100 kW Axial Flow Hydro Generator Set

Overview

How it works

In an axial flow turbine the water passes through the runner in the direction of the shaft, like flow through a ship’s propeller. This layout gives high flow capacity and good efficiency at low head, so it fits rivers and canals where there is a lot of water but only a small drop.

What the set includes

Our 100 kW set has a runner of 90 cm diameter and a three-phase AC generator producing 400 V. It is supplied with a governor and an automatic control system so the set can start, hold speed and stop without a full-time operator. Frequency can be built for 50 or 60 Hz.

Head, flow and speed

Rated head, design flow and speed depend on the site, because the same 100 kW rating can be reached with different head and flow pairs. The final supply list, including inlet and outlet arrangement and control cabinet, is itemized on the quotation.

Where it is used

Typical sites are small rivers with weirs, irrigation canals, drops at the outlet of reservoirs and water-supply structures. The set can feed a village mini-grid or be synchronized with the utility network.

Installation and site

The layout of the inlet, draft tube and powerhouse, the 50 Hz or 60 Hz output, grid connection or isolated load, and the scope of control and protection equipment are set for each site. The set is built and tested in our factory and packed for container shipping. Installation drawings are provided, and our engineers can help your team with commissioning.

Choosing the axial flow set for very low head

The axial flow set is our smallest and lowest-head machine in the hydro range. It is for rivers, irrigation canals and weirs where the drop is only a few meters but flow is plentiful. At 100 kW and a runner diameter of 90 cm, it is a village or small farm scheme rather than a grid power plant.

Compared with the 200 kW Kaplan set at 10 m head, it needs less civil work, but its efficiency drops faster when flow varies. Compared with the 500 kW tubular set, it is smaller and simpler, but the tubular layout handles larger flows with a better water path. Compared with the 200 kW Francis, it will not work at medium head at all. The key design decision is the intake: a sloping rack, a trash rake and a gate protect the runner from logs and plastic, which are the most common cause of outages at river sites. Allow room for maintenance access to the runner chamber, and check that the tailwater level does not rise into the runner during floods.