Performance Test of a Francis Turbine

Location: Fluid Mechanics Laboratory

Objectives
The objective of this experiment is to determine the characteristics of a Francis turbine at
different shaft speeds, operating under variable heads.

Introduction
Francis turbines are the most preferred hydraulic turbines. They contribute about 60% of the
global hydropower capacity, mainly because they can work efficiently under a wide range of
operating conditions [Head: 45-400 m; Flowrate: 10-700 m3/s]. The most important part of a Francis
turbine is its runner, where water is entered radially and leaves axially. Francis turbine blades are
specially shaped; they are having thin airfoil cross section so when water flows over it a low pressure
will be produced on one side and high pressure on the other side; this will result in a lift force. They
are also having a bucket-kind shape towards the outlet, so water will hit and produce an impulse
force before leaving the runner. Therefore, both impulse and reaction forces will make the runner
rotate, so Francis turbine is not a pure reaction turbine since a portion of force comes from impulse
action also thus as water flows over runner blades both its kinetic and pressure energy will come
down since flow is entering radially and leaves axially.
This arrangement is fitted inside a spiral casing, where flow is entered via an inlet nozzle.
The water flow rate gets reduced along the length of casing since water is drawn into the runner,
however, the decreasing area of the spiral casing makes sure that the flow is entered to runner section
almost at a uniform velocity. Guide vanes are fitted at the entrance of the runner with the purpose
of converting part of the pressure energy into kinetic energy. In doing so, they control the water
flow rate and ensure that the power production is synchronized with the power demand. Guide vanes
also control the flow angle at the inlet of the runner blades for maximum power extraction. Low
pressure at the exit side of Francis turbine may cause serious problems of cavitation, so a carefully
designed draft tube is usually fitted at the exit side to discharge the fluid out.

Main parts of a typical Francis turbine

1. Spiral casing: Also known as the volute casing or the scroll case. Throughout its length, the
casing has multiple openings at regular intervals to allow the water to impinge on the blades
of the runner almost at a constant velocity as the cross-sectional area of this casing decreases
uniformly along the circumference.
2. Stay and Guide Vanes: Both vanes guide the water to runner blades. Stay vanes remain
stationary and help reduce the swirling of water due to radial flow, as it enters the runner
blades, thus, making the turbine more efficient. Guide vanes convert the pressure energy
into kinetic energy and serve to direct the flow at proper design angles to the runner blades.
3. Runner blades: Water impingement on the runner blades produces torque causing the
turbine shaft to rotate. Proper design of the blade angles at inlet and outlet is necessary, as
these are among the major parameters affecting the mechanical power produced by the
turbine. The shape of the runner depends on the specific speed and thus on the flow rate and
the effective head.
4. Draft tube: It is a conduit with an increasing area (diffuser) at the runner exit through which
the water is discharged from the turbine. Its primary function is to reduce the kinetic energy
of the discharged water to minimize the kinetic energy loss at the outlet.

1
Apparatus

Figure 1: Experimental setup of the turbine test rig showing the centrifugal pump (2) and its
driving electric motor (1), the pressure gages (3) for static pressure measurement, the water bench
(4) including the V-notch used to measure the water flow rate, the Francis turbine (5), the
dynamometer (6), the point gage reading (7), and the measuring instruments for the turbine
torque. The turbine is equipped with a tachometer that gives the rotational shaft speed N

2
Francis Turbine Configuration

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

(e) (f)

Figure 2: Turbine model configuration; (a) stator blades (also, fixed guide vanes), (b) rotor blades
and volute casing without the stator blades, (c) close-up view of the turbine runner showing both
inlet and exit sections, (d) elevation view for the runner showing the flow passage and the
mechanical seal, (e) close-up view of turbine runner showing balancing holes and shaft keyway,
and (f) turbine shaft along with its bearing

3
Procedures
Wheel Operation Under Constant Head

1. Record the zero-error in the torque reading before turning on the pump’s electric motor.
2. Turn on the pump’s electric motor, then open the valve to establish a constant-head flow, as
indicated in Table (1) for the pressure gauge readings (p2) and the corresponding speed ranges.

