A Preliminary Analysis of a Turgo Type Turbine CFD Simulation Designed With an Integrated Dimensional Methodology

A useful methodology in the design of a Turgo Type Turbine (TTT) has been accomplished through the theoretical calculation of the runner performance and efficiency, using 1D, 2D and 3D theory with certain simpliflying assumptions. The adaptation of several geometric and hydrodynamic parameters into the solution of the Rankine ovoids streamlines function, a three-dimensional potential flow, resulted in the design of a three dimensional TTT runner. A significant CFD simulation of this turbine was achieved, showing its hydrodynamic performance and the behaviour of the streamlines path through the buckets hit by the jet. The distribution of the water volumetric fraction was reported from the nozzle to the buckets In the same way, this numerical approach described the evolution of the velocity vectors from the water crossing the buckets. Furthermore, a comparison between the relative velocity angles from the three dimensional potential theory and the CFD simulation results was done, in order to find potential similarities from the water that actually passes into the buckets.