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Flow excitation mechanisms of unbalanced impeller forces after pump power-trip of ultra-high head pump-turbines

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Abstract

To elucidate the dynamic mechanisms of unbalanced impellers in ultra-high head pump-turbines (PTs), this study employed a one- and three-dimensional coupled method to simulate the pump power-trip (PPT) process of an ultra-high head PT. The investigation revealed two novel pulsation frequency components, denoted asfDV andfINFT, associated with impeller forces. The pulsation intensities of these components were markedly higher than those of rotor-stator interaction frequency components in ultra-high head PTs. Notably, thefDV components exhibited pulsations at 1–2 times the rated rotation frequency of the impeller, spanning the entire transition period. Meanwhile, thefINFT components constituted a complex frequency band with various frequency values, primarily occurring near conditions (Q = 0,n = 0,M = 0, and dM/dt = 0). These two pulsation frequency components were predominantly linked to the unsteady evolution of dean vortices inside the volute and complex transitions of the flow pattern within the impeller, respectively. It is crucial to note that these unbalanced flow-induced impeller axial forces can elevate the risk of accidents where the rotor is subjected to significant upwind axial forces. These findings offer valuable insights into mitigating the risk of rotor lifting due to axial forces during PT events in ultra-high head PTs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China

    XiaoLong Fu, DeYou Li, JingWei Lv, Biao Yang & HongJie Wang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Hydro-Power Equipment, Harbin Institute of Large Electrical Machinery, Harbin, 150040, China

    XianZhu Wei

Authors
  1. XiaoLong Fu
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  2. DeYou Li
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  3. JingWei Lv
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  4. Biao Yang
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  5. HongJie Wang
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  6. XianZhu Wei
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to DeYou Li or HongJie Wang.

Additional information

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52079034, and 52209108), the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (Grant No. 2023YFQ0021), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant Nos. 2022M720948, and 2023T160162), and the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province, China (Grant No. HL2023E058)

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Fu, X., Li, D., Lv, J. et al. Flow excitation mechanisms of unbalanced impeller forces after pump power-trip of ultra-high head pump-turbines. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 67, 1602–1611 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-023-2542-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-023-2542-2

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