Eduard Doujak

The increasing requirements for flexibility and part load operation of hydropower plants lead to elevated dynamic loads on hydraulic machinery. Flow phenomena associated with off-design operation generate significant pressure fluctuations, which may cause unexpected damage and failures. To assess the influence of flow phenomena on the fatigue lifetime of a real prototype unit, hydraulic loads were first determined using computational fluid dynamics. The resulting pressure fields were subsequently applied as boundary conditions in structural finite element simulations using an unidirectional fluid–structure interaction approach. Based on the transient stress histories in the runner and corresponding material properties, so-called damage factors were calculated. The results show that failure-critical regions are primarily located at the leading edge, where stress fluctuations are caused by several identified flow phenomena. The damage assessment provides valuable insights into the damage behaviour of pump-turbines. In combination with long-term operational data from the prototype unit, it also enables an estimation of the runner lifetime.

Part I of this series of publications addressed the background and fundamentals of the lifetime assessment of prototype Francis turbines. Part II concentrated on the developed methods of numerical calculation and assessment procedures. The present contribution (Part III) deals with the instrumentation and the metrological range of the assessment procedure. The most important sensors, measurement tools, and data acquisition units are presented (background). The instrumentation of the prototype Francis turbine is used, on the one hand, for machine unit monitoring and plant operating and, on the other hand, for generating measurement data to validate and adjust/correct the numerical simulations. Measurement data form the basis for further evaluations at various levels. A wide variety of measured variables are required to carry out the remaining lifetime of a component using fatigue analysis. Those variables include pressure and acceleration signals, vibration monitoring, and strain gauge applications for mechanical stress analysis. The available measurement signals are divided into groups based on the developed method. Thus, already-available data from the control room are compared with machine monitoring and temporarily measured data. The correlation of all available data is essential today to determine an exact idea of the occurring flow phenomena and their effects on the mechanical stresses on the component. This interaction of the different data sources and, subsequently, the use of selected quantities for the numerical calculation are part of the newly developed concept for fatigue strength analysis of mechanical components of a turbine unit (methods). The results of this journal article are divided into the discussion of the necessary instrumentation and mounting of the sensors and into the evaluation, presentation, and interpretation of the measurement data. In addition, a fatigue strength assessment is made at the position of the strain gauges. These results serve as a basis for validating the numerical stress calculation. It is worth mentioning that the validation of the numerical results and the discussion of the deviations and error consideration is carried out in Part IV of this publication series (results). This journal article of the series on condition assessment of prototype Francis turbines ends with a discussion of the results and conclusions for further data processing (conclusion).

Part I of the publication series addressed the fundamentals of lifetime assessment of prototype Francis turbines. This paper (Part II) focuses on the numerical part of the procedure. The essential steps and requirements shall be presented (background). The starting points for the numerical considerations are the pressure fields of the transient CFD simulations, which are exported per time step and applied to the existing structure via a fluid–structure interaction. That enables a transient mechanical stress calculation to be conducted, resulting in the fatigue analysis of the component to estimate the remaining lifetime. The individual model requirements should be represented accordingly and applied to the prototype facility (method). The results obtained from this application should be discussed and evaluated. It has to be mentioned that the validation of the numerical results will be performed at Part IV of this publication series (results). The present paper will end up discussing the results and conclusions about further data processing (Conclusion).