Power Technology and Engineering

Vol. 37, No. 5, 2003

HYDRO TURBINE EQUIPMENT

FOR LOW-CAPACITY HYDRAULIC POWER PLANTS
B. M. Orakhelashvili1 and V. N. Markin2
Translated from Gidrotekhnicheskoe Stroitelstvo, No. 9, September, 2003, pp. 41 44.

ture and service conditions. Advanced high-head turbines

have the cavitation factor for the power limitation line
0.035 at least. Admitting that in serially produced turbines
the surface accuracy class of the flow channel may be inferior to that of the model prototype, we take min = 0.04.
Based on the permissible suction head Hs, we obtain the limiting head value that can be provided by the actual model hydro turbine:

In Russia, the resurge in interest in small-scale hydraulic

power engineering has come not only from the actual economical conditions of the domestic industry, but also from
the general trend towards using all available renewable
sources of energy. The power sources provided by small
streams account for about 23% of the total hydro power
sources of the former Soviet Union. However, a serious barrier to their extensive use is the scanty supply of commercial-scale hydro-turbine equipment for low-capacity hydraulic power plants (HPPs). Low-power hydro turbines (State
Standard GOST 8322-57) first designed at the All-Union Research Institute for Hydraulic Machine Building (VIGM)
played an important part in the erection of the extensive system of low-capacity HPPs in the USSR until 1970. Unlike
high-capacity hydro turbines whose performance standards
were revised and updated three times over that period, the
development of low-power hydro turbines was given little attention. At present, it has become necessary to develop a new
generation of low-power hydro turbines with superior power
generation and cavitation resistance characteristics.
Power units with a rated power output of 25 30 MW
are classified among low-power HPPs. Because of the irregular flow rate of small rivers and the lack of a water storage
for seasonal stream-flow regulation, the rated power output
of a single hydro-electric generating set should be 4 5 MW.
Perhaps, it may be expedient, for ease of transportation, to
reduce the rotor diameter of low-head turbines to use them
as-received from the manufacturer.
The turbine flow channel as specified by All-Union Standards OST 108.023.15-82 and 108.023.107-85 has provided
a basis for designing commercially available low-power hydro turbines. The actual range of stream supply head should
be covered by a minimum number of serially produced lowcapacity HPPs. Standard nominal rotor diameters should be
specified to allow optimum choice of the head and power
output combination for a turbine with high performance parameters.
Choosing serial base model. When installing a reaction
hydro turbine at a low-capacity HHP, the positive suction
head should be specified to optimize the power house struc1
2

Hlim = (8.5 Hs min)/min.

The permissible values of Hs were taken: (i) the minimum suction head Hs min = +1 m; (ii) the maximum suction
head Hs max = +5 m; and (iii) the bound for series-to-series
transition Hs tr = +4 m. Under these conditions, the limiting
head is 188 m. The maximum head for the next successive
series and the corresponding value of are calculated using
Hs tr. The minimum head is determined at Hs max.
Operation regimes for turbines of a particular series are
illustrated in Fig. 1; given in Table 1 are the head ranges for
each series. The head range for a particular series determines
thus the operation regime specified in terms of general characteristics based on the scaled rotor speed.
Considering that
( n I max n I min ) 2 = H s max H s min = 216
. ,
where n I is the scaled speed, the design point that ensures
high operational efficiency as the head varies and the required value of is determined either using the relationship
n Icalc = 0.8 n Ioptim
or with reference to the lower characteristic bound. The preferred location of this point would be to the right of the characteristic optimum.

TABLE 1
Series

Hmax
Hmin

Moscow Institute of Power Engineering, Moscow, Russia.

RAO ES Rossii, Moscow, Russia.

