×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

(OP)
I'm trying to put together a maintenance schedule for a 5-blade Kaplan turbine unit.  I've gone through the FIST manuals (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) and some manufacturers manuals, but was wondering what type of services other Kaplan units undergo at different facilities.  I would appreciate and information pertaining to the maintenance of Kaplan turbines and/or lists/schedules that you happened to come across.

Thanks in advance!
Phil

RE: Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

Is this a moveable blade Kaplan?

RE: Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

(OP)
Yes it is a moveable blade Kaplan.

RE: Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

I have two kaplans with moveable blades about 1990 vintage.
Yearly, we inspect:
blade to turbine case clearances, open and close
blade smoothness of operation
wicket gate close tightness
wicket gate operation
marine bearing clearances
oil in hub
blade transmitter calibration
wicket gate transmitter calibration
blade and wicket gate timing
torque check blade bolts

that is mainly it inside the turbine and then all the auxiliaries.
 

RE: Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

(OP)
Thank you very much for sharing this information.

RE: Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

(OP)
Do you perform any testing/inspections beyond the annual checks? Such as during major overhauls every 5 , 10 yrs?

RE: Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

The only other long term item is replacing the 4 sets of o-rings on each blade on a 5 yr interval, along new seals in the wicket gate hydraulic cylinders.

RE: Kaplan Turbine Maintenance

I stood on a Kaplan blade inside the Saunders/Moses dam:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pcellis/6227574/in/set-155511/

forty+ years ago.  They were in the process of hardfacing all the blades.  I have the impression they did it to every unit every couple of years, just to keep up with erosion from cavitation.

 

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources