Design and Manufacturing of Francis Runners for Rehabilitation Projects

M. Sallaberger, Ch. Michaud, H. Born VA TECH HYDRO PO Box CH-8023 Zurich Switzerland St. Winkler VA TECH HYDRO PO Box A-4031 Linz Austria M. Peron VA TECH HYDRO PO Box I-36015 Schio Italy

Introduction
The present competitive situation in the deregulated energy markets makes great demands on the economic assessment of existing and new power plants. In this surrounding the upgrading and refurbishment of existing hydroelectric power plants becomes of increasing importance. In modernisation projects it is mostly only the key parts of the machine, which are replaced by new ones while the others are kept and renovated. Furthermore this process is often coupled with an increase in turbine output and also with an increase in flow rate. To utilise the whole potential of upgrading, excellent hydraulic behaviour in terms of efficiency and smooth operation as well as in cavitation is necessary. In order to minimise the delivery time of the new runner and the outage time of the old units the modernisation work has to be performed in an extremely short time. Therefore modernisation projects make high demands on planing, hydraulic design, manufacturing process and installation of new components especially the new runners. For the success of the upgrading procedure rapid and efficient processes are of the essence. The processes of hydraulic layout, hydraulic and mechanical design, manufacturing and installation have to be well established and organised. The development and the thorough application of highly advanced design tools for the design of Francis runners enable the manufacturer to meet these great demands. In rehabilitation projects these tools have to be flexible and have to be quickly adapted to different geometrical boundary conditions. To ensure hydraulic quality and lifetime of the new runner a high quality of the manufacturing process is essential. The well proven VA TECH technology is characterised by NC manufacturing and welding of the runners. The successful and reliable operation of the upgraded units gives the necessary feedback for the design engineers and proves VA TECH HYDRO's rehabilitation approach. Currently VA TECH HYDRO together with several energy suppliers is in the process of upgrading several Francis turbines of different size. The upgrading procedure is demonstrated on four modernisation projects. Extremely short delivery time for the new runner and short time for the handling of the whole modernisation process characterise these projects. The high quality of the hydraulic design is proven by high turbine performance of the upgraded units. The modern manufacturing process is a base element for this favourable hydraulic performance and the short time schedules of the projects.

Hydraulic Layout

The hydraulic layout is the first task in the assessment procedure of a power plant. In general a turbine refurbishment is not only motivated by the fact that key components being at the end of their life time have to be replaced but furthermore because the hydraulic characteristics of the turbine have to be adapted to new operating conditions. Maximising output, efficiency or annual energy production are goals that are usually expected in a refurbishment project. Reducing the operating and maintenance costs by improving cavitation behaviour or reducing vibration are also of great importance. In this surrounding, the main purpose of the hydraulic layout is to define what is the best to do with an existing power plant, considering given technical, operational and economical requirements. To achieve these goals, different rehabilitation scenarios have to be assessed in order to find out the most economical solution. For small and middle size units, it is current to consider only a runner replacement and

keep the other components unchanged. For larger units, the optimisation of the entire hydraulic profile, i.e. the modification or replacement of stationary turbine components, can be worth doing. In any cases, it is fundamental in the hydraulic layout process to be able to make a quick but nevertheless accurate estimation of the hydraulic losses occurring in the existing turbine components. The preparation of the unerring guarantees is an essential contribution to the success of the refurbishment project. For the prediction of new turbine performances, VA TECH HYDRO can refer to a very large experience gathered in numerous rehabilitation projects conducted during the last decade. Our know-how has been continuously extended by the results based on model tests, numerical flow simulations and field test measurements. Thanks to this very wide databank, a loss analysis method and a house-made software have been developed and applied successfully. The tool enables a reliable efficiency prediction, also for turbines having components deviating in size and profile from optimised designs, what is generally the case when refurbishing old turbines from other turbine suppliers. The hydraulic layout has also for purpose to define which modifications are absolutely necessary to match hydraulic requirements. For example, modification of runner diameters at inlet or outlet is sometimes unavoidable. Impact of such modifications on the rehabilitation costs must be assessed in an early phase. It is of prime importance for the whole rehabilitation process (planing, designing and manufacturing) that the rehabilitation scenario is clearly stated during the hydraulic layout.

