Method of refurbishing an energy conversion facility and refurbished energy conversion facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10190565-B2
Application number	US-201414280902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2014
Priority date	Jun 5, 2013
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

This method can be used for refurbishing a facility for converting hydraulic energy into electrical or mechanical energy, and vice versa. The facility includes a Francis type pump-turbine. The pump-turbine includes a runner movable about an axis, a pre-distributor, including stay vanes defining between each pair of two adjacent stay vanes a first water passage channel and a distributor, including guide vanes arranged downstream of the stay vanes in the direction of water flow feeding the pump-turbine operating in turbine mode. The guide vanes define between each pair of two adjacent guide vanes a second water passage channel. This method includes steps of reducing the height, taken parallel to the axis of rotation of the runner, of the first water passage channels and reducing the height, taken parallel to the axis of rotation of the runner, of the second water passage channels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of refurbishing an existing Francis pump-turbine used in an existing facility for converting hydraulic energy into electrical or mechanical energy and vice versa into a refurbished Francis pump-turbine for use in the existing facility,
the existing Francis pump-turbine including:
a volute,
an existing runner configured to be rotatable about an axis of rotation,
a flange ring attached to the volute, the flange ring including an upper flange ring and a lower flange ring,
an existing pre-distributor including first water passage channels having an existing first respective height,
and an existing distributor in water flow communication with the existing pre-distributor and the existing runner, the existing distributor including second water passage channels having an existing second respective height that is different from the existing first respective height of the first water passage channels,

the method comprising:
a) modifying the existing pre-distributor of the existing Francis pump-turbine to have a reduced first respective height of the first water passage from the existing first respective height of the first water passage channels;
b) removing the existing distributor from the existing Francis pump-turbine;
c) replacing the removed existing distributor with a replaced distributor on the existing Francis pump-turbine that is different from the existing distributor, the replaced distributor including guide vanes defining second water passage channels having a respective height, the second water passage channels having water flow communication with the first water passage channels of the modified existing pre-distributor having the reduced first respective height, wherein the respective height of the second water passage channels of the replaced distributor is the same as the reduced first respective height of the first water passage channels of the modified existing pre-distributor; and
d) completing steps a), b), and c) to form the refurbished Francis pump-turbine so that the refurbished Francis pump-turbine can be used in the existing facility instead of the existing Francis pump-turbine.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in each of the first water passage channels of the modified existing pre-distributor, a respective sector of the deflector is attached to the upper flange ring or the lower flange ring and/or a respective sector of another deflector is attached to the other of the upper flange ring or the lower flange ring.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an existing angle is defined between a chord of the guide vanes of the existing distributor and a line extending in an orthoradial direction to the axis of rotation of the existing runner at an outbound edge of the guide vanes of the existing distributor,
e) after step d), adjusting the rotation of the guide vanes of the replaced distributor about their pivoting axis in such a way that an angle defined between a chord of the guide vanes of the replaced distributor and the line extending in the orthoradial direction to the axis of rotation of the existing runner at an outbound edge of the guide vanes of the replaced distributor is greater than the existing angle.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the existing runner includes blades positioned between the upper flange ring and the lower flange ring, the blades defining third water passage channels having an existing height measured parallel to the axis of rotation of the existing runner, each of the third water passage channels being defined between a respective pair of adjacent blades of the blades, the method further comprising:
f) removing the existing runner from the Francis pump-turbine; and
g) replacing the removed existing runner with a replaced runner on the refurbished Francis pump-turbine that is different from the existing runner, the replaced runner being configured to rotate about an axis of rotation, wherein the replaced runner includes blades defining third water passage channels of the replaced runner having a respective height that is the same as the reduced first respective height of the first water passage channels of the modified existing pre-distributor and the respective height of the second water passage channels of the replaced distributor.

5. A facility for converting hydraulic energy into electrical or mechanical energy and vice versa, comprising:
a Francis pump-turbine that is alternately operable in a pump mode and in a turbine mode, the Francis pump-turbine including:
a volute,
a runner disposed adjacent to a distributor and configured to be rotatable about an axis of rotation,
a flange ring attached to the volute, the flange ring including an upper flange ring and a lower flange ring,
a pre-distributor including stay vanes positioned between the upper flange ring and the lower flange ring, the stay vanes defining first water passage channels, each of the first water passage channels being defined between a respective pair of adjacent stay vanes of the stay vanes,
the distributor attached to the pre-distributor and including guide vanes defining second water passage channels, each of the second water passage channels being defined between a respective pair of adjacent guide vanes of the guide vanes, the stay vanes being arranged outbound of the guide vanes in a direction of flow of water through the distributor and the pre-distributor in which the second water passage channels are in communication with the first water passage channels; and
a deflector separate from the lower flange ring and the upper flange ring and attached onto at least one of the lower flange ring or the upper flange ring in each of the first water passage channels, wherein a height, measured parallel to the axis of rotation of the runner, of the first water passage channels with the attached deflector is reduced compared to a height of the first water passage channels without the attached deflector.

6. The facility as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the deflector is formed of several sectors, each sector of the several sectors is arranged in a respective first water passage channel of the first water passage channels and attached to the lower flange ring or to the upper flange ring.

7. The facility as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the sectors of the deflector each include a metal plate.

8. The facility as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the sectors of the deflector each include a mass of synthetic material, concrete or metal.

9. The facility as claimed in claim 5 , wherein a height of the second water passage channels is the same as the height of the first water passage channels with the attached deflector.

Assignees

• Alstom Renewable Technologies
• Ge Renewable Tech

Inventors

• Lavigne Sylvain Daniel
• Beral Claude
• Antheaume Sylvain
• Houdeline Jean-Bernard

Classifications

• F03B3/183

  Adjustable vanes, e.g. wicket gates · CPC title

• F03B15/00

  Controlling (controlling in general G05 {; regulation of plants characterised by the use of siphons F03B13/086}) · CPC title

• F03B3/02 Primary

  with radial flow at high-pressure side and axial flow at low-pressure side of rotors, e.g. Francis turbines {(rotors per se F03B3/125)} · CPC title

• F03B11/00

  Parts or details not provided for in, or of interest apart from, the preceding groups (controlling F03B15/00), {e.g. wear-protection couplings, between turbine and generator} · CPC title

• B23P6/002

  Repairing turbine components, e.g. moving or stationary blades, rotors, (B23P6/045 takes precedence) · CPC title