Influence of the Gas Model on the Performance and Flow Field Prediction of a Gas–Liquid Two-Phase Hydraulic Turbine

Shuaihui Sun, Pei Ren, Pengcheng Guo (), Longgang Sun and Xiaobo Zheng
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Shuaihui Sun: State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Pei Ren: State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Pengcheng Guo: State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Longgang Sun: State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Xiaobo Zheng: State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: A two-phase hydraulic turbine’s performance and flow field were predicted under different Inlet Gas Volume Fractions (IGVF) with incompressible and compressible models, respectively. The calculation equation of equivalent head, hydraulic efficiency, and flow loss considering the expanding work of compressible gas were deduced based on the energy conservation equations. Then, the incompressible and compressible results, including the output power and flow fields, are compared and analyzed. The compressible gas model’s equivalent head, output power, and flow loss are higher than the incompressible model, but the hydraulic efficiency is lower. As the IGVF increases, the gas gradually diffuses from the blade’s working surface to its suction surface. The gas–liquid separation happens at the runner outlet in the compressible results due to the gas expansion. The area of the low-pressure zone in the incompressible results increases with the IGVF. However, it decreases with the IGVF in the compressible results. As the gas expands in the blade passage, it takes up more flow area, causing the high liquid velocity in the same passage. The runner’s inlet gas distribution affects the liquid flow angle, causing the inlet shock and high TKE areas, especially in the blade passage near the volute tongue. The high TKE area in the compressible results is larger than the incompressible results because the inlet impact loss and the liquid velocity in the blade passage are higher. This paper provides a reference for selecting gas models in the numerical simulation of two-phase hydraulic turbines.

Keywords: hydraulic turbine; gas–liquid two-phase; gas volume fraction; numerical simulation (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: 2022
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