Hydraulic Layout
Analysis of Requirements to fulfil Definition of Rehabilitation scenario Prediction of Turbine Performances
Efficiency, Output, ...

Hydraulic Design
3D Euler Single Component 3D Navier-Stokes Single Component 3D Navier-Stokes Multi Component
Runner, Diffuser

Economic viability of scenario

Model Test
if required

Fig. 1: Hydraulic Layout and Hydraulic Design Process

Fig. 2: Flow Computation in Runner and Draft Tube

CFD Design

The development and the thorough application of highly advanced tools for the design of Francis runners enable the manufacturer to meet great demands. In rehabilitation projects these tools have to be flexible and have to be quickly adapted to different geometrical boundary conditions. Of course the hydraulic behaviour has to be modelled with sufficient accuracy. All these features have to be included into a tool, which can easily be handled and gives results in less time than earlier methods. VA TECH HYDRO has a wide experience in the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to rehabilitation projects. The feedback from both model tests and prototype behaviour gives a reliable reference for coming projects. The runner design process starts with the well proven 3D Euler code, fig. 1. VA TECH HYDRO has more than one decade of experience in the application of this method to Francis runner design. For a thorough investigation this may be followed by 3D viscous flow analysis of the runner if required. The flow in the runner is carefully optimised taking into account the interaction of the runner flow with the adjacent components, fig. 2. Therefore coupled computations of the flow in the runner together with the adjacent components may be performed. For the viscous computations VA TECH HYDRO applies Tascflow3D from AEA Canada, a widely used 3D code in the field of turbo machinery flow analysis. This Finite Volume code solves the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for steady state conditions. The turbulence effects are modelled by the standard k- model. Coupled computations of stationary and rotating components consider the interaction of the flow between them.

Mechanical Design

The 3D geometric description of the hydraulic profile, optimised in the CFD Design, will then be processed to obtain a 3D file, forming the basis for the construction design, fig. 3 and 4. In order to verify the runner structure, a stress analysis is made using the finite element method (FEM); the 3D calculation model comes from the 3D design, whereas the pressure loading is based on the foregoing CFD analysis. From the 3D model are derived the 2D workshop drawings and the CNC programs for the mechanical operations of milling and turning, respectively for the blades and for the disks. Some particular but important aspects are to be considered in the mechanical design stage. Among them we mention here the shrinkage of the finished components during assembly welding of the runner, in particular the blades and the band, in order to finally achieve the requested hydraulic design. Another aspect concerns the optimisation of the chamfers on the blades for the better accessibility during welding. Besides this modern part of the mechanical design, regarding the hearth of the turbine, also the more traditional part regarding the complementary turbine components plays an important role in the upgrading process of the turbine. In fact, it is of extremely high importance to take the opportunity of the refurbishment, not only for fitting the new runner with the existing components, but also for enabling them to a further long lifetime. This requires a serious re-engineering including non-destructive tests, design review, stress analysis. We do not mention here the engineering work for the parts outside of the turbine, like auxiliaries, control system and so on, while these are not included in the scope of this paper.

Fig. 3: Mechanical Design of Cavilla Runner

Fig. 4: 3D View of the Cavilla Runner

Runner Manufacturing

To ensure the hydraulic quality and the lifetime of the new runner a high quality of the manufacturing process is essential. Therefore the well-proven VA TECH HYDRO technology of welded design is generally applied to the replacement runners. The main advantages of a welded design compared to a monolithic casting are: Precise geometry due to five-axis CNC milling of the complete runner blades from the leading to the trailing edge Precise geometry due to NC-turning of water passage profile on crown and band High quality of materials due to the productions method and even more to easier checking and repairing on the single components Less unbalance to be corrected for smoother operation behaviour Shorter delivery time and competitive costs, resulting in more benefits for the customer

