Hs

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[Type text] Page 2
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 S.No Mass flow rate (m3 ⁄s) CFD result- power (kw)
Case-A Case-B Case-C
1 0.52 15.55 15.7 15.45
2 0.60 15.67 15.82 15.50
3 0.64 15.45 15.62 15.35

S.No Q N CFD result

(m3/s) (rpm) Case-A Case-B Case-C
T(N-m) P(Kw) η( %) T(N-m) P(Kw) η( %) T(N-m) P(Kw) η( %)
1 0.52 1500 622 15.55 84.7 628 15.7 85.5 618 15.45 84.15
2 0.60 1000 940 15.67 85.35 943 15.82 86.2 923.81 15.50 84.4
3 0.64 750 1236 15.45 84.15 1243.6 15.62 85.08 1228 15.35 83.6

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 86.5
86
Efficiency %

85.5
85
Case-A
84.5
Case-B
84
Case-C
83.5
83
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
Rotational Speed (rpm)

2.2 Design of a Kaplan runner

The Kaplan runner consists of a variable number of blades, depending on head and volume flow,
and a hub the blades are attached to. The runner blades are usually designed as curved hydrofoils
using pressure differences to create torque which is transferred to electrical power. Designing the
runner blades to perform optimal with the given flow conditions is extremely important to gain
high efficiency.

Validation of the CFD Model

In this topic the present work are compared with experimental measurements, with the goal
being a validation of the CFD model. The intended use for the model is to predict the runner
efficiency as accurately as possible. A complete validation is not possible due to the fact that
other parameters would have to be taken into account. Thus, the validation in this thesis only
concerns the efficiency. The current use of the model should be restricted to efficiency
measurements and nothing else.

The comparison was done on a model runner, which is geometrically nearly approached with the
CAD model used in the simulations.

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5.1.1 Common input parameters

The numerical simulation for any flow domain requires 3-D geometry of flow space, boundary
conditions, nature of flow and properties of fluid, some parameters are required to be specified
for the numerical simulation depending upon potential or viscous flow analysis. The common
parameters with their values used during analysis are given in Table 5.1

5.2 Validation of results

Validating the numerical model developed verifies the accuracy of the modeling approach and
corresponding results. Result data from previous similar work entitled “Numerical Simulation for
Unsteady flow Analysis of Kaplan turbine International Journal of Scientific & Engineering
Research, Volume 6, Issue 8, August-2015” was used to validate the modeling technique. The
specification of the turbine includes the numerical simulation has been carried out for an axial
flow and geometric dimensions and meshing of complete assembly of turbine model are given in
table 2 and figure 2 respectively

The efficiency obtained from numerical simulation of previous similar work under steady flow
condition is compared with present work results as shown in table 3.

The efficiency obtained in the numerical simulation of previous work is slightly higher than the
present work results because may be due to high swirl fluid flow and difference of turbine size.

Table 2 Geometric dimensions of turbine model

Type of turbine Vertical axial flow Kaplan turbine

Type of casing Spiral type
Type of draft tube Elbow type
Diameter of turbine runner 0.400 m
Number of guide vanes 28
Number of stay ring 12

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 Fig. 2 - Meshing of complete assembly

Table 3 Comparison of Simulation results of previous and present work

Previous work Present work % of difference

Loading conditions Simulation Loading conditions Simulation
Results in % Results in %
o o
35 guide vane opening 89.2 55 blade inclination angle 81.1 8.1

o
40 guide vane opening 90.3 60o blade inclination angle 79.8 10.5

o
50 guide vane opening 88.5 65o blade inclination angle 75.53 13

Case Simulation B. I.A RPM Efficiency (T) Efficiency (CFD)

1.1 S1 55 731 80% 81.1%

1.2 S2 60 638 79% 79.8%

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 1.3 S3 65 554 76% 75.53%

Case Simulation B. I.A RPM Efficiency(T) Efficiency(CFD)

2.1 S1 55 808.4 80.96% 82%

2.2 S2 60 693 80% 80.6%

2.3 S3 65 600.7 76.8% 76.7%

Case Simulation B. I.A RPM Efficiency (T) Efficiency (CFD)

3.1 S1 55 854.55 81.6% 82.4%

3.2 S2 60 727.5 80.1% 81.2%

3.3 S3 65 630 77.5% 77%

5.6 Effect of change of fluid flow rate and blade angle on performance of Kaplan turbine

The effect of change of fluid flow rate and blade angle on the performance of turbine runner is
evidently shown in figure 2 below. For different blade inclination angles to hub and mass flow
rates, in each case turbine with fluid flow rate of 0.64m3 /s gives maximum efficiency while the
turbine corresponding to 0.6 m3 /s mass flow rate gives the minimum efficiency. It may be
because of higher input power occurring at higher mass flow rate.

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 Figure 2 Effect of change blade inclination angle & fluid flow rate

Results have shown that blade profile developed for case-B imore efficient han blade profiles of
case-C and case-A. High pressure difference resulted in ase-E have shown improvement in the
power output of the turbine.

0.6

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0.63

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0.64

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(𝑚3/𝑠)

Fig. 6.13 The Moody chart for pipe friction with smooth and rough walls [7].

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 Fig. 5 Inlet and Outlet Velocity Diagram of Kaplan Turbine [5]

After determining the turbine design data and parameter, the overall geometry of the turbine
runner is determined based on empirical formulas, assumptions and graphs. Therefore once the
runner speed, specific speed and the design head are known, runner inlet and runner exit
diameters and the height of hub are determined. Preliminary blade model can be formed.

FOR ASSEMBLY OF TURBINE

[1] S. Celso, P., Dr. Ingeniero, D.M.: LAYMAN'S Handbook on How to Develop a Small Scale
Hydro Site, 2nd Ed., European Small Hydropower Association, (1998).

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By using Equation (1.7) specific speed can be calculated as 0.14 which is in Kaplan Turbine’s
range of 1.4 ≤ 𝑛𝑄𝐸 ≤ 0.55 from Table 1.4.

2.294
𝑛𝑄𝐸 = = 1.4
2.50.486

The corresponding speeds (n) as turns per second are calculated for different discharge
alternatives by using equation (3.16)

n x √Q
nQE = E3/4

The preliminary design and choice of a turbine are both an iterative processes which requires to
evaluate size and efficiency issues.

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(m3/sec)

Turbine runner is the heart of the turbine [51]. This is where water power is transformed into the
rotational force that drives the generator. Its blades are responsible for capturing the most
possible energy from the water. Also keep in mind that any given runner will k2perform most

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efficiently at a specific Head and Flow. The runner should be closely matched to your site
characteristics. Careful machining makes a big difference in turbine efficiency.

REFERENCE;

[5] Arshney, R.S.: Hydropower structure, Nem Chand Bros Rookee, India, 1977.