A
0.04
188
88

0.067 0.112 0.187

112
67
40
52
31
19

0.31
24
11

0.53
14
6.6

0.88
8.5
4

1.45
5.2
2.5

273
1570-145X/03/3705-0273$25.00 2003 Plenum Publishing Corporation

274

B. M. Orakhelashvili and V. N. Markin

Hs = +1 m
Hs = +4 m
Hs = +5 m
H (1.45)
1.0

Cavitation factor

G (0.88)
F (0.53)
E (0.31)
D (0.187)
0.1

C (0.112)
B (0.067)
A (0.04)

10

100

1000

Head, m

Fig. 1. Cavitation factor plotted as a function of the head for different hydro turbine operation regimes (the limit value of is shown in brackets).

The procedure for selecting a basic turbine model is

demonstrated below using the E series which comprises
three hydro turbine systems. A major performance parameter
of a hydro turbine that determines its weight and size characteristics is the power-speed coefficient which, for the reduced
quantities used, takes the form
n s = 365
. n I Q I h,
where Q I is the reduced flow rate.
The optimality criterion is determined in terms of a minimized parameter M which is the reciprocal of the powerspeed coefficient written for normalized variables
M = 0.5( A 2 + B 2 ).
The normalization of variables, each in its corresponding
range, is done as shown below:
rotor speed parameter
A = (i min)/(max min), 0 A 1;
flow rate parameter
B = (i min)/(max min), 0 B 1;
where = 1/n I ; = 1/ Q I h.
The normalized variables A and B are taken to be 0 for
maximum and to 1 for minimum values of the parameters
listed in Table 1.

Specifications for E-series turbines that conform with the

required cavitation factors are given in Table 2; their graphical interpretation is presented in Fig. 2. As can be seen, the
best choice is PL 40/800 model hydro turbine, despite that
fact that its power-speed coefficient in the optimum regime is
not maximum. Its competitive analog is PL 30/5876 turbine
which shows a somewhat higher reduced speed and a smaller
reduced flow rate under maximum head conditions. The final
decision is made after the diameter and speed have been
specified in greater detail. Relevant data for all series are
given in Table 3.
Nominal diameters. The general specifications of model
turbines show that, within each turbine series, flow rate intervals can be specified at which high power output characteristics are attained. For the RO-type turbines, the maximum reduced flow rate Q I max is taken at a 5% margin of power, and
for axial-flow and diagonal-flow turbines at a maximum
rotor blade angle. The minimum KD for the reduced flow rate
Q I min is taken with reference to the corresponding efficiency
contour line.
To ensure a constant power output at a fixed head, turbines of diameter D1 for Q I max and D1 for Q I min can be used.
To define a series of normal diameters, we use a coefficient
expressed as
2

Q I
D
K D2 = 1 = max .
Q I min
D1
Table 3 shows that the minimum value of K D2 for ROtype turbines is 1.38, whereas for axial-flow turbines it ex-

Hydro Turbine Equipment for Low-Capacity Hydraulic Power Plants

275

1.0

0.58
0.9

Rotor speed parameter A

0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5

0.458

0.4
0.347

0.3

0.5
0.43

0.545

0.4

0.2

PL 40/800

0.214

0.1
0

0.388

0.31
0.336
0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4
0.5
0.6
Flow rate parameter B

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Fig. 2. Selecting a basic model for the E-series turbines.

TABLE 2
Rotor type

nIcalc

QIcalc

, %

ns opt

RO 45/820
PLD 90/2556a
PLD 50/4011a
PLD 50/4015
PL 70/3164
PL 70/642
PL 50/1075u
PL 60/642a
PL 50/1075
PL 40/800
PL 40/587a
PL 30/5876
PL 30/800

