On the hydraulic axial thrust of Francis hydro-turbine

We present a new method for the computation of hydraulic axial thrust of Francis hydro-turbine. This approach combines the computation of axial thrust on the crown, band and blade by using the numerical simulation and calculation of the pressure distribution outside the crown and band based on the theory of fluid mechanics. The axial thrusts are calculated for different flow conditions with various suction head and flow rate. The calculated results are consistent with that of experimental test on the prototype hydro-turbine, and this combination is proven to be an effective way to assess the magnitude of hydraulic axial thrust for hydro-turbine. Also, the suction head of the turbine is shown to have significant influence on the hydraulic axial thrust.