DOUBLE-REGULATED VERTICAL AXIAL WATER TURBINE
Abstract
A double-regulated vertical axial water turbine, known as a Saxo turbine, has become a very well-recognised product of the company Litostroj Power, with over 30 commissioned units in the North American market over the previous decade. While this turbine became popular in the North American market due to its compact design, simplified civil construction works, robustness and versatility, this has surprisingly not been the case for the European market, where the Saxo turbine has been overlooked. It seems that European investors prefer and trust more conventional turbines, i.e. classic Kaplan and tubular turbines, instead of the alternative Saxo turbines. This paper examines some of the most important design, hydraulic and economic advantages of Saxo turbines. Special attention is given to a description of the Saxo turbine and
its main differences in comparison to tubular and Kaplan turbines. In addition, some of the main issues of hydraulic design and numerical investigations of the flow field in the entire water passage are described. The authors would like to draw the attention of professionals in the field of power generation to this turbine and to initiate discussions that may indicate the concerns of the European investors regarding the Saxo turbine.
Downloads
References
I. E. Idelchik, Handbook of Hydraulic Resistance, 2nd Ed. Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, 1986.
E. Höfler, J. Gale, A. Bergant, Hydraulic design and analysis of the Saxo-type vertical axial turbine, Trans Canadian Soc for Mech Eng, Vol. 35, No. 1, p.p. 119–143, 2011.
E.Höfler, N. Jelić, T. Kolšek, Numerical flow analysis in Saxo turbine by using different methods, Proceedings of the International Conference on Hydropower into the Next Century, Portorož, p.p. 173–184, 1997.
J. Gale, Numerical analysis of flow in the model turbine TS4 having LitC runner blade (in Slovene); Project E5/KP-10-06, Internal Report No.: Por10261, Litostroj Power, 2009.
V. Djelić, V. Vujanič, I. Kern, M. Krušec, R. Stopar, Z. Peršin, Saxo turbine TS5-SX3 – Tests of model turbine for Rapides-des-Coeurs HP, Chute-Allard HP and Magpie HP (in Slovene); Report No.: 2858, Turboinstitut, 2006.