L’aspirateur d’une centrale hydroélectrique est l’organe hydraulique se situant en aval de la roue. Il a une forme divergente afin de récupérer l’énergie cinétique résiduelle en sortie de roue sous forme de pression statique et augmenter ainsi la chute nette de la centrale. Dans le cas des turbines de basse chute de type bulbe, les pertes de charge dans l’aspirateur influencent fortement le rendement global de la centrale. La prédiction correcte de ces pertes de charge au cours du dimensionnement de la turbine représente donc un enjeu majeur. La prédiction numérique des pertes de charge dans l’aspirateur est un réel challenge car l’écoulement dans l’aspirateur est dynamiquement complexe avec des nombres de Reynolds élevés, la présence de swirl et d’un gradient adverse de pression. Ces caractéristiques font que les approches de modélisation classiquement utilisées dans l’industrie sont mises en défaut. L’objectif de ce travail est double : (i) améliorer la prédiction de l’écoulement turbulent dans l’aspirateur en utilisant des approches instationnaires URANS et LES et en portant une attention particulière à la description des conditions d’entrée de l’aspirateur et (ii) réaliser une analyse fine des échanges énergétiques dans l’aspirateur pour mieux comprendre l’origine des pertes de charge. Une condition d’entrée instationnaire représentative de l’écoulement en sortie de roue est élaborée pour ces calculs. Les résultats de simulation sont comparés avec des mesures expérimentales afin d’évaluer la capacité prédictive de chaque approche de modélisation de la turbulence (URANS et LES). Cette étape de validation met en évidence l’importance d’une définition correcte des trois composantes de la vitesse en entrée d’aspirateur. L’influence des conditions aux limites du domaine de calcul, à savoir la rugosité de la paroi et la condition de sortie de l’aspirateur, sur les résultats de simulation est évaluée, notamment dans le cas d’une résolution LES. Grâce à une analyse détaillée du bilan d’énergie cinétique moyenne dans l’aspirateur, les phénomènes hydrodynamiques responsables des pertes de charge sont identifiés. Ceci permet d'analyser en détail les différences de prédiction de pertes de charge entre les calculs URANS et LES et d’identifier les pistes d’amélioration de la prédiction numérique de ces pertes. Enfin, cette analyse permet de comprendre l’évolution des pertes de charge observée entre plusieurs points de fonctionnement de la turbine. / The draft tube of a hydraulic turbine is the turbine element located downstream of the runner. It has a divergent shape in order to convert the residual kinetic energy leaving the runner into pressure and thus increase the effective head of the turbine. The performances of low head bulb turbines are highly influenced by the head losses in the draft tube. The prediction of these head losses in a design process is thereby a major issue. The numerical prediction of the head losses in the draft tube is a real challenge because the flow in the draft tube is dynamically complex with high Reynolds numbers, a swirl and an adverse pressure gradient. These characteristics render conventional industrial approaches not appropriate. The objective of this work is twofold: (i) to improve the numerical prediction of the turbulent flow in the draft tube by using URANS and LES unsteady approaches and paying special attention to the description of the inlet boundary conditions of the draft tube and (ii) to conduct a detailed analysis of the energy transfers in the draft tube in order to better understand the origin of the head losses. An unsteady inlet boundary condition for the simulations reproducing the flow field at the runner outlet is developed. Numerical results are compared to experimental measurements in order to evaluate the predictive capacity of each turbulence modelling approach (URANS and LES). This validation step highlights the importance of defining properly the three velocity components at the draft tube inlet. The influence on the numerical results of boundary conditions of the calculation domain, such as wall roughness and the outlet boundary condition, is evaluated, in particular in case of LES. Thanks to a detailed analysis of the mean kinetic energy balance in the draft tube, the hydrodynamic phenomena responsible for head losses are identified. The head losses prediction differences between URANS and LES are thus analyzed in detail and possible improvements for the head losses prediction are identified. Finally, this analysis enables to understand the head losses evolution observed between several operating points of the turbine.

My thesis is engaged in description of ineligibility original version of the elbow draft tube new constructed small hydro power plant Doudlevce. Other main purpose was construction of better hydraulic thus more efficient this draft tube. First chapter meets project small hydro power plant Doudlevce and it specifies this interesting contstruction of the power plant (for example position of the turbine in vacuum fontain) and many others information about it. Second chapter and its particular parts there deal with functions of this draft tube, for example out-flow of water from turbine and a principle of water-energy utilization placing behind turbine runner. There is also described energy profit and how to get it throught draft tube. There is an analysis of important quantities, which are used during the scoring of flow in the draft tube in third chapter. This part of my thesis is aimed to meeting their principles. There is one of the main purposes of this thesis, where is a description of ineligibility original version of the elbow draft tube in fourth chapter. It results sizable from Kaplan´s attemps and analysis of flowing based on computations in computer programme CFD Fluent. Fifth chapter is about general principles, which should be looked out during the construction of the draft tube. There is also project of new hydraulic better draft tube and its another parts. Last chapter compares original version with new better project based on computations in computer programme CFD Fluent. Comparison is made of specific criterion flowing of water, where are described quantites in third chapter, and efficiency of this draft tube.