Table 1: Pressure gauge (p2) readings and speed ranges

Experiment p2 (kPa) Speed range (RPM) Number of settings
#1 80 160 to 1700 10
#2 100 220 to 2150 10
#3 120 280 to 2600 10
#4 140 340 to 3000 10
#5 160 400 to 3270 10

3. In each experiment, calculate the total dynamic head available at the turbine nozzle, considering
the turbine and pressure gauge elevation relative to each other, the velocity of the water in the
pipe at the point where the pressure gauge is attached.
4. Release the brake dynamometer so that the turbine operates at the runaway speed. Record the
shaft speed and the point gauge reading. Next, apply frictional torque (load) to the turbine shaft
by adjusting the field voltage control of the dynamometer to obtain ten different speed settings
at constant head, as suggested in the above table. Note that for each load setting, the valve should
be adjusted to retain the required gage reading (p2).
5. At each turbine setting, record the point gauge reading in cm, then use the given formula (Eq.
(2)) to calculate the flow rate (turbine discharge) in lit/s. Record the torque reading and use the
given formula (Eq. (7)) to determine the torque in N.m. Use the tachometer to determine the
rotational speed N in RPM.
6. Repeat the previous steps 3-6 for the different heads at the speed ranges indicated in Table 1. A
suggested data sheet is provided below for convenience.

Wheel Operation Under Constant Speed

A turbine is usually operated at a constant rotative speed, matching some synchronous speed while
driving an AC generator. This speed can be estimated based on the generator’s number of poles 𝑍
and current frequency 𝑓, such that 𝑁 = 120 𝑓/𝑍. For 12 poles and 50-Hz current, the speed of
rotation is 500 RPM. To perform the performance test under a constant speed of 500 RPM, consider
the following steps:

1. Record the zero-error in the torque reading before turning on the pump’s electric motor.
2. Release the dynamometer frictional torque so that the turbine operates at its runaway speed.
3. Turn on the pump’s electric motor, then open the valve slowly until achieving a rotational speed
of 500 RPM. Record the torque meter reading, the pressure gauge reading p2 and the point gauge
reading ℎ.
4. Increase the turbine load by adding some frictional torque using the brake dynamometer. This
decreases the turbine speed in turn. Next, open the valve little bit more to increase the water
flow rate and raise the turbine speed back to 500 RPM. Record the torque meter reading, the
pressure gauge reading p2 and water height gauge reading ℎ.
5. Repeat the above step until 10 different settings are obtained.

4
Analysis and Discussion
In each of the 5 experiments indicated in Table (1), calculate the following at each turbine setting:

Hydraulic Power Input:

𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 = 𝜌𝑉̇ 𝑔𝐻/106 (kW) (1)
𝑉̇ : Turbine discharge in lit/s,
𝐻: Total head in meter of water
𝜌: Water density in kg/m3
𝑔: Gravitational acceleration in m/s2

Turbine discharge or flow rate:

𝑉̇ = 0.014 ∗ ℎ2.5 (lit/s) (2)
ℎ: Point gauge reading in cm
Total head:
𝐻 = 𝐻𝑠 + 𝐻𝑑 (meter of water) (3)
𝐻𝑠 : Static head in meter of water
𝐻𝑑 : Dynamic head in meter of water

𝐻𝑠 = 𝑝2 ∗ 1.0196 ∗ 10−1 + 0.076 (meter of water) (4)

𝑝2 : Pressure gauge reading in kPa
𝑉𝑓2
𝐻𝑑 = 2𝑔 = 0.051 ∗ 𝑉𝑓2 (meter of water)
(5)
𝑉𝑓 : Flow velocity at gauge in m/s
𝑉̇ 𝑉̇ /1000
𝑉𝑓 = =
𝐴 10.92 ∗ 10−4

Turbine Power Output:

𝑇∗𝜔 (6)
𝑃= (kW)
103
𝑇: Torque on the turbine shaft in N.m, calculated using the following equation,
𝑇(N. m) = 2.5721(Torque Reading − Zero Error) + 0.0324 (7)
2𝜋𝑁
ω: Angular velocity of turbine shaft in rad/s =
60
N: Shaft rotational speed in RPM.

