The calculation of fluid-structure interaction and fatigue analysis for Francis turbine runner

Abstract

Francis turbine, as a widely used hydro turbine, is especially suited for the hydropower station with high hydraulic head and higher hydraulic head. For such turbine generator units all around the world, the crack streaks usually come out after a long time use and the resulted accidents may cause huge losses. Hence, it is meaningful to refine the design assuring the stability and safety of the Francis turbine. In this paper, the stiffness and strength as well as the fatigue life of the Francis turbine are studied. Concerning on the turbine of one certain hydropower station, the flow field inside the turbine are first simulated and the pressure distribution around the blades are derived. Meanwhile, the stress distributions of the blades are also obtained. Based on these, the fatigue analyses are applied on the turbine. According to the results of fatigue analyses, some optimal designs on the turbine are verified. The results show that with the optimal designs, the hydraulic performances of the turbine do not change too much while the maximum stress on the turbine decrease and the fatigue life increase as well. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.