Publications related to Francis turbine

Study of flexible operating conditions in variable-speed hydraulic turbines : advanced models and experimental validation

The global imperative to transition from fossil fuel-based energy sources to renewable alternatives has become increasingly urgent in the pursuit of sustainable and renewable power generation. This paradigm shift necessitates innovative approaches to manag ...

EPFL2024

On the prediction of the induced damage by the start-up sequence of Francis turbines: On operational resilience framework

Mario Paolone, Christophe Nicolet, Elena Vagnoni, Martin Seydoux

The number of transient operations in hydraulic machinery connected to power grid, notably start-ups and shut-downs, has observed a substantial increase in recent decades, primarily driven by the global shift toward intermittent renewable energy sources. S ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2024

Enhancing Wind Farm Performance through Axial Induction and Tilt Control: Insights from Wind Tunnel Experiments

Fernando Porté Agel, Guillem Armengol Barcos

Static axial induction control and tilt control are two strategies that have the potential to increase power production in wind farms, mitigating wake effects and increasing the available power for downstream turbines. In this study, wind tunnel experiment ...

MDPI2024

Towards an improved understanding of wind turbine wakes in complex terrain

Arslan Salim Dar

In this thesis, we explored the effect of certain terrain-induced flow phenomena on the development of wind turbines sited in complex terrain. A combined experimental and analytical approach is used to study wind turbine wakes in different types of complex ...

EPFL2024

Structural impact of the start-up sequence on Pelton turbines lifetime: Analytical prediction and polynomial optimization

Mario Paolone, Elena Vagnoni, Aldo Leonardo Alerci

Hydropower plants play a crucial role in the power system facing ambitious renewable energy targets. Due to their inherent controllability, they are well suited to provide flexibility to the grid. However, an increased flexibility provision leads to a prol ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2023

Dynamic stall characterisation and control for vertical-axis wind turbines

Sébastien Le Fouest

According to the International Energy Agency, the global net-zero emissions objective requires the installed wind power capacity to increase 11-fold between 2020 and 2050. The scientific community has recently voiced concerns about the logistic feasibility ...

EPFL2023

CFD simulations of hydraulic short-circuits in junctions, application to the Grand’Maison power plant

François Avellan, Cécile Münch-Alligné

In the framework of the XFLEX HYDRO H2020 European Project, the pumped-storage power plant of Grand'Maison (France), owned by Electricité De France, focuses on the implementation of the hydraulic short-circuit (HSC) operating mode. This mode increases the ...

2022

Discretization Uncertainties of Flow and Fatigue Damage Simulations of a Reversible Francis Pump-Turbine at Off-Design Operation in Turbine Mode

Drazen Dujic, Philippe Alexandre Bontemps, Daniel Biner

In the framework of the XFLEX HYDRO H2020 European Project, a 5 MW reversible Francis pump-turbine prototype, equipped with an industrial full size frequency converter, is investigated to demonstrate enhanced grid regulation capacities of variable speed hy ...

SPRINGER INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING AG2022

Wind farm layout and unconstrained hub height optimization using genetic algorithms applied to different power densities

Fernando Porté Agel, Nicolas Otto Kirchner Bossi

LES and wind tunnel studies have shown significant benefit when allowing turbines (T) in a wind farm to adopt different heights. This work presents two new genetic algorithms (GA) that perform wind farm layout optimization (WFLO) involving continuous and t ...

2022

Application of particle-based numerical analysis to the practical design of Pelton turbine

François Avellan, Siamak Alimirzazadeh, Takashi Kumashiro

For the design optimization of the Pelton turbine, it is highly demanded to investigate the flow inside the turbine casing, which includes the water jet from the nozzles, the interaction between the jet and rotating runner, and the flow ejected from the bu ...

