Flow Visualization Study of Jet and Bucket Interactions in Traditional and Hooped Pelton Runner

Abstract

This paper aims to study the flow pattern in and around a bucket of a Traditional and a Hooped Pelton runner at single injector operation and illustrates different stages of jet interaction. High speed photography is used to study the flow pattern, keeping the camera in different positions relative to the jet and to the bucket. It is concluded from the results that the flow visualization study, provides exceptional observations with an absolute frame of reference to mark the bucket duty period of a single-jet Pelton runner. The small scale models display erosion damages at the bucket lips, this indicated that the high pressure occur in the early stage of interaction. This fact is substantiated by the present flow visualization studies for the first time. The uncertainty of the free surface outflow within the Pelton turbine bucket establishes good documentation. The results are helpful to know the interaction between the jet and bucket of Pelton turbine.