[23]. Swe le minn, Htay Htay win, Myint Thein Design and Vibration Characteristic Analysis of
10kW Kaplan Turbine Runner Blade Profile May-2014, Vol.03, Issue.06

[7] Frank M. White Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering at University of Rhode
Island Fluid Mechanics Fourth Edition

[26] S. Sangal, A. Garg, D. Kumar Review of Optimal Selection of Turbines for Hydroelectric

Projects International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering Volume 3,

Issue 3, March 2013

[10] Alie Wube Dametew. Design and Analysis of Small Hydro Power for Rural Electrification
Global Journal of Researches in Engineering: F Electrical and Electronics Engineering Volume
16, 2016

[11] U. Zope, Prof.Dr. P.S.Pingle. Micro hydropower turbines design. International Journal of
Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 5, December-2014

[12] Aktan Temiz. Decision making on turbine types and capacities for run-of-river
hydroelectric power plants a case study on eglence-1 hepp, 2013

[28] Er. Shivam Saxena1, Mr. Rahul Kumar. Design of NACA 2412 and its Analysis
International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science March-April, 2015

[25].M. Abubakar, S. Badshah, T. Ahmad, N. Rahman Modelling and Analysis of a very Low
Head Kaplan Turbine Runner Blades for Rural Area of Punjab International Journal of Scientific
& Engineering Research, Volume 5, Issue 7, July-2014 905 ISSN 2229-5518

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[29].V. Chandrakar, Dr. R. Khare [29]. Numerical Simulation for Unsteady Flow Analysis of
Kaplan Turbine International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 6, Issue 8,
August-2015 232 ISSN 2229-5518 IJSER © 2015 http://www.ijser.org

The determination of head is very important step in the design of Micro Hydropower System.
The gross head that was measured using direct method during the field survey is about 3.125m

NEW

Gagnon et al and Deschênes. [16]. Presented unsteady interaction of a rotor and a stator in a
Kaplan turbine. His works mainly focused on the interaction of rotor and stator and find the
relation of runner blade torque, guide vanes forces and fluctuating pressure as a function of
operating conditions. He stated that a numerical simulation provides nonphysical results for the
cases that are situated much off from the peak point. Accordingly, in his study he considered
three cases with peak and two off peak conditions very close to peak point. The transient
simulations indicated forces fluctuations at partial load and overload conditions. He further
explained that these fluctuations might be caused by the gap between rotor and stator interface
which allows space for damping and by low operating head of the machine. He concluded that
for the flow to be perfect, mesh should be geometrically similar at the interface between rotor
and stator so that the flow information if transmitted from stator to rotor without interpolation.

REF

Gagnon, J. M., and C. Deschênes. 2007. “Numerical Simulation of a Rotor-Stator Unsteady

Interaction in Kaplan Turbine.” CFD Society of Canada. Toronto, Canada.

The runner

The runner is the most important component of Francis turbine. Water in high pressure is fed in
through the spiral case and guided by the stay and guide vanes to the runner blades. The high-
pressure water enters the runner inlet with partial kinetic energy and flows through the area
between two blades of the runner. By reaction principle, water pressure energy is converted into

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kinetic energy, which produces pressure difference between two sides of blade. This pressure
difference between the two sides of blade produces torque and finally mechanical energy in the
form of rotation of runner.

NEEW

A study was conducted by Karthik A., Et Al.,[2014]. Entitled “Design of a Micro Hydro Kaplan
Turbine Blade”. The aim of the study was to design an optimum micro Kaplan runner blade. The
author has designed based on calculation of main characteristics i.e. Discharge through runner,
Power that can be generated, Hub diameter on which the design of the runner is based.

REF

[8] Karthik,A.S.,Arjun,S.M .,Kokatnur,C.C.,Kurbet,Dr. S.N.,(2014), ―Design And Static

Analysis Of Micro Hydro Kaplan Turbine Blade‖,IJETST-Vol.01,No.03,Pp.268
271,May,Issn:2348-9480

NEEW

Busea, C, et al. [13]. carried research work on studying the axial hydraulic Kaplan turbine
runner optimization using the finite element analysis software. Using the CFD simulation, with
less response time, modification can be investigated in a short time. Latest CFD techniques can
predict energetic characteristics with certain accuracy level, as fluid simulation techniques do not
replace experimental tests in precise.

REF

Busea, C., and Jianu, B., “Optimization of axial hydraulic kaplan turbines runner blades using
Hydrodynamic simulation techniques”, 6th International Conference on Hydraulic Machinery and
Hydrodynamics, Timisoara, Romania, October 21 - 22, 2004

NEEW

Ferrando, L, et al. [11] worked on the application of a surface parameterization to a blade of

Kaplan turbine runner. This geometric representation should be used as a practical tool in the
process of design optimization. Most parameterizations are based on blade section approaches.

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The parameters are typically angles, lengths that have a clear meaning to the hydraulic designer.
Span-wise functions are sometimes used to ensure coherence between the sections and the
smoothness of the constructed blade surfaces.

In this case, the section-to-section approach was replaced by a purely surface method. The blade
is modelled using an angle surface and thickness distributions, and the design parameters are
kept as close as possible to their original physical meaning. Smooth blade surfaces are ensured,
and a reduced number of variables is sufficient to describe realistic designs. Their line of
research aimed to introduce a surface parameterization approach which provides a representation
of the blade. One of the benefits of this methodology is the reduction of design parameters
involved as this approach is no longer section dependent.

Other advantages reside in the easiness to obtain smooth geometries. Finally, it is also important
to point out that data exchange between programs (i.e. CAD, Mesh Generator) may now use
surface representation. This entails that subjective reconstruction of this surface is no longer
necessary. As a conclusion, with their approach and the reduction of design parameters, the
design optimization process becomes shorter in terms of time and effort.

In order to handle all requirements for development of turbines, the technical economic analysis
is unavoidable. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulation can be a complement to model
testing and help us to speed up the design procedure.

REF

Ferrando, L., Kueny, J.L., Avellan. F, Pedretti, C, and Tomas, L., “Surface Parameterization of a
kaplan Runner Turbine for Optimum Design”, 22nd IAHR Symposium on Hydraulic Machinery
and Systems, June 29, 2004

NEEW

Paik, N.C., and Byeon, S.S., [14] carried research work to optimize the axial Kaplan turbine
operating with 3~6 m water head. Three stages of optimization were executed for the turbine
with the geometrical modifications by varying the number of runner blade, pitch angle and three
different blade profiles. In their study, they attempted to acquire basic design data, the output
power, efficiency and pressure distribution to suggest the sound method of optimization.

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REF

[14] Paik, N.C., Byeon,S.S., and Kim, Y.J.,“Numerical optimization of an axial Kaplan runner
for small-hydro power application”, 2010

3.2 Site Data’s

It is presumed that the data with regard to design head, discharge, number and types of units and
capacity are known. Departure from these guidelines for selection etc. It is necessary to meet the
special requirements and conditions of individual sites.

Main input parameters are the operational design discharge and head values of the hydropower
plant.

2.2.4 Runner

The runner in a Kaplan turbine is a very challenging part to design. The propeller shaped runner
is mounted vertically with several blades. The length and number of blades can determine the
turbine's rotational torque which can indirectly influence the hydraulic effect.

The analysis is carried in ANSYS CFX by importing the 3D model file saved in Solid-Work as
stp. The steps that are followed are given below which include all the conditions and the
boundaries values for the problem statement. In this project three different cases are taken
through changing the runner blade angle inclination to hub and for each case three different inlet
mass flow rate are taken. Results can get through streamlines, velocity and pressure contour.

6. CONCLUSION

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6.1. Summary of the Developed Work

The aim of this study is to design, model and CFD analysis of a micro Kaplan turbine runner. To
accomplish the aim the study firstly the micro hydro energy resources of the selected village has
been assessed.

A design methodology is developed for the hydraulic design of a Kaplan turbine runner using
computational fluid dynamics tools. The head of water and the design discharge of the system
are the only inputs to start the process. Flow rate of the River has measured on March which
expected to have low and the head is surveyed from the site. In the preliminary stage, the
hydraulic machinery theory and some empirical formulas are used for overall dimensioning of
the turbine runner.

