Hydraulic Turbine R & D Laboratory Brochure
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About
In India a fully automatic SCADA based Hydraulic Turbine R & D Laboratory has been set up in AHEC, IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand,
a centre of excellence for small hydropower in the country, to validate the homologous hydro turbine models designed & fabricated
by various turbine manufacturers. IIT, Roorkee is one of the oldest technical institute set up in 1847 and has played an important
role in the development of Water resources in India, both through education of competent engineers as well as research work.
Real turbines can be tested at site in real conditions for which it is designed, only after installation and that too with relatively
high inaccuracy. Practically no improvement can be done once the machine has been installed. The tests are therefore conducted on scaled
models, on scaled hydraulic conditions. Such model tests process is a time consuming job and it demands well calibrated equipment, which
are costly and often tailor made. Larger turbine companies such as BHEL, Andritz and Voith have their own test facilities. However,
smaller developers and consultants concerned with hydro power cannot afford such a big investment. Consequently several projects have
faced surprises during their operation.
Objectives
The laboratory supports the Indian small hydropower industry (government as well as independent) to grow and compete in the International
market in various aspects of hydroelectric power development:
- Spearheading research and development activity in the country for hydro turbine.
- Developing of human resources for small hydropower in respect of entrepreneurs, engineers, plant operators and researchers.
- Generating of data and building expertise for solving site specific problems.
- Providing affordable facility to small hydro manufactures for design verification.
- Validating designs of small hydro turbine and layouts using CFD technique.
- Developing and validating flow-measuring techniques leading to optimum utilization and generation.
- Providing calibration facility for measuring instruments used for both field-testing and power-plant operation.
- Providing facilities for testing and certification of turbines.
Overview
Both experimental and field tests are being carried out to validate the forecast performance and output test results obtained from
calculation methods. The experimental tests are to be conducted in the Francis and Kaplan turbine and using a scale model of the
turbine. This stage of the hydraulic testing process provides a unique opportunity to verify the complete turbine operating range,
taking into account complex operating phenomena, which are not covered in the theoretical calculation and tests carried out in previous
stages. This high-tech scale model test laboratory are equipped a dedicated test-rigs for Francis and Kaplan turbine with provision
of future extension for Impulse turbine, capable of simulating Conditions identical to those in a real hydropower plant.
The guiding parameters in setting up this Lab are as follows:
- Good overall accuracy in turbine efficiency measurement (± 0.17% in efficiency measurement at best efficiency point)
- Meeting IEC 60193, ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO -4185 requirements.
- Repeatability (target 0.15%).
- Limiting the normal power consumption in the Laboratory to 300 kW level.
- Flexible rig to accommodate many types and designs of turbines.
- Test conditions and parameters to be stable.
The key parameters that are measured on this test-rig are water head, water discharge, runner speed, torque and density. This test-rig
can handle a power capacity up to 132 kW, for speeds of up to 980 rpm, with maximum test heads of 60 m with discharge 150 lt / s and
max. discharge 906 lt./s. at head of 15m.