The manufacturing process of the runner starts with the procurement and production of the main components, that are the disks, crown and band, and the blades. Regarding the production of these main components, there are

the following possibilities. The band and the crown are forged or cast, depending on the simple or complicated form of their meridian profile. The runner blades, up to thickness available on the market and/or press-forgeable, are normally obtained from rolled steel plates. Thicker runner blades are cast. The basic materials for all components (casting, forging or plate) are mainly CrNi 13.4 in the European market, while austenitic runners with blades manufactured out of rolled steel plates are required in the North American market. In every case VA TECH HYDRO prefers to manufacture crown and band and the blades out of the same sort of steel. While the construction of hub and band show no major difficulties, the fabrication of the blades bear some peculiarities. Therefore the finished turning of the hydraulic contour of band and crown, properly oversized for shrinkage, is normally performed at the sub-suppliers. Since the manufacturing of the blades represents a key part of the complete process, VA TECH HYDRO has developed adequate pressing procedures for blades made of martensitic steels as well as for blades out of austenitic steels. The two pressing processes are separately described in the following paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2. The further paragraph 4.3 concerns the assembly welding of the runner. To ensure the required quality of the pieces a number of destructive and non destructive tests is performed before machining, such as chemical analysis, tensile test, ISO-V (Charpy-V) notch impact test, first dimensional check, ultrasonic examination, magnetic particle examination. Casting defects detected by mean of these tests will be excavated, repair welded and checked again. 4.1 Pressing of Martensitic Blades

Blades made of martensitic steels, up to thickness available on the market and falling under the capacity of the press are mainly hot forming pressed. The crude shape of the blade is cut out from steel plates of CrNi 13.4. After the two top and bottom swages for the press have been prepared from steel plates, the blades are hot forming pressed in the blacksmith's swage, fig. 5.

Fig.5: Pressing in the blacksmith's swage The blades of martensitic steel are now rough in the shape and the milling process starts on a 5-axis NC milling machine. The same milling process is valid also for the casting blades. In this milling process both leading and trailing edges, as well as the welding edges of the blade get their final shape. The small steps, due to the milling, will be ground by hand to the required surface finish. Crack detection on blade surfaces, water passage of crown and band, as well as on the welding seams is done by non-destructive methods before starting the welding process. Found defects are ground, repair welded and checked again.

4.2

Pressing of Austenitic Blades

The blades made of austenitic steel are mostly milled before the pressing process and then cold pressed. For blades made of austenitic steels it was necessary to develop an appropriate pressing procedure, taking into consideration that the blades are already CNC milled and that from the pressing process the final geometry of both surfaces has to be reached. The goal is to get a blade within accepted tolerances through the minimum number of machining steps. The procedure can be summarised as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Flame-cutting of the blank for a blade from a plate of rolled austenic steel. Machining of this flat blank on one side to give it the thickness-distribution necessary for the final blade. Pressing the flat, profiled blank between two dies in one shot. Checking with a jig the correct shape of the pressed blade. The reference position for the last tooling step is marked by doing a best fit between the blade and the jig. Trimming of the leading/trailing edge, machining the weld preparation seams and grinding the inlet profile are the last operations done on the individual blade.

The blades are now ready for welding and the runner can be built as usual. What is simply described within a few sentences in fact is the outcome of an elaborate engineering phase. In the procedure given above no machining of the blade surfaces after pressing is foreseen, although the blade will change its shape when the dies are opened. This is feasible only if the amount of elastic springback is calculated accurately and if the die-surfaces are shaped different from the hydraulic surfaces to compensate this effect. The necessary engineering steps are best shown in a control-loop diagram, fig. 6:

Numerical Simulation Flattening

Blank Shape

Hydraulic Blade Shape

Die Shape Modification

Die Shape

Numerical Similation Pressing

Numerical Simulation Springback

Pressed Blade Shape

Material & Process Parameters

Fig. 6: Pressing process for austenitic blades The target shape of the runner blade, as it comes from the hydraulic laboratory or from a blade design software, is the starting point for all the numeric simulations, as follows: The flat blank shape is achieved by forcing all points of one blade side to lie in a plane. This simulation is done with the FE-code ABAQUS/Standard [14], using the 3D representation of the shape as input. The result of this analysis gives the contour and the thickness-distribution for the blank, used later on as input data for flame cutting and milling the raw material. The die surfaces, which compensate the springback of the blades, are iteratively calculated by pressing the numerically generated blank between the die surfaces corresponding at first to the target blade surfaces and then to the iteratively new calculated surfaces. This pressing step is calculated with ABAQUS/Explicit [13] by direct time integration of the dynamic equations of motion. This simulation is a real challenge for any

