Optimization of a Francis Runner to reduce Sediment Erosion

Expected Outcomes

The Himalayan Region is full of rivers that supply abundant flow and head for power production. The water flowing from these rivers are full of quartz and other hard minerals that act as the main causes of sediment erosion in Turbine components used in hydropower plants. Since hydropower is the dominant source of electricity in the region and there are hundreds of hydropower plants either in commercial operation or under construction, the problem of sediment erosion is a major issue for power plant operators. In the context of Nepal, especially due to the fact that Francis Turbines are installed in most of the hydropower plants and that Francis Turbines are known to be prone to high damage by sediment erosion, issues such as efficiency reduction, reduced productivity, long downtimes and high
maintenance/capital costs are prevalent in most of the power plants in Nepal. Thus, it is of utmost importance to study the effects of such prevalent erosion in detail and find effective solutions as soon as possible to prevent further damage and losses.
This research is expected to study the effects of sediment erosion in Francis Turbine Runners of the Himalayan Region in detail, including the root causes and behavioral patterns of the erosion. This research is also expected to create an optimization tool for reducing the effects of sediment erosion in Francis Turbines. Past studies have related to sediment erosion in the Himalayan Region have been limited due to lack of adequate validation. This research aims at validating the results with both numerical simulation as well as experimental studies. The validation of numerical simulation as a tool for Francis Runner optimization is also an expected outcome of the research. The research will hopefully act as a breakthrough for solving the sediment erosion crisis in the hydropower plants of the Himalayan Region.

Supervisors from host and Partner Universities
Prof.Dr. Hari Prasad Neopane, Kathmandu University
Assistant Professor Dr. Sailesh Chitrakar, Kathmandu University
Associate Prof. Dr. Zhiwei Guo, Wuhan University