Pelton water Turbine

Description

Pelton turbine is widely used with water head of 100M-1000M that is suitable for power station with high head but small water flow. The runner works by being heavily pushed with jet flow that is from injection nozzle through high-pressure pipe. Pelton turbine is regarded as compact structure, stable operation and easy handling.

Water Head Applicable: H=100-1000 m. Used for high water head with small water flow, the runner works by being heavily pushed with jet flow that is switched through injection nozzle from high-pressure pipe. It is divided into vertical type and horizontal type. Horizontal type each has 1-2 runner, each runner has 1-2 nozzle, vertical type each has only one runner, each runner has 2-4 nozzles.

Applications

Pelton wheels are the preferred turbine for hydro-power, when the available water source has relatively high hydraulic head at low flow rates, where the Pelton wheel is most efficient. Thus, more power can be extracted from a water source with high-pressure and low-flow than from a source with low-pressure and high-flow, even when the two flows theoretically contain the same power. Also a comparable amount of pipe material is required for each of the two sources, one requiring a long thin pipe, and the other a short wide pipe. Pelton wheels are made in all sizes. There exist multi-ton Pelton wheels mounted on vertical oil pad bearings in hydroelectric plants. The largest units can be up to 200 megawatts. The smallest Pelton wheels are only a few inches across, and can be used to tap power from mountain streams having flows of a few gallons per minute. Some of these systems utilize household plumbing fixtures for water delivery. These small units are recommended for use with thirty meters or more of head, in order to generate significant power levels. Depending on water flow and design, Pelton wheels operate best with heads from 15 meters to 1,800 meters, although there is no theoretical limit.

Feature

• High-Head Dedicated Design: Specifically suited for water sources with high heads (typically ≥100 meters, and some models can handle several thousand meters) and low flow rates. It efficiently converts the potential energy of water into kinetic energy, and its efficiency is significantly higher than other turbine types in high-drop scenarios.
• Impulse-Type Energy Conversion: Converts high-pressure water flow into high-speed jets through nozzles, which directly impact the bucket-shaped blades on the runner. The water flow only contacts the blade surfaces (without filling the flow channel), and the energy conversion process is concentrated at the "impact moment", resulting in clearer structural stress.
• Low Water Quality Requirement: Since the water flow does not pass through complex flow channels (such as volutes and guide vanes), it is less likely to suffer internal blockages or wear caused by sediment and impurities in the water. It has a longer maintenance cycle and is suitable for water sources with relatively complex water quality, such as those in mountainous areas.
• Flexible Output Regulation: Can achieve stepped or continuous regulation of unit output by increasing or decreasing the number of nozzles in operation (e.g., 2-nozzle, 4-nozzle models) or adjusting the jet diameter of individual nozzles, adapting to the fluctuation needs of grid load.
• Simple Structure & Easy Maintenance: Core components only include nozzles, runners, and casings, without complex water guiding mechanisms (such as the guide vanes of reaction turbines). It has low installation difficulty, and daily maintenance mainly focuses on nozzle wear and runner cleaning, with controllable costs.