3 Virtual Turbines: Pelton, Francis and Kaplan

3 Virtual Turbines: Pelton, Francis and Kaplan

Pergau Hydroelectricity 600MW

Pergau Water Intake at Kuala Yong Dam

Hydroelectric dam on the Pergau River in Malaysia, near the Thai border. Building work began in 1991 with money from the UK foreign aid budget. Concurrently, the Malaysian government bought around £1 billion worth of arms from the UK. The suggested linkage of arms deals to aid became the subject of a UK government enquiry from March 1994. In November 1994 a High Court ruled as illegal British foreign secretary Douglas Hurd's allocation of £234 million towards the funding of the dam, on the grounds that it was not of economic or humanitarian benefit to the Malaysian people.

What is the Main Inlet Valve?

Main inlet valve or shortly we say MIV is the spherical valve which installed before water enter into spiral casing of the hydro turbine.

Main inlet valve or MIV at hydro power plant.

Water from the dam go to the penstock and before water enter the turbine, MIV is a component in between stop the water for small maintenance purpose in the turbine hall.

Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Project

Pic: Bakun Dam in Sarawak

Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Project is proposed to Terengganu State Government for electric power supply. The hydroelectric project own by Tenaga Nasional Berhad.

The project is set to commence on 2010 and will be completed 2014. This crucial for TNB where the project need to be completed on time since the demand on the power supply expected to increase in 2013 onwards. One more thing is Bakun Project which expected to supply power to Semenanjung will be not realized due to some problem. Maybe the problem rise on the underground sea cabel issue.

More details: TNB to build another hydroelectric Plant in Terengganu.

Francis Turbine

Francis Turbine

Francis Turbine Blade

The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis. It is an inward flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts.Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today. They operate in a head range of ten meters to several hundred meters and are primarily used for electrical power production.

Theory of Operation

The Francis turbine is a reaction turbine, which means that the working fluid changes pressure as it moves through the turbine, giving up its energy. A casement is needed to contain the water flow. The turbine is located between the high pressure water source and the low pressure water exit, usually at the base of a dam.The inlet is spiral shaped. Guide vanes direct the water tangentially to the turbine wheel, known as a runner. This radial flow acts on the runner's vanes, causing the runner to spin. The guide vanes (or wicket gate) may be adjustable to allow efficient turbine operation for a range of water flow conditions.As the water moves through the runner its spinning radius decreases, further acting on the runner. For an analogy, imagine swinging a ball on a string around in a circle; if the string is pulled short, the ball spins faster due to the conservation of angular momentum. This property, in addition to the water's pressure, helps Francis and other inward-flow turbines harness water energy efficiently.

Application

Francis turbines may be designed for a wide range of heads and flows. This, along with their high efficiency, has made them the most widely used turbine in the world. Francis type units cover a head range from 20 meters to 700 meters, and their output power varies from just a few kilowatts up to one gigawatt. Large Francis turbines are individually designed for each site to operate at the highest possible efficiency, typically over 90%. In addition to electrical production, they may also be used for pumped storage; where a reservoir is filled by the turbine (acting as a pump) during low power demand, and then reversed and used to generate power during peak demand.

Hydro Generator Turbine - Common Parts

Hydro Generator Turbine

Hydro Generator Turbine

• Turbine Generator Shaft
• Turbine Blades
• Stator
• Rotor
• Generator
• Wicket Gate
• Water Flow