Finite Element software, since the problem to be solved is non-linear in the 3 aspects, geometric due to large displacements and rotations, stress-strain relationship due to material plasticity and boundary conditions due to the changing contact between blank and dies. The comparatively simple calculation of the springback is done with ABAQUS/Standard, which seamlessly imports the results of the last pressing simulation. In this step all external loads on the blade are removed and the new equilibrium state is determined. The deviation between the target shape and the shape obtained in the current iteration, calculated for each node of the mesh, can be minimised by minimising the root-mean-square distance of the 2 surfaces and consequently positioning the pressed blade relative to the target blade. The iteration terminates when the maximum deviation is less than half the value tolerable for blade profile deviation according to IEC 60193, normally after 5 to 7 itaration cyclus, fig. 7 and 8.

Fig. 7: Lower die surface and pressure side of blade before pressing 4.3 Runner Assembly

Fig. 8: Lower die surface and pressure side of blade after pressing

After completion of the manufacturing process of all components, the precise positioning of blades on band and crown follows, supported by the first dimensional check of width, fig. 9. As soon as dimensions are recorded the blades are tacks welded and the welding procedure can be started. After welding of the blades to the disks, the manufacturing process continue with the finishing, including stress relieving heat treatment, grinding of the welded radius between blades and disks, non-destructive examination on welded surfaces for possible crack detection. Final machining, final non-destructive examination, final static balancing and dimension recording complete the manufacturing process. Finally the runner is ready for shipping.

Fig. 9: Blade Positioning of Ponte Gardena Runner

Fig. 10: Welding of the Ponte Gardena Runner

Application to Refurbishment Projects

Meanwhile the processes of design and manufacturing described above have been successfully applied to a great number of Francis refurbishment projects. For illustration a few examples of interesting upgrading projects are outlined in the following. The power plant Taloro II is located in the central part of the Sardinia Island, Italy. The two Francis units have a maximum power output of 13,6 MW at a head of 191 m in the refurbished condition. VA TECH HYDRO was awarded with the contract for the refurbishment of the two units, whereas the efficiency improvement was the main goal of the upgrading process. The original turbines built in 1960 have never met their guarantees, although different modifications have been applied.

New Original Fig. 11: Meridional Section of Taloro II

The first study of VA TECH individuated the main problem of the old turbine in the outlet diameter of the old runner, which was to small for the nominal discharge of the turbine, fig.11. Accordingly, the new hydraulic layout was foreseen with a larger outlet diameter of the runner and consequently all the lower part of the turbine had to be modified. Besides the runner, new guide vanes, a new lower turbine cover and a new draft tube cone have been delivered. The mechanical design was completely revisited and renewed with self-lubricating guide vane bushes, stainless steel labyrinth rings and cover plates. The modernisation involved the control system with substitution of the old mechanical governor at 20 bar with a new oil control system at 60 bar and an electronic governor. Therefore the refurbishment of the turbines was completed with new oil pumping unit, new guide vane servomotors and the upgrading of the existing bypass valve as pressure reducing valve. The new runner was manufactured of X4 Cr Ni 13.4 with pressed blades. The new runners are under operation now since March 99 and April 00. A good operational behaviour both in steady state and in the transients is reported and documented by extensive recordings during commissioning. The site tests performed by Enel specialists in Mai 00 have proven a considerable improvement in the efficiency of 5 % and in the output power of nearly 15%, compared to the old runner, fig. 12.

