Design and Fluent Simulation of Draft Tube to Increase Exist Pressure
Authors:-Mr. Ch. Sai Mohan Reddy, Punnam Yesu, Yedla Tejaswi, Adabala Srirama Surya Prakash, Mangam Ajay Kumar
Abstract-The draft tube is a critical component of hydropower plants, especially for reaction and mixed-flow turbines, as it plays a vital role in ensuring efficient energy conversion and system stability. Its design significantly impacts the overall performance of the turbine by reducing velocity at the outlet, converting kinetic energy into pressure energy, and minimizing energy losses. However, the design of an efficient draft tube comes with numerous challenges, including addressing problems such as cavitation, backflow, surging, swirl flow, and erosion of metal components due to high-velocity water flow. A well-designed draft tube should effectively mitigate these issues while maintaining optimal performance. The primary objective of this project was to design a draft tube and analyze its performance under real working conditions using advanced computational tools. The draft tube design was created using a CAD software tool, providing an accurate and detailed 3D model for further analysis. Simulation of the design was then performed using ANSYS software, with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis carried out in ANSYS Fluent. The CFD analysis included defining key parameters such as inlet velocity, flow patterns, outlet pressure, velocity distribution, and turbulence behaviour to replicate realistic operating conditions.
