The runner of a high-head Francis hydraulic turbine is flattened and has vibration modes resembling those of a disc. When the runner rotates in water, the vibrating waves propagating in the direction of rotation and against rotation interact differently with water. There is therefore a doubling of natural frequencies. This implies that the turbine designer must work harder to identify these frequencies and ensure that no resonance phenomenon will occur on the turbine in operation.
This task is now (slightly) simplified by the new analytical model developed by Max Louyot as part of his master’s degree in partnership with Andritz Hydro Canada, published in the Journal of Fluids and Structures.