IOP PUBLISHING LTD2021

Numerical simulations of Pelton turbine flow to predict large head variation influence

François Avellan, Cécile Münch-Alligné, Siamak Alimirzazadeh, Steve Crettenand

In the framework of the new feed-in-tariff system in Switzerland for Small Hydropower Plants (SHP), the aim of the SmallFLEX project, led by HES-SO Valais and performed in collaboration with EPFL, WSL, EAWAG, PVE, and FMV, is to show how SHP can provide wi ...

IOP PUBLISHING LTD2021

An experimental study on the upper part-load elliptical vortex instability in a Francis turbine

François Avellan, Elena Vagnoni, Arthur Tristan Favrel, Andres Müller, Ali Amini

This paper presents preliminary results of an experimental study on the occurrence and development of the upper part-load instability in a reduced-scale Francis turbine. The study includes draft tube pressure measurements, high-speed flow visualization, an ...

IOP PUBLISHING LTD2021

Optimal CAM Computation of Kaplan Turbines Accounting for Wear and Tear Originated by Frequency Control

Mario Paolone, Elena Vagnoni, Francesco Gerini, Sidi-Rachid Cherkaoui

Nowadays, the importance of providing frequency stability to power systems with hydropower units is significantly increasing due to the growing proportion of volatile renewable energy sources. However, the provision of such services, as frequency containme ...

IEEE2021

Improving frequency containment reserve provision in run-of-river hydropower plants

Mario Paolone, Elena Vagnoni, Francesco Gerini, Sidi-Rachid Cherkaoui

The paper presents a model-based control strategy for optimal asset management of hydroelectric units in run-of-river hydropower plants. The proposed control strategy aims to operate the unit at the best efficiency while improving water flow management and ...

2021

Numerical investigation on the volute cutwater for pumps running in turbine mode

Elena Vagnoni, Alessandro Morabito

The hydropower sector has recently raised the interest in pump as turbine (PaT) that can be a valid trade-off between capital cost and performance in micro-scale installations. Nevertheless, the modest efficiency of PaTs often restricts their exploitation. ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2021

Investigation of the Time Resolution Set Up Used to Compute the Full Load Vortex Rope in a Francis Turbine

François Avellan, Andres Müller, Arthur Tristan Favrel, Cécile Münch-Alligné

The flow in a Francis turbine at full load is characterised by the development of an axial vortex rope in the draft tube. The vortex rope often promotes cavitation if the turbine is operated at a sufficiently low Thoma number. Furthermore, the vortex rope ...

2021

CFD simulations of a Y-junction for the implementation of hydraulic short-circuit operating mode

François Avellan, Cécile Münch-Alligné, Daniel Biner

In the framework of the XFLEX HYDRO H2020 European Project, one of the demonstrators focuses on the implementation of the hydraulic short-circuit on the pump storage power plant of Grand-Maison owned by Electricite De France (EDF). The Grand-Maison power p ...

IOP PUBLISHING LTD2021

Open-Source Implementation and Validation of a 3D Inverse Design Method for Francis Turbine Runners

François Avellan, Sebastián Camilo Leguizamón Sarmiento

The hydraulic design of Francis turbines and pump-turbines is an expensive project-specific engineering effort that typically involves a direct iterative exploration of the design space. An inverse design method for turbomachinery has been previously intro ...

2020

Computational parametric analysis of the design of cross-flow turbines under constraints

François Avellan, Sebastián Camilo Leguizamón Sarmiento

The cross-flow turbine is an attractive technology for small-scale hydropower generation thanks to its low capital cost and relatively high efficiency even under partial discharge operating conditions. It has been proposed that this kind of turbine can be ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2020

Swirl number based transposition of flow-induced mechanical stresses from reduced scale to full-size Francis turbine runners

François Avellan, Christian Landry, Arthur Tristan Favrel, Keita Yamamoto, Joao Gomes Pereira Junior

At part load conditions, Francis turbines are subject to the emergence of a hydrodynamic instability in their draft tube, referred to as precessing vortex rope. It induces pressure pulsations in the water passages at the precession frequency of the vortex, ...

2020