Improvements Relating to Hydroturbine Manufacture

Abstract

A runner for a hydraulic machine comprising a band, a crown, a plurality of blades extending between the crown and the band, wherein the runner comprises a plurality of runner segments which together define the runner, each runner segment comprising a band portion, a crown portion and a blade, which portions are integrally formed with one another, each runner segment being attachable to another segment at a band joining edge and a crown joining edge, wherein the band joining edge and the crown joining edge are each spaced apart from the blade of the segment.

Claims

1-15: (canceled)

16. A runner for a hydraulic machine, comprising: a band; a crown; a plurality of blades extending between the crown and the band, a plurality of runner segments that together define the runner, wherein each runner segment comprises a band portion, a crown portion, and a blade; wherein the band portion, the crown portion, and the blade of each runner segment are integrally formed with one another; each runner segment attachable to another runner segment at a band joining edge and a crown joining edge; and wherein the band joining edge and the crown joining edge are each spaced apart from the blade of the runner segment.

17. The runner as in claim 16, wherein each crown portion has a first crown joining edge and a second crown joining edge, and each band portion has a first band joining edge and a second band joining edge.

18. The runner as in claim 17, wherein in each runner segment the blade extends between the band portion and the crown portion from a part of a section of the remote from both the first and second band joining edges, to a part of the crown portion remote from the first and second crown joining edges.

19. The runner as in claim 16, wherein one of or both of the band joining edges and the crown joining edges are curved.

20. The runner as in claim 19, wherein one of or both of the band joining edges and the crown joining edges define an arc of a circle.

21. The runner as in claim 19, wherein one of or both of the band joining edges and the crown joining edges are defined by an intersection of a cylinder with the band or the crown.

22. A Francis turbine comprising the runner as in claim 16.

23. A method of assembling a runner, comprising the steps of: forming a runner segment comprising a band portion, a crown portion, and a blade as an integral component, such that the band portion comprises a first band joining edge and a second joining edge, the crown portion comprises a first joining edge and a second joining edge, the crown portion and band portion first and second joining edges spaced apart from the blade of the segment; and joining a plurality of runner segments together at the joining edges to form the runner.

24. The method as in claim 23, wherein the plurality of runner segments are joined together by welding.

25. The method as in claim 24, wherein the welding comprises narrow gap welding.

26. The method as in claim 24, wherein the is carried out by an automatic welding tool that follows a predetermined trajectory during the welding step.

27. The method as in claim 26, wherein the trajectory defines a cylindrical surface or is defined by an intersection between a cylinder and the crown portion or the band portion.

28. The method as in claim 23, wherein the runner is a runner for a Francis turbine.

29. A hydraulic machine comprising a runner as in claim 16.

30. The hydraulic machine as in claim 29, wherein the hydraulic machine is a Francis turbine.

Description

[0038] The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0039] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section of a turbine with a Francis runner, including a rotatable turbine shaft coupled to the runner;

[0040] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a Francis runner according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0041] FIG. 3 is a side view of the Francis runner of FIG. 2;

[0042] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional representation of the Francis runner of FIG. 2 showing how individual runner segments are welded together;

[0043] FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a runner segment forming part of the Francis runner of FIG. 2;

[0044] FIG. 6a is a schematic representation of the junction between two segments of a pump runner of a pumped storage plant (PSP), illustrating the curved trajectory followed by a welding tool to join the segments together;

[0045] FIG. 6b is a schematic representation of a runner of a pumped storage plant (PSP) produced in accordance with the invention;

[0046] FIG. 7 is a detailed representation of a portion of adjacent runner segments showing the gap between adjacent segments formed when the segments abut one another;

[0047] FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the Francis runner of FIG. 2 showing a robotic welding tool joining adjacent runner segments; and

[0048] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional representation of the Francis runner of FIG. 2 after being welded together and including a coupling flange welded to the top of the runner.

[0049] Referring first to FIG. 1, a hydraulic machine according to embodiments of aspects of the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the hydraulic machine 2 comprises a Francis turbine 4. The Francis turbine 4 in turn comprises a Francis runner 6, according to embodiments of the invention. During operation of the Francis turbine 4, water will enter the turbine via conduit 8 and will flow through the Francis runner 6, as indicated by arrows 10 in a known manner. The water will then exit via conduit 12. As is well-known in the art, the flow of water through the Francis runner 6 will cause rotation of the Francis runner which, in turn, will cause rotation of the shaft 14.

[0050] In other embodiments of the invention, the hydraulic machine could be a pump or pump-turbine, for example. When the hydraulic machine 2 comprises a pump, rotation of the pump runner will cause flow of water in a known manner.

[0051] Embodiments of the invention, will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9.

