Pelton Turbine Variable Injector for Hydraulic Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Pelton turbines face efficiency drops due to variations in hydraulic pressure and waterfall height, leading to unstable electrical production and increased maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
A Pelton turbine design with a variable flow rate injector and optimized bucket geometry, allowing for adjustable outlet diameters and central jet axis modifications to maintain efficiency across varying pressure and height conditions, ensuring a stable and high-efficiency electrical production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a conventional Pelton turbine operates at constant pressure, then electrical production stability is improved, but adaptability to varying hydraulic conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the injector outlet diameter variable rather than fixed. The injector can adjust its outlet diameter dynamically in response to changing hydraulic conditions (water flow rate and pressure), allowing the turbine to adapt while maintaining stable operation. This resolves the contradiction by enabling the system to change its configuration to match operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the injector outlet diameter based on operating conditions. By varying the outlet diameter parameter in response to hydraulic conditions, the system maintains optimal performance across different operating scenarios, thus achieving both stability and adaptability.
2Quantity of substance
If the outlet diameter of the injector is increased, then water flow rate is improved, but hydraulic pressure decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The injector outlet diameter is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. This allows the system to optimize the balance between flow rate and pressure by changing the outlet diameter according to operating conditions, resolving the trade-off between these two parameters.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves turbine efficiencies of over 88% and 90% despite significant pressure and height variations, reducing unwanted shocks and vibrations, and extending maintenance intervals by maintaining stable electrical production and reducing cavitation issues.
Implementation Method 1
at least one jet of water issuing from an injector along a central axis of the jet, said at least one jet of water having a jet diameter and a variable effective hydraulic pressure
Implementation Method 2
a variable effective hydraulic pressure lower than a maximum hydraulic pressure equivalent to a determined waterfall height
Data Source
AI summary
The subject of the invention is a hydraulic turbine of the Pelton type suitable for driving an alternator with a determined net rated (nominal) power of 5 to 1000 kW with a maximum hydraulic pressure substantially equivalent to a maximum determined height of waterfall of between 70 m and 500 m.