Scientific Bulletin of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup
“Politehnica” University of Timisoara
Transactions on Mechanics
Tom 52(66), Fascicola 6, 2007
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DYNAMIC ANALYSIS
OF WATER TURBINES
Helmut KECK *
VA TECH HYDRO Switzerland
Thomas WEISS
VA TECH HYDRO Switzerland
*Corresponding author: Hardstrasse 319/P.O. Box, CH-8023 Zurich, Switzerland
E-mail: Helmut.Keck@vatech-hydro.ch
ABSTRACT
This paper gives an overview of current methods
for life cycle analysis with special emphasis on dy-
namic load analysis. Recent developments in CFD
simulations of time dependent phenomena are pre-
sented, such as the von Kármán vortex shedding at
stay vanes in a Kaplan turbine and the part load vor-
tex in the draft tube of a Francis turbine and a pump
turbine. A major topic of this paper is the unsteady
pressure field in a pump turbine which is caused by
the interaction of guide vanes and runner blades.
CFD results of the pressure pulsations and their valida-
tion through comparison with measurement data are
presented. It is shown how the predicted time depend-
ent pressure load is transferred as input to the struc-
tural analysis of the runner. For the analysis of the
response of the runner to the dynamic load knowledge
of the natural frequencies of the structure is required
including the influence of the surrounding water on
the natural frequencies. New results of the prediction
of the natural frequencies of a Francis runner including
the added mass effect due to the surrounding water
are presented. For Pelton runners the state-of-the art
of measurement of eigenfrequencies and detuning
are discussed along with the potential improvements
due to the new simulation methods.
1. INTRODUCTION
During the last few years dynamic load analysis
of the components of hydraulic turbines has become
a major issue. There are three main reasons for this.
Firstly, customers request more efficient and, at the
same time, less expensive machines, which are usu-
ally less robust. Secondly, refurbishment projects are
often targeted at a considerable increase in flow rate
and power output which means higher load on the
on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems
in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems
Timisoara, Romania
October 24 - 26, 2007
Wolfgang MICHLER
VA TECH HYDRO Switzerland
Mirjam SICK
VA TECH HYDRO Switzerland
machine components. Thirdly, hydro power plants
are operated in a more challenging way; a wider
operating range is needed and there are more load
changes with more frequent starts and stops in order
to respond to the increased need for peak shaving,
balancing energy and spinning reserve. As a conse-
quence, new technologies are needed, especially for
the design and manufacturing of large runners, see
Keck et al. (2002). Empirical rules and calculation
methods of safety engineering, which have been per-
fectly adequate for conventional designs for decades,
might no longer be valid for more modern machine
designs, a fact which in some cases lead to severe
problems or even failure of components, see Coutu
et al (2004). In order to improve reliability of these
conventional methods, both measurement techniques
and calculation methods are continuously being
refined and further developed.
Further developments are taking place in all engi-
neering disciplines in the water turbine design:
ƒ Measurement techniques: improvement and
application to increasingly complex systems,
e.g. PIV measurement of draft tube vortex,
measurement of natural frequencies of Francis
runner in water.
ƒ Structural analysis: refinement to more design
details and extension to more realistic boundary
conditions e.g. the influence of surrounding water.
ƒ CFD analysis: extension to time dependent flow
phenomenon such as von Kármán vortices or
the interaction between wicket gate and runner.
Most recent examples for the development and
application of the new engineering methods are pre-
sented for all types of turbines.
Kaplan turbine: von Kármán vortex shedding at
the stay vanes, with focus on the application of re-
fined CFD
10 Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems

Francis turbine: draft tube vortex, with focus on
application of new measurement techniques and CFD
Francis turbine and pump turbine: interaction
between wicket gate and runner, with focus on struc-
tural analysis of natural frequencies, CFD analysis
of the time dependent flow and harmonic response
method
Pelton turbine: jet – bucket interaction, with focus
on excitation and detuning of the runner
The paper is mainly based on the following pub-
lications: Sick et al., Parkinson et al., 2007, Schmied
et al., 2006.
2. KAPLAN TURBINE: VON KÁRMÁN
VORTEX SHEDDING AT STAY VANE EXIT
In 2006 Lockey and Keller published the results
of an unsteady CFD simulation of von Kármán vor-
tex shedding at the stay vanes of a Canadian hydro
power station. It was the first time that CFD had
been applied to explain in detail the origin of stay
vane failure and to evaluate proposed refurbishment
alternatives. Before applying CFD to the complex
case of an existing hydro power station Keller vali-
dated the CFD method for a NACA009 profile by
comparing the CFD prediction to measurements of
the HydroDyna project (Ausoni et al. 2006). The main
findings of the validation study are firstly the grid
dependency of the solution and secondly the depend-
ency on the turbulence model. In a most recent study
Nennemann et al. found that the shedding frequency
is slightly shifted when the transition from laminar
to turbulent boundary layer is taken into account
leading to an improved accuracy of the prediction.
This finding is confirmed by experiments with varying
surface roughness at the blade inlet.
As it is well known that the shape of the trailing
edge strongly influences the intensity of the vortex
shedding a major focus of the validation study was the
effect of different trailing edge geometries. It could
be shown that indeed the trailing edge geometry
determines the interaction of the counter rotating
vortices. A dovetail modification leads to a partial
elimination of the vortices by forcing the vortices to
move a bit upstream into the centre of the dovetail.
The Donaldson modification has a similar effect by
shifting one of the two separation points of the bound-
ary layer causing a partial elimination of the vortices,
see Figure 1. The tendency of the amplitudes as pre-
dicted by CFD is in agreement with published experi-
mental data. However, more detailed validation has
to be done by directly comparing CFD prediction
with experimental data.

Blunt trailing edge Dove tail trailing edge Donaldson trailing edge
Amplitude: 100% Amplitude: 84% Amplitude: 32%
Frequency: 100% Frequency: 96% Frequency: 99%
Figure 1. Influence of the trailing edge geometry on the force acting on the blade as predicted by CFD

