Physical Mechanisms governing Self-Excited Pressure Oscillations in Francis Turbines

The importance of renewable energy sources for the electrical power supply has grown rapidly in the past decades. Their often unpredictable nature however poses a threat to the stability of the existing electric grid. Hydroelectric powerplants play an important role in regulating the integration of renewable energy sources into the network by supplying on-demand load balancing as well as primary and secondary power network control. Therefore, the operating ranges of hydraulic machines has to be continuously extended, which potentially produces undesirable flow phenomena involving cavitation. An example is the formation of a gaseous volume in the swirling flow leaving a Francis turbine runner at off-design operating conditions. At high load, this so called vortex rope is shaped axisymmetrically and may enter a self-excited oscillation, measurable through significant fluctuations of the pressure throughout the system and the mechanical torque transferred to the generator. The main objective of the present work is the identification of the physical mechanisms governing this self-sustained, unstable behavior by measurement. Furthermore, the key parameters of numerical approaches using one-dimensional hydroacoustic flowmodels or CFD require experimental validation. For this purpose, the measurements provide a comprehensive data base of various flow and system parameters at varying operating conditions. Two test cases are studied, a small scale hydraulic circuit with a micro-turbine as well as a reduced scale physical model of an existing Francis turbine. On the first test case, the study of the flow rate fluctuations up- and downstream of the oscillating vortex rope in the draft tube, together with the volume of the cavity, revealed the destabilizing effect of the flow swirl in the draft tube inlet. The second test case accurately simulates the behavior of an actual hydraulic power plant. Investigations range from a local study of the flow field in the draft tube cone bymeans of LDV, PIV, high speed visualization and wall pressure measurements to a global analysis, considering the response of the hydraulic and mechanical system to the excitation by the vortex rope oscillation. Among the main observations is a periodical variation of the flow swirl in the draft tube, synchronized with the pressure oscillations. This is likely to be caused by a cyclically appearing volume of cavitation on the runner blades, modifying the relative flow angle at the outlet. The interaction of the blade cavitation and the vortex rope oscillation via the flow swirl is found to play a crucial role in the occurrence of self-excited pressure oscillations in Francis turbines

Evaluation of numerical simulations of CO2 transport in a city block with field measurements

Studying urban air-transport phenomena is highly complex, because of the heterogenous flow patterns that can arise. The main reason for these is the variable topology of urban areas, however, there is a large number of influencing variables such as meteorological conditions (e.g., wind situation, temperature) and anthropogenic factors such as traffic emissions. During a one-year CO2 measurement campaign in the city of Basel, Switzerland, steep CO2 gradients were measured around a large building. The concentration differences showed a strong dependency on the local flow regimes. Analysis of the field data alone did not provide a complete explanation for the mechanisms underlying the observed phenomena. The key numerical parameters were defined and the influence of turbulent kinetic energy dependency on the time interval for the Reynolds decomposition was studied. A Reynolds-Average Navier-Stokes Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach was applied in the study area and the CO2 concentrations were simulated for six significant meteorological situations and compared to the measured data. Two flow regimes dependent on the wind situation, which either enhanced or suppressed the concentration of CO2 in the street canyon, were identified. The enhancement of CO2 in the street canyon led to a large difference in CO2 concentration between the backyard- and street-sides of a building forming the one wall of the canyon. The specific characteristics of the flow patterns led to the identification of the processes determining the observed differences in CO2 concentrations. The combined analysis of measurement and modeling showed the importance of reliable field measurements and CFD simulations with a high spatial resolution to assess transport mechanisms in urban area

Private funding and its dangers to academia: an experience in Switzerland

Academic freedom, a deep-rooted right in the Swiss Constitution, is in danger. Private sponsorship agreements, covertly negotiated between university administrations and big companies, are becoming increasingly vital for the finances of Swiss universities. Federal and cantonal governments foster this development by imposing austerity measures on the one hand, and by rewarding growth in private third-party funding with additional federal subsidies

Themenspezifischer Lagerworkshop für Jugendliche Asylsuchende: Partizipation und Erlebnispädagogik: Projektbericht

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Field-induced charge-density-wave transitions in the organic metal α-(BEDT-TTF)₂KHg(SCN)₄ under pressure

