a scroll-shaped tube that wraps around the turbines wicket gate. Water is
directed tangentially, through the wicket gate, and spirals on to a propeller shaped runner,
causing it to spin.
The outlet is a specially shaped draft tube that helps decelerate the water and recover
kinetic energy. The turbine does not need to be at the lowest point of water flow, as long as
the draft tube remains full of water. A higher turbine location, however, increases the suction
that is imparted on the turbine blades by the draft tube. The resulting pressure drop may lead
to capitation.
Variable geometry of the wicket gate and turbine blades allows efficient operation for a
range of flow conditions. PROPELLER turbine efficiencies are typically over 90%, but may
be lower in very low head applications.

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FIG.3 Working Of PROPELLER Turbine

Water at high pressure enters the spiral casing through the inlet and flows over the
guide blades. The water from the guide blades strokes the runner blades axially. Thus, the
kinetic energy is imparted by water to the runner blades, causing the rotation of the runner.
The runner has only 4 or 6 blades.
The water discharges at the center of the runner in the axial direction into the draft
tube. The draft tube is of L shape with its discharging end immersed into the tail race.

Fig. PROPELLER Turbine

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Advantages of PROPELLER turbine:

Runner vanes are adjusted in the PROPELLER

Very low heads are required

Very small no of blades are used nearly 3 to 8 blades

Less resistance has to be overcome.

Disadvantages of PROPELLER turbine:

Position of the shaft is only in vertical direction

Speed of the turbine is 250 to 850

High speed generator is required

Large Flow rate must be required.

Application of PROPELLER turbine:

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

The PROPELLERs 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.

They are very expensive.

The PROPELLER turbine, unlike all other turbines, the runner's blades are movable.

The application of PROPELLER turbines are from a head of 2m to 40m.

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CAVITATION
Cavitation is formation of vapor bubbles in the liquid flowing through any Hydraulic
Turbine. Cavitation occurs when the static pressure of the liquid falls below its vapor
pressure. Cavitation is most likely to occur near the fast moving blades of the turbines and in
the exit region of the turbines

Causes of Cavitation
The liquid enters hydraulic turbines at high pressure; this pressure is a combination of
static and dynamic components. Dynamic pressure of the liquid is by the virtue of flow
velocity and the other component, static pressure, is the actual fluid pressure which the fluid
applies and which is acted upon it. Static pressure governs the process of vapor bubble
formation or boiling. Thus, Cavitation can occur near the fast moving blades of the turbine
where local dynamic head increases due to action of blades which causes static pressure to
fall. Cavitation also occurs at the exit of the turbine as the liquid has lost major part of its
pressure heads and any increase in dynamic head will lead to fall in static pressure causing
Cavitation.

Detrimental Effects of Cavitation

The formation of vapor bubbles in cavitation is not a major problem in itself but the
collapse of these bubbles generates pressure waves, which can be of very high frequencies,
causing damage to the machinery. The bubbles collapsing near the machine surface are more
damaging and cause erosion on the surfaces called as cavitation erosion. The collapses of
smaller bubbles create higher frequency waves than larger bubbles. So, smaller bubbles are
more detrimental to the hydraulic machines.

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Smaller bubbles may be more detrimental to the hydraulic machine body but they do not
cause any significant reduction in the efficiency of the machine. With further decrease in
static pressure more number of bubbles is formed and their size also increases. These bubbles
coalesce with each other to form larger bubbles and eventually pockets of vapor. This disturbs
the liquid flow and causes flow separation which reduces the machine performance sharply.
Cavitation is an important factor to be considered while designing Hydraulic Turbines.

Avoiding Cavitation
To avoid cavitation while operating Hydraulic Turbines parameters should be set
such that at any point of flow static pressure may not fall below the vapor pressure of the
liquid. These parameters to control cavitation are pressure head, flow rate and exit pressure of
the liquid. The control parameters for cavitation free operation of hydraulic turbines can be
obtained by conducting tests on model of the turbine under consideration. The parameters
beyond which cavitation starts and turbine efficiency falls significantly should be avoided
while operation of hydraulic turbines.
Flow separation at the exit of the turbine in the draft tube causes vibrations which
can damage the draft tube. To dampen the vibration and stabilize the flow air is injected in the
draft tube. To totally avoid the flow separation and cavitation in the draft tube it is submerged
below the level of the water in tailrace.

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Design of blades
To generate substantial amount of power from small heads of water using
PROPELLER Turbine it is necessary to have large flow rates through the turbine.
PROPELLER Turbine is designed to accommodate the required large flow rates. Except the
alignment of the blades the construction of the PROPELLER Turbine is very much similar to
that of the Francis Turbine. The overall path of flow of water through the PROPELLER
Turbine is from radial at the entrance to axial at the exit. Similar to the Francis Turbine,
PROPELLER Turbine also has a ring of fixed guide vanes at the inlet to the turbine.
The PROPELLER turbine is ideally suited for heads up to 60 m and high speeds of
rotation with specific speed in the range of nq =110 to 500. The impeller blades of
PROPELLER turbine are adjustable. Since large flow rates are passed through the impeller,
the hub to tip diameter ratio will be low, generally 0.55 to 0.30 corresponding to n q range of
110 to 500. The design of the blades will be such that the absolute flow leaving the impeller
is in axial direction. The water discharge by the impeller is taken to the tail race by the draft
tube.
The choice of aerofoil blades or constant thickness blades relates to the
manufacturing process. Tests on prototype turbines showed that good quality of manufacture
of the blades is important to obtain high efficiency each blade needs to match the design.
Good surface finish also improves efficiency. However, achieving the required blade twist
(the change of angle from hub to tip) is more important than having a complex blade profile.

