Abstract

The paper summarises experience accumulated within the last decade resulting from an intense collaboration of the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences with the Polish hydro power industry. The scope and aims of this activity are characterised on the background of extremely low percentage of utilised hydroelectric potential of Poland and a lack of signńcant investments in this field. Qualitative changes in the measurement and diagnostic techniques having taken place with the advent of digital data acquisition and processing systems are stressed. Experience referring to the discharge measurement, by means of various kinds of current-meter, pressure, time and Winter-Kennedy methods are discussed. Possibility to correct roughly the cam dependence of double-regulated machines based on the measurement of pressure fluctuations in the draft tube is confirmed. Examples of utilising diagnostics signals for identification of the sources and assessment of the level of excessive loading to the guide bearing of a hydraulic turbine are discussed. Recent work on cavitation diagnostics is illustrated by histograms of cavitation pulses taken from the draft tubes of several Kaplan turbines. Finally, case studies concerning some specific performance and dynamic features of Kaplan turbines and Francis-type pump turbines are discussed.