The goal of this diploma thesis is to design a new shape of the draft tube, which will be easier to manufacture while maintaining good strength and hydraulic properties. First part of this thesis is devoted to the formulation of the problem, description of the swirl turbine, principle of operation, the basic variants of arrangement, also the function of the draft tube, its efficiency and other formulas. In the second part of this thesis is a CFD and strength analysis of the original design, also a new design is proposed and the possibility of optimization using ANSYS Fluent Adjoint solver.

O planejamento da fabricação de peças de caldeiraria para hidrelétricas tais como caixa espiral, tubo de sucção e conduto forçado, necessita de bons conhecimentos em caldeiraria e muita experiência na área devido à complexidade dos cálculos, tornando-se uma tarefa trabalhosa e com muitas possibilidades de erros. A seqüência de operações, no entanto, é altamente repetitiva facilitando o desenvolvimento de um sistema computacional de apoio. O trabalho proposto a seguir tem como objetivo apresentar um sistema desenvolvido como um aplicativo em software CAD para auxiliar as tarefas de projetar e fabricar caixa espiral, tubo de sucção e conduto forçado. O sistema colocou o conhecimento técnico da engenharia industrial de hidrogeradores de uma empresa de bens de capital ao alcance de projetistas desta área, de forma a aumentar a produtividade nestas, e em outras atividades similares, minimizando as possibilidades de erro e padronizando os procedimentos de cálculos. Os resultados foram, entre outros, diminuição do tempo de geração das informações para o processo de fabricação, tais como croquis de delineamento e desenhos de montagem, acima de 90% e perda zero de peças na fabricação. / The manufacturing process of hydroelectric weld parts, such as spiral cases, draft tubes and penstocks, demands good knowledge and experience in the area due to the calculations needed, revealing to be a difficult work with a high risk of errors. However, the operation sequence is highly repetitive which enables the development of a computational support system. This thesis has the purpose to present a system developed as an application in CAD software to aid the projecting and manufacturing activities of the spiral boxes, draft tubes and penstocks. Such system was disposed to the technical body of an industrial engineering department maintained by a heavy equipment company which manufactures hydro generators, so professionals were able to increase their productivity, being the system also used in similar areas, minimizing possibilities of mistakes and standardizing calculations procedures. Results were, among others, decrease of time needed to develop process information, such as sketch outlines and assembly drawings, above 90% and zero losses on parts production.

O planejamento da fabricação de peças de caldeiraria para hidrelétricas tais como caixa espiral, tubo de sucção e conduto forçado, necessita de bons conhecimentos em caldeiraria e muita experiência na área devido à complexidade dos cálculos, tornando-se uma tarefa trabalhosa e com muitas possibilidades de erros. A seqüência de operações, no entanto, é altamente repetitiva facilitando o desenvolvimento de um sistema computacional de apoio. O trabalho proposto a seguir tem como objetivo apresentar um sistema desenvolvido como um aplicativo em software CAD para auxiliar as tarefas de projetar e fabricar caixa espiral, tubo de sucção e conduto forçado. O sistema colocou o conhecimento técnico da engenharia industrial de hidrogeradores de uma empresa de bens de capital ao alcance de projetistas desta área, de forma a aumentar a produtividade nestas, e em outras atividades similares, minimizando as possibilidades de erro e padronizando os procedimentos de cálculos. Os resultados foram, entre outros, diminuição do tempo de geração das informações para o processo de fabricação, tais como croquis de delineamento e desenhos de montagem, acima de 90% e perda zero de peças na fabricação. / The manufacturing process of hydroelectric weld parts, such as spiral cases, draft tubes and penstocks, demands good knowledge and experience in the area due to the calculations needed, revealing to be a difficult work with a high risk of errors. However, the operation sequence is highly repetitive which enables the development of a computational support system. This thesis has the purpose to present a system developed as an application in CAD software to aid the projecting and manufacturing activities of the spiral boxes, draft tubes and penstocks. Such system was disposed to the technical body of an industrial engineering department maintained by a heavy equipment company which manufactures hydro generators, so professionals were able to increase their productivity, being the system also used in similar areas, minimizing possibilities of mistakes and standardizing calculations procedures. Results were, among others, decrease of time needed to develop process information, such as sketch outlines and assembly drawings, above 90% and zero losses on parts production.

