Plenary Lecture

Numerical Methods for Fluid Dynamical Optimization
of Hydro Power Plants

Professor Helmut Jaberg
Institute for Hydraulic Fluid Machinery
University of Technology Graz, Austria
Kopernikusgasse 24
A – 8010 Graz
E-mail: helmut.jaberg@tugraz.at

Abstract: Hydro power plants of any size – be it large or small hydro - are always quite complicated arrangements as they cannot be designed for a definite duty point of operation but in fact the duty point varies strongly with the flow rate and in many cases also with the pressure head available. The optimization of these plants has always been a challenge to the design engineers from all faculties involved, in the course of this presentation mechanical or civil engineering are concerned.
Hydro power plants resemble each other as the basic set-up is always similar: Water flows from an upper reservoir to a lower reservoir and in between we find components like intake buildings, shut-off valves of different kind in different places, head race, moated castle, penstock, the turbine(s) and suction pipe. But due to the mentioned more or less - and sometimes extremely – variable duty points the dimensioning and the set-up in detail are remarkably different from on plant to another – and so is the stationary and transient operation.
Both the specific arrangement as well as the varying duty points often cause a number of problems as any hydro power plant exist exactly once and in so far is always a prototype thus often causing unforeseeable difficulties.
On the example of a number of components fluid dynamical optimizations by means of numerical methods are outlined for intakes, valves and different turbine designs. Specific problems as they can frequently occur in hydro power and remedy to solve the problems are described. On the example of a cavitating Francis runner a further trouble shooting method together with a new way for cavitation simulation will be presented.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Prof. Jaberg holds the chair for Hydraulic Fluid Machinery at the University of Technology Graz, Austria where he and his team look both after the machinery equipment as well as after instationary behaviour of full systems. In parallel Prof. Jaberg works with his business consultancy and together with his partners on management of innovations, strategy and process optimization. Prior to these engagements Prof. Jaberg served as Vice President General Industry for KSB AG and Director Product Development in the French subsidiary of the same company. Prof Jaberg graduated from the University of Technology Munich and holds a PhD/Dr.-Ing. from Stuttgart University.