Numerical optimization of a Francis turbine’s guide vane axis location including inflow uncertainties

Olivier Brugière (1) , Guillaume Balarac (1) , Christophe Eric Corre (1) , Olivier Métais (1) , Emmanuel Flores (2) , Pierre Leroy (2)

1 LEGI - Laboratoire des Écoulements Géophysiques et Industriels [Grenoble]
2 Alstom Power Hydro, Global R&D Hydro Grenoble

The axis location of a Francis turbine guide vane is optimized on the basis of 2D interblade channel flow simulations using upstream boundary conditions that include the experimentally observed flow rate and incidence circumferential variations. These variations are treated as uncertainties and propagated through RANS and LES flow simulations using a non-intrusive polynomial chaos based uncertainty quantification. The computed mean value and variance of the guide vane torque are then used to design a robust optimal location for the guide vane axis.

Domaines: Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]

Olivier Brugière, Guillaume Balarac, Christophe Eric Corre, Olivier Métais, Emmanuel Flores, et al.. Numerical optimization of a Francis turbine’s guide vane axis location including inflow uncertainties. La Houille Blanche - Revue internationale de l'eau, 2013, ⟨10.1051/lhb/2013023⟩. ⟨hal-01339908⟩