Successive magnetic-field-induced charge-density-wave transitions in the layered molecular conductor α-(BEDT-TTF)₂KHg(SCN)₄ are studied in the hydrostatic pressure regime, in which the zero field chargedensity-wave (CDW) state is completely suppressed. The orbital effect of the magnetic field is demonstrated to restore the density wave, while the orbital quantization induces transitions between different CDW states at changing the field strength. The latter appear as distinct anomalies in the magnetoresistance as a function of field. The interplay between the orbital and Pauli paramagnetic effects acting, respectively, to enhance and to suppress the CDW instability is particularly manifest in the angular dependence of the field-induced anomalies

Symbiosis-stimulated chitinase isoenzymes of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

Isoforms of endochitinase in soybean were studied in relation to root symbiosis. Five selected cultivars differing in their nodulation potential were inoculated with two strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum, the broad host-range Rhizobium sp. NGR234, and with the mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae. Total chitinase activity in nodules was up to 7-fold higher than in uninoculated roots and in mycorrhizal roots. The chitinase activity in nodules varied depending on the strain-cultivar combination. On semi-native polyacrylamide gels, four acidic isoforms were identified. Two isoforms (CH 2 and CH 4) were constitutively present in all analysed tissues. The other two isoforms (CH 1 and CH 3) were strongly induced in nodules and were stimulated in mycorrhizal roots as compared to uninoculated roots. The induction of CH 1 varied in nodules depending on the soybean cultivar. This isoform was also stimulated in uninfected roots when they were treated with tri-iodobenzoic acid, rhizobial lipochitooligosaccharides (Nod factors) and chitotetraose. CH 3 was not affected by these stimuli indicating that this isoform could represent a marker for enzymes induced in later stages of the symbiotic interaction

Angle-dependent magnetoresistance in the weakly incoherent interlayer transport regime

We present comparative studies of the orientation effect of a strong magnetic field on the interlayer resistance of $\alpha$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$KHg(SCN)$_4$ samples characterized by different crystal quality. We find striking differences in their behavior which is attributed to the breakdown of the coherent charge transport across the layers in the lower quality sample. In the latter case, the nonoscillating magnetoresistance background is essentially a function of only the out-of-plane field component, in contradiction to the existing theory.Comment: 4 pges, 3 figure

Experimental Identification and Study of Hydraulic Resonance Test Rig with Francis Turbine operating at Partial Load

Resonance in hydraulic systems is characterized by pressure fluctuations of high amplitude which can lead to undesirable and dangerous effects, such as noise, vibration and structural failure. For a Francis turbine operating at partial load, the cavitating vortex rope developing at the outlet of the runner induces pressure fluctuations which can excite the hydraulic system resonance, leading to undesirable large torque and power fluctuations. At resonant operating points, the prediction of amplitude pressure fluctuations by hydro-acoustic models breaks down and gives unreliable results. A more detailed knowledge of the eigenmodes and a better understanding of phenomenon occurring at resonance could allow improving the hydro-acoustic models prediction. This paper presents an experimental identification of a resonance observed in a close-looped hydraulic system with a Francis turbine reduced scale model operating at partial load. The resonance is excited matching one of the test rig eigenfrequencies with the vortex rope precession frequency. At this point, the hydro-acoustic response of the test rig is studied more precisely and used finally to reproduce the shape of the excited eigenmode

Draft tube discharge fluctuation during self-sustained pressure surge: fluorescent particle image velocimetry in two-phase flow

Hydraulic machines play an increasingly important role in providing a secondary energy reserve for the integration of renewable energy sources in the existing power grid. This requires a significant extension of their usual operating range, involving the presence of cavitating flow regimes in the draft tube. At overload conditions, the self-sustained oscillation of a large cavity at the runner outlet, called vortex rope, generates violent periodic pressure pulsations. In an effort to better understand the nature of this unstable behavior and its interaction with the surrounding hydraulic and mechanical system, the flow leaving the runner is investigated by means of Particle Image Velocimetry. The measurements are performed in the draft tube cone of a reduced scale model of a Francis turbine. A cost-effective method for the in-house production of fluorescent seeding material is developed and described, based on off-the-shelf polyamide particles and Rhodamine-B dye. Velocity profiles are obtained at three streamwise positions in the draft tube cone and the corresponding discharge variation in presence of the vortex rope is calculated. The results suggest that 5-10% of the discharge in the draft tube cone is passing inside the vortex rope