Dovetail modification of the stay

vane trailing edge

Donaldson modification of the

stay vane trailing edge

Figure 2. CFD simulation of the vortex shedding at the trailing edge of the stay vanes in a hydropower plant
for two different guide vane openings and two different trailing edge geometries. Part load (left) and opti-
mum load (right)
Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems
In a hydropower plant the vortex shedding inter-
acts with other components as illustrated in Figure 2
which shows the vortex street forming at the stay vane
trailing edge and being entrained along the surface
of the subsequent guide vane. Highly complex time
dependent flow patterns may arise from this interaction.
Discussion
1. Flow mechanisms: Applying CFD for the analysis
of von Kármán vortex shedding at stay vanes in
hydropower stations gives considerable insight into
the mechanisms which influence both frequency
and amplitude of the pressure oscillations acting on
the structure. CFD simulations provide information
about the wake thickness which is relevant for the
frequency of the vortex shedding as well as the
position of the separation points which partly de-
termines the amplitude of the pressure oscillation.
2. Frequency and amplitude of pressure pulsations:
Several comparisons with experiments have been
done which show a good accuracy of the predicted
frequency. Especially for the case that the blade
thickness of the stay vanes vary with the circum-
ferential position a CFD simulation provides valu-
able information about the von Kármán excitation
frequencies. With respect to the amplitudes of the
pressure pulsations some good results have been
obtained but more validation work has to be done.
3. Structural response: A structural analysis of the
natural frequencies has been carried out in several
cases in order to identify which of the frequencies
might be in resonance with the von Kármán exci-
tation. In fact, if a natural frequency of the struc-
ture coincides with the excitation frequency of the
vortex shedding a reduction of the excitation am-
plitude by trailing edge modification might not be
sufficient. Grein and Staehle give the example of
a 184 MW Francis turbine for which stay vane
failure could not be eliminated by modifying the
trailing edge geometry only. It was necessary to
modify the design of the stay vanes such that the
natural frequencies of the structure were shifted.
A similar case is reported by Lockey et al., 2006.
CFD coarse grid CFD fine grid
Figure 3. Grid dependency of the CFD solution: Inter blade vortex and rotational speed of the vortex rope.
Discussion
Numerical flow simulations of the draft tube vor-
tex flow can be targeted to answer questions about
the flow mechanisms. A good understanding of the
11
Today it is possible to numerically predict the com-
plex time dependent flow patterns of von Kármán
vortex shedding in the stator of a water turbine. The
CFD results are sufficiently accurate such that practical
problems can be solved. Still, there are some open
questions: the prediction of the effect of boundary
layer transition on the vortex shedding frequency has
to be further validated, the accuracy of the prediction
of the separation points of the boundary layer has to
be investigated especially for the round trailing edge
geometry and some more thorough validation of the
prediction of the amplitude of the pressure oscillations
will be needed. It is planned to do more of this valida-
tion work in the course of the HydroDyna project at
IMHL, EPFL, Switzerland (http://hpc.epfl.ch/bgl/
scientific-projects/hydrodyna/hydrodyna-project).
3. FRANCIS TURBINE AND PUMP TURBINE
3.1. Draft tube vortex flow
First attempts to predict the complex unsteady flow
structure of a draft tube vortex have been undertaken
about eight years ago and it became very quickly
evident that for this flow which is determined by
vortex dynamics at both small and large scales the
turbulence model is of crucial importance for the
accuracy of the CFD results. A detailed validation of
the CFD results in comparison to measurements was
published in 2002 by Sick et al. As at part load non-
symmetrical flow patterns become increasingly domi-
nant the interaction between runner and draft tube
significantly influences the turbine flow. Consequently,
both the grid resolution and the modelling of the inter-
face between runner and draft tube have to be done
with great care as demonstrated by Stein et al. in 2006.
The grid resolution in the runner determines the
accuracy of the prediction of the interblade vortices
and thereby the accuracy of the prediction of velocity
profile at draft tube inlet and the vortex rope frequency.
Results of the numerical simulation of the FLINDT
draft tube at part load operation are shown in Figure 3.
Vortex rotation frequency f
Experiment: f/n = 0.302
Coarse grid: f/n = 0.236
Fine grid: f/n = 0.290
Model test
flow mechanisms is a prerequisite for design engi-
neers to optimise the hydraulic design of a turbine
with respect to draft tube vortex flow. Furthermore,
CFD simulations can deliver information about fre-
12 Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems

quency and amplitude of pressure pulsations in the
prototype, and the effect of cavitation on the pressure
pulsations which enable the effect of the draft tube
vortex on the structure to be predicted. Figure 4 shows
800
the lateral forces and bending moments acting on the
shaft of a pump turbine which are caused by the draft
tube vortex. The agreement between numerical pre-
diction and experimental data is found to be very good.
600

600
400

400
200
200
f
0 0
0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0
-200
-200

-400
-400
-600
Number of revolutions Number of revolutions
-800 -600

Lateral Force Fx Lateral Force Fy

80 100

60 80

40 60

20 40
0 20
0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0
-20 0
-40 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0
-20
-60
-40
-80
-60
Number of revolutions Number of revolutions
-100
-80

