Search

CN-122003545-A - Hydraulic turbine

CN122003545ACN 122003545 ACN122003545 ACN 122003545ACN-122003545-A

Abstract

A runner for a water turbine includes a hub and a plurality of pivotable blades extending from the hub. Each pivotable blade of the plurality of pivotable blades includes a blade root at the hub, a blade tip opposite the blade root, and a leading edge. Each pivotable vane of the plurality of pivotable vanes is pivotable relative to the hub about a respective pivot axis. For at least one blade, the leading edge at the blade root is located along a radial axis of the rotor, and the leading edge at the blade tip is cantilevered beyond the radial axis in a circumferential direction of the rotor.

Inventors

  • A.D. Schneider
  • WORTHEN SEAN M

Assignees

  • 纳特尔能源控股公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20240830
Priority Date
20230901

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A runner for a water turbine, the runner comprising: Hub, and A plurality of pivotable vanes extending from the hub, each pivotable vane of the plurality of pivotable vanes comprising: A blade root at the hub, A blade tip opposite the blade root, an The front edge of the front-end plate, Wherein each pivotable vane of the plurality of pivotable vanes is pivotable relative to the hub about a respective pivot axis, Wherein the ratio of the thickness T LE of the leading edge to the diameter D R of the wheel is in the range of about 0.03 to about 0.35, and Wherein for at least one blade, the leading edge at the blade root is located along a radial axis of the rotor and the leading edge at the blade tip is cantilevered beyond the radial axis in a circumferential direction of the rotor.
  2. 2. The rotor of claim 1, wherein a ratio of an axial length of the rotor to a diameter of the rotor is less than about 0.55.
  3. 3. The wheel of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a chord length at the tip of each pivotable blade to the diameter of the wheel is less than about 0.9.
  4. 4. The wheel of claim 1, wherein each pivot axis is at an angle between about 8 degrees and about 155 degrees relative to an axle axis of the wheel.
  5. 5. The rotor of claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the hub swept by the blade root of each pivotable blade during rotation of the blade from a maximum pitch to a minimum pitch is spherically shaped.
  6. 6. The wheel of claim 1, wherein the blade root of each pivotable blade conforms to the shape of the outer surface of the hub during rotation of the pivotable blade from a maximum pitch to a minimum pitch, Wherein the tip of each pivotable blade has a generally spherical swept shape over a range of pivoting of the pivotable blade from the maximum pitch to the minimum pitch.
  7. 7. The wheel of claim 1, wherein the leading edge of each pivotable vane has a thickness of between about 100 mm to about 700 mm.
  8. 8. The wheel of claim 1, wherein a portion of the leading edge at the tip of each pivotable blade is inclined at an angle between about 20 degrees and about 90 degrees relative to a radial axis of the wheel.
  9. 9. The wheel of claim 1, wherein the leading edge of each pivotable vane is arcuate in shape when viewed along an axis perpendicular to the wheel's shaft axis, and Wherein the leading edge of each pivotable blade curves away from the upstream end of the wheel at the blade root and curves back toward the blade tip toward the upstream end of the wheel when viewed along the axis perpendicular to the shaft axis of the wheel.
  10. 10. The wheel of claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature of one or more faces is greater than the radius of curvature of the rounded edge of the hub.
  11. 11. The wheel of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the trailing edge is concave, a second portion of the trailing edge is convex, and the first portion of the trailing edge is positioned closer to the hub than the second portion of the trailing edge.
  12. 12. A turbine, the turbine comprising: A housing defining an inlet and an outlet for fluid flow, and A runner for a hydro turbine, the runner comprising: Hub, and A plurality of pivotable vanes extending from the hub, each pivotable vane of the plurality of pivotable vanes comprising: A blade root at the hub, A blade tip opposite the blade root, an A leading edge opposite to the trailing edge, Wherein each pivotable vane of the plurality of pivotable vanes is pivotable relative to the hub about a respective pivot axis, Wherein the ratio of the thickness T LE of the leading edge to the diameter D R of the wheel is in the range of about 0.03 to about 0.35, and Wherein for at least one blade, the leading edge at the blade root is located along a radial axis of the rotor and the leading edge at the blade tip is cantilevered beyond the radial axis in a circumferential direction of the rotor.
  13. 13. The turbine of claim 12, wherein the tip of each pivotable blade conforms to the shape of the discharge ring of the housing during rotation of the blade from maximum pitch to minimum pitch, and Wherein an inner surface of the discharge ring of the housing swept by the tip of each pivotable blade is spherically shaped during rotation of the pivotable blade from the maximum pitch to the minimum pitch.
  14. 14. The turbine of claim 12, wherein the exhaust ring of the housing has a removable section configured to be removably assembled from an exterior or interior of the turbine, and wherein the exhaust ring of the housing is split.
  15. 15. The turbine of claim 12, wherein the blade root of the trailing edge extends further downstream than the remainder of the trailing edge.
  16. 16. A runner for a water turbine, the runner comprising: Hub, and A plurality of pivotable vanes extending from the hub, each pivotable vane of the plurality of pivotable vanes comprising: A blade root at the hub, A blade tip opposite the blade root, an A leading edge opposite to the trailing edge, Wherein each pivotable blade of the plurality of pivotable blades is pivotable relative to the hub about a respective pivot axis, and wherein for at least one blade, the leading edge at the blade root is positioned along a radial axis of the rotor and the leading edge at the blade tip is cantilevered beyond the radial axis in a circumferential direction of the rotor, Wherein in meridian section the trailing edge at the blade root of the blade is located further downstream than the trailing edge at the blade tip of the blade.
  17. 17. The wheel of claim 16, wherein for at least one pivotable blade of the plurality of pivotable blades, a trailing edge extends downstream of the downstream end of the hub.
  18. 18. The wheel of claim 16, wherein at least one pivotable blade of the plurality of pivotable blades has a cross-section at the blade root, a surface curvature of the cross-section having a first shape and a second shape, wherein the first shape is concave and the second shape is convex.
  19. 19. The wheel of claim 16, wherein the hub comprises a plurality of faces that are planar, the faces being radially spaced about a longitudinal axis of the hub.
  20. 20. The wheel of claim 16, wherein the trailing edge of a pivotable blade of the plurality of pivotable blades curves in an upstream direction between the tip of the pivotable blade and the root.

