scholarly journals Optimization of Pump Turbine Closing Operation to Minimize Water Hammer and Pulsating Pressures During Load Rejection

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiawei Ye ◽  
Wei Zeng ◽  
Zhigao Zhao ◽  
Jiebin Yang ◽  
Jiandong Yang

In load rejection transitional processes in pumped-storage plants (PSPs), the process of closing pump turbines, including guide vane (GVCS) and ball valve closing schemes (BVCS), is crucial for controlling pulsating pressures and water hammer. Extreme pressures generated during the load rejection process may result in fatigue damage to turbines, and cracks or even bursts in the penstocks. In this study, the closing schemes for pump turbine guide vanes and ball valves are optimized to minimize water hammer and pulsating pressures. A model is first developed to simulate water hammer pressures and to estimate pulsating pressures at the spiral case and draft tube of a pump turbine. This is combined with genetic algorithms (GA) or non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) to realize single- or multi-objective optimizations. To increase the applicability of the optimized result to different scenarios, the optimization model is further extended by considering two different load-rejection scenarios: full load-rejection of one pump versus two pump turbines, simultaneously. The fuzzy membership degree method provides the best compromise solution for the attained Pareto solutions set in the multi-objective optimization. Employing these optimization models, robust closing schemes can be developed for guide vanes and ball valves under various design requirements.

Author(s):  
Honggang Fan ◽  
Qingfeng Ji ◽  
Weili Liao ◽  
Haixia Yang

The unit of a Pumped Storage Power Station experienced abnormal noise and vibration in the guide vanes at the slight opening when the pump turbine was in the process of startup in the pumping mode. Based on this phenomena, the three dimensional model of the pump turbine was established, RNG k-epsilon two equations turbulence model was selected for the flow numerical simulation in the pump turbine because this model can simulate both the flow separation and vortex dynamics, and it is more accurate in the near wall areas. The governing equations were discretized with the finite volume method. The computation was carried out with three steps, 1.steady calculation, 2.unsteady calculation with constant guide vane opening, 3.unsteady calculations with the increase of the opening of guide vanes, by using the results of the last step as the initial condition. According to the three dimensional simulation results, the main flow between the guide vanes was deflected from attaching to the one vane to the other vane with the opening of the guide vanes. The calculation of complete 3D flow indicated that the deflections of the flows between the different adjacent guide vanes were basically the same, however, the deflections starting times had a few differences. The variation of the torque on the guide vane was also investigated, and the results shown the abrupt changes occurred during the deflection process of the main flow. When the torque produced by the servomotor cannot adapt quickly enough to the abrupt changes, the vibration and loud scrape noise might occur.


2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zeng ◽  
Jiandong Yang ◽  
Jinhong Hu ◽  
Jiebin Yang

During the transitional processes of load rejection in a pumped-storage station, the S-shaped characteristics of the pump-turbines can result in relatively large water-hammer and pulsating pressures. These pressures and the high runaway speed during transient processes may directly damage the penstocks and shorten the life of the turbine. In this study, different guide-vane closing schemes for reducing the maximum transient pressures, including the water-hammer and pulsating pressures, and runaway speed were investigated, and the principles for improving the closing schemes were theoretically analyzed based on the transient characteristics in the S-shaped region. First, an analytical expression for the rate of change of relative water head during the transitional processes was deduced based on a simplified mathematical model. It reveals the relationship between the slopes of the trajectory at the pump-turbine operating points (defined as trajectory slopes) and the rigid water-column pressure, which approximates the water-hammer pressure considering compressibility. Then, based on the characteristics of the rigid water-column pressure during the transient process and the effects of guide-vane closure on the trajectory slopes, the selection method for a two-phase guide-vane closing scheme was proposed. The method included the technique for choosing the coordinates of the turning point and the closing speed of the guide vane. Furthermore, the pulsating pressures of pump-turbines were discussed under different working regions and guide-vane openings (GVOs). Considering the characteristics of the pulsating pressures and the runaway speed during the transient processes, the advantage of three-phase valve-closing schemes in controlling the pulsating pressures and the runaway speed was clarified. Finally, a series of model tests were conducted on a pumped-storage station model and the measured data fully validated the correctness of our analyses in this work.


