A Brief History of the Kaplan Turbine Invention

Martin Polák
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Martin Polák: Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16521 Praha 6, Czech Republic

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: One of the most important milestones in the history of hydropower is the invention of the Kaplan turbine. It is a machine stemming from the Francis turbine, which Viktor Kaplan was originally trying to improve. However, it gradually developed into the creation of a completely new solution of an impeller with an axial flow rate and adjustable blades. The first patent relating to the new invention dates from 1913. Shortly afterwards, the Kaplan turbine became the most widely used type of device for the use of low heads and variable flow rates. That meant a significant expansion of the potential of economically usable hydropower. The article briefly introduces the history of turbine development. The overall picture is then completed by a few less-known historical documents.

Keywords: Viktor Kaplan; turbine impeller; impeller blades; specific speed; Francis turbine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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