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THREE DIMENSIONAL VIEW OF TEST RIG
SALIENT FEATURES OF TEST RIG:
| Max Head m |
60 m with discharge 150 l/s. |
| Max, discharge l/s |
916 l/s. at head of 15 m (Both Pump) |
| Max speed |
985 RPM (rated) |
| Head loss |
10 m (total) |
| Dynamo-motor and Fourth quadrant VFD |
132 kW (AC), Drive and motor Siemens Make |
| Hydro Static Bearing |
Make Voith, Germany |
| VFD |
Siemens Make |
| Universal Frequency counter/timer |
Agilent Make, 350 MHz, 12 digits, 100 PS |
| Flow Calibration |
Gravimetric (Weighing) method |
| Flow measurement |
ABB Make Electromagnetic Flow meter,
Velocity range 0-10m/s (max.) |
| Head measurement |
Yokogawa Make-Differential Pressure Transmitter |
| Torque measurement |
Main Torque-HBM Make T12 torque meter
Friction Torque-HBM Make Z6 Load cell |
| Speed measurement |
By HBM Make T12 torque meter |
| Measuring Tank and calibrator tank calibration with load cell |
Measuring tank 3no., 22T capacity RTN, HBM Make load cell,
Calibrator tank 1no. S-type, HBM Make load cell with 2T capacity load |
| Suction head Measurement |
Yokogawa Make Differential pressure transmitter |
| Size of turbine model |
350 mm in dia for Francis Turbine
350 mm in dia for Kaplan Turbine |
| Open loop |
Configured as calibration loop by bye-passing the rig. through
diverter unit in measuring tank/discharge tank. |
| Testing loop |
Closed loop |
| Reservoir size and capacity |
12.1m X 8m X 4.45m
Volume 217.8m3 |
| Sump size and capacity |
12.1m X 7.1m X 4.45m
Volume 300.69m3 |
| Transfer pumps motors-4 nos |
WPIL Make, Pump: Suction 400NS, Discharge 350NS, Speed 988rpm,
Cap 1440 m3/hr, total head 24 m, Motor: 160 kW,988 rpm, V415 V, Siemens Make |
| Feed pump-motors-2 nos. |
Kirlosker Make, 415V, 50Hz, 0.85 pf, 11 kW, 1470 RPM |
| Side Channel Pump-1no. |
Speck-Pumpen, Germany Make, 415V, 50Hz, 0.85 pf, 1.5 kW, 1440 RPM |
| Liquid Chiller |
Drycool systems Make, 40TR,
water temp. 31°C max., water flow rate 182LPM |
Contribution
Contribution (Finance, Knowledge, Participation) made by following are gratefully acknowledged.
Government-Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
| Institutions/Organization |
Turbine Manufacturer |
- Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
- Center Water and Power Research Station, Pune
- Fluid Control Research Institute, Kerala
- M. A. National Institute of Technology, Bhopal
- Jadavpur University, Kolkata
- Institute of Design of Electrical Measuring Instruments, Mumbai
- Government Workshop, Roorkee
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| Vendors |
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- ABB
- Energy Ventures
- WIPL
- NBCC
- Cair Euromatic Automation
- IBM-Locuz
- Ansys
- Unitech Instruments
- Swagelok
- Emerson Process Management
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- Gogoal Hydro
- HBM
- Fluke
- Eltek Systems
- Endress Hauser
- Elgi
- Yokogawa
- Drycool System
- Aimil
- Yuken
|
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Research Areas
In hydraulic turbine R&D laboratory of AHEC, IIT Roorkee, the research fields includes multi-phase hydro dynamics,
water power project, hydraulic machinery etc.
- Performance optimization in hydraulic machinary.
- Analysis of fluid flow in draft tube.
- Mitigation of vortex rope under part load operations.
- Flow field display technique of hydraulic turbine.
- Research of cavitation mechanism and anti-cavitation measures.
- Measurement and control technique of fluctuation, cavitation in hydraulic turbine.
- Vibration stability of hydraulic machinery.
- Measurement of dynamic pressure, velocity field in hydraulic turbine.
Facilities
- Model testing of reaction turbine
- In-situ Calibration
- Instruments
Model Testing (as per IEC 60193)
- Efficiency Testing
- Cavitation test
- Runway speed test
- Axial thrust measurement
- Wicket gate torque test
- Pressure fluctuation measurement
Calibration
Model Testing (as per IEC 60193)
Model Testing (as per IEC 60193)
Efficiency Testing
All model testing are conducted as per IEC 60193:1999. The homologous turbine models are tested over the required operating range
to determine its performance characteristics. The test data covers operating range 10m to 60m net head and 150 l/s to 916 l/s with
sufficient data taken above and below these levels to allow adequate definition of the operating characteristics.