Author(s):  
Jianzhong Zhou ◽  
Yanhe Xu ◽  
Yang Zheng ◽  
Yuncheng Zhang

The optimization of guide vane closing schemes (OGVCS) of pumped storage hydro unit (PSHU) is the research field of cooperative control and optimal operation of pumped storage, wind power and solar power generation. This paper presents a OGVCS model of PSHU considering the rise rate of the unit rotational speed and the specific node pressure of each hydraulic unit, as well as various complicated hydraulic and mechanical constraints. OGVCS model is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem to optimize conflictive objectives, i.e., unit rotational speed and water hammer pressure criteria. In order to realize the efficient solution of the OGVCS model, an enhanced multi-objective bacterial-foraging chemotaxis gravitational search algorithm (EMOBCGSA) is proposed to solve this problem, which adopts population reconstruction, adaptive selection chemotaxis operator of local searching strategy and Elite archive set to efficiently solve the multi-objective problem. Especially, novel constraints-handling strategy with eliminating and local search based on violation ranking is used to balance various hydraulic and mechanical constraints. Finally, simulation cases of complex extreme operating conditions (i.e., load rejection and pump outage) of ‘single tube-double units’ type PSHU system are conducted to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed EMOBCGSA in solving OGVCS problem. The simulation results indicate that the proposed EMOBCGSA can provide lower rise rate of the unit rotational speed and smaller water hammer pressure than other method established recently while considering various complex constraints in OGVCS problem.


Author(s):  
Wei Zeng ◽  
Jiandong Yang ◽  
Yongguang Cheng

Pump-turbine characteristic curves are the most important boundary condition in the hydraulic transient simulation of a pumped-storage hydropower station. Conventional representation of them, however, has serious defects, For instance, the “S” and “hump” shapes, composed of multiple values and steep twists, lead to the difficulty in interpolation between known guide-vane opening curves, which is necessary in hydraulic transient simulations. Here, a new transformation method was figured out to settle this problem thoroughly and to improve the accuracy of interpolation between the constant opening curves. Prior to the transformation, the characteristic curves are partitioned into eight domains. Curves of each domain were transformed through different formulae that fit the curves well. Eight characteristic surfaces in the 3-D space can be obtained by adding the guide vane opening as the coordinate axis. The theoretical method has been validated by the excellent agreements achieved by comparing the curves interpolated on the characteristic surfaces with the measured data.


2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinhong Hu ◽  
Jiandong Yang ◽  
Wei Zeng ◽  
Jiebin Yang

The transient behaviors of a prototype pump turbine are very important to the safe operation of a pumped-storage power plant. This is because the water hammer pressure during transient events affects the pressure surges in the spiral case (SC) and the draft tube (DT). In addition, the transient pressure pulsations in the vaneless space (VL) are important in the evaluation of the life of the runner. Although several detailed studies have been conducted on the water hammer pressure of a hydropower plant, very few have considered the transient pressure pulsations that occur in the pump turbine. The objective of the present study was to determine the characteristics of the transient pressure pulsations of a 300-MW prototype Francis pump turbine during load rejection and power failure. For this purpose, the frequency features in the steady-state were first analyzed using fast Fourier transform. A Savitzky–Golay filter was then used to extract the water hammer pressure and pulsating pressure from the acquired raw pressure signals. Further, a one-dimensional (1D) method of characteristics (MOC) mathematical model of the pump-turbine was established and used to simulate the transient variations of the flow discharge during transient events, to enable the division of the transient operation conditions into several domains. Finally, the characteristics of the transient pressure pulsations in the SC, vaneless space, and DT were investigated in the time and frequency domains. This paper also discusses the causes of the pressure pulsations that occur under different modes of operation of a pump turbine.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 2193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Zhou ◽  
Linsheng Xia ◽  
Chunze Zhang

