Experimental Investigation of Part Load Vortex Rope Mitigation with Rod Protrusion in an Axial Turbine

The present paper investigates the rotating vortex rope (RVR) mitigation on an axial turbine model by the radial protrusion of four cylindrical rods into the draft tube. RVR mitigation is of particular interest due to the unfavorable pressure pulsations it induces in the hydraulic circuit that can affect turbine life and performance. The protrusion lengths, which were the same among the four rods, were varied according to a pre-defined sequence. The experiments were performed under four part-load regimes ranging from upper part load to deep part load. Time-resolved pressure measurements were conducted at two sections on the draft tube wall along with high-speed videography and efficiency measurement to investigate the effect of the mitigation technique on the RVR characteristics and turbine performance. The recorded pressure data were decomposed and studied through spectral analyses, phase-averaging, and statistical analyses of the RVR frequency and peak-to-peak pressure amplitude distributions. The results showed different levels of pressure amplitude mitigation ranging from approximately 10% to 85% depending on the operating condition, protrusion length, and the method of analysis. The hydraulic efficiency of the turbine decreased by a maximum of 3.5% that of the best efficiency point (BEP) with the implementation of the mitigation technique. The variations in the obtained mitigation levels and efficiencies depending on protrusion length and operating condition indicate the need for the implementation of a feedback-loop controller. Thus, the protrusion length can be actively optimizes based on the desired mitigation target.