Hydropower Turbine Selection Calculator
Hydropower Turbine Selection Calculator recommends an appropriate turbine type (Pelton, Francis, Kaplan, or Crossflow) based on net head, flow rate, and desired power, with specific speed calculations and suitability scores.
Formulas Used in Hydropower Turbine Selection Calculator
The calculator uses the following formulas to select and evaluate turbines:
Net Head:
\\[ h_{\text{net}} = h_{\text{gross}} – h_{\text{loss}} \\]Power Output:
\\[ P = \eta \cdot \rho \cdot g \cdot Q \cdot h_{\text{net}} / 1000 \\]Specific Speed:
\\[ N_s = \frac{N \sqrt{P}}{h_{\text{net}}^{5/4}} \\]Suitability Score: Based on head and specific speed ranges for each turbine type.
Where:
- \\( h_{\text{net}} \\): Net head (m)
- \\( h_{\text{gross}} \\): Gross head (m)
- \\( h_{\text{loss}} \\): Head loss (m)
- \\( P \\): Power output (kW)
- \\( \eta \\): Turbine efficiency (0 to 1)
- \\( \rho \\): Water density (1000 kg/m³)
- \\( g \\): Gravitational acceleration (9.81 m/s²)
- \\( Q \\): Flow rate (m³/s)
- \\( N_s \\): Specific speed (metric, rpm)
- \\( N \\): Rotational speed (rpm)
Example Calculations
Example 1: High-Head Site
Input: Gross Head = 200 m, Head Loss = 10 m, Flow Rate = 0.5 m³/s, Rotational Speed = 1500 rpm, Desired Power = 800 kW
Pelton (head 50–1000 m, \\( N_s \\) 10–50): Score = 92 (in range).
Result: Recommended Turbine = Pelton, Efficiency = 0.85–0.90, Power = 820.91 kW.
Example 2: Medium-Head Site
Input: Gross Head = 50 m, Head Loss = 3 m, Flow Rate = 2.0 m³/s, Rotational Speed = 1500 rpm, Desired Power = 800 kW
Francis (head 10–400 m, \\( N_s \\) 50–250): Score = 95 (in range).
Result: Recommended Turbine = Francis, Efficiency = 0.88–0.93, Power = 829.43 kW.
Example 3: Low-Head Site
Input: Gross Head = 10 m, Head Loss = 0.5 m, Flow Rate = 5.0 m³/s, Rotational Speed = 1500 rpm, Desired Power = 400 kW
Kaplan (head 2–70 m, \\( N_s \\) 250–1000): Score = 90 (in range).
Result: Recommended Turbine = Kaplan, Efficiency = 0.90–0.95, Power = 429.03 kW.