70
72
94
91
88
90
93
93
93
100
100
705
105

1420
1060
1140
1180
1140
1120
1160
1100
1140
1300
1160
7200
900

84
88
88
87
86
86
87
86
87
87
88
87
88

1
0.91
0.3
0.365
0.438
0.39
0.32
0.32
0.32
0.175
0
0.05
0.08

0
0.58
0.4
0.347
0.458
0.5
0.388
0.545
0.43
0.214
0.3361
0.31
1

1.0
1.08
0.50
0.51
0.63
0.64
0.50
0.63
0.54
0.28
0.34
0.32
1.01

317
270
376
413
382
341
420
391
405
440
454
510
412

TABLE 3
Series
Hmax, m
Hmin, m
Basic model
ns opt

nIopt
QI (95%), liter/sec
QI min , liter/sec
KD2
Competitive model
ns opt

nIopt
QI (95%)(95%), liter/sec

180
90
RO 230/791d
170
66
640

105
55
FG2
207
70
870

65
35
RO 75/841a
294
83
1170

40
20
RO 48/820
320
83
1430

24
12
PL 40/800
440
125
1650

14
7
PL 20/811
550
146
1800

8.5
4
PL GK25/3166
700
156
2600

5
3
PLGK 15/984
720
164
3000

420

560

850

1040

620

660

800

1000

1.52

1.55

1.38

1.38

2.66

RO 230/3234 RO 230/3234 RO 75/7286 RO 75/841a PL 30/5876

166
166
278
293
510
65
65
79
83
130
700
700
1230
1170
1800

2.72

3.25

3.0

PL 30/5876
510
130
1800

PLGK 15/826
660
145
2250

PLGK 25/3166
700
156
2600

QI min , liter/sec

390

390

800

860

700

700

1300

800

KD2

1.75

1.75

1.53

1.36

2.58

2.58

1.73

3.25

276

B. M. Orakhelashvili and V. N. Markin

1000

14 m
8m
28

32

38

45

54

62

72

85

100

118

138

3m

RO 230/791d

10 m
65 m

Head, m

100

FG2

40 m

RO 75/841a

24 m

RO

20

PL

24 m

N = 5 kW

RO 45/820

N = 10 kW

PL 40/800

N = 20 kW
N = 50 kW

PL 20/811

10

D. cm

28

38

54

72

100

138

N = 100 kW

PLGK 25/3166

N = 200 kW

PLGK 15/984

N = 1 MW

N = 500 kW

N = 2 MW

190

N = 5 MW
N = 10 MW

1
0.1

Flow rate, m3/sec

10

100

Fig. 3. Hydro turbine diameters characterized in terms of the head and the flow rate.

ceeds 2.5. Obviously, they may differ in normal diameters.

For the RO-type turbines we take KD = 1.17. For the base diameter D1 = 1 m, one obtains a series of nominal diameters:
0.20, 0.24, 0.28, 0.32, 0.38, 0.45, 0.5, 0.62, 0.72, 0.85, 1.0,
1.38, and 1.38 m. For axial-flow turbines (considering, that
the high-efficiency operation regime can be controlled by
proper setting of the blade angle), we take KD = 1.37. Then
for the base diameter D1 = 1 m, one obtains the nominal diameters 0.28, 0.38, 0.54, 0.72, 1.0, 1.38, and 1.9 m.
Contour lines for diameter and rotor speed are obtained
in logarithmic Q H coordinates using the expressions
log H = -2 log
log H =

Q Icalc
D12

+ 2 log Q;

Q
4
n
2
log
+ log
.
3
n Icalc 3
Q Icalc

The contour lines D1 = const form a family of parallel

lines inclined at an angle = arctan(2) = 63.4 to the log Q
axis, and the contour lines n = const a family of lines at an
angle = arctan(2/3) = 33.7.

The set of diameters that functionally covers the reasonable ranges of power outputs and heads is shown in Fig. 3.
CONCLUSIONS
1. The actual standard range of the flow channels in hydro turbines and the corresponding power output and head
ranges in low-power HPPs can functionally be covered using
eight sets of rotors.
2. The rotor type within each series can be selected on
the condition of minimized parameter M, which is the reciprocal of the power-speed coefficient.
3. Nominal diameters for RO-type hydro turbines can be
established using KD = 1.17, and for PL-type turbines using KD = 1.38.
4. The limiting head value for reaction hydro turbines to
provide a positive suction head is 180 m.
5. The maximum rotor diameter for its single-piece
transportation from the manufacturer should not exceed
190 cm.