Flow-Induced Pulsation and Vibration in Hydroelectric Machinery

1. Basic Concepts

2. Low-frequency phenomena in swirling flow

3. Periodic effects of runner-casing interaction

4. High-frequency vortex phenomena

5. Cavitation-related phenomena

6. Stability-related unsteady phenomena

7. Model tests, techniques and results

8. Selected field experience

9. Practical Guidelines

Peter  Dörfler, M.Eng., Ph.D., has been doing specific research in the area of hydraulic oscillations and transients covering tests at laboratory models and prototype machines, literature surveys and his own publications since 1978. He has issued numerous internal regulations and design rules for the prevention of instability and vibration in water turbines and pumps. He has led many successful troubleshooting campaigns concerning vibration problems in machines of own or third-party design.

Mirjam  Sick, M.Eng., Ph.D., MBA,  is Head of the Engineering Methods Department which comprises the major computational methods in hydraulic turbine development: fluid dynamics, structural mechanics and dynamic system analysis in the hydraulic R&D department of ANDRITZ HYDRO. With many years of experience as a research engineer in the field of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) she has been pursuing R&D in the field of fluid-structure coupling, dynamic load and multi physics during the last 5 years and has been involved in numerous cases of trouble shooting and root cause analysis.

With the hydro business of GE (now Andritz Hydro) since 1980, André Coutu, Eng., M.Eng., MBA,  progressed through increasingly complex technical assignments within the business and now supervises mechanical analysis and mechanical R&D projects at the Andritz Hydro Francis turbines Center of Competence (CoC) in Montréal. He had decisive involvement in solving many complex site and shop mechanical issues and has published several papers related to hydraulic turbines' mechanical behavior.