Bending Moment Mx Bending Moment My

Figure 4. Lateral forces and bending moments on the shaft due to the draft tube vortex: comparison meas-
urement data (grey) and CFD prediction (black)
1. Measurement technique: Considerable progress has
been achieved with respect to experimental insight
into the velocity field of the draft tube vortex
(Ciocan et al., 2004) by applying LDA and PIV
measurements to this complex, time dependent
flow phenomenon in addition to pressure meas-
urements.
2. Flow mechanism: CFD simulations show in detail
the swirl distribution and the backflow zone with the
resulting rotating shear layer and vortex production
in the centre of the draft tube cone. Validation of the
CFD results versus measurements of the velocity
field in the draft tube cone show good agreement
thus justifying confidence in the CFD results. The
improved insight into the flow mechanisms has given
rise to attempts to directly influence the pressure
pulsations caused by the draft tube vortex.
3. Frequency and amplitude of pressure pulsations:
For both model and prototype the CFD simulation
gives the quantity of the pressure pulsations. Most
notably, the synchronous and the asynchronous
part of the pressure excitation can be identified.
4. Effect of cavitation: As cavitation zones introduce
compressibility into the hydraulic system they
strongly alter the dynamic behaviour of both the
vortex rope and the hydraulic system. First results of
CFD predictions including cavitation were published
by Stein et al. in 2006 showing strong grid depend-
ency of the results and an unsatisfying accuracy.
5. Structural response: Forces and moments as con-
sequence of the pressure pulsations result directly
from a CFD simulation. They have been success-
fully validated for the shaft of a pump turbine run-
ner (Sick et al, 2004). Ruprecht et al. made a first
attempt to model the whole system and its excita-
tion by the vortex rope in 2002 but since then there
has been no further development of models for the
response of the system.
Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems
During the past few years CFD methods for the
prediction of the draft tube vortex flow have been
developed and applied with great success. Still, there
are open questions with regard to the accuracy when
cavitation is taken into account and with regard to
the response of the entire hydraulic system. While
the questions with respect to accuracy of the CFD
simulation might be tackled with relatively reason-
able effort in the near future modelling the hydraulic
system response will be a far more challenging task.
3.2. Rotor Stator Interaction
In turbo machines the interaction between the ro-
tating pressure field caused by the runner with the
wakes produced in the wicket gate is the omnipresent
source of dynamic load on the components. All en-
gineering disciplines – measurement, flow analysis
and structural analysis – have to be applied hand in
hand in order to analyse the dynamic load and the
resulting stress and residual life. Dynamic load as-
sessment in water turbines is conventionally based
on the proportional approach in which the dynamic
pressure load is assumed to be a fraction of the static
pressure, see for example Seidel et al (2006). This
approach is still good for many applications but not
always sufficient. The harmonic response method is
far more realistic because it is based on the predicted
or measured time dependent pressure field caused
Instantaneous static pressure field
Figure 5. CFD simulation of the pressure field in a pump turbine (left);
comparison CFD prediction - measurement (right)
A CFD method has been set up and validated by
Keller et al. (2006) for the numerical simulation of
the dynamic load on a pump turbine runner which is
due to the interaction of guide vanes and runner blades.
The prediction of the major excitation frequencies is
13
by the unsteady flow and on the knowledge of the
natural frequencies of the structure which again have
to be either calculated or measured. The latter ap-
proach was adopted by Coutu et al. (2004) for the
analysis of stress in the St. Marguerite Francis run-
ner in order to prove that the suggested geometry
modification would no more lead to cracks. Since
then further progress has been made especially with
respect to the analysis of natural frequencies under
the influence of water, see Lais (2007).
CFD simulation of the rotor – stator interaction
Because of relatively high blade loading, high ro-
tating speed and thick guide vanes and small gaps
the interaction between guide vanes and rotor blades
is the main source of vibrations in high head pump
turbines. For this reason a pump turbine has been
chosen for the first steps towards CFD analysis of
