Numerical investigation of erosion due to particles in a cavitating flow in pelton turbine

Kevorkijan, Luka (author), Hriberšek, Matjaž (author), Lešnik, Luka (assignee), Škerlavaj, Aljaž (author), Biluš, Ignacijo (author)

Erosion of Pelton turbine components due to cavitation and particle-laden flow is a major challenge in hydropower applications, particularly in sediment-rich river environments. This study presents a numerical investigation on how solid particles contribute to the erosion of a Pelton runner. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted using ANSYS CFX 2023 R2, incorporating a Lagrangian particle tracking approach and the Finnie abrasion model to predict erosion patterns under varying sediment concentrations. The results indicate that, under normal sediment conditions, particle erosion does not significantly contribute to blade tip damage. However, under extreme sediment loading, the predicted erosion patterns closely match real-world observations, particularly at the blade tip.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Pelton turbine, solid particle erosion, cavitation, CFD simulation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 284-293
• Numbering: Vol. 71, no. 9/10
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176104
• UDC: 621
• ISSN on article: 2536-3948
• DOI: 10.5545/sv-jme.2025.1351
• COBISS.SI-ID: 258138883
• Publication date in RUL: 21.11.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Strojniški vestnik
• Shortened title: Stroj. vestn.
• Publisher: Fakulteta za strojništvo
• ISSN: 2536-3948
• COBISS.SI-ID: 294943232

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian

Abstract

Erozija komponent Peltonove turbine zaradi kavitacije in toka z delci predstavlja velik izziv pri hidroenergetskih sistemih, zlasti v rekah, bogatih s sedimenti. V tej študiji je predstavljena numerična raziskava vpliva trdnih delcev na erozijo rotorja Peltonove turbine. Simulacije računalniške dinamike tekočin (CFD) so bile izvedene z uporabo programa ANSYS CFX 2023 R2, pri čemer sta bila vključena Lagrangev pristop sledenja delcev in Finniejev model abrazije za napovedovanje erozijskih vzorcev pri različnih koncentracijah sedimentov. Rezultati kažejo, da pri običajnih pogojih sedimentacije erozija zaradi delcev ne prispeva bistveno k poškodbam konic lopatic. Vendar pa pri ekstremni obremenitvi s sedimenti napovedani erozijski vzorci tesno ustrezajo dejanskim opazovanjem, zlasti na konici lopatice.

• Keywords: Peltonova turbina, erozija zaradi trdnih delcev, kavitacija, CFD računalniška dinamika tekočin

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0196
• Name: Raziskave v energetskem, procesnem in okoljskem inženirstvu