Turbine efficiency test on a large hydraulic turbine unit

The flow rate measurements are the most difficult part of efficiency tests on prototype hydraulic turbines.Among the numerous flow rate measurement methods,the Winter Kennedy method is preferred for measuring turbine flow rates,since it is convenient,practical and economical.This paper describes efficiency tests on a large 300 MW Francis turbine,with the flow rate measured using the Winter Kennedy method and the Winter Kennedy flow rate coefficient calibrated using the Gibson method.The measured turbine efficiency curve is then compared with the curve provided by the manufacturer.The CFD calculations including the spiral case are then used to analyze the influence with the coefficient K and index n in the Winter Kennedy flow rate formula on the flow rate measurement.The uncertainty values of n and K are a key reason for the differences between the curves obtained from the efficiency test and the curves provided by the manufacturer.