The present invention relates to a Francis-type runner for a hydraulic machine, to a hydraulic machine comprising such a runner, and to a method of assembling such a runner.
Within the meaning of the present invention, a hydraulic machine may be a turbine, a pump or a pump turbine, used, for example, in a hydroelectric power station.
The invention relates in particular to a Francis-type runner for a hydraulic machine intended to have a forced flow of water passed through it. Such a flow has the effect of rotating the runner, when the machine is a turbine. When the machine is a pump, such a flow results from the rotation of the runner.
In the context of a hydraulic machine, it is known practice to use Francis-type runners that have a band, a crown and blades extending between the band and the crown.
A runner may be of one piece, usually of cast or mechanically welded construction. Because such a runner has imposing overall dimensions, its cost of production is not insignificant. Moreover, the manufacture of such a runner, firstly, requires a known-how which is becoming increasingly rare and secondly presents health and safety issues because of the need to get into the hydraulic passages of the runner in order notably to perform the welding and grinding operations.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a runner, the production of which can be readily industrialized, while at the same time guaranteeing a satisfactory level of quality.
To this end, the subject of the invention is a Francis-type runner for a hydraulic machine, comprising:
By virtue of the runner according to the invention, its manufacturer is in a position to alleviate the problems associated both with the quality of the runner and with the production cost and lead time thereof.
According to other advantageous features of the runner according to the invention, considered in isolation or in any technically feasible combinations:
Another subject of the invention is a hydraulic machine comprising a runner as described hereinabove.
Furthermore, another subject of the invention is a method of assembling a runner as explained hereinabove. According to this method:
The invention will be better understood from reading the description which will follow, given solely by way of nonlimiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
As depicted more specifically in
The runner 1 also comprises a coupling flange 8 for coupling the runner 1 to a shaft, not depicted, of the turbine. The flange 8 may be made either of sheet metal or as a casting. The flange 8 may then be welded to the other elements that make up the runner.
As depicted in
In other words, the crown 4 is made up of nine elements 41, 42, 43, etc. each positioned between the upper and inner edges 231, 232, etc. of adjacent blades 21, 22, etc. The edges 231, 232, etc. of the blades 21, 22, etc. are, for their part, engaged between the elements 41, 42, 43, etc. that form the crown 4.
The band 6, like the crown 4, comprises nine elements. In
It may be noted that the upper and inner edge 231 or 232 of each of the two blades 21 and 22 lies flush with the exterior surface of the crown 4 which surface is formed by the respective upper surfaces 411, 421, 431, etc. of the elements 41, 42, 43 and equivalent. Likewise, the lower and outer edge 241 or 242 of each of these two blades 21, and 22 lies flush with the exterior surface of the band 6 which surface is formed by the respective exterior surfaces 611, 621, 631, etc., of the elements 61, 62, 63 and equivalent.
The crown elements 41, 42 and 43 and the band elements 61, 62 and 63 are secured to the adjacent blades 21 and 22 by welding. This method is advantageously performed via an exterior route, in the region where the edge of a blade lies flush with an exterior surface of a crown or band element. This then avoids having welded connections between these bodies on the inside of the runner and, more specifically, in the hydraulic passages defined between two blades.
To do this, and as depicted in
In the second, third and fourth embodiments of the invention which have been depicted in
In order to reduce stresses in this type of connection, right-angled connections between the blade and the adjacent band are avoided. To do this, provision is made for fillets to be created in each blade.
To manufacture the blade 21, the operator produces fillets 25 in a sheet of thickness e2 by machining this sheet. However, the production of such fillets entails the use of a substantial amount of material intended to be removed by this machining process.
Hence, by way of an alternative which has been depicted in
Similarly, the subassemblies 12 and 13 respectively comprise a second crown part 124 and a third crown part 134 together with a second band part 126 and a third band part 136. The parts 124 and 126 and the parts 134 and 136 are each respectively connected by a blade 122 and a blade 132 through casting or by welding.
Each of these subassemblies 11, 12 and 13 has a cross section in the shape of a lying-down U.
The parts 114 and 116 each comprise an edge 1141 and 1161 respectively facing an upper and inner edge 1321 and a lower and outer edge 1322 of the blade 132.
Likewise, the parts 124 and 126 each comprise an edge 1241 and 1261 respectively facing an upper and inner edge 1121 and a lower and outer edge 1122 of the blade 112.
It may also be noted that the blade 122 comprises an upper and inner edge 1221 and a lower and outer edge 1222.
The two crown and band parts of each of the subassemblies 11, 12 and 13 are respectively provided with an upper surface 1142, 1162, 1242, 1262, 1342 and 1362.
Thus, the edges of the blades 112, 122 and 132 are engaged between two crown or band elements 1142, 1162, 1242, 1262, 1342, and 1362. In other words, each of the lower and upper edges of the corresponding blade lies flush with the upper surface of the crown and of the adjacent band.
The edges 1141, 1241, 1161 and 1261 are mitered to create, with the edges 1321, 1121, 1322 and 1122 respectively, dihedral angles to accept weld strips which have not been depicted. In other words, these edges are chamfered.
This modular approach means that the subassembly 11 can be secured both to the subassembly 12 and to the subassembly 13 by a welding method termed exterior. In other words, there is no need to enter the runner 1, namely to get in between the crown and the band elements 1142, 1162, 1242, 1262, 1342, and 1362 in order to perform the welding operations aimed at joining the parts of the crown and of the band elements 1142, 1162, 1242, 1262, 1342, and 1362 of a first subassembly to the corresponding parts of an adjacent second subassembly.
Moreover, conveying the elements 21, 22, 41, 42, 43, 61, 62, 63, etc. or the subassembles 11, 12, 13 and equivalent that make up the runner to the site at which it will be used is appreciably improved in terms of lead times, making it possible to optimize costs.
It should be noted that the fillets 25, 26 depicted in
By way of nonlimiting examples, the welding process used with the invention may be electron beam welding or laser welding.
Furthermore, it is possible to conceive of a runner comprising a number of crown elements and/or band elements other than nine thereof.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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08 55981 | Sep 2008 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/FR2009/051676 | 9/4/2009 | WO | 00 | 5/12/2011 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2010/026349 | 3/11/2010 | WO | A |
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