Most of the drawings were simple but the blade profile was quite complex part, so it caused
some difficulties to draw the blade in a proper way. Since the design of the runner is just based
on theory, it cannot be assumed to be 100% practical. Some variances to the theory always
appear in practice. Hence, for example, the profile of the blade maybe needs to be change
somewhat to improve the manner of the water flow. On some points, the sources which were
used to design the runner give different information and thus it was not altogether clear which of
the sources should be used. Therefore, I was heavily dependent on book only providing a step-by
step design of the blade.

The preliminary design is improved by using a commercial CFD. The design is optimized to
increase turbine efficiency while satisfying the hydraulic performance factors which differ for
each turbine. The runner blade design was main factor for optimizing Kaplan turbine runner
design.The pressure and velocity distributions are checked for spiral case and stay vanes. For
runner, the computed flow angles are considered as indicators of performance. The pressure
recovery is investigated for the draft tube.

The developed methodology is applied for the turbine design of an actual hydropower project.
The project is a micro scale hydropower plant located in the Oromia region. A micro Kaplan
turbine with a power of 14.72Kw is designed. Validation of CFD results of present work with
nearly approached similar work studied previously are brought out. The maximum efficiency
regime indicated by both is nearly same. Reason for slight difference of efficiency computed can

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be because of swirl flow (in the present work) and due to discretisation of domains and solution
of differential equations in computational methods. Hence the result obtained are fairly
matching, Prediction of turbine performance by CFD gives the idea to know the flow behavior
inside the turbine model and get the information about the intricacy of flow pattern.

As the interpretation of the analysis indicates, decreasing the head pressure will result in
decreasing the dynamic pressure ranges. However, decreasing the cross sectional area of the inlet
casing will increase the velocity magnitudes. This implies that the energy carried on by the
entering fluid by any means losses its fluid power.

6.2. Contributions of the Developed Work

The design methodology, coupled with CFD analysis and solid modeling tools, enables the
turbine runner design ready for manufacturing.

The thesis work covers the development of the Solid-Work codes to accelerate the iterative
design process involving extensive CFD applications. Once the CFD result is validated, the solid
model created is ready for manufacturing.

Achievement of turbine design know-how is expected to create a positive impact on the

development of hydropower industry in the country scale, including production of all
electromechanical equipment involved in a hydropower plant. As the manufacturing is
performed in Ethiopia, this study will also have a contribution on the procurement of qualified
workers in the turbine manufacturing area and attract new investments in the hydropower
industry.

6.3. Future Work

The procedure described in the thesis can be extended for transient investigations using CFD
tools which require larger computing capacity. Unsteady simulations covering the rotor-stator
interactions, draft tube vortices can be investigated in order to improve the turbine design. Future
works may also consist of the application of the design methodology to other types of turbines.

Performance of the runner can be reduced or increased by various changes in the design that
have an effect on different phenomena. That is why before modifying the design it was important

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to identify the parameters that could be quantified. Naturally, all of the parameters were expected
to be related between themselves to a higher or lower extent.

5 RESULTS VALIDATION

Table (5.12) shows a comparison between the present numerical CFD result and the result of V.
Chandrakar, Dr. R. Khare [29] shows an acceptable agreement. Pressure distribution and void
fraction distribution around the hydrofoil are validated by comparing the predicted numerical
results with the experimental results of Sedlář et al. [13] as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7.

When assessing a micro-hydro site, one is interested in quantifying the design data, which is both
the available head and the flow-rate, since both are necessary in determining power.

For a straight pipe, friction is proportional to the velocity of the water and to the ratio of the
pipe’s length with respect to its diameter. This relationship is expressed mathematically by the
Darcy Equation:

The friction factor is specific to the material, construction of the pipe and the characteristics of
the flow. The most widely used method of obtaining the friction factor is through the use of the
Moody diagram (Appendix). The Moody diagram shows the friction factor plotted against the
Reynolds number, with a series of parametric curves related to the relative roughness of the pipe.

2. Mesh Report

Table 2. Mesh Information for FFF

Domain Nodes Elements

body 7314 3640

rotor 104730 515050

All Domains 112044 518690

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 Shaft Stay- ring

Runner

Casing

Draft
tube

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 Stationery domain Inlet

Rotating domain

Outlet

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[Type text] Page 29
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Results have shown that blade profile developed for case-B s more efficient han blade profiles of
case-C and case-A. High pressure difference resulted in ase-E have shown improvement in the
power output of the turbine.

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2. Mesh Report

Table 2. Mesh Information for FFF

Domain Nodes Elements

body 8176 4070

runner 14391 56590

All Domains 22567 60660

Table 5.2: Total torques for CFX simulation of the three cases

Case-A

Type X Y Z

Pressure Torque -0.5600e+01 -0.5918e+03 1.8028e-01

Viscous Torque -2.4521e-02 5.7840e-03 -1.2249e-01

Total torque (Nm) -0.5625e+01 -0.5918e+03 0.5719e-01

Net torque = 592Nm

Case-B

Type X Y Z

Pressure Torque -0.8300e+01 -0.94700123e+03 4.5282e-01

Viscous Torque -1.1000e-02 1.2310e-03 -3.3723e-01

Total torque (Nm) -0.8311e+01 -0.9470e+03 1.1558e-01

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 Net torque = 947Nm

Case-C

Type X Y Z

Pressure Torque -1.1606e+01 -1.2286e+03 3.6057e-01

Viscous Torque -4.2451e-02 1.4466e-03 -2.4498e-01

Total torque (Nm) -1.1648e+01 -1.2286e+03 1.1558e-01

Net torque = 1228Nm

Cases Type X Y Z

Pressure Torque -0.5600e+01 -0.5918e+03 1.8028e-01

Viscous Torque -2.4521e-02 5.7840e-03 -1.2249e-01

Case-A
Total torque (Nm) -0.5625e+01 -0.5918e+03 0.5719e-01

Case-B Pressure Torque -0.8300e+01 -0.94700123e+03 4.5282e-01

Viscous Torque -1.1000e-02 1.2310e-03 -3.3723e-01

Total torque (Nm) -0.8311e+01 -0.9470e+03 1.1558e-01

Pressure Torque -0.8300e+01 -0.94700123e+03 4.5282e-01

Case-C
Viscous Torque -1.1000e-02 1.2310e-03 -3.3723e-01

Total torque (Nm) -0.8311e+01 -0.9470e+03 1.1558e-01

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Results have shown that blade profile developed for case-B is more efficient than blade profiles
of case-A and case-C. Relative velocity of fluid flow at optimum angle of attack resulted in case-
B have shown improvement in the power output of the turbine.

Turbine blades have two sides, top one is pressure side with high pressure nd the bottom side is
suction side with low pressure. This pressure difference

causes the blades to rotate. This pressure difference is very important and

depends on the blade profiles. Optimum design of blade profiles using latest

computational techniques can lead to the improvement in turbine power

output. 5.2 Assessment of the CFD Model

CFD analysis has been carried out on the designed runner geometry at different flow rate and
rpm. After analysis it becomes very important to assess the results achieved. Assessment is
required to know the performance of the computational model. It was achieved by comparing
CFD results with the values calculated theoretically using Euler’s turbo machinery energy
equation related to specific site. Comparisons of the results are tabulated in table (5.4) and
graphically represented on the characteristic curve Fig.5.8 given below.