Turbine Overall Efficiency:

Turbine power output 𝑃
𝜂𝑜 = = (8)
Hydraulic power input 𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼

Specific speed (at the point of maximum efficiency of each experiment)

𝑁√𝜂𝑜 ∗ 𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 ∗ 1.36 (9)
5
𝐻4

5
Runner tip speed ratio
𝑈1 𝜋𝑑1 𝑁/60
𝜈= = (10)
√2𝑔𝐻 √2𝑔𝐻

Data Sheet:

Stator blade inlet angle (𝛼0′ ) = 9.5° See Fig. 3

Stator blade exit angle (𝛼1′ ) = 7.3° See Fig. 3
Stator diameter at inlet (𝑑0 ) = 13.3 cm See Fig. 3
Rotor inlet diameter (𝑑1 ) = 8.25 cm
Rotor exit diameter (𝑑2 ) = 4.0 cm
Rotor blade width at inlet (𝑏1 ) = 8 mm
Rotor blade width at exit (𝑏2 ) = 14 mm
Stator blade width at inlet and exit are both = 8 mm
𝜋𝑑1 𝑁
Blade speed at inlet (𝑈1 ) =
60
𝜋𝑑2 𝑁
Blade speed at exit (𝑈2 ) =
60
𝐶𝑟2 = 𝐶𝑟1 ∗ (𝑏1 𝑑1 )/(𝑏2 𝑑2 )
Turbine specific work (𝑊) = 𝑈1 𝐶𝑢1 (at full-load condition)
𝑊22 − 𝑊12 + 𝑈12 − 𝑈22
Degree of reaction (𝑅) = Δprotor /Δp𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 ≅
𝑊22 − 𝑊12 + 𝑈12 − 𝑈22 + 𝐶12 − 𝐶02

Figure 3: Main dimensions of the stator blades

6
First Set of Readings

𝑇 (𝑍𝐸) =

𝑝2 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑘𝑃𝑎

ℎ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = cm

𝑁 (𝑟𝑝𝑚) =

𝑇 (𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔) =

Calculated Values:

𝑉̇ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 0.014 ∗ ℎ2.5 = lit/s

𝑉̇ /1000
𝑉𝑓 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 10.92∗10−4 = 𝑚/𝑠

𝐻 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = (𝑝2 ∗ 1.0196 ∗ 10−1 + 0.076) + (0.051 ∗ 𝑉𝑓2 ) = 𝑚

𝜌𝑔𝐻𝑉̇
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = = 𝑘𝑊
106
𝜔(𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠)

T(N.m)=
2.5721(Read-ZE)+0.0324
𝑇∗𝜔
𝑃(𝑘𝑊) =
1000
𝑃
𝜂𝑜 =
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼
𝜋𝑑1 𝑁
𝑈1 (𝑚/𝑠) =
60
𝜈 = 𝑈1 /√2𝑔𝐻

𝑁√𝜂𝑜 ∗ 𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 ∗ 1.36
𝑁𝑠 = 5
𝐻4
At Max. Efficiency Only
𝜓 = 2𝑔𝐻/𝑈12
At Max. Efficiency Only

7
Second Set of Readings

𝑇 (𝑍𝐸) =

𝑝2 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑘𝑃𝑎

ℎ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑐𝑚

𝑁 (𝑟𝑝𝑚) =

𝑇 (𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔) =

Calculated Values:

