Design of Kaplan Turbine

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DESIGN OF KAPLAN TURBINE
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Executive Summary
The usage of a cheap, clean source of electrical energy has been a big achievement for
most parts of the world including Australia for the last few years, especially the hydroelectric
power since flowing water is free. Basically, electricity is produced from hydropower energy that
is made available due to the potential energy created from the pressure head, hydro sites as well
as water discharge. Grounded on the location of the hydropower several types of hydro turbines
can be developed and designed depending on the requirements of the designers and developers to
produce electric energy. The key concern is to lower the rate of the dependency on the fossil
fuels which are very harmful to our environment and boost the use of cheap and renewable
sources of electrical energy in most parts of Australia both the towns and the rural. In this paper,
we will design a reaction turbine (Francis/Kaplan) for hydro-power generation in Australia.

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................................2
CHAPTER 1: Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
1.1 Background.......................................................................................................................................3
1.2 Scope.................................................................................................................................................4
1.3 Objectives..........................................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER 2: Literature Review.................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 3: Methodology...........................................................................................................................8
3.1: Working Principle.............................................................................................................................8
3.2 Schematic diagram......................................................................................................................9
3.3 Formula Or Theory.....................................................................................................................10
3.3.1 Power.................................................................................................................................10
3.3.2 Specific Speed....................................................................................................................11
3.3.3: Speed of the Runner (N)..........................................................................................................11
3.4 Required mathematical model and design......................................................................................12
3.4.1 Distortion of the Blade..............................................................................................................12
3.4.2: Velocity Triangle......................................................................................................................13
3.4.3 Thickness of Blade Section........................................................................................................15
CHAPTER 4: Result.....................................................................................................................................18
CHAPTER 5: Discussion..............................................................................................................................20
CHAPTER 6: Conclusion and recommendation..........................................................................................21
CHAPTER 7: References.............................................................................................................................23
Appendices................................................................................................................................................24

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Table of tables
Table 1: Showing Classification of Turbines...............................................................................................5
Table 2: Showing the budget for development.........................................................................................18
Table 3: Result Data of Blade Profile.........................................................................................................19
Table 4 Result Data of Forces acting on Blade...........................................................................................20
Table 5: Result Data of Blade Thickness....................................................................................................21
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Showing Basic Layout of a Kaplan Turbine ................................................................................6
Figure 2: general arrangement of a typical Kaplan Turbine ........................................................................8
Figure 3: shows Kaplan Turbine having a different number of blades as 3, 4, and 5 ..................................9
Figure 4: showing the working principle of the Kaplan Turbine ...............................................................10
Figure 5: Showing Schematic diagram 1....................................................................................................10
Figure 6: Showing Schematic diagram 2 ...................................................................................................11
Figure 7: Showing Schematic diagram 3 ...................................................................................................12
Figure 8: Showing Blade section ...............................................................................................................14
Figure 9: Velocity Triangle of Kaplan Blade...............................................................................................16
Figure 10: Showing Blade Section..............................................................................................................17
Figure 11: Showing the Gantt Chart...........................................................................................................19

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CHAPTER 1: Introduction
1.1 Background
Hydropower produced basically from hydroelectric rivers falls and dams are very
sustainable, clear and green sources of electrical energy which generates relatively cheaper
electricity and also reduces the emission of carbon (Hall, 2010). Due to the source`s high energy
density, hydropower is one of the most effective and highly primary available green power
sources that generate electrical energy. For it to have higher efficiency, there must be
installations of the hydraulic turbines in the power plant which are very suitable based on the
head and site discharge (Krivčenko, 2014). There are several hydraulic turbines which can be
employed and these two common types include;
1. Reaction Turbines
2. Impulse Turbines
An impulse turbine is that hydraulic turbine in which all the energy (hydraulic) obtained from
water are converted to the kinetic energy before the water arrived at the turbine runner. While in
the reaction turbine there is some hydraulic energy available which are converted to kinetic
energy before the water strikes the turbine`s runner. The reaction turbine is well suited due to the
head range present at any chosen construction site. There are three well-known reaction turbines
which are ;
1. Pelton
2. Francis
3. Kaplan

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Table 1: Showing Classification of Turbines
Number Type Head Flow rate Specific Speed
1 Kaplan Turbine Low High High
2 Pelton Turbine High Low Low
3 Francis medium Medium Medium
1.2 Scope
In this paper we will make the design on the Kaplan turbine, these turbines have
relatively high specific speed, smaller dimension, therefore, the dimension of the generator are
somehow smaller that always result into the relatively lower cost (Krishna, 2017). Moreover, the
Kaplan turbine has an overload capacity, Water moves via Scroll housing directly into the guide
vane in the radial direction. From this point, it flows making a right angle and then enters the
runner axially. There are as well types of the Kaplan Turbines, that is double and single
regulated, the first one contains just adjustable runner blade while the latter contains both
flexible and adjustable guide vane (Nechleba, 2011). Basically, Kaplan turbine is operational for
a head range of about 2m and 40 m. The double regulated Kaplan operates in a large range of the
designed discharge which is always in 15% - 100 %, but single regulated turbine work at a very
lower range of 30%-100%. The diagram below shows a Kaplan turbine;