TALORO II
110% 105% Relative efficiency [-] 100% 95% 90% 85% 80% 5000
Existing: Test 1964 New: guarantee New: Test 2000

7000

9000

11000

13000

15000

17000

Turbine Output [kW]

Fig. 12: Results of Field Tests Taloro II For the 2 Francis turbines of the Cavilla power plant ENEL awarded VA ECH HYDRO with the replacement of one runner. The Power plant, located in the north of Italy, province Vicenza, was put into operation in 1953. The improvement of efficiency and power output was the goal of this refurbishment project, although the customer wanted only to replace the runner, without any modification or revision of the other existing turbine parts. Again a runner of X4 Cr Ni 13.4 has been delivered. For the new runner a considerable increase of the efficiency of roughly 4% is expected. The unit with the new runner is under operation since Mai 01, showing a good operational behaviour and a satisfactory increase of power. Site tests are to be performed in the near future, followed most probably and hopefully by the Client decision for the second optional runner. The 3 Francis turbines of the Ponte Gardena power plant were put under operation in 1936. The power plant is located in the north of Italy, province Bolzano at the river Isarco. The upgraded units will operate at a speed of 250 rpm and give a power output of 18,2 MW at a head of 60,0 m. With the runner replacement of one unit the customer Edison intended to increase efficiency and power output. According to the Client programs, the first runner would have to be installed without revision of the turbine, since the upgrading program for the three units foresees the activities scaled in four years as follows: in the first year erection of the first runner on unit 1 without revision of the turbine; in the second and third year erection of the second and third runner with revision of the correspondent units; in the forth year revision of the first turbine. This schedule brought some problems to the mechanical engineer, since the optimisation of the runner involved a new design for the labyrinths. The best compromise was found by adopting a simple and modern design, which rotating labyrinth rings fit the old fix ones. The by now standardised welded design of the runner with pressed blades presented no particular problems to the mechanical engineer. Meanwhile the upgraded unit is working since one year to the customers best contentment so that he has awarded VA TECH HYDRO with the order for the remaining two runners. Although the scheduled site tests couldnt yet be performed, the consistent increase of the power and the good behaviour of the turbine indicate that also the high guaranteed efficiency should most probably be met. In the Cabot refurbishment project VA TECH HYDRO was awarded with the contract for the rehabilitation of the turbine and the generator. Typical for the North American market austenitic runners with blades manufactured out of rolled steel are required. The 6 vertical Francis units have a runner diameter of 3,3 m and operate at a speed of 93,7 rpm, the rated power output is 10,7 MW, the head is in the range of 12 20 m. The upgrading project includes turbine and generator and VA TECH HYDRO will deliver 6 new runners made of CrNi 18/10. The draft tube of the existing turbines has a very special design . With a short length and a large area ratio the hydraulic design for the new runner was quite challenging for the design engineer. An adaptation of the draft tube at runner outlet shall ensure optimum interaction of both components. For the design of the new runner VA TECH HYDRO has applied advanced CFD methods to achieve an optimised design. Besides this a semi-

homologous model test has been performed in order to optimise the interaction of the flow at the runner outlet with the following very sensible drat tube. An extremely short delivery time gives an additional challenge to the whole design and manufacturing process.

Fig. 13: Meridional Section of Cabot 6

Conclusion

The success of upgrading procedures highly depends on rapid and efficient processes of the supplier. VA TECH HYDRO's upgrading and refurbishment process for Francis turbines is outlined. The application of modern tools in the layout process and the CFD design enable the manufacturer to keep short delivery period and to ensure hydraulic quality at the same time. Simultaneous flow computations of the runner and the adjacent components consider their interaction and enable a sophisticated runner design. A high quality of the manufacturing process ensures the hydraulic properties and the life time of the new runner. Modern manufacturing methods of pressing and welding have been developed to meet these demands. Successful applications of these methods to design and manufacturing of replacement runners for previous modernisation projects have proven the quality of VA TECH HYDRO's approach.