𝑉̇ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 0.014 ∗ ℎ2.5 = 𝑙𝑖𝑡/𝑠

𝑉̇ /1000
𝑉𝑓 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 10.92∗10−4 = 𝑚/𝑠

𝐻 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = (𝑝2 ∗ 1.0196 ∗ 10−1 + 0.076) + (0.051 ∗ 𝑉𝑓2 ) = 𝑚

𝜌𝑔𝐻𝑉̇
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = = 𝑘𝑊
106
𝜔(𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠)

T(N.m)=
2.5721(Read-ZE)+0.0324
𝑇∗𝜔
𝑃(𝑘𝑊) =
1000
𝑃
𝜂𝑜 =
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼
𝜋𝑑1 𝑁
𝑈1 (𝑚/𝑠) =
60
𝜈 = 𝑈1 /√2𝑔𝐻

𝑁√𝜂𝑜 ∗ 𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 ∗ 1.36
𝑁𝑠 = 5
𝐻4
At Max. Efficiency Only
𝜓 = 2𝑔𝐻/𝑈12
At Max. Efficiency Only

8
Third Set of Readings

𝑇 (𝑍𝐸) =

𝑝2 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑘𝑃𝑎

ℎ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑐𝑚

𝑁 (𝑟𝑝𝑚) =

𝑇 (𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔) =

Calculated Values:

𝑉̇ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 0.014 ∗ ℎ2.5 = 𝑙𝑖𝑡/𝑠

𝑉̇ /1000
𝑉𝑓 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 10.92∗10−4 = 𝑚/𝑠

𝐻 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = (𝑝2 ∗ 1.0196 ∗ 10−1 + 0.076) + (0.051 ∗ 𝑉𝑓2 ) = 𝑚

𝜌𝑔𝐻𝑉̇
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = = 𝑘𝑊
106
𝜔(𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠)

T(N.m)=
2.5721(Read-ZE)+0.0324
𝑇∗𝜔
𝑃(𝑘𝑊) =
1000
𝑃
𝜂𝑜 =
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼
𝜋𝑑1 𝑁
𝑈1 (𝑚/𝑠) =
60
𝜈 = 𝑈1 /√2𝑔𝐻

𝑁√𝜂𝑜 ∗ 𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 ∗ 1.36
𝑁𝑠 = 5
𝐻4
At Max. Efficiency Only
𝜓 = 2𝑔𝐻/𝑈12
At Max. Efficiency Only

9
Fourth Set of Readings

𝑇 (𝑍𝐸) =

𝑝2 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑘𝑃𝑎

ℎ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑐𝑚

𝑁 (𝑟𝑝𝑚) =

𝑇 (𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔) =

Calculated Values:

𝑉̇ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 0.014 ∗ ℎ2.5 = 𝑙𝑖𝑡/𝑠

𝑉̇ /1000
𝑉𝑓 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 10.92∗10−4 = 𝑚/𝑠

𝐻 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = (𝑝2 ∗ 1.0196 ∗ 10−1 + 0.076) + (0.051 ∗ 𝑉𝑓2 ) = 𝑚

𝜌𝑔𝐻𝑉̇
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = = 𝑘𝑊
106
𝜔(𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠)

T(N.m)=
2.5721(Read-ZE)+0.0324
𝑇∗𝜔
𝑃(𝑘𝑊) =
1000
𝑃
𝜂𝑜 =
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼
𝜋𝑑1 𝑁
𝑈1 (𝑚/𝑠) =
60
𝜈 = 𝑈1 /√2𝑔𝐻

𝑁√𝜂𝑜 ∗ 𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 ∗ 1.36
𝑁𝑠 = 5
𝐻4
At Max. Efficiency Only
𝜓 = 2𝑔𝐻/𝑈12
At Max. Efficiency Only

