CFD Investigation of the Hydraulic Short-Circuit Mode in the FMHL/FMHL+ Pumped Storage Power Plant

Jean Decaix (), Mathieu Mettille (), Nicolas Hugo, Bernard Valluy and Cécile Münch-Alligné
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Jean Decaix: Institute of Sustainable Energy, School of Engineering, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, 1950 Sion, Switzerland
Mathieu Mettille: Institute of Sustainable Energy, School of Engineering, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, 1950 Sion, Switzerland
Nicolas Hugo: Alpiq, 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
Bernard Valluy: Alpiq, 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
Cécile Münch-Alligné: Institute of Sustainable Energy, School of Engineering, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, 1950 Sion, Switzerland

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: The flexibility of the FMHL+ pumped storage power plants can be improved by extending the hydraulic short-circuit operating mode. CFD simulations of the flow in three bifurcations are performed to calculate the head losses and to investigate the flow topology in the pipes. A specific attention is paid to the influence of the curvature correction that has been developed for two-equation RANS turbulence models. For the T-junction considered, the activation of the curvature correction influences the head losses whereas for the two Y-junctions computed, no effect is observed. By comparing with the Y-junctions, the T-junction leads to higher head losses and helicity in the pipes downstream of the bifurcation. Compared to the current the intragroup hydraulic short circuit operation permitted, the intergroup and interplant hydraulic short circuit mode should provide better performances with possible gains until of −55% in head losses and −94% in helicity upstream of the turbines.

Keywords: CFD; hydraulic short-circuit; bifurcations; head losses; secondary flow; turbulence model (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: 2024
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