Analysis of Sediment Erosion in Pelton Nozzles and Needles Affected by Particle Size

Jie Liu, Yilin Zhu, Quanwei Liang, Yexiang Xiao (), Zhengshu Liu, Haijun Li, Jian Ye, Nianhao Yang, Haifeng Deng and Qingpin Du
Additional contact information
Jie Liu: China Three Gorges Construction Engineering Corporation, Chengdu 610095, China
Yilin Zhu: State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering & Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Quanwei Liang: Dongfang Electric Machinery Co., Ltd., Deyang 618000, China
Yexiang Xiao: State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering & Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Zhengshu Liu: China Three Gorges Tibet Energy Investment Corporation, Chengdu 610095, China
Haijun Li: China Three Gorges Construction Engineering Corporation, Chengdu 610095, China
Jian Ye: China Three Gorges Tibet Energy Investment Corporation, Chengdu 610095, China
Nianhao Yang: China Three Gorges Construction Engineering Corporation, Chengdu 610095, China
Haifeng Deng: China Three Gorges Construction Engineering Corporation, Chengdu 610095, China
Qingpin Du: China Three Gorges Construction Engineering Corporation, Chengdu 610095, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: The sediment erosion of Pelton turbine components is a major challenge in the operation and development of high-head water resources, especially in mountainous areas with high sediment yield. In this paper, a study using numerical simulation was conducted with different sediment particle sizes in the fine sand range. And the erosion mechanism of the Pelton turbine injector was analyzed. The Eulerian Lagrange method was adopted to simulate the gas–liquid–solid flow. The Mansouri’s model was applied to estimate the injector erosion. The predicted erosion results were in accord with field erosion photographs. In particular, the asymmetrical erosion distribution on the needle surface was physically reproduced. With the sediment particle size increasing from 0.05 mm, the needle erosion rate decreased, while the nozzle casing erosion rate increased dramatically. In order to clarify this tendency, the characteristics of the three-phase flow were analyzed. Interestingly, the results show that with the rise in particle size, the separation of particles and water streamlines became more serious in the contraction section of the nozzle mouth. Consequently, it caused the enhancement of erosion of the nozzle surfaces and weakened the erosion of the needle surfaces. Significant engineering insights may be provided for weakening Pelton injector erosion with needle guides in the current study.

Keywords: Pelton turbine; needle and nozzle; sediment erosion; Eulerian Lagrange method; particle size (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
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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