10
Fifth Set of Readings

𝑇 (𝑍𝐸) =

𝑝2 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑘𝑃𝑎

ℎ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑐𝑚

𝑁 (𝑟𝑝𝑚) =

𝑇 (𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔) =

Calculated Values:

𝑉̇ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 0.014 ∗ ℎ2.5 = 𝑙𝑖𝑡/𝑠

𝑉̇ /1000
𝑉𝑓 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 10.92∗10−4 = 𝑚/𝑠

𝐻 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = (𝑝2 ∗ 1.0196 ∗ 10−1 + 0.076) + (0.051 ∗ 𝑉𝑓2 ) = 𝑚

𝜌𝑔𝐻𝑉̇
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = = 𝑘𝑊
106
𝜔(𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠)

T(N.m)=
2.5721(Read-ZE)+0.0324
𝑇∗𝜔
𝑃(𝑘𝑊) =
1000
𝑃
𝜂𝑜 =
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼
𝜋𝑑1 𝑁
𝑈1 (𝑚/𝑠) =
60
𝜈 = 𝑈1 /√2𝑔𝐻

𝑁√𝜂𝑜 ∗ 𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 ∗ 1.36
𝑁𝑠 = 5
𝐻4
At Max. Efficiency Only
𝜓 = 2𝑔𝐻/𝑈12
At Max. Efficiency Only

11
Load curve analysis (at constant rpm)

𝑇 (𝑍𝐸) =

𝑁 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 500 𝑟𝑝𝑚

𝜔 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 52.3599 (𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠)
𝑝2 (𝑘𝑃𝑎) =

ℎ (𝑐𝑚) =

𝑇 (𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔) =

Calculated Values:

𝑉̇ = 0.014 ∗ ℎ2.5 (𝑙𝑖𝑡/𝑠)

𝑉̇ /1000
𝑉𝑓 = (𝑚/𝑠)
10.92 ∗ 10−4
𝐻 = (𝑝2 ∗ 1.0196 ∗ 10−1 +
0.076) + (0.051 ∗
𝑉𝑓2 ) ( 𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟)

𝜌𝑔𝐻𝑉̇
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼 = (𝑘𝑊)
106
T(N.m)=
2.5721(Read-ZE)+0.0324
𝑇∗𝜔
𝑃(𝑘𝑊) =
1000
𝑃% = 𝑃/𝑃(𝜂𝑜,𝑚𝑎𝑥 )

𝑃
𝜂𝑜 =
𝐻. 𝑃. 𝐼

12
Required Work
1. Attach all tables including recordings and calculations to your lab report.
2. Use the following graph (Fig. 4) to plot your values for the overall efficiencies as functions of
the runner tip speed ratio ν. Discuss your findings.
3. Find the best efficiency point (BEP) in each experiment, then use the following graphs (Figs. 5
and 6) to plot your values for the corresponding overall efficiency and head coefficient as
functions of the runner specific speed. Discuss your findings.
4. Draw appropriate sketch for the velocity diagrams only at the optimum efficiency among all
available test data points. Apply trigonometry when calculating velocity components and
angles. What is the relative flow angle at the rotor inlet 𝛽1? Calculate the turbine’s specific work
and degree of reaction at this specific point and discuss your results.
5. For the case when the Francis turbine operates under constant speed, plot the variation of the
turbine efficiency with the power output as a percentage of the power output at maximum
efficiency. Discuss your results.

100

90

80
Overall efficiency, ηo %

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4
Speed ratio, 𝜈=𝑈1/√2𝑔𝐻

Figure 4: Overall efficiency vs. speed ratio for Francis turbines

13
 95.0

94.5
Overall efficiency, ηo %

94.0

93.5

93.0

92.5

92.0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Specific speed, Ns

Figure 5: Typical design point efficiencies of Francis turbines

4.0

3.5
Head coefficient, ψ = 2gH/U12

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
100 300 500 700 900 1100
Specific speed, Ns

Figure 6: Head coefficient vs. speed ratio for Francis turbines

14