Effect of Sand Particle Size on Sand–Water Flow in a Francis‐99 Distributor

ABSTRACT To examine the sand–water flow characteristics in the distributor of the Francis‐99 hydraulic turbine, numerical simulations were conducted using the Mixture multiphase flow model, focusing on the impact of varying sand particle sizes. The findings indicate that near‐wall velocities of sand...

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Main Authors: Ziyao Zhou, Pinyu Xiang, Kang Xu, Jitao Liu, Yuanyuan Gang, Haiqi Wang, Jiayang Pang, Xiaobing Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-07-01
Series:Energy Science & Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.70134
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author Ziyao Zhou
Pinyu Xiang
Kang Xu
Jitao Liu
Yuanyuan Gang
Haiqi Wang
Jiayang Pang
Xiaobing Liu
author_facet Ziyao Zhou
Pinyu Xiang
Kang Xu
Jitao Liu
Yuanyuan Gang
Haiqi Wang
Jiayang Pang
Xiaobing Liu
author_sort Ziyao Zhou
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT To examine the sand–water flow characteristics in the distributor of the Francis‐99 hydraulic turbine, numerical simulations were conducted using the Mixture multiphase flow model, focusing on the impact of varying sand particle sizes. The findings indicate that near‐wall velocities of sand and water in the fixed and guide vanes of the Francis‐99 hydraulic turbine range from 1.5 to 3.4 m/s and from 2.1 to 11.2 m/s, respectively, with the highest values observed at the tail section. The trajectories of smaller sand particles closely followed the water flow, whereas for particle sizes of around 0.3 mm, acceleration and deceleration processes showed a noticeable lag due to inertia, leading to significant velocity fluctuations compared to smaller particles. The sediment concentration on the front side of the stay and guide vanes initially increased and then decreased along the flow direction, whereas on the back side, a gradual reduction was observed, with the peak sediment concentration occurring at the head. As the sand particle size increased, the uniformity of the sediment concentration distribution on the guide vane surface decreased. When the average sediment concentration (volume fraction) in the flow field was 0.00095, the maximum concentration on the front side of the guide vane reached 0.0025, and the region of high concentration expanded, whereas the back side showed an opposite trend. The results further demonstrate that the arrangement of fixed and guide vanes influences the sediment concentration distribution in the sand–water flow within the hydraulic guide mechanism of the Francis‐99 hydraulic turbine, leading to inconsistencies in sediment distribution patterns on adjacent guide vane surfaces.
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spelling doaj-art-331b574c8b204051ba744d22a8ee358b2025-08-20T03:11:46ZengWileyEnergy Science & Engineering2050-05052025-07-011373753376410.1002/ese3.70134Effect of Sand Particle Size on Sand–Water Flow in a Francis‐99 DistributorZiyao Zhou0Pinyu Xiang1Kang Xu2Jitao Liu3Yuanyuan Gang4Haiqi Wang5Jiayang Pang6Xiaobing Liu7Key Laboratory of Fluid and Power Machinery, Ministry of Education Xihua University Chengdu ChinaCollege of Water Resources & Hydropower, SCU Chengdu ChinaKey Laboratory of Fluid and Power Machinery, Ministry of Education Xihua University Chengdu ChinaSchool of Mechatronic Engineering Southwest Petroleum University Chengdu ChinaKey Laboratory of Fluid and Power Machinery, Ministry of Education Xihua University Chengdu ChinaKey Laboratory of Fluid and Power Machinery, Ministry of Education Xihua University Chengdu ChinaCollege of Water Resources and Civil Engineering China Agricultural University Beijing ChinaKey Laboratory of Fluid and Power Machinery, Ministry of Education Xihua University Chengdu ChinaABSTRACT To examine the sand–water flow characteristics in the distributor of the Francis‐99 hydraulic turbine, numerical simulations were conducted using the Mixture multiphase flow model, focusing on the impact of varying sand particle sizes. The findings indicate that near‐wall velocities of sand and water in the fixed and guide vanes of the Francis‐99 hydraulic turbine range from 1.5 to 3.4 m/s and from 2.1 to 11.2 m/s, respectively, with the highest values observed at the tail section. The trajectories of smaller sand particles closely followed the water flow, whereas for particle sizes of around 0.3 mm, acceleration and deceleration processes showed a noticeable lag due to inertia, leading to significant velocity fluctuations compared to smaller particles. The sediment concentration on the front side of the stay and guide vanes initially increased and then decreased along the flow direction, whereas on the back side, a gradual reduction was observed, with the peak sediment concentration occurring at the head. As the sand particle size increased, the uniformity of the sediment concentration distribution on the guide vane surface decreased. When the average sediment concentration (volume fraction) in the flow field was 0.00095, the maximum concentration on the front side of the guide vane reached 0.0025, and the region of high concentration expanded, whereas the back side showed an opposite trend. The results further demonstrate that the arrangement of fixed and guide vanes influences the sediment concentration distribution in the sand–water flow within the hydraulic guide mechanism of the Francis‐99 hydraulic turbine, leading to inconsistencies in sediment distribution patterns on adjacent guide vane surfaces.https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.70134distributerFrancis‐99 turbineinfluencenumerical simulationsand particle sizesand–water flow
spellingShingle Ziyao Zhou
Pinyu Xiang
Kang Xu
Jitao Liu
Yuanyuan Gang
Haiqi Wang
Jiayang Pang
Xiaobing Liu
Effect of Sand Particle Size on Sand–Water Flow in a Francis‐99 Distributor
Energy Science & Engineering
distributer
Francis‐99 turbine
influence
numerical simulation
sand particle size
sand–water flow
title Effect of Sand Particle Size on Sand–Water Flow in a Francis‐99 Distributor
title_full Effect of Sand Particle Size on Sand–Water Flow in a Francis‐99 Distributor
title_fullStr Effect of Sand Particle Size on Sand–Water Flow in a Francis‐99 Distributor
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Sand Particle Size on Sand–Water Flow in a Francis‐99 Distributor
title_short Effect of Sand Particle Size on Sand–Water Flow in a Francis‐99 Distributor
title_sort effect of sand particle size on sand water flow in a francis 99 distributor
topic distributer
Francis‐99 turbine
influence
numerical simulation
sand particle size
sand–water flow
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.70134
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