Note
VA TECH HYDRO is a global supplier of Electro-mechanical components and services ("Water to Wire") for Hydro power plants. VA TECH HYDRO was created by a merger of the Hydro activities of VA TECH ESCHER WYSS, VA TECH VOEST MCE and VA TECH ELIN. VA TECH HYDRO holds the leading position in the growing market of plant refurbishment. References
1. 2. Keck H., Gde E., Pestalozzi J., "Experience with 3D-Euler Flow Analysis as a Practical Design Tool", IAHR Symposium 1990, Belgrade Keck H., Drtina P., Sick M., "Numerical Hill Chart Prediction by Means of CFD Stage Simulation for a Complete Francis Turbine", XVIII IAHR Symposium 1996, Valencia

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Drtina P., Sick M., Brandt R., "Numerical Performance Prediction for an Entire Kaplan Turbine", XIX IAHR Symposium 1998, Singapore Sick M., Casey M.V., Galpin P., "Validation of a Stage Calculation in a Francis Turbine", XVIII IAHR Symposium 1996, Valencia Goede E., Eichenberger M., Sebestyen A., "Advances in Runner Design for Turbines and Pumpturbines Using a Numerical Test Rig", Waterpower 1993, Nashville Sallaberger M., "Quasi-three-dimensional and three-dimensional Flow Calculation in a Francis Turbine", ASME 96-GT-38, IGTE 1996, Birmingham Denton J. D., "The Calculation of Three-Dimensional Viscous Flow Through Multistage Turbomachines", ASME 90-GT-19 Sebestyen A., Jaquet M., Keck H., "CFD-Design Procedure for Runner Replacement of Reversible PumpTurbines", XIX IAHR Symposium 1998, Belgrade Bellmann R., Sebestyen A., Whrer W.,"Rebuilding Storage Pumps for Geesthacht", Uprating & Refurbishing Hydro Power Plants, 1999 Berlin Blevins R. D., Formulas for natural frequency and mode shape, Robert E.Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida, Reprint 1984 Doerfler P.,"On the Role of Phase Resonance in Vibrations Caused by Blade Passage in Radial Hydraulic Turbomachines", XII IAHR Symposium 1984, Stirling Staehle M., "Rebuild without Risk", Technical Review Sulzer 2/97 ABAQUS/Explicit Users Manual, Hibbitt, Karlsson & Sorensen, Inc. USA 1998 ABAQUS/Standard Users Manual, Hibbitt, Karlsson & Sorensen, Inc. USA 1998 Peron M., Pasqualotto G., Esempi di Recupero Energetico con Giranti di Ricambio a Nuovo Profilo, 1995

The Authors
Manfred Sallaberger graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Graz, Austria in 1986. Until 1993 he was research assistant at the department for hydraulic machinery and received his PhD 1994. He joined Sulzer Escher Wyss Zurich in 1994 as a CFD specialist and research engineer in the hydraulic laboratory. He was major involved in the design of stationary and rotating components of a number of upgrading projects of Francis turbines and reversible pump turbines. Since 1998 he is responsible for the hydraulic design of radial machines at VA TECH HYDRO. Christophe Michaud graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, Switzerland in 1996. He joined Sulzer Hydro Zurich in 1996 as project engineer and was major involved in the hydraulic layout of numerous new plants and upgrading projects of Francis turbines and reversible pump turbines. Since 2000 he is responsible for the hydraulic layout of radial machines at VA TECH HYDRO. Stefan Winkler graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Graz, Austria in 1978. He joined the Hydro department of VOEST in 1978 and has been working in various fields like structural analysis, turbine control, numerical flow simulation and is currently responsible for mechanical development of VA TECH HYDRO in Linz. Mario Peron graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Padua, Italy in 1968. He joined the hydro department of De Pretto Escher Wyss, Schio in 1970. After a training period of nearly two years in various fields of the hydraulic department at Escher Wyss Zurich, undertook at first the hydraulic and mechanical calculation in Schio, where he became in 1976 responsible for the technical department. He cumulated a long and large experience in all fields and for all types of hydraulic turbines, in particular for large single and multistage pumpturbines. Hans Born graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Swiss Technical Highschool in Burgdorf. He joined Escher Wyss Ltd. in 1974 as project engineer for francis turbines and was involved in the construktion of new plants and upgrading projects of francis turbines. In 1977 he changed as development and design engineer into the Hydromechanics group (profile office). Since 1989 he is responsible for runner engineering and the runner design group at VA TECH HYDRO.