rotor-stator interaction (RSI). At the same time there
are mechanical conditions in the prototype differing
from test rig which makes prototype measurements
necessary as reported by Egusquiza et al., 2006. Thus,
the main objective of current research is the combi-
nation of reliable CFD predictions of the pressure
oscillations due to RSI with a realistic numerical
analysis of the mechanical properties of the prototype
such that the response of the structure to the dynamic
load can be predicted during the early design phase
of a turbine runner.
Static pressure on the band between two guide vanes
correct as can be seen in Figure 5 on the right hand
side. As the frequency of the pressure oscillation is
prescribed by the number of guide vanes and runner
blades on one hand and the rotational speed on the
other hand the signal is mainly a superposition of
14 Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems
a constant part and three distinct frequencies, the
harmonics of the runner blade passing frequency
(i.e. rotation frequency times number of runner blades).
More remarkable is the fact that the amplitudes of
the pressure oscillations are found to be predicted
with very good accuracy.
Runner with 7 blades: Phase angle at 3rd Harmonic
Figure 6 Decomposition of the predicted pressure field shows the shape of the excitation mode:
1 node (left), 2 nodes (right)
According to Tanaka (090) the interaction of
stator and rotor leads to pressure waves at rotating
pressure modes which depend on the number of sta-
tor channels (zS) and number of runner blades (zR):
k = M ⋅ z R ± N ⋅ z S . While mode 0 represents a stand-
ing wave on the rotating runner system the other modes
are rotating with speed nM ( nM = n ⋅ zS ). Pressure
k
modes with negative node number k are counter ro-
tating, those with positive node number are rotating
with the runner. As shown in Figure 6 the CFD
simulation exactly reveals the pressure modes as
expected based on the literature. Thus, if the natural
frequencies are known from structural analysis the
CFD simulation allows critical excitation modes to be
identified and further analysed with respect to their
effect on the structure. Furthermore, the CFD simu-
lation accurately predicts the direction of the pressure
wave propagation which is of considerable signifi-
cance for the vibration behaviour of the whole ma-
chine: pressure waves propagating against the runner
rotation into the spiral casing and further upstream
can cause undesirable vibrations in the penstock.
3.3. Numerical prediction of natural frequencies
A high head Francis turbine runner has been se-
lected in order to validate the numerical analysis of
natural frequencies, see Lais (2007). For the simula-
tion of the runner properties in water the computa-
With a time dependent CFD simulation of spiral
casing, entire stator and entire rotor it is possible to
detect the node shapes of the exciting modes. This was
demonstrated by comparing the CFD prediction of the
pressure oscillations for two different pump turbine
runners – one with 7 blades, the other with 9 blades –
coupled to a 20 guide vanes stator (Keller et al., 2006).
Runner with 9 blades: Phase angle at 2nd Harmonic
tional grid includes not only the runner but also a
surrounding volume representing the water, see
Figure 8, left. Please note that the constellation under
discussion refers to the situation at the test rig but
not to the runner as it is installed in the plant. Under
the influence of water the shape of the mode is found
to stay the same see Figure 8, middle and right hand
side. But the surrounding water strongly influences
the value of the natural frequencies reducing them by
a factor between 0.4 and 0.9 depending on the mode.
Figure 8 gives the detailed results of the numeri-
cal prediction on one hand and the measurements of
the mode shapes of the Francis runner under consid-
eration on the other hand. Firstly, it can be seen from
this diagram that the numerical prediction and meas-
urement agree very well but also, that some more
measurement points are needed for a complete valida-
tion of the numerical methods. Secondly, the frequency
reduction due to the damping effect of the surround-
ing water is shown to strongly differ for the different
modes. For design engineers this information is ex-
tremely important because it will allow a leaner design
of the turbines with more targeted safety margins.
Discussion
1. Flow mechanisms: A time dependent CFD simula-
tion of the runner together with the stationary com-
ponents reveals the major mechanisms of the rotor
stator interaction which take place at the basic
frequency (pressure pulsations at rotational speed
Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems 15