The main subject of the diploma thesis „Contradiction analysis of small water power Ostravice“ is solution of reduced output of small water power plant on the river Ostravice near the town Vratimov. Power plant equippment is axial flow Kaplans turbine RA – 3,5 – 0 1000 with runner diametr 1000 mm. Low output is caused by draft tube. New draft tube is designed in this masters thesis. For hydraulic layout was used CFD software Fluent. The aim of this work is finding of optimal shape which leads to increasing of power from current 30 kW to projected 55 kW.

Den svenska vattenkraften står för nästan 50 % av landets elproduktion vilket gör dess konstruktioner till en viktig del av samhällets infrastruktur. För att ett vattenkraftverk ska fungera effektivt och säkert ställs höga krav på komponenternas funktion och kondition. I dagsläget genomförs därför rutinmässiga kontroller på, i och runt dessa anläggningar. För de aggregatnära inre vattenvägarna genomförs detta ca vart åttonde år i samband med reparationer av turbinerna, vilka då måste tömmas på vatten. För till- och utloppstunnlarna, som ofta är drivna i berg, finns det dock inte några sådana rutiner. Detta i kombination med att majoriteten av Sveriges vattenkraftverk har uppnått en ålder på över 50 år gör att branschen har börjat bli intresserade av att få kännedom om skicket på tunnlarna. Att genom-föra inspektioner genom att torrlägga dessa är dock en tidsödande process som kräver att kraftverket är avstängt under en lång tid och därmed ger en stor ekonomisk förlust för ägaren. Detta arbete har därför utförts med syfte att utvärdera till vilken grad inspektioner med undervattensfarkoster, ROV, kan användas som alternativ till inspektioner av inre vatten-vägar, både aggregatnära och i till- och utloppstunnlarna. En litteraturstudie har genomförts, om vattenkraftverk, vanliga skador, dagens inspektionsmetoder samt hur en ROV är uppbyggd och fungerar. Arbetet innefattar även tre praktiska moment bestående av deltagande på en inspektion av torrlagda aggregatnära inre vattenvägar och en inspektion med ROV i en 2,5 km lång utloppstunnel samt egna försök med inhyrd ROV för att undersöka vilka typer av betongskador som är möjliga att detektera. Resultatet från samtliga delar i arbetet pekar på att besiktningar med ROV kan övervägas för flera olika typer av inspektioner. För till- och utloppstunnlar är denna typ av inspektion många gånger den enda rimliga. För de aggregatnära inre vattenvägarna ger dagens inspektionsmetoder med torrläggning ett fullgott resultat, men ROV skulle kunna vara ett alternativ vid svårtillgängliga delar, t.ex. på grund av utformning eller stora läckage. / Swedish hydro power accounts for nearly 50 % of the country's electricity production which makes the constructions within this production system an important part of the societal infrastructure. To ensure safe and efficient operation of these hydroelectric power plants high demands are put on the components function and condition. Therefore, routine inspections are carried out inside and around these facilities. For the waterways directly connected to the power station, such as penstocks, wicket gates and draft tubes, these checkups are made about every eight years simultaneously as planned repairs of the turbine, when the waterways have to be emptied. For the head and trail race tunnels, which often are driven in bedrock, there are no such routines. This, in combination with the fact that the majority of the Swedish hydroelectric plants have attained the age of over 50 years, has led to an increased interest within the industry in ways to increase their knowledge about the condition of these water passageways. To conduct inspections by draining the tunnels is however a very time consuming process that requires the power plant to be turned off for a long time causing a major financial loss for the owner. The purpose of this master thesis is to assess the extent to which inspections with remotely operated vehicles, ROV, can be used as an alternative method for inspections of covered waterways, both those close to the power house and the head and tail race tunnels. A literature study of hydro power plants, common damages, current inspection methods and the construction and function of an ROV, has been conducted. The method also includes three practical activities, participation at inspections in drained waterways and at an ROV inspection of a 2.5 km tail race tunnel. Furthermore, tests with a rented ROV were carried out to investigate what type of concrete damages that are possible to detect using this method. The result from all parts in this thesis indicates that examinations by ROV can be considered for several types of inspections. For head and tail race tunnels, this type of inspection is often the only reasonable method. For the waterways directly connected to the power station, current inspection methods by draining show good result. But the ROV could here be an alternative in inaccessible areas, for instance due to waterway design or heavy leakage for instance.

Draft tube is very important part of hydraulic turbines. Only optimum work together with turbine can bring highest performance of this machine set. Hence it is necessary to deal with character of flow in the draft tube for different operating conditions. Efficiency of the draft tube depends on many phenomena of flow. Observing these phenomena and finding their relation with energetic transformation in the draft tube is a suitable tool to judge quality of draft tube performance. Incorrect design of the draft tube can sometimes cause lower efficiency of whole machine set. The goal of this thesis is finding the main reasons causing draft tube efficiency drop for given operating conditions.