Kaplan Blade Angle Controller

by Judy Stromquist, US Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, OR, USA,
Tom Thorsen, US Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, OR, USA,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Water Power '87

Abstract:

This paper describes a recently developed computerized Kaplan blade angle controller that is capable of improving turbine performance. Model Tests or Index Tests produce the Three-D-Cam curves that show the relationship between wicket gate position and blade angle over a range of head values and are used as a guide for efficient operation. The mechanical-electronic blade angle controller described can be used when blade position follows gate position through a cam and cam follower. The controller consists of a mechanical default, a linear actuator, transducers and the data acquisition/control unit. Primary control is through the mechanical default, but error in the blade position is minimized through the use of the linear actuator under program control.

Subject Headings: Control systems | Turbines | Linear functions | Data collection | Hydrologic data | Hydraulic design | Mechanical systems

Services: Buy this book/Buy this article

 

Return to search