5.3 Characteristic Curve Comparison Between Theoretical and CFD Results

Table 5.4 Theoretical and CFD results

Cases Simulation B. I.A RPM Efficiency (T) Efficiency (CFD)

Case-A S1 35° 1500 80.01% 84.7%

Case-B S2 50° 1000 83.3% 86.21%

Case-c S3 60° 750 79.55% 83.6%

Figure 5.8: Graph of theoretical and CFD results

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Efficiency Curve Analysis: The graph is showing the hydraulic efficiencies of all the three cases
for theoretical and CFD results. According to the graph, it implies that CFD and theoretical
results are very close and under acceptable conditions by the characteristics curve.

9.9 Results Summary – Design Trends

As all of the results displayed in this section are based on vertical axial micro Kaplan turbine
runner, in practice the values attained are compared with each other. This is because although
every geometry model is different, they are all symmetrical and without the inclusion of inlet
guide vanes, the flow entering from either end is treated in the exact same way.

Throughout the simulation testes, there have been several design trends found. Increasing the
rate of rotation and mass flow rate were found to produce larger values of both torque and power,
due to the increased amount of energy available in the flow and number of turns contributing to
the power equation.

It was also found that when the number of blades was increased, the performance of the device
was reduced. With the 6 blade producing a 2.5% decrease compared to the 4 blade version.

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The velocity and pressure distribution created over the turbine runner are the areas of high
velocity, with the highest pressure values are close to the leading edge of the turbine blade where
the flow first comes into contact with the device.

Based on the design and the CFD results found, one final geometry was created. Each
geometrical value chosen was done so based on the results that provided the greatest increase in

Figure 5.4: shows comparison of power vs. RPM from Euler’s turbomationery energy equation
and CFD simulation. The power is calculated from CFD with the moment developed on the
blades about the Z axis. We can observe that there is discrepancy in the value between the two.

Fig 5.4: Power Vs RPM from simulation and theoretical

Images detailing the post processing of simulation results are shown below. Figures 45 and 46
show the velocity streamlines of the flow as it passed through the turbine.

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 Flow
direction

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Based on a reference design data, geometry was modeled, looking at the how a variety of
geometrical identities affect the overall performance of the device. It was found that the
modifications which increased the surface area of the turbine blade and also increased the
number of blade resulted in a reduction in performance.

Generators transform mechanical energy into electrical energy. In the low head hydroelectric
power plants, standard generators should be installed. Therefore, rotational speed of the turbine,
which is directly proportional to its specific speed, flow and net head, is also important for the
synchronization speed of generator that will be used in the scheme. Generators synchronization
speeds for 50 Hz frequency are given in Table 2.4 with different number of poles.

In this chapter, objective of CFD analysis, the theoretical designed 3D model of Kaplan turbine
runner presented in chapter three is further analyzed with CFD to achieve the optimum runner
performance, the methodologies used to determine like runner power output, its efficiency and
ways of improving runner performance are provided hear. Results of runner or list of main

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outputs taken from CFD simulation followed by a complete work flow of simulation are
provided in this chapter.

3.1 Objective and Challenges

The main objective of this chapter is to establish the CFD analysis of Kaplan turbine runner that
predicts the torque applied to a non-stationary Kaplan runner.

When dealing with non-stationary fluid domains, the numerical analysis itself will be transient,
meaning that the flow is unsteady and time-dependent. Data obtained from this analysis can be
used to set up a steady-state model of the torque on a Kaplan runner. The main challenges
regarding this analysis are listed below:

• Large domain (three-dimensional)

• Transient simulation

• Complex mesh/grid (CFD)

• Stationary and rotating domains

3.2 Methodology

After collecting relevant data’s related to hydro power, a proper model should be created in solid
work to define the fluid flow inside the turbine section. The 3D model of the runner was
imported to the ANSYS Design Modeller. Figure 4.1 shows the structure of the 3D model
created for CFD analysis. The turbine runner is centered inside the turbine casing for the CFD
analysis.

CFD was chosen over the entire runner analysis. The computational domain is defined by the
rotating domain and stationary domain. The rotating domain containing the blades Fig.4.1 is in
the initial position. From then on, this domain rotates inside the stationary domain along to z-
axis. When modeling the fluid domain, it is important to make sure that the fluid flow is fully
developed before interacts with the runner blade.

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The computational domain has two parts and thus are three-dimensional bodies where the
governing equations given below are solved the movement of water.

The runner geometry is placed inside the stationery domain, and the volume of this geometry
occupies is subtracted from the stationery domain. The result is a hollow tube which takes the
shape of runner geometry. This method is used to simplify the structure for CFD analysis during
simulation. Next to that verification of CFD results was performed using the nearly approached
similar work after the CFD results were collected, if there was not good agreement between the
two, we can return back and check the runner size unless we wrote the conclusion if the runner
performed a good performance.

3.4.5.2 Spacing of the blade (𝐭 𝐬 ) and the inclination of blade angle (𝜷𝜶 )

The spacing and inclination of runner blade angle to the hub can be calculated by the following
equations below [11]

2πr
ts = (3.30)
Z

𝑉𝑓
𝛽𝛼 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 ( )
𝐶𝑢1

(3.31)

u, v and w designates velocity components, p designates pressure, 𝜌 designates flow density and
⃗ designates unit vector and t designates time
τ designates stress tensioner, V

First, a theoretical design was performed for determining the main characteristics. The
theoretically proposed design was further analysed where pressure distribution and inlet/outlet
tangential velocities of the blades were analysed and corrected with CFD to improve the
efficiency of power generation.

4.1 Ansys CFX

CFX is a Eulerain based model, which is used extensively both commercially and academically.
It is widely accepted that it is able to achieve a high level of accuracy for a wide range of fluid

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flow types, and is able to capture almost all fluid flow phenomena (Židonis & Aggidis, 2015,
ANSYS, 2015a). It is a proven technology with a strong user base and many years of operating
experience. The integrated workbench platform gives access to the diverse range of other
computational modeling modules which is ofte

n necessary for a thorough analysis.

The actual version of CFX was 15 and it was used within ANSYS Workbench.

Domain Geometries were created using Solid Works 2014 and imported to the ANSYS Design
Modeller. The meshes were created using ANSYS Mesher. An example of ANSYS Workbench
project layout used for runner analysis is shown in Fig. 4.1.

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4.3.2 Inlet and Outlet Sections

To simulate the flow heading into and out of the turbine a cylindrical casing and con type draft
tube section were created using ANSYS Design Modeler. The casing section was created inlet
and shroud around the turbine runner using the enclosure tool, leaving a 0.01m clearance gap,
which would be necessary to simulate real world conditions. This enclosure part will form the
rotating section of the whole simulation.

The other section was created an outlet section. This section was created longer than they would
be during physical testing so the flow entering the device would have time to fully develop and
also so the flow exiting the device can be seen and examined. The inlet and outlet sections can be
seen below (Fig. 4.3)

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 Figure 4.3 - Inlet and outlet sections of geometry

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4.3.2.1 Mesh Quality

Although there are many different ways of determining the mesh quality, the skewness gives a
good overview of how well the mesh will work. Skewness is a measure of how close the face of
the cells are to the optimum. To maintain a good mesh, highly skewed cells should not be present
and therefore the maximum value should not exceed 0.9 (ANSYS Inc, 2009).

Another very important feature that is required to capture the fluid flow is inflation. Large
variations in velocity often occur near the wall boundary in the normal direction.

Figure 4.5 - Velocity gradient captured with inflation layers (SimuTech Group, 2015)

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The right

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Table 3.3. List of named selections in the domain geometries.

