Performance measurements on a Pico Pelton turbine model

Abstract EN

The aim of this work is to provide detailed performance measurements on a Pico Pelton turbine model.

The one-nozzle Pelton model with 16-buckets was investigated at the laboratory of Omar Al-Mukhtar University.

The measurements include the water pressure head and flowrate on the turbine, and the torque and rotation speed of the runner, from which the corresponding overall efficiency and shaft power are determined.

The model was experimentally tested with one nozzle in operation under constant and variable rotation speed modes.

The results showed that water head, nozzle diameter and flow rate significantly affect the power generated by the Pelton turbine.

Generally, the higher the water pressure head, the more power generated.

It was found that the mechanical power increases with increasing the nozzle diameter to a certain extent and then starts to decrease.

In this paper, various operational conditions were covered for the entire operating range of the turbine, which is vital for designers and analysts to select the suitable installation site of the hydraulic power plant under specific operating conditions.