Computational grid:
runner with surrounding volume

ND2-1 mode: FE prediction of displacement in air ND2-1 mode: FE prediction of displacement in water
Figure 7 FE analysis of Eigenmodes of a high head Francis turbine runner
2000 1.0 Measurement -
Natural Frequency
Frequency Reduction Factor α=fw/fa

1800 0.9 in Air

1600 0.8
Natural Frequency [Hz]

Measurement -
1400 0.7 Natural Frequency
1200 0.6
in Water

1000 0.5 Prediction Natural

Frequency in Air
800 0.4

600 0.3
Prediction Natural
400 0.2
Frequency in Wate
200 0.1

0 0.0
Prediction
Frequency
1

9
10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

Nodal Diameter Mode ND [-] Reduction Factor

fw/fa
Figure 8 Modal analysis of a Francis runner in air and in water:
comparison numerical prediction – measurement
times number of the blades) and its harmonics. As by CFD when certain standards of grid density,
major effects the flow deviation in the wake of the discretisation scheme (2nd order accurate), time
guide vanes on one hand and the upstream effect of step, computational domain and boundary condi-
the leading edge of the runner blades on the other tions are fulfilled.
hand are identified by CFD with very good accuracy. 3. Structural response: With the information about
2. Frequency and amplitude of pressure pulsations: the flow and the related pressure field gained by a
Frequency, mode and amplitude of the pressure transient CFD simulation it is now possible to calcu-
oscillation are found to be very well represented late the resulting stress at each point of the runner
16 Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems
at each time step. As such a procedure would be
extremely expensive in terms of computing time
and memory a leaner approach is chosen: the analy-
sis of the structural response at selected frequencies.
Based on the developments and the validation
study presented in this paper it is now possible to
numerically predict the natural frequencies of a
rotor both in air and in water with very good ac-
curacy. For design engineers this is a significant
step forward towards safety engineering with more
targeted safety margins and design rules. Predict-
ing the natural frequencies of the prototype allows
more knowledgeable decisions to be made during
the design phase and less correction such as de-
tuning to be done during the manufacturing phase
which is beneficial to both turbine manufacturers
and power plant operators.
During the last two years significant progress has
been made in predicting the effect of rotor stator
interaction in a pump turbine both on the flow field
and on the structure. Still, some more validation work
has to be done for pump turbines in pump mode and
for other turbine types. Limitations of the CFD simu-
lations presented are due to the fact that constant mass
flow and the flow direction are imposed at inlet while
at outlet the static pressure is set to an average value.
With this approach potential temporal and spatial
fluctuations in mass flow rate are not taken into ac-
count. Furthermore the fluid is assumed to be incom-
pressible which means that wave speed is infinite.
This assumption will have to be questioned in further
research.
Also with respect to structural analysis, some more
investigation has to be done. Firstly, more measure-
ments points are needed for more thorough validation
of the prediction of the added mass effect of water.
Secondly, the method has to be applied to and tested
for a range of runner types. Thirdly, measurements
and simulations are done in stationary water which
leaves open the question about the effect of moving
water on the structural properties.
4. PELTON TURBINE DESIGN:
PELTON BUCKET
4.1. CFD analysis of the jet bucket interaction
For Pelton runners both the flow field itself and
the influence of water on the structural properties are
more difficult to determine than for Francis or Kaplan
turbines because Pelton buckets are moving through
the jets, filling and emptying continuously. With the
progress achieved in Pelton turbine CFD and fluid
structure coupling (see Parkinson et al., 2007) more
precise results can be expected in the near future.
The bucket unsteady loading analysis requires
knowing the unsteady pressure loading in the rotating
buckets. This is achieved by a flow simulation process
(CFD) that has been extensively analysed and vali-
dated from various sets of unsteady pressure meas-
urements located both at inner and outer surfaces of
buckets achieved at model scale, see Parkinson, 2004.
Results of the CFD simulation of the water jet in
the Pelton bucket are shown in Figure 9 for three dif-
ferent phases of the interaction process: jet loading,
maximum torque and water evacuation. The flow
and its impact on the bucket are visualised by the
water sheet and the static pressure distribution on the
inner surface of the Pelton bucket. In certain stages
of the jet bucket interaction there is some impact of
the water on the outer bucket surface which cannot
be neglected with respect to the bucket torque and
the according efficiency of the Peton runner. Although
the CFD simulation takes into account the entire
bucket surface and its interaction with the jet it has
been found that the accuracy of the torque predic-
tion is not yet satisfying for these stages (Parkinson
et al, 2005). More refined modelling of two phase
flow, detachment and cavitation zones is required.
Nevertheless, a CFD simulation as presented here
provides sufficient data for a reliable structural analy-
sis. For each time step the pressure distribution on
the Pelton bucket surface serves as input data for a
Finite Element Analysis which then reliably predicts
deformation and stress. At maximum torque the hot
spot of the stress is generally to be found in the root
zone of the bucket (see Figure 9).
4.2. Structural analysis of the Pelton bucket
A typical stress variation in the root consists of a
periodic stress related to the cyclic jet impact, with
some added stress component induced by the mechani-
cal vibrations of the runner as shown in , left hand
side. As the bucket vibration takes place in response
to the dynamic load it is not possible to simulate it
with a quasi static FEM analysis with fairly coarse
time steps as used today (see , right hand side).
Today, the structural analysis of the Pelton bucket
is done in two steps:
• Step 1: Deformation and stress in the bucket as
response to the dynamic load due to the jet.
• Step 2: Analysis of the Eigenmodes and natural
frequencies of the bucket and evaluation of safety
limits with respect to resonance.
As described in the previous section a state-of-the-
art CFD analysis of the jet flow in the bucket delivers
the pressure distribution on the bucket surface for
each time step with good accuracy thereby enabling
FEM predicition of both deformation and stress. Based
on a number of Pelton buckets for which this proce-
dure has been applied there is very good confidence
in this method. Still, some more validation work has
to be done especially in case of very advanced mod-
ern Pelton bucket design. As the shape of a modern
Pelton bucket is being optimised with respect to new
Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems 17