Name selection Descreption

Inlet Inlet facing
Outlet Outlet facing
Casing-wall Cylinderical face adjacent to inlet
Draftube-wall Conical face adjacennt to casing and outlet

Meshing

When working with ANSYS Meshing 15.0, one should be aware of that the order one applies
sizings, inflations etc. has an impact on the success of mesh generation. As shown on Figure 4.1,
the meshing of the fluid domain was divided in two meshing components, one for the stationary
domain and one for the rotating domain. The main reason for this was that the rotating domain
was meshed with an advanced size function, while the stationary domain did not use this feature.

4.3.2.3 Stationary Domain Mesh

The stationary domain was meshed with the advanced size function turned off and consisted of
0.21 million mesh elements (0.04 million nodes). All the elements were hexahedral and the
sizing was controlled depending on the flow direction that was easily predictable in this domain.
The skewness factor describing the quality of a hexahedral mesh was kept below 0.6. Fig. 4.6
presents an image of the stationary domain mesh showing very dense mesh sizing at the inlet and
the path of fluid flow between blade tip and casing and much larger elements where the flow
details are outside of interest. ANSYS Meshing 15.0 actually does a great job meshing the large
part automatically using the following steps.

 Double click the "Mesh" cell to open ANSYS Meshing.

 Hide all the rotating bodies of the fluid domain.

 Select the hexahedral type of mesh.

 Update and Jenerate mesh

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It is important to update/generate the mesh between every step from now on to make sure that
each setting works properly.

 Unhide the bodies hidden in point two.

 Save the project and close Meshing.

4.3.2.2. Rotating Domain Mesh

The rotating domain was meshed with the advanced size and consisted of 1.6 million mesh
elements (0.32 million nodes). The mesh was tetrahedral element. The inflation layers shown in
Fig. 4.10 were applied on the surfaces of interest,

 Hide all the stationery bodies of fluid domain.

 Select the tetrahedral type of mesh.

 Unhide the bodies hidden in point one.

 Save the project and close Meshing.

The CFD analysis with the CFX solver is created by connecting the 3D model of rotating and
stationary mesh to a CFX component. By double clicking the "Setup" in the CFX component
ANSYS Pre is launched. The natural workflow in ANSYS Pre is to start at the top of the
"Outline" tree and work your way down.
Analysis Type
In each "Flow Analysis" in ANSYS Pre there is a tab called "Analysis Type". This is where one
defines whether or not the simulation is transient or steady-state, control simulation time and
time steps. In this case the transient option was chosen in our project.
 Analysis Type = Transient
 Time Duration = Total Time
 Time Steps = Time Steps
 Initial Time step = 0.0003 [s].
 Initial Time = Automatic with Value = 0 [s].

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Start by deleting the automatically created default domain. Insert two new domains and name
them "Rotating" and "Stationary".
Basic Settings tab for both domains
 Define fluid properties of water.
 Reference Pressure: 1 [atm].
 Domain Type: Fluid Domain
Basic Settings tab for rotating domain
 Set Domain Motion to Rotating with the Angular Velocity defined by the expression
"Omega".
 Rotation Axis: Global z.
Basic Settings tab for stationary domain
 Domain Motion: Stationary
Fluid Models tab for both domains
 Enable the Homogeneous Model.
 Select the Standard Free Surface Model.
 Select the Shear Stress Transport turbulence model with the automatic wall function.
 There is no heat transfer, combustion or thermal radiation in this CFD model.
Initialization tab for both domains
 Enable the Domain Initialization.
 Set Velocity Type to Cartesian and set U, V and W to 0 [m s^-1].
 Relative Pressure: 0 [Pa]
 Set the initial volume fraction for air and water to 1 and 0 respectively.
E.4 Boundary Conditions
Boundary conditions for the rotating domain
 Basic settings: Domain type = Fluid domain. Location = runner. Morphology =
continuous fluid. Buoyancy model = non buoyant. Domain motion = rotating = angular
velocity [62rad/s]
 Fluid models: Heat transfer = Isothermal. Turbulence = K-Epsilon.
 Blade and hub: Boundary Type = Wall. Location = wall. Frame Type = Rotating. Mass
and Momentum = No Slip Wall. Wall Roughness = Smooth Wall.

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Boundary conditions for the stationary domain
 Inlet: Boundary Type = Inlet. Location = Inlet. Mass And Momentum
= Mass flow rate = [0.6m/3]
 Casing wall: Boundary Type = Wall. Location = casing. Mass And Momentum
= No Slip Wall. Wall Roughness = Smooth Wall.
 Draft tube wall: Boundary Type = wall. Location = wall. Mass And Momentum
= No Slip Wall. Wall Roughness = Smooth Wall.
 Outlet: Boundary Type = outlet. Location = outlet. Flow Regime
= Subsonic. Mass and Momentum = static Pressure. Relative Pressure = 0 [Pa]).
Interfaces
Delete the default interface, insert a new interface and name it rotating stationery
interface ("RSIF"). The boundary conditions for the interfaces are created automatically
("RSIF Side 1" and "RSIF Side 2").
Settings for the interface "RSIF"
• Interface Type = Fluid Fluid
• Interface Side 1: Domain (Filter) = Stationery. Region List = StatIF.
• Interface Side 2: Domain (Filter) = Rotating. Region List = RotIF.
• Interface Models = General Connection. Frame Change/Mixing Model = Transient
Rotor Stator. Pitch Change = Value. Pitch Ratio = 1.
Solver
E.6.1 Solver Units
Mass Units = [kg]. Length Units = [m]. Time Units = [s]. Temperature Units =
[K]. Angle Units = [rad]. Solid Angle Units = [sr].
E.6.2 Solver Control

Basic Settings tab

• Advection Scheme = High Resolution
• Transient Scheme = Second Order Backward Upwind. Time step Initialization
= Automatic.
• Turbulence Numerics = First Order.
• Convergence Control: Min Coeff. Loops = 3. Max. Coeff. Loops = 10.

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 Timescale Control = Coefficient Loops.
• Convergence Criteria: Residual Type = RMS. Residual Target = 0.000115.
E.6.3 Output Control
Transient Results tab
• Create a new Transient Results item.
• Output Frequency = Time Interval = Data Step (expression)
Monitor tab
• Enable Monitor Objects
• Monitor Points and Expressions: Add a new monitor and name it " Torque = torque -
z_Coord 1( )@Runner blade".
• Click on "Torque runner blade", set Option to Expression and Expression Value to
Torque [N.m] = torque - z_Coord 1( )@Runner blade (expression).

4.5.5 Turbulence
Modeling turbulence is a difficult task and still has not been fully understood or
perfected, with no ideal model available, however it is required in almost all engineering
fluid flow simulations to predict how turbulent fluctuations will affect the flow.
Turbulence is a dominant phenomenon, meaning that when it is present, it greatly affects
other phenomena; therefore it is critical to model it as accurately as possible (Sodja,
2007).
As each model has good and bad points it is important to choose the turbulence model
that is most suitable for the project. The turbulence model used was the k-epsilon.
4.5.7 Monitor Points
In addition to the variables calculated by the CFX solver, extra monitor points were
added to quantify two important values that will be used to compare the performance of
the initial turbine to how the geometrical variations compare to one another in terms of
output. As the role of the turbine is to produce energy, the most important value to know
is the device stability to produce an output power.
In a model test the output power is read as torque on a shaft, and it is therefore the total
efficiency which is found during performance tests. During the test of efficiency the

