Numerical Generation of Hill-Diagrams; Validation on the Francis99 Model Turbine

Abstract

This article compares a numerically simulated, and an experimentally obtained Hill-Diagram. The Francis99 model turbine was used in the validation. By using steady-state simulations and passage modeling in ANSYS CFX, the simulation time is in the order of minutes for each operating point. Except for the smallest guide vane opening, the error in hydraulic efficiency is less than 2.5% for all flow configurations. The individual error in head and torque follow clear, almost identical trends. The error along a line of small incidence losses indicate less than 0.5% error in the efficiency in almost the complete simulated range. The results in this article may be used in future optimization design processes using Hill-Diagrams.