Numerical and experimental study of low-frequency pressure pulsations in hydraulic units with Francis turbine

The paper presents the numerical simulation method of three-dimensional turbulent flows in the hydraulic turbine. This technique was verified by means of experimental data obtained on a water model of the Francis turbines. An aerodynamic stand, which is a miniature copy of the real hydraulic turbine, was designed. A series of experiments have been carried out on this stand and the corresponding calculations were performed. The dependence of the velocity and pressure pulsations profiles for different operation regimes are presented.