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 torque (T), rotational speed (n), volume flow (Q) and pressure head (p) are constantly
recorded.
From these measured quantities the mechanical power delivered from the turbine to the
shaft can be calculated according to equation (4.7). Note that the rotational speed, n, is
given in revolutions per second in this equation, and not revolutions per minute.
Pm =2πnTm
(4.6)
To be able to calculate the power produced by the turbine, the torque value must be
known as seen in the CEL expression used:
Power(W)=trq*𝜔(rad/s) (4.7)
Where:
Trq = Torque (N.m)
𝜔 = Rotational rate (rad/s)
The overall efficiency of the turbine is calculated based on the fundamental equation, i.e.
ratio of output power from the turbine to input power supplied to the turbine.
P 2πnT T
𝜂= Pm = ρgQHm= ρg𝑄𝐻
m∗ω
(4.8)
h

To monitor torque accurately a coordinate frame was needed about the axis of rotation for
the turbine runner, in this case it was through the origin of both the cylindrical spirals
used to create the blade helices and the origin on the cylinder used to create the inner
diameter of the device. Using this new coordinate frame, the expression to monitor torque
was:
Torque [N.m] = torque - z_Coord 1( )@Runner blade
Where the z axis of Coord 1 is in line with the axis of rotation.
Solver Control
The default transient scheme, Second Order Backward Euler, was chosen because it is
recommended by ANSYS [8] for most transient runs. The minimum number for
coefficient loops was set to 3 to ensure that at least 3 iterations are completed per time
step. According to [8], 10 coefficient loops per time step is usually adequate to resolve
the strong non-linearities in multiphase flows, thus the maximum number of coefficient
loops was set to 10. If convergence is not sufficient with this number of coefficient loops,
one should reduce the time step size rather than increase the number of coefficient loops.

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 The residual is the most important measure of convergence, as it relates directly to
whether or not the equations have been solved. A residual level of 10−4 is considered as
a relatively loose convergence by ANSYS, but may be sufficient for many engineering
applications. Values above this level may be sufficient to obtain a qualitative
understanding of the flow field. In this case, the residual type RMS (root mean square)
was chosen with a residual target of 1.15×10−4. With a target that is 1.15 times higher
than the recommended value for loose convergence, the results are considered to be
sufficient enough to obtain a qualitative understanding of the flow in a rotating runner
blade. A target of 10−5 is ideal for good convergence, but in this case this was not
possible due to the limiting computational resources.
Output Control
The main output of the simulation is the total torque on the runner blade. A monitor for
the expression "Torque" was added, which logged the torque and made it possible to
monitor the torque during the simulation. Initially, complete transient results were logged
10 times at a fixed time step. After studying the torque curve from the initial run, specific
points of interest in time, were chosen manually as the output points.

4.2Mesh Sensitivity Analysis

The creation of the mesh requires a delicate approach with a smaller mesh providing greater
accuracy; however it also requires greater computer power and takes longer to compute each run.
Therefore it is important to use a mesh size which is small enough to capture the required fluid
flow phenomena accurately, without being too small that it takes uses more computational power
and time than is necessary. It is important to conduct a mesh sensitivity analysis to determine the
point where increasing the number of elements within the mesh does not affect the results.
Studies like this are common with all CFD projects and are an important part of the process to
produce an accurate set up (Schleicher, 2012).

To do this, four different mesh setups were created and analyzed with sizes ranging from
relatively large to very small. Each individual mesh was created and set up using the same
method and boundary condition values, with the primary modification being the size. The main
area of interest for the study was the interaction of the flow around the rotating domain;

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especially where the fluid comes in to contact with the turbine blade, therefore it was important
to make sure this was the area of the mesh that was being reduced in size.

Once created with the same physical setup and boundary conditions each mesh was computed
through the ANSYS Solver and the values for torque and power monitored by the Solver. By
comparing the values obtained by the solver, it is possible to find where the size of the mesh
does not affect the output results.

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 V. Chandrakar and R. Khare work[8] Present work
Loading condition Q CFD Exp. Loading conditions Q CFD
(Guide Vane Opening) (m3/s) (%) (%) (Blade Inclination Angle) (m3/s) (%)
35o 0.52 91.5 89.2 48o 0.5 89
40o 0.62 92 90.3 52o 0.6 90
50o 0.71 90.8 88.5 56o 0.7 89.6

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Introduction

This chapter provides a brief description to the CFD analysis of 3D model of Kaplan turbine
runner to perform for further evaluation and optimization for the theoretically designed runner.
The details of characteristic feature of the runner we wanted to analyze by CFD simulation like
tip diameter (Dtip = 40cm), hub diameter (dhub = 15cm), power input (p = 18.4kw) and runner
speed (N = 600 rpm) are used, objective and challenges of CFD analysis are described here
together with the methodologies used for runner design analysis (Fig.1.2) and optimization.
Moreover, this chapter includes a complete workflow for one simulation towards improving the
performance of the runner, this includes:

1. Geometry creation using Computer Aided Design (CAD)

2. Mesh creation – subdividing the flow domain into smaller grids

3. Physical set up – setting the boundary conditions

4. Running the solver – where the PDEs governing the flow through the machine are solved
numerically to solve the fluid problem

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5. Post processing – viewing the results of the solver through moving animations, graphs and
images of the fluid flow.

Finally, list of main outputs taken from CFD simulation are provided in this chapter.

the mesh refinement study is presented to quantify the discretization error.

In this chapter, the theoretically designed runner was performed for further evaluation
and optimization of the theoretically designed object.
the design, objective and challenges of CFD analysis, the theoretical designed 3D model
of Kaplan turbine runner presented in chapter three having tip diameter (Dtip = 40cm),
hub diameter (dhub = 15cm), power output (p = 15kw) runner speed (N = 600 rpm) are
further analyzed with CFD to achieve the optimum runner performance, the
methodologies used to determine like runner power output, its efficiency and ways of
improving runner performance are provided hear. Results of runner or list of main
outputs taken from CFD simulation followed by work flow of simulation are provided in
this chapter.

A complete workflow for one simulation. This includes

1. Geometry creation using Computer Aided Design (CAD)
2. Mesh creation – subdividing the flow domain into smaller grids
3. Physical set up – setting the boundary conditions
4. Running the solver – where the PDEs governing the flow through the machine are
solved numerically to solve the fluid problem

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 5. Post processing – viewing the results of the solver through moving animations, graphs
and images of the fluid flow.

5.1 Introduction
In this chapter, the results of the simulation of modeling a micro Kaplan hydro turbine runner for
Denkaka village are presented. The concept, formulas and tables discussed in previous chapters
are used as input for this chapter to evaluate the performance of the runner. In this chapter, the
CFD simulation results of the designed runner model are discussed in detail. Based on the
simulation results, comparison of the standalone hybrid system versus the grid connected system
is also carried out.
5.2 CFD Simulations of Kaplan runner
The CFD model has undergone mesh dependency and been tested at different parameters. An
overview of the summarized setup used in all simulations is presented in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1: Overview of the summarized basic setup used for all simulations.
Solver ANSYS CFX 15.0
Time discretisation Transient
Advection scheme High Resolution
Transient scheme Second Order Backward Euler
Turbulence model SST with automatic wall function
Multiphase model Homogeneous model
Surface tension model Continuum Surface Force (primary fluid ! water)
Convergence criteria RMS
5.2.1 Mesh Dependency
The purpose of a mesh dependency study is to find a mesh size MI, where a parameter y of
interest will remain constant if M is increased. Then MI would be the best choice because a finer
mesh would not affect the solution. One generally favors a mesh independent solution, but mesh

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independence is not a requirement for achieving good results. The parameter y could easily
converge far away from the real solution S, and pass S in the process.
In accordance with the main objective, it was of interest to find the mesh size where the total
torque is constant if the mesh size is increased any further