Description

Hydraulic turbine Cross Reference to Related Applications The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 63/536,266 filed on 1 month 9 of 2023, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field The present invention relates to a hydroelectric turbine rotor. In particular, the present invention relates to a turbine runner configured to promote safe downstream passage of fish or other aquatic organisms through the turbine while achieving high efficiency over a wide range of operations. Background There is an increasing demand for hydropower plants with little environmental impact. To reduce environmental impact, it is desirable that the hydropower plant have minimal impact on fish and other aquatic organisms (e.g., not injure the aquatic organisms and avoid impeding the travel or migration of the aquatic organisms). It is also desirable to construct a hydropower plant that has high efficiency and has relatively low installation, operation and maintenance costs. It is also sometimes desirable to retrofit existing hydroelectric power plants with new turbines to reduce environmental impact and/or increase efficiency. Thus, there remains a need in the art for a turbine that allows fish and other aquatic organisms to safely pass downstream through the turbine, and that is highly efficient, has relatively low installation, operation and maintenance costs, and can be used in a wide range of applications, including retrofit installations. Disclosure of Invention A runner for a water turbine may include a hub and a plurality of pivotable blades extending from the hub. Each pivotable blade of the plurality of pivotable blades may include a blade root at the hub, a blade tip opposite the blade root, and a leading edge. Each pivotable vane of the plurality of pivotable vanes is pivotable relative to the hub about a respective pivot axis. The ratio of the thickness T LE of the leading edge to the diameter D R of the wheel may be in the range of about 0.03 to about 0.35. For at least one blade, the leading edge at the blade root may be located along a radial axis of the rotor, and the leading edge at the blade tip may be cantilevered beyond the radial axis in the circumferential direction of the rotor. The rotor may comprise a ratio of the rotor axial length to the rotor diameter, the ratio being less than 0.55. The wheel may include a ratio of a chord length at a tip of each pivotable blade to a diameter of the wheel, the ratio being less than 0.9. The wheel may be configured such that each pivot axis is at an angle between about 8 degrees and about 155 degrees relative to the shaft axis of the wheel. The wheel may be configured such that each pivot axis is at an angle between about 30 degrees and about 100 degrees relative to the shaft axis of the wheel. The wheel may be configured such that each pivot axis is at an angle of about 90 degrees relative to the shaft axis of the wheel. During rotation of the blades from the maximum pitch to the minimum pitch, an outer surface of the hub may be swept by the root of each pivotable blade, and the outer surface may be spherically shaped. The blade root of each pivotable blade may conform to the shape of the outer surface of the hub during rotation of the blade from the maximum pitch to the minimum pitch. The tip of each pivotable blade may have a generally spherical swept shape over the range of pivoting of the blade from the maximum pitch to the minimum pitch. The thickness of the leading edge of each pivotable vane may be between about 100 mm to about 700 a mm a. A portion of the leading edge at the tip of each pivotable blade may be inclined at an angle between about 20 degrees and about 90 degrees relative to the radial axis of the wheel. A portion of the leading edge at the tip of each pivotable blade may be inclined at an angle between about 25 degrees and about 45 degrees relative to the radial axis of the wheel. The leading edge of each pivotable vane may be arcuate in shape when viewed along an axis perpendicular to the shaft axis of the wheel. The leading edge of each pivotable blade may curve away from the upstream end of the wheel at the blade root and then curve back toward the blade tip toward the upstream end of the wheel when viewed along an axis perpendicular to the shaft axis of the wheel. The radius of curvature of one or more faces may be greater than the radius of curvature of the rounded edges of the hub. The first portion of the trailing edge may be concave, the second portion of the trailing edge may be convex, and the first portion of the trailing edge may be positioned closer to the hub than the second portion of the trailing edge. The ratio of the chord length at the tip of each pivotable blade to the chord length at the root of each pivotable blade may be from about 1.6 to about 2.5. The rotor may be used in a turbine, the rotor being positioned within a housing defining an inlet and