Power Plant Engineering

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS 383

100

90

80

70

60

50

Efficiency

500 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

Specific Speed

Reaction Turbine

Pelton Wheel

Ns = 5/4

900 18000

(200)

=

900 134

750

×

= 161

The above calculations show that the required power can be developed either with one impulse

turbine (Pelton) or two reaction turbines (Francis).

It is customary to choose a speed between certain limits, as neither a very low nor a very high

r.p.m. is desirable. The number of units into which a given power is divided is also limited. Nevertheless

considerable latitude is left concerning the choice of the prime-mover and number of units used. Ulti-

mately the choice of prime-mover is a matter of extensive experience instead of paper calculation.

3. Maximum Efficiency. The maximum efficiency, the turbine can develop, depends upon the
   type of the runner used.
   In case of impulse turbine, low specific speed is not conducive to efficiency, since the diameter of
   the wheel becomes relatively large in proportion to the power developed so that the bearing friction and
   windage losses tend to become too large in percentage value. The value of NS for highest efficiency is
   nearly 20.
   The low specific speed of reaction turbine is also not conducive to efficiency. The large dimen-
   sions of the wheel at low specific speed contribute disc friction losses. In addition to this, the leakage
   loss is more as the leakage area through the clearance spaces becomes greater and the hydraulic friction
   through small bracket passages is larger. These factors tend to reduce the efficiency as small values of
   specific speed are approached.
   The high specific speed reaction turbines are associated with large discharge losses (Vc^2 /2g) as
   mentioned earlier. The friction and leakage losses are reduced with an increase in specific speed but the
   discharged losses increase rapidly and the net effect of increase in specific speed is to decrease the
   efficiency total loss (friction, leakage and discharge) is minimum at medium specific speed. Therefore,
   it is always preferable to select the reaction turbines of medium specific speed if they operate at constant
   load conditions. Me effect of specific speed on the maximum efficiency is shown in Fig. 11.30.

Higher efficiencies have been attained
with reaction turbines than with Pelton wheels.
The maximum recorded efficiency till now for
reaction turbine is 93.7% but quite a large units
have shown efficiencies over 901-W the highest
recorded value of efficiency for impulse Turbine
is 89% but usual maximum is 82%.

The efficiency of the Pelton wheel is not
dependent on its size like reaction turbine. Hence
the Pelton wheel may have higher maximum
efficiency than the reaction turbine for smaller
powers.

4. Part Load Efficiency. Full load is defined as the load under which a turbine develops its
   maximum efficiency anything above that is known as overload and anything below that is known as part
   load.

The part load efficiency differs greatly for different specific speed and types of turbines.
Fig. 11.31 shows the variations in part load efficiencies with different types of wheels.

Fig. 11.30