Pressure fluctuation is the primary reason for unstable operations of double-suction centrifugal pumps. By using flush mounted pressure transducers in the semispiral suction chamber and the volute casing of a double-suction pump, the pressure fluctuation signals were obtained and recorded at various operating conditions. Spectral analyses were performed on the pressure fluctuation signals in both frequency domain and time-frequency domain based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) and an adaptive optimal-kernel time-frequency representation (AOK TFR). The results show that pressure fluctuations at the impeller rotating frequency and some lower frequencies dominated in the semispiral suction chamber. Pressure fluctuations at the blade passing frequency, the impeller rotating frequency, and their harmonic frequencies were identified in the volute casing. The amplitude of pressure fluctuation at the blade passing frequency significantly increased when the flow rate deviated from the design flow rate. At 107% of the design flow rate, the amplitude increased more than 254% than that at the design flow rate. The time-frequency characteristics of these pressure fluctuations were affected greatly by both operating conditions and measurement locations. At partial flow rates the pulsation had a great irregularity and the amplitudes at the investigated frequencies were much larger than ones at the design flow rate. An asymmetrical pressure fluctuation structure in the volute casing was observed at all flow rates. The pulsation behavior at the blade passing frequency was the most prominent near the volute tongue zone, and the pressure waves propagated in both the radial and circumferential directions.

This paper presents an automatic multiobjective hydrodynamic optimization strategy for pump–turbine impellers. In the strategy, the blade shape is parameterized based on the blade loading distribution using an inverse design method. An efficient response surface model relating the design parameters and the objective functions is obtained. Then, a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm is applied to the response surface functions to find a Pareto front for the final trade-off selection. The optimization strategy was used to redesign a scaled pump–turbine. Model tests were conducted to validate the final design and confirm the validity of the design strategy.

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Growing environmental concerns and the need for better power balancing and frequency control have increased attention in renewable energy sources such as the reversible pumpturbine which can provide both power generation and energy storage. Pump-turbine operation along the S-shaped curve can lead to difficulties in loading the rejection process with unusual increases in water pressure, which lead to machine vibrations. Pressure fluctuations are the primary reason for unstable operation of pump-turbines. Misaligned guide vanes (MGVs) are widely used to control the stability in the S region. There have been experimental investigations and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of scale models with aligned guide vanes and MGVs with spectral analyses of the S curve characteristics and the pressure pulsations in the frequency and time-frequency domains at runaway conditions. The course of the S characteristic is related to the centrifugal force and the large incident angle at low flow conditions with large vortices forming between the guide vanes and the blade inlets and strong flow recirculation inside the vaneless space as the main factors that lead to the S-shaped characteristics. Preopening some of the guide vanes enables the pump-turbine to avoid the influence of the S characteristic. However, the increase of the flow during runaway destroys the flow symmetry in the runner leading to all asymmetry forces on the runner that leads to hydraulic system oscillations. The MGV technique also increases the pressure fluctuations in the draft tube and has a negative impact on stable operation of the unit.

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Purpose -Some comparison of unsteady flow calculation and the measured stress showed that the dynamic stresses in blades are closely related to hydraulic instability. However, few studies have been conducted for the hydraulic machinery to calculate dynamic stresses caused by the unsteady hydraulic load. The present paper aims to analyse the stresses in blades of a Kaplan turbine. Design/methodology/approach -By employing a partially coupled solution of 3D unsteady flow through its flow passage, the dynamic interaction problem of the blades was analyzed. The unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the SST k-v turbulence model were solved to model the flow within the entire flow path of the Kaplan turbine. The time-dependent hydraulic forces on the blades were used as the boundary condition for the dynamics problem for blades. Findings -The results showed that the dynamic stress in the blade is low under approximately optimum operating conditions and is high under low-output conditions with a small guide vane opening, a small blade angle and a high head.Research limitations/implications -It is assumed that there is no feedback of blade motion on the flow. Self-excited oscillations are beyond the scope of the present paper. Originality/value -The authors developed a code to transfer the pressure on blades as a boundary condition for structure analysis without any interpolation. The study indicates that the prediction of dynamic stress during the design stage is possible. To ensure the safety of the blades it is recommended to check the safety coefficient during the design stage for at least two conditions: the 100 percent output with lower head and the 50 percent output with the highest head.