Following parameters that are measured to find the output (in the form of efficiency, cavitation parameter and runaway speed) in this test-rig are
- Water head
- Water discharge
- Runner speed
- Shaft and friction torque
- Temperature
Performance tests are run at fixed wicket gate position or rotation. Each wicket gate position is run across the head range by varying
the speed of the service pumps while maintaining a constant rotational speed of 1000 rpm and a constant NPSH. Each wicket gate position
is expected to consist of approximately 15 to 20 data points each resulting from a 30 second scan in which 3000 samples are taken and
averaged for the performance calculations.
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Cavitation test
Cavitation test are run on the model by setting a fixed wicket gate position rotation and running the model at a constant net head while
varying the absolute pressure in the tail tank in a closed loop test stand to vary the Thoma cavitation coefficient, sigma (σ). The absolute
pressure is lowered sufficiently to produce a drop in efficiency of at least one percent. This limit allows the sigma level to be considerably
less than plant sigma.
Sufficient data points are taken to define the values of critical sigma (σ1) where the efficiency decreases one percentage point from a
constant value. The relationship of critical sigma to plant sigma is determined from this testing.
Runaway Speed test
Runaway speed tests are run by setting selected wicket gate position and running the model at constant speed and approximately
zero torque while varying the absolute tail water pressure in a closed test loop to vary the Thoma coefficient, sigma. The
corresponding turbine discharge and axial hydraulic thrust are simultaneously measured.
In-situ Calibration
Flow Calibration
Calibration of the electromagnetic flow meter are carried in open loop in which, Water is pumped from a sump having the constant
water level and diverted to the measuring tank for a specified period through flow diverter using gravimetric approach as per ISO 5168 and ISO 4158.
In hydraulic turbine R&D laboratory, measuring tanks of 45.4 ton water capacity is used in weighing balance system. 3 RTN load
cells of 22 ton each are placed under the measuring tank at 1200 apart as per OIML R 76-1: 2006. Measuring tank load cell (HBM-RTN)
having accuracy of class C3 (OMIL R60) are calibrated with calibrator tank load cell (HBM-S40A) having accuracy of class C3 (OMIL R60)
then calibrator tank load cell are calibrated with F2 class standard weights.
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Head Calibration
Differential pressure transducers and cavitation pressure transducers are installed in the head measurement panel to measure net head
across turbine and suction head respectively.
Torque Calibration
The total torque produced by the turbine at any operating point is equal to the sum of calibrated shaft torque, measured by shaft torque
transducer and friction torque, measured by a the load cell. The shaft torque transducer is fixed on the shaft between the turbine and
the generator while friction torque load cell is connected to the hydrostatic bearing via a lever arm. A calibration arm is connected to
the shaft torque transducer.
Speed Calibration
The total torque produced by the turbine at any operating point is equal to the sum of calibrated shaft torque, measured by shaft torque
transducer and friction torque, measured by a the load cell. The shaft torque transducer is fixed on the shaft between the turbine and
the generator while friction torque load cell is connected to the hydrostatic bearing via a lever arm. A calibration arm is connected to
the shaft torque transducer.
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Instruments
High Speed Camera
Capture high resolution digital images at ultra-high speeds for observation and understanding of bubble collapse
phenomena in different cavitation condition
- Make: Fastec
- Model No.: TS4
- 1280 x 1024 mono or vivid color images at over 510 frames per second at full resolution and 60,000 frames per second at reduced resolutions
- Recording speeds of up to 365 frames per second at full resolution and 1541 fps at reduced resolutions
Stroboscope
To observe rotating vortex rope phenomenon at downstream of hydro turbine runner and draft tube under different operating conditions
Stroboscope with digital display for manual and external control. High power Stroboscope with highest light intensity, separate lamp with
high power quartz flashtube for large area illumination.