The runaway oscillation process of the pump-turbine in a high head pumped-storage power plant is usually unstable. The root cause of its instability is still unclear. In this paper, its internal mechanism and the improvement method were studied in depth. First, the flow characteristics in a model pump-turbine during the runaway process at four guide-vane openings (GVOs) were investigated by 3D transient numerical simulations. Then, the energy dissipation characteristics of different types of backflow vortex structures (BFVSs) occurring at the runner inlet and their impacts on the runaway stability were investigated by the entropy production theory. The results show that the location change of BFVSs between the hub side and the mid-span of the runner inlet around the no-load point leads to the sharp change in the energy dissipation rate, which makes the slope of dynamic trajectory positive and the runaway oscillation self-excited. If the occurrence of BFVSs at the hub side is suspended, the runaway process will be damped. Finally, the pump-turbine runner was improved to obtain a wider stable operating range.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 6752
Author(s):  
Ping Huang ◽  
Yajing Xiao ◽  
Jinfeng Zhang ◽  
Haikun Cai ◽  
Haiqin Song

This paper takes a pump-turbine as the research subject and, based on the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) numerical method and combined with test data, investigates the pressure fluctuation characteristics in the pump mode and analyzes the pressure fluctuation characteristics at 0.75 Qd, 1.0 Qd and 1.25 Qd when the guide vane opening is 17.5°. The results showed that the protruding frequencies of pressure fluctuation in the bladeless region were mainly 5 fn, 10 fn and 20 fn, and the main frequencies in the runner area and near the outlet wall of the draft tube were 16 fn and 5 fn, respectively. At different heights for the guide vanes, the pressure fluctuation in the bladeless region had significant differences, and the pressure fluctuation near the bottom ring was the most intense. The amplitude of the rotor–stator interaction frequency continuously attenuates from the bladeless region to the outlet of the stay vanes, and the amplitude attenuation of each frequency is mainly concentrated in the area of the guide vanes. In this paper, the influence of different flow rates on the pressure fluctuation in the pump mode is analyzed, which provides a theoretical reference for the stability and further study of pump-turbines.


2019 ◽  
Vol 139 ◽  
pp. 302-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinjie Lai ◽  
Chaoshun Li ◽  
Jianzhong Zhou ◽  
Nan Zhang

Author(s):  
Xiaolong Fu ◽  
Deyou Li ◽  
Hongjie Wang ◽  
Guanghui Zhang ◽  
Xianzhu Wei

Pumped-storage power technology is currently the only available energy storage technology in the grid net, and its reliability is receiving attention increasingly. However, when a pump-turbine unit undergoes runaway transitions, hydraulic fluctuations intensively affect the reliable operation of a pumped-storage power station. To reduce hydraulic fluctuations, this study investigated the formation mechanism of hydraulic fluctuations and explored its influence factors. In this study, a developed one-dimensional and three-dimensional (1 D-3D) coupling simulation method was adopted. Transient runaway transitions of a pump-turbine with three different inertias (0.5 J, 1 J, and 2.0 J) at three different guide vane openings (21°, 15°, and 12°, respectively) were simulated and compared. The results suggest that, at smaller guide vane openings (15° and 12°), water hammer owing to the increase in rotational speed is the primary unstable issue compared to the pulsation of radial hydraulic exciting forces on the runner. However, at a larger guide vane opening (21°), the latter owing to the back-flow near the runner inlet is the primary unstable issue. Moreover, it is found that a sufficiently large inertia improves the hydraulic fluctuations of the pump-storage power station, particularly in reducing the pulsation of radial hydraulic exciting loads on the runner. The findings of this study provide a valuable reference for determining suitable rotor inertia.


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