Physics of secondary flow phenomenon and erosion characteristics in the injector of a Pelton turbine

The Pelton turbine is widely used in the development of high-head hydraulic resources. However, in high-altitude mountainous regions, multiple sediment environments, along with secondary flows generated within the cross-sections of the turbine's ring and bifurcation pipes, affect the distributi...

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Main Authors: Tao Guo(郭涛), Si-yuan Liu(刘思远), Xue-jie Hu(虎雪洁), Zhu-mei Luo(罗竹梅)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19942060.2025.2479700
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author Tao Guo(郭涛)
Si-yuan Liu(刘思远)
Xue-jie Hu(虎雪洁)
Zhu-mei Luo(罗竹梅)
author_facet Tao Guo(郭涛)
Si-yuan Liu(刘思远)
Xue-jie Hu(虎雪洁)
Zhu-mei Luo(罗竹梅)
author_sort Tao Guo(郭涛)
collection DOAJ
description The Pelton turbine is widely used in the development of high-head hydraulic resources. However, in high-altitude mountainous regions, multiple sediment environments, along with secondary flows generated within the cross-sections of the turbine's ring and bifurcation pipes, affect the distribution of sediment particles, leading to the erosion of the injectors. This affects the safety and stability of the unit's operation. In response to this issue, this study applies the Euler-Lagrangian method, using the standard k-ε turbulence model and the Discrete Phase Model (DPM) to conduct a three-phase unsteady numerical simulation of sediment-laden flow. The goal is to predict the specific erosion locations and amounts for each injector, providing a basis for erosion protection and ensuring the unit’s safe operation. The results indicate the following: (1)The distribution impact of ring pipe has the greatest effect on injector erosion, with injectors 1 and 2 exhibiting significantly higher erosion than injectors 3 and 4. (2)Vortex structures and jet diffusion prominently affect erosion locations, which coincide with regions where Dean vortices occur. Erosion on injectors 1, 2, and 4 is concentrated on the inner side of the injector needle, where Dean vortices occur. Due to the stronger internal vortex structure in injector 3, Dean vortices appear on both sides, and erosion is distributed in spots across both surfaces. (3) Smaller injector openings result in greater maximum erosion and a wider erosion range. As particle concentration increases, both the maximum erosion and the erosion range also increase. These findings contribute to the quantitative analysis of sediment erosion values and locations for injectors at different positions, providing numerical support for erosion protection.
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spelling doaj-art-0cc1a5f0c2c8447c962d40700c125a012025-08-20T02:51:15ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEngineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics1994-20601997-003X2025-12-0119110.1080/19942060.2025.2479700Physics of secondary flow phenomenon and erosion characteristics in the injector of a Pelton turbineTao Guo(郭涛)0Si-yuan Liu(刘思远)1Xue-jie Hu(虎雪洁)2Zhu-mei Luo(罗竹梅)3Faculty of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, People’s Republic of ChinaFaculty of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, People’s Republic of ChinaFaculty of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, People’s Republic of ChinaFaculty of Metallurgy and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, People’s Republic of ChinaThe Pelton turbine is widely used in the development of high-head hydraulic resources. However, in high-altitude mountainous regions, multiple sediment environments, along with secondary flows generated within the cross-sections of the turbine's ring and bifurcation pipes, affect the distribution of sediment particles, leading to the erosion of the injectors. This affects the safety and stability of the unit's operation. In response to this issue, this study applies the Euler-Lagrangian method, using the standard k-ε turbulence model and the Discrete Phase Model (DPM) to conduct a three-phase unsteady numerical simulation of sediment-laden flow. The goal is to predict the specific erosion locations and amounts for each injector, providing a basis for erosion protection and ensuring the unit’s safe operation. The results indicate the following: (1)The distribution impact of ring pipe has the greatest effect on injector erosion, with injectors 1 and 2 exhibiting significantly higher erosion than injectors 3 and 4. (2)Vortex structures and jet diffusion prominently affect erosion locations, which coincide with regions where Dean vortices occur. Erosion on injectors 1, 2, and 4 is concentrated on the inner side of the injector needle, where Dean vortices occur. Due to the stronger internal vortex structure in injector 3, Dean vortices appear on both sides, and erosion is distributed in spots across both surfaces. (3) Smaller injector openings result in greater maximum erosion and a wider erosion range. As particle concentration increases, both the maximum erosion and the erosion range also increase. These findings contribute to the quantitative analysis of sediment erosion values and locations for injectors at different positions, providing numerical support for erosion protection.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19942060.2025.2479700Pelton turbineinjector mechanismsediment erosionthree-phase flow of water–air-sedimentSecondary flow
spellingShingle Tao Guo(郭涛)
Si-yuan Liu(刘思远)
Xue-jie Hu(虎雪洁)
Zhu-mei Luo(罗竹梅)
Physics of secondary flow phenomenon and erosion characteristics in the injector of a Pelton turbine
Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics
Pelton turbine
injector mechanism
sediment erosion
three-phase flow of water–air-sediment
Secondary flow
title Physics of secondary flow phenomenon and erosion characteristics in the injector of a Pelton turbine
title_full Physics of secondary flow phenomenon and erosion characteristics in the injector of a Pelton turbine
title_fullStr Physics of secondary flow phenomenon and erosion characteristics in the injector of a Pelton turbine
title_full_unstemmed Physics of secondary flow phenomenon and erosion characteristics in the injector of a Pelton turbine
title_short Physics of secondary flow phenomenon and erosion characteristics in the injector of a Pelton turbine
title_sort physics of secondary flow phenomenon and erosion characteristics in the injector of a pelton turbine
topic Pelton turbine
injector mechanism
sediment erosion
three-phase flow of water–air-sediment
Secondary flow
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19942060.2025.2479700
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