- Make: Drello, Germany
- Model No.: Drelloscope 3020
- Display: Digital measurement value
- Flash rate: 30 to 25000 flashes/min
- Power supply: 220VAC±10, 50 Hz
- Splash-proof lamp: LE 4040/20y
Rigid Borescope
Borescope is used for visual observation where the area to be inaccessible. It is used in HT R & D Lab for observation of
cavitation bubbles at entrance edge of runner and draft tube in hydro turbine
- Make: karlheinz Germany
- Model No.: K10.300.000
- Diameter: 10mm, Length: 302 (12") Mm
- Angle of View: 0° and Field of View: 65°
- High Intensity Led Light Source
- Maximum Frame Rate: 59.94 fps at full scanning and Effective Picture Element: 659(H)*504(V)
3-D Scanner (Both-Handheld and tripod based)
| Scanners |
Make |
Specification |
Purpose |
COMET L3D Camera,
Positioning System,
Additional Field of View,
Geomagic Design X Software |
Carl Zeiss Optotechnik GmbH, Germany |
tripod based range:0.1 to 4 m accuracy:8 μm |
To extract the profile of turbine blade and guide vanes
To measure the erosion at different part of turbine |
| Portable Hand Held Scanner |
Creaform Inc., Canada |
Handheld rHandheld range:0.1 to 4 m accuracy:50 μm |
Precision Pressure Calibrator
The basic and advanced PPC4 includes all the pressure transducer calibration features in a state-of-the-art digital pressure calibrator
- Make: Fluke
- Model No.: KPPC4
- Range: Full vacuum to 14 bar
- Uncertainty: ±0.015% at auto range
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Publications
- Abbas, A., and Kumar, A., 2017. "Development of draft tube in hydro-turbine: a review", International Journal of
Ambient Energy, Vol. 38, No. 3, 323–330.(Taylor and Francis, Scopus)
- Abbas, A., and Kumar, A., "Evaluation of uncertainty in flow and performance parameters in Francis turbine test rig"
International journal of Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, Under Review (Communicated on 15 July 2017)
- Abbas, A., and Kumar, A., "Numerical and experimental investigations of draft tube under different operating conditions"
Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, Under Review (Communicated on 03 Dec. 2017)
- Abbas, A., Jhankal, N.K., and Kumar, A., 2017. "Calibration of Electromagnetic Flow meter using Advance SCADA System",
Flotek.g 17, Innovative Solutions in Flow Measurement and Control - Oil, Water and Gas,28-30 Aug 2017, FCRI, Palakkad.
People
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Laboratory Chief |
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Prof Arun Kumar
Area of expertise:
- Vast experience in the field or hydro power engineering
Phone : Off.(+91 1332) 286134, 286135, 285821
E-mail : aheciitr.ak@gmail.com,
akumafah@iitr.ac.in |
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Research Scholar |
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Mr. Ali Abbas
Area of expertise:
- CFD in hydro turbine
- Flow analysis in Draft tube
- Calibration of field parameter
Tel No. 01332-286134, 286133 (O)
E-mail : abbas.abbas02@gmail.com |
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Research Staff |
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Mr Ashutosh Vashishtha
Project Associate
Area of expertise:
- Electrical, Calibration of field parameter
- Hydraulic turbine model testing and technique and processing
- Certified Laboratory Quality Management System and Internal Audit as per ISO/IEC-17025 and NABL requirements
Tel No. 01332-286134, 286133 (O)
E-mail : ashutoshvashishtha@gmail.com |
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Mr. Nitin Kumar Jhankal
Research Associate
Area of expertise:
- Instrumentation & Control, SCADA operation, Calibration of field instruments
- Measurement of fluctuation in flow parameters
- Certified Laboratory Quality Management System and Internal Audit as per ISO/IEC-17025 and NABL requirements
Tel No. 01332-286134, 286133 (O)
E-mail : nitinjhankal@gmail.com |
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Mr. Museer Alam
Project Associate
Area of expertise:
- Mechanical and fabrication works
- 3D drawings
- Calibration of field instruments
- Certified Laboratory Quality Management System and Internal Audit as per ISO/IEC-17025 and NABL requirements
Tel No. 01332-286134, 286133 (O)
E-mail : musheershahzee@gmail.com |
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