learnings in flow mechanics as well as with respect might change. Great care has to be taken in order to
to weight reduction the location of highest stress ensure life time.

Water sheet Deformation

Pressure Stress

Angular Step 1: jet loading Angular Step 2:maximum torque, maximum stress at root

Angular Step 3:water evacuation Buckets torque curve

Figure 9. Bucket loading (water sheets, pressure, stress, deformation, maximum values are red), (KOPSWERK II)

Figure 10. Stress variation with time in the Pelton bucket: measurement (left),
CFD simulation and FEM analysis (right)
18 Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems

New developments are taking place in the analysis
of Eigenmodes and measures to prevent resonance in
Pelton runners. In contrast to former simple methods
of looking at the Pelton bucket as a single mass system
Schmied and Angehrn (2006) published a method
which allows the determination of the Eigenmodes
of the Pelton runner as a coupled multi mass system.
Based on excitation measurements on a number of
individual buckets on one hand and an iterative solu-
tion of the transfer matrix on the other hand it is
possible to determine the parameters of the Pelton
runner as coupled multi-mass system and thereby to
determine a detuning procedure if needed.
Some typical natural bucket modes are shown in
Figure 11. The relevant mode in operation is the bend-
ing mode in circumferential direction, which, in some
cases, can be combined with a vibration of the buckets’
rim. In the right hand side of Figure 11 the lowest
six natural modes of the BIEUDRON runner are
presented. It can be seen that, for the natural modes
with a higher number of nodal diameters, the mode
shape resembles a pure bucket vibration. The frequen-
cies of these modes are almost equal. In case of the
theoretical model with identical buckets the 5 jets
would excite the 6th mode with 5 nodal diameters at
762 Hz, the lower modes shown in the figure would
not be excitable.

