Numerical Simulation Analysis of the Correlation between Hydrodynamic Noise of Hydraulic Turbines and Defects in Runner Blades

Abstract

To investigate the hydrodynamic noise characterization of hydraulic turbines with runner blade defects, this article establishes the intact machine model and three kinds of models with runner blade defects. Using the Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) and Computational Acoustic (CA) hybrid simulation computational methods, the hydrodynamic noise field of the hydraulic turbine is numerically simulated, and the results of the acoustic near field and acoustic far field are shown. 1. The double-row leaf grille and the runner are the primary sound source areas of the hydraulic turbine, and the intensity of sound radiation from these areas is positively correlated with the degree of runner blade defects. 2. As the runner blade defects develop, the sound power level (SWL) increases more significantly in the guide vanes near the nose of the spiral case in the double-row leaf grille. The most pronounced increase in the SWL is observed at the defective craters on the runner blades. 3. The frequency of the defective noise signal is primarily concentrated in the low-frequency band. The dominant frequency amplitude associated with runner blade defects increases and rises after the occurrence of defects. Secondary frequency changes are also observed, and the location of these changes varies at different receiving points.

Keywords

• hydraulic turbine
• hydrodynamic noise
• runner blade defects
• numerical simulation
• sound field analysis