[0052] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the Francis runner 6 comprises a band 20, a crown 22 and a plurality of blades 24. Each of the plurality of blades 24 extends from the crown 22 to the band 20.

[0053] The Francis runner 6, according to embodiments of the invention, comprises a plurality of runner segments 30, as shown in more detail in FIG. 5.

[0054] Each runner segment 30 comprises a crown portion 32 and a band portion 34. Each runner segment 30 comprises a blade 24 which extends between the crown portion 32 and the band portion 34.

[0055] The crown portion comprises a first crown joining edge 36 and a second crown joining edge 38. Similarly, the band comprises a first band joining edge 40 and a second band joining edge 42.

[0056] The blade 24 extends between the crown portion 32 and the band portion 34 from an area of the crown portion that is spaced apart from both the first crown joining edge 36 and the second crown joining edge 38 to an area of the band portion that is spaced apart from both the first band joining edge 40 and the second band joining edge 42.

[0057] Such a configuration ensures that when the runner segments 30 are joined together by, for example, a welding process, the welds formed are well away from the high stress regions which are typically where the blade 24 meets the crown 22 and the band 20, respectively.

[0058] In this embodiment of the invention, each runner segment 30 will be integrally formed by, for example, a casting process. In addition, each runner segment 30 used to form a complete Francis runner 6 will be substantially identically shaped to each other segment.

[0059] When it is required to assemble the Francis runner 6, the individual runner segments are brought together and welds are formed to join adjacent segments to one another to form the complete Francis runner 6, as shown in FIG. 8. This process will be described in more detail herein below.

[0060] Turning now to FIG. 4, the positioning of welds used to join adjacent segments 30 is shown schematically. As can be seen, a plurality of welds 50 have been formed in order to join adjacent runner segments 30 together to form the complete Francis turbine 6. It can be seen from FIG. 4 that the welds are located at a position which is away from the blades 24. This ensures that the welds are not formed in areas of high stress. This, in turn, means that the joins between adjacent segments will be stronger than may be the case in similar prior art Francis turbines.

[0061] The weld may be formed by any convenient process, but, in this embodiment of the invention, the welds have been formed using an automated narrow-gap welding process.

[0062] In order to ensure that the process is efficient, both the crown joining edges and the band joining edges have been designed so that they are curved. This can be seen particularly in FIG. 6a which shows the shape of the join between two segments of a runner. A portion of a pump turbine band is shown in in solid outline.

[0063] Because the joining edges are curved, in an automated narrow-gap welding process, a welding tool may be programmed to follow a curved trajectory in order to create the welds 50. The trajectory is shown extending from the intersection of a cylinder and the band. This trajectory must be followed by a welding tool to join the segments together.

[0064] In this embodiment of the invention, the trajectory followed by the welding tool will substantially track the surface of the cylinder, as shown by the dotted lines 60 in FIG. 6a. Such a trajectory enables an efficient automated welding process to be carried out, since there are no complicated moves that have to be carried out by the welding tool.

[0065] The radius of the cylinder, the surface of which is tracked by the trajectory of the welding tool, may be any convenient radius, and, in some embodiments of the invention, the radius must be infinite. In such embodiments of the invention, the trajectory of the welding tool will be substantially a straight line.

[0066] FIG. 6b shows an assembled pump turbine runner which has been produced using a method according to the invention.

[0067] Turning now to FIG. 7, a detailed partial view of two adjacent runner segments 30 is shown. As can be seen from FIG. 7, each segment is shaped to have an extension 70 forming part of a joining edge. This means that when adjacent runner segments are positioned next to each other ready to be joined, a small gap 72 is created. The weld is positioned within this gap 72 during the welding process.

[0068] The narrow-gap angle chamfer may be 1 or 5 on each side of the gap. The size of the space between the two faces of the chamfer of the gap is dependent on the size of the welding torch. GTAW narrow gap torches may be used with the present invention. Accordingly, the chamfer root may have a diameter of around 13 mm for example. GMAW narrow gap torches typically require a chamfer root with a larger diameter, for example, around 18 mm. Accordingly, the small gap 72 may have a diameter of between approximately 13 mm and 18 mm. Other embodiments of the invention may utilise other sizes of gap, as necessary.

[0069] Turning now to FIG. 8, a robotic tool 80 is shown creating the welds 50 between adjacent runner segments 30.

[0070] Turning now to FIG. 9, a completed Francis runner 6 is shown in which the adjacent runner segments 30 have been welded together. In addition, a coupling joint or flange 90 has been welded to the crown 22 of the Francis runner 6 in order to enable the runner 4 to be connected to shaft 14, shown in FIG. 1.

[0071] The aforementioned embodiments are not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the appended claims, which follow. Furthermore, features of one or more of the above embodiments may be readily combined with one or more features of another embodiment. It is also clear to the skilled person that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.