5.2 Results of CFD analysis of runner

The following section contains the results from the CFD simulation analysis. Based on the input
data that are discussed in the previous sections, CFD analysis of Kaplan turbine runner was
performed repeatedly by varying parameters that have a controlling effect over the output to find
optimum solutions. The analysis is carried in CFX by importing the 3D model file saved in
Solid-Work as (.stp).The simulation of CFD software provides the results of optimized runner
and its analysis. The output of the simulation is a list of parameters like torque (T), power output
(P) and efficiency (η).
The analysis was done first keeping the flow regulator at constant position i.e. varying the load
of turbine and speed keeps constant and flow rate varying. An overview of the constant and
variable input parameters used in simulation is presented in Table 5.1
5.2.1 Analysis - I
Was done keeping the flow regulator (δ) at constant position but varying the load of the turbine
i.e. speed (N) of the runner varies/changes.
Table 5.1 Overview of the constant and variable input parameters.
Results -I
In the process of CFD analysis, ANSYS CFX software simulates the designed model of runner
using the specified input boundary conditions and displays the results in a table. The software
performs a number of simulations to evaluate the performance namely power output, torque and
efficiency which helps to identify an optimized runner. The results obtained from simulation of
runner using ANSYS CFX are tabulated in table 5.2 and graphically represented in Fig 5.1
Table 5.2 simulated CFD results of runner

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With the given values of constant and variable input parameters, equations of mass and
momentum are solved numerically on discretized volume and torque on a blade is provided as
output by the solver. The power output was calculated using the torque developed on the runner
blades and rotational speed eqn. (5.1) and the hydraulic efficiency was obtained by dividing
output to input power. The total torque acting on a runner is the resultant of pressure and viscous
moments.
P=T𝜔 (5.1)
Where:
P = power developed by the turbine in (watts)
T= Torque developed on the runner blade (N-m)
ω = angular speed (radian/s)

CFD Analyses of the Runner

Analyses of runner are performed based on the provided quantities for the specific power plant at
hand: mass flow rate of 0.6 m3/s, head of 3.125 m, rotational speed of 600 rpm and 4 blades of
runner. Mass flow rate and rotational speed parameters are used along with CFX turbo mode and
are defined as inlet and outlet for the program respectively.
5. Results and Discussion
In this chapter, the results of the design and CFD analysis of a micro Kaplan turbine runner are
presented. The concept, formulas and tables discussed in previous chapters are used as input for
this chapter to evaluate the performance of runner. In the simulation, the flow has been simulated
for a value for rotational speed and fluid flow rate varying from 375 rpm to1500rpm and 0.1m3/s
to 1.0 m3/s respectively. The computed results of all design variables were analyzed and
discussed in detail to identify the optimum performance of runner. Effect of fluid flow rate,
runner speed and blade inclination angle to hub were discussed in detail. Based on the computed
CFD results disused below, comparison of efficiency of the runner with other similar work is
carried out.
AT DIFFERENT RUNNER SPEED

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All other design parameters were kept constant while runner speed varied. Fig 5 and 6 shows that
both power and efficiency decreases with increasing runner speed because of higher pressure
loss at high rotational speed in turbine runner as pressure energy is converted to kinetic energy.
The computed result has good agreement with available literature.
AT DIFFERENT FLOW RATE
For constant dimensions turbine runner performance were evaluated at different flow rate while
keeping all other design variables constant. Efficiency of runner increases rapidly until it reaches
89.6% which is at flow rate of 0.6m3/s and then increases slowly till it finally becomes almost
constant as shown in Fig 5. This is due to change in total pressure loss from inlet to outlet in
turbine runner is almost constant as the flow rate increases.

This trend was to be expected, the tendency of increasing fluid flow rate resulting in an increased
the values of power but decreased value of torque with increased rotational speed of runner is
well documented in literature, with the existing data also showing the same trend. However,
there was a limitation to corresponding values of efficiency.

5.1. Optimization of the runner

The original theoretically designed runner showed only 79.87% of efficiency. Hence, it was
optimized with CFD by adjusting the blades to achieve a higher tangential velocity difference
(Δ𝐶𝑢 ) of the inlet and outlet edges of the runner (Cu1 and Cu2 ) which would help to achieve a
better efficiency.
Here, by following a similar methods to Bashir et al [9] optimization of the runner was
performed by changing the blade inclination angle beta (𝛽=48°, 52°, 56°) to hub side. CFD loads
(mass flow rate and runner speed) were used as input boundary conditions to perform the
analysis and were varied/changed in the simulation to investigate its impact on the total torque,
power and efficiency and the results are given in Table 5.
As evident, the power output increases rapidly from an inlet mass flow rate of 0.1m3/s to
0.6m3/s and then the rate of increase decreases. As shown in Figure 13, the efficiency of the
runner is increasing as the mass flow rate increases and it comes to a maximum of around 89.6%
at an inlet mass flow between 0.1- 0.6m3/s, and then starts to decrease. As the changes of the
mass flow was not that effective, then it was attempted optimize the runner to improve the

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efficiency. The highest efficiency achieved was 89.6% with 0.6 flow rate and 52° blade
inclination to hub and this design is called the optimized design here onward.
Flow analysis inside turbine runner
a) Flow analysis from inlet to outlet
Fig.17 indicates 3D stream line flow of Kaplan turbine runner from inlet to outlet. Turbine
velocity increases from inlet to outlet as pressure energy of water is converted due to turbine
runner rotation.
b) Pressure Contour analysis

Pressure inside turbine runner decreases from leading edge to trailing edge as pressure energy is
converted to mechanical energy inside turbine runner Fig.5.5. High pressure is exerted on the
suction side of the turbine runner.
The following diagram in this section shows the contours of pressure and velocity magnitude for
fluid flow rate of (Q = 0.6 m3/s) and rotational speed (N = 600rpm) .The term pressure and
velocity magnitude defines the resultant pressure and velocity magnitude of fluid particles at any
position. Fluid patterns under a similar color means, it has an equal dynamic pressure and
velocity magnitude. As the fluid color goes from red to deep blue, the dynamic pressure and
velocity magnitude goes from the maximum to the minimum. Images detailing the post
processing of simulation results are shown below.

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 V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The flow has been simulated for a value for rotational speed and fluid flow rate varying from 375
rpm to 1500 rpm and 0.1m3/s to 1.0 m3/s respectively.

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The variations of hydraulic efficiency and power output with speed and flow rate are shown in
fig.2 and fig.3 respectively. Hydraulic efficiency and power output show a parabolic variation
with speed which is a characteristic of an axial flow turbine. The runner is found to have a
maximum hydraulic efficiency of 89.6% at a discharge and rotational speed of 0.6m3/s and 600
rpm respectively. Fig. 5 shows variations of torque developed on runner blade with flow rate Q =
0.6m3/s with varying speed. It is seen from the graphs that total torque decreases with increase in
speed.

Variations of velocity streamline patterns in runner are shown in Fig.8. It is observed that that
there is a change in velocity inside runner it increases from its inlet to outlet.
The pressure difference between pressure and suction surface firstly increases from leading edge
as water strikes on the blade and after that decreases smoothly to meet towards the trailing edge.
Pressure contours at constant flow rate of 0.6m3/s and rotational speed 600 (design condition)
rpm is shown in Fig. 6. In the below figure of pressure contours it is seen that pressure inside
runner decreases from its inlet to outlet as the pressure energy is being converted into mechanical
energy.