Typical natural modes of a Pelton bucket

Calculated frequencies of the lowest 6 natural modes of bucket bending vibration: f i (i=1-6) = 508 / 576 /
706 / 760 / 761 / 762 Hz (i = number of mode, n = i–1 = number of nodal diameters) – BIEUDRON
Figure 11 Most important natural modes of a Pelton runner: bucket (left) entire runner (right)
Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems
The next step in the near future will be to drasti-
cally reduce the need for detuning by applying FEM
analysis of the Eigenmodes in an early phase of the
design process. As shown in the previous chapter for
a Francis runner today’s structural simulation meth-
ods allow natural frequencies to be determined with
good accuracy and with affordable computing effort.
The same applies to Pelton runners where some more
validation work has to be done, especially in order
to determine the influence of water on the Eigen-
modes of the runner.
Discussion
1. Measurement technique: For the observation and
quantitative measurement on Pelton jet new optical
measurement technique was developed during the
last few years (Parkinson et al, 2005). At the same
time, pressure measurement techniques have been
refined in order to obtain more detailed information
on the pressure distribution in Pelton buckets.
2. Flow mechanisms: Measurements are then used
to validate the CFD prediction of the jet – bucket
interaction leading to good confidence in the reli-
ability of the CFD prediction of the pressure dis-
tribution on the bucket surface. This reliability is
extremely important as the CFD results serve as
input for the structural analysis. Still, refinement
has to be done in the field of modelling genuine
two phase flow phenomena: As observed for vari-
ous projects, the real jet diameter is influenced by
dispersion – an effect which is not yet sufficiently
modelled by today’s CFD methods. Therefore, the
jet diameter is usually prescribed based on theoreti-
cal considerations. Similarly, the effect of water
detachment at the outer surface of the bucket
requires refined two phase flow models and is not
yet predicted sufficiently accurately to allow a
precise prediction of the hydraulic efficiency of
a Pelton runner.
3. Structural response: Both the mean and the dynamic
load on a Pelton bucket are well predicted by mod-
ern CFD methods and serve as reliable input for a
structural analysis. Modern Finite Element Analysis
has proven to deliver realistic values of deformation
and stress and thus can be relied on with respect
to dynamic load. A field of further development is
the analysis of natural frequencies without and
with influence of water. Today’s measurement
and analysis methods give excellent insight into
the structural properties but some more validation
and development have to be done.
A major step in Pelton turbine design is the pos-
sibility to obtain reliable and detailed information
about the pressure distribution and, as consequence,
about the stress in the Pelton bucket. With this ability
it is possible to further develop Pelton bucket design
19
and ensure structural safety at the same time. CFD
prediction is also being used for gaining insight into
flow phenomena with strong two phase character
such as the dispersion of the jet or the detachment at
the outer surface of the Pelton bucket. It has been
found that for these phenomena there is still need for
improved models. Considerable progress is being
made in the field of structural analysis and a today’s
detailed analysis of deformation and stress is based
on detailed input data. Yet, more validation work is
needed, especially with respect to the prediction of
natural modes under the influence of water.
5. CONCLUSION
In order to meet the challenge of designing leaner
turbines with higher power output engineering meth-
ods are being further improved and validated. Main
target of these developments is the reliable prediction
of the dynamic load and the according structural
response. It is expected that these developments will
provide more targeted safety rules which allow design
optimisation with respect to both performance and
safety.
Progress has been taking place in all disciplines
of engineering:
R Measurement techniques:
• PIV measurement of the draft tube vortex,
LDA measurement in the Pelton jet
• Unsteady pressure distribution in the Pelton
bucket
• Determination of structural properties under
the influence of water
R CFD simulation of the three major flow mecha-
nisms which lead to vibration in water turbines:
• Draft tube vortex flow at part load
• Von Kármán vortex shedding at stay vanes
• Unsteady interaction between guide vanes and
runner blades
R FEM prediction of stress due to dynamic load and
structural properties
• Fluid structure coupling
• Natural frequencies of a structure which is
immersed in water
• Harmonic response analysis
Significant progress has been made and still, more
investigation is needed in order to achieve reliable
results for a wider application range. In the case of
the draft tube vortex flow there are still open questions
with respect to the effect of cavitation and system
response. Some more validation work is required for
the numerical prediction of the von Kármán vortex
shedding and these results still have to be transferred
to runner trailing edges in a future step. Rotor stator
interaction and its effect on the dynamic pressure field
20 Proceedings of the 2nd IAHR International Meeting of the Workgroup on Cavitation and Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems
are found to be well predictable even under simpli-
fying assumptions such as incompressibility and
constant mass flow but more validation is needed,
especially for the pump mode. Validation of the
simulation method by comparison to measurement
data will be a major task for structural analysis as
well, especially for the installed prototype runner. In
addition, the effect of water on natural frequencies,
also in the case of Pelton turbines, requires further
investigation.
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