Kaplan water turbine

■ Water Head Applicable: H=3m-30m

■ propeller type is with fixed runner, blade angle can not be changed during operation mode

■ Kaplan type is with adjustable runner controlled by oil servomotor and moved according to the load/head change to ensure higher average efficiency

■ Theory of operation

Product serial number

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Product description

■ Water Head Applicable: H=3m-30m

■ propeller type is with fixed runner, blade angle can not be changed during operation mode

■ Kaplan type is with adjustable runner controlled by oil servomotor and moved according to the load/head change to ensure higher average efficiency

■ Theory of operation

The Kaplan turbine is an inward flow reaction turbine, which means that the working fluid changes pressure as it moves through the turbine and gives up its energy. Power is recovered from both the hydrostatic head and from the kinetic energy of the flowing water. The design combines features of radial and axial turbines.

The inlet is a scroll-shaped tube that wraps around the turbine's wicket gate. Water is directed tangentially through the wicket gate and spirals on to a propeller shaped runner, causing it to spin.

The turbine does not need to be at the lowest point of water flow as long as the draft tube remains full of water. A higher turbine location, however, increases the suction that is imparted on the turbine blades by the draft tube. The resulting pressure drop may lead to cavitation.

Variable geometry of the wicket gate and turbine blades allows efficient operation for a range of flow conditions. Kaplan turbine efficiencies are typically over 90%, but may be lower in very low head applications

Current areas of research include CFD driven efficiency improvements and new designs that raise survival rates of fish passing through.

Because the propeller blades are rotated by high-pressure hydraulic oil, a critical element of Kaplan design is to maintain a positive seal to prevent emission of oil into the waterway. Discharge of oil into rivers is not permitted

Applications

Kaplan turbines are widely used throughout the world for electrical power production. They cover the lowest head hydro sites and are especially suited for high flow conditions.

Inexpensive micro turbines on the Kaplan turbine model are manufactured for individual power production with as little as two feet of head.

Large Kaplan turbines are individually designed for each site to operate at the highest possible efficiency, typically over 90%. They are very expensive to design, manufacture and install, but operate for decades.