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Aerofoil blades would normally be made by casting individual blades that are then welded
onto the hub. These could be of aluminium or bronze. Constant thickness blades would
normally be used with a steel runner. They can be made out of sheet steel, cut, bent and
twisted into shape and then welded onto the hub. When welding the blades, it is
recommended to use a jig to hold each blade at the correct angle to the hub. It is important
that the runner blades are evenly spaced around the runner and are each set at the same angle.

Fig,Aero foil shape of blade

Turbine Design Spreadsheet

The design procedure follows a series of logical steps. The calculations for each
step have been put into the spreadsheet. The flow chart on page 3 outlines the stages in the
design procedure. Starting from the site data, the turbine speed should be chosen to give a
specific speed which fits with the propeller turbine range. The design starts from the runner
and then calculates the dimensions of the scroll casing to give the correct swirl velocity at
runner inlet. The dimensions of the runner may need to be adjusted through several iterations
to avoid large twist in the blades or reverse angles at the hub, which would make the runner
blades difficult to manufacture accurately. Choice of materials and manufacturing methods
are left to the knowledge of the designer.

Velocity Triangle:
w

Cm c

Fig.1.3

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Design problem:
Head=13.2m;
Notations:
nq- specific speed;

Volume flow rate =0.51m3/s

Cm-meredinal velocity;
ut=tangential velocity at tip

Dt, Dh=Tip and Hub diameters

W=specific work

Wbl=Blade specific work

1,2=blade angles at outlet and inlet

=angle of attack

CL=coefficient of lift

Z=Number of blades

S=spacing , Ch=chord lengt

Design procedure:
Assume speed of turbine 900 rpm
Specific work W=gh
We get W=129.492
Shape no. nsh= n(p)1/2/(W)0.15
We get nsh= 3.184
Specific speed Nq= n(Q)1/2/(H)3/4
we get Nq= 92.812
From chart i.e. Fig 1.4
Kug=1.2
Z=7
We know,
Kug=ut/(2gH)1/2
We get ut=19.31m/s
Ut=(Dtn)/60
We get dt=0.409m
By chart dh/dt=0.68

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V= 4 (Dt2-Dh2)Cm

Fig.1.4

We get Cm=7.215m/s
Also Dh=0.278 m
sheet

GRAPH 1. Design parameter for sizing

Assume hyd=0.85
hyd=Wbl/W
w.=gH=129.492 m2/s2
we get Wbl=110.068 m2/s2
1=tan-1(Cm/u)
2=tan-1((u*Cm )/(u2-wbl))
Sample calculation:
For tip;
1=20.520
2=28.0830
For hub;
1=28.540
2=56.930
Cavitation:
min=(3.65*nq)1.64/50327
we get min=0.28
=((Pb-PV)/-dt((C12-Cex2)/2)-gHe)/gH
Assume dt=0.9
=1.56
so, >min
Hence cavitation is not possible.
Kb=(2gH(s/ch))/(u*Wme)=M*CL
me:
tan(90-me)=0.5(tan(90-1)+tan(90-2))

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for tip;
me=23.720
for hub;
me=38.770
Sinme= Cm/Wme
For hub
wme=11.52/s
For tip
wme=17.93m/s
from graph i.e. Fig 1.5
For tip;

Graph 2- space: chord

ratio
s/ch=0.65
For hub;
s/ch=0.4
from graph i.e. fig 1.6
for hub
M=0.6
By putting all above values in equation
We get,
For hub
Kb=0.552
Kb=M*CL
CL=0.92

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1band 2b are less than 1 and 2 by 20-30.

1b=25.540

Graph 3.- Factor to modify lift coefficient due

to multiple blade
2b=53.930
=(1b+2b)/2=39.760
= - =-0.9650
me

=2b-1b
=28.390
Camber=0.5(1-cos /2)/sin /2=m/ch
for hub
Camber=0.0622
s=D/z
s=0.124
Therefore,
Ch=0.31 and m=0.0192

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Graph 4. Angle of attach calculation

From above fig.1.6
Angle of attack():
for hub and at various points can be calculated
=7.50

Result table:
Parameter

Hub

Tip

u(m/s)
1(0)
2(0)
s/ch

d=0.3
0.278
28.54
56.93
0.4

d=0.5
0.409
20.523
28.013
0.65

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S
Ch
Kb
me(0)
Wme(m/s)
M
CL
chamber(%)
(0)
m

0.124
0.31
0.552
38.77
11.52
0.6
0.92
0.0622
7.5
0.0192

0.183
0.282
0.39
23.72
17.935
1.2
0.326
0.0163
3
0.04

3D Model:

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Blade profile:

CONCLUSIONS:
1. Tangential velocity increase from hub to tip.
2. Chamber decreases from hub to tip.
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3. Angle of attack decreases from hub to tip.

4. Arc radius increases from hub to tip

REFERENCES

Vijaya Bijukchhe, 2012, Comparison of experimental results of horizontal

PROPELLER

turbine

with

computational

http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/3263
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fluid

dynamics,

 Robert Simpson & Arthur Williams, 2011, Design of propeller turbines for pico
hydro, www.picohydro.org.uk
Z. Deng, T J. Carlson, G.R. Ploskey, M.C. Richmond ,2005, Evaluation of blade
strike model for estimating the biological performance of large PROPELLER hydro
turbine, http://www.ntis.gov/ordering.htm
Jana Hadler1,*, Klaus Broekel1, 2011, Low head hydropower its design and
economic potential, - http://www.ep.liu.se/.
Williamson*, B.H. Stark, J.D. Booker ,2011, Low Head Pico Hydro Turbine Selection
using a Multi-Criteria Analysis, S.J. - http://www.ep.liu.se/.

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