Design of Propeller Turbine for Micro Hydro Power Station Using CFD
Abstract—Low head power plants are expected to be implemented increasingly in the future for
economical, geographical and environmental purposes. Kaplan turbines are well suited for these
types of applications. They operate at higher flow rate, smaller head and faster rotational speed,
thus being more compact than other types of machines.
This paper presents the study of design and CFD analysis of a micro Kaplan turbine runner; its
design and performance improvement is of great concern. In the present work Runner and a
conical draft tube is designed in solid work. Runner is exported to ANSYS CFX to do its
volumetric meshing and fluid flow simulation. The complete passage of flow including runner
and draft tube is numerically simulated using k-𝜀 model in CFX. Simulations have been carried
out at different speed of rotation and fluid flow rate varying from 375 to 600 rpm keeping the
discharge constant and varying 0.1 to 1m3/s keeping runner speed constant. The results obtained
from flow simulations are found to be in accordance with turbine characteristics curves. Results
and their variations with speed and fluid flow rate are represented graphically. Finally a

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comparison of the present and another similar work done by another researcher which is
published internationally is presented.

ABSTRACT
This paper presents the study of design and CFD analysis of a micro Kaplan turbine runner.
By changing the blade design, we consume the more energy even at low pressure of water flow
in the Turbine. This turbine works on the principle of Archimedean screw that convert’s the
potential energy of water on an upstream level into kinetic energy. Water flows into the turbine
and its weight presses down onto the blades of the turbine, which in turn forces the turbine to
turn. Water flows freely off the end of the turbine into the river. Also this study focused to found
the variations of velocity components and the pressure by average circumferential area (ACA)
from inlet to outlet of the blades and used as factors to analyzed the flow inside the blades, the
results of this analysis shows a good prediction of the flow behavior inside the blades and this
lead to acceptable blade design, which can be used in Kaplan turbine. Blade complex geometry
and design have been developed by using the coordinate’s point system on the blade in PRO-E
/CREO software. Based on the flow rate and heads, blade profiles are analyzed using ANSYS
software to check and compare the output results for optimization of the blades for improved
results which show that by changing blade profile angle and its geometry can be optimized using
the computational techniques with changes in CAD models.
LITRARURE
Research review on the previous work indicates that attempt on the research work on subject
area is rare. In the reviewed research work as referred in this section [13-20], it is to be pointed
that optimization work has been carried on the axial turbine components on single
geometry/profile basis.

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Research on obtaining minimum angle of attack at all cross section of the blade for optimization
is not addressed in the previous work. To overcome this drawback, research has been carried out
in this paper by developing the turbine blade with changes in the profile geometry for five
different cases. In this study, it is being focused to fill this gap and carry forward the latest
research.

The numerical result from the simulation gives pressure, velocity distribution, total torque and
non dimensional flow parameters.
The hydraulic efficiency of turbine is calculated from change in pressure from turbine inlet to
outlet. Meshing of axial flow turbine runner was done using ANSYS CFX.
Fluid Density [kg/m3] Dynamic Viscosity [Pa s]
Water 998.78 1.108 * 10-3

RSIF rotating stationery interface

[31]. A. BASHIR JANJUA, Dr. Design and development of low head small hydro Kaplan
turbines in Pakistan, 2013.
6. Conclusions:
From the computed CFD result the following conclusion can be drawn. The theoretical design
was optimized with ANSYS for developing an efficient runner. With the CFD analysis, it was
possible to adjust the design parameters of the blades to improve the efficiency of the runner.
The CFD results showed that the optimized inclination of blade angle to hub side would
influence the tangential velocity difference between which showed a major impact on the turbine
runner efficiency. As was observed, the higher the tangential velocity difference the higher the
power output is and hence the efficiency. The efficiency of the designed runner increased
slightly for some increment of runner speed and fluid flow rate quickly; however, this is not
always true due to less change in pressure from inlet to outlet of turbine runner, increases
pressure energy loss and also, pressure energy is converted to kinetic energy which decreases
turbine efficiency.

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 Inlet boundary

Outlet
boundary

Figure 1.1: Design methodology chart

Table 3.1: measurement of total head using direct height method
Table 3.2: Correction factors to obtain the velocity of flow rate in a river
Figure 3.1: Measuring of water flow-rate by the floating approach
Table 3.3: Flow rate Measurements Using the Velocity-Area Method
Figure 3.2: Velocity triangles for an axial flow Kaplan turbine
Table 3.4: Values of pipe roughness factor for various materials
Table 3.5: head loss coefficient for various pipe fittings
Table 3.6: Range of Turbine Heads
Table 3.7: generator synchronization speed (at f = 50Hz)
Table 3.8: Range of specific speed for each turbine
Table 3.9: Selection of Runaway speed
Figure 3.3: Plan view of runner blade and its assembly
Figure 3.4: Grating
Figure 3.5: Five Sections of the Blade
Figure.3.6 Graph of CL vs α and CD vs 𝛼
Table 3.10: Details of the theoretical runner design
Table 3.11: Characteristics of blade at different diameter from hub
Table 3.12: Angle of the twisted blade
Fig.4.1 ANSYS CFX solution flow chart
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Fig. 4.2: Project layout in ANSYS Workbench.
Figure.4.3: CAD model of Kaplan turbine runner
Figure 4.4: CAD model of con type draft tube
Figure 4.5: 3D CAD model geometry of runner and its draft tube
Figure 4.6: Created Flow Domains
Table 4.1: List of named selections in the boundaries of flow domain
Fig 4.7: Velocity gradient with inflation layers
Figure 4.8: Rotating domain mesh
Figure 4.9: Stationary Domain Mesh
Table 4.2 Constant material properties of water used in CFX
Figure 4.10: Location of Inlet and Outlet boundary of the runner.
Table 5.1: The input and simulated CFD results of runner by varying speed
Figure 5.1: Dependence of efficiency and power output on runner speed
Figure: 5.2: Dependence of Torque on runner speed
Table 5.2: The input and simulated CFD results of runner varying flow rate
Figure: 5.3: Variation of efficiency and power with fluid flow rate
Figure.5.4: velocity stream line flow of turbine runner
Figure 5.5: Contours of velocity
Figure 5.6: contours of dynamic pressure
Figure 5.7: contours of total and static pressure
Table 5.3: Results of the optimization options at constant fluid flaw rate
Figure 5.8: Graph of power and efficiency with different runner speed
Figure 5.9: Graph of Runner Speed vs Torque
Table 5.4: Results of the optimization options at constant runner speed
Figure 5.10: Graph of Power output and efficiency with different fluid flow rate
Table 5.5: Geometric dimensions of V.Chandrakar, Dr. R. Khare turbine model
Table 5.6: Details of boundary conditions of V.Chandrakar, Dr. R. Khare
Table 5.7: Comparison of simulation results of present and V.Chandrakar, R. Khare
Figure 5.11: Comparison of efficiency of previous and present work
Table 7.1: Vapor pressure of water
Table 7.2: Coordinate points for leading side

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Table 7.3: Coordinate points for trailing side
Table 7.4: Coordinate points for hub side
Table 7.5: Coordinate points for shroud side
Figure 7.1: The Moody chart for pipe friction with smooth and rough walls

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[Type text] Page 69
[Type text] Page 70
 3D Model of Runner Geometry

CFD Mesh

(Coarse mesh + Up wind+ k-𝜖)

CFD
Result

Intial condition

CFD Mesh

(Fine mesh + High resolution+ K-𝜖)

Compute CFD

CFD
No
Result

No Evaluate Objective Ok
End
Function

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