Introduction to hydraulic turbines! ! ! !

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Question: What is the working principle of a hydraulic turbine? A turbine is a machine that converts the energy contained in a fluid into mechanical work; it is also known as a turbine engine. Turbine is the transliteration of the English word turbine, derived from the Latin word turbo, meaning a rotating object. Due to the varying operating conditions and working fluids of turbines, their structural designs are diverse, yet their basic working principles remain similar. The main component of a turbine is a rotating element, namely the rotor, or impeller, which is mounted on the turbine shaft and has blades arranged evenly around its circumference. The energy possessed by the fluid is converted into kinetic energy as it flows and passes through the nozzle; as the fluid flows over the impeller, it strikes the blades, causing the impeller to rotate and thereby driving the turbine shaft to spin. The turbine shaft drives other machinery directly or through a transmission mechanism to deliver mechanical work. http://www.chem17.com/products/member/images/chem1750920.jpg The working medium in turbine machinery can be a gas, such as steam, gas, air, and other gases or gas mixtures, or it can be a liquid, such as water, oil, or other liquids. A turbine that uses water as its working fluid is called a hydroturbine; a turbine that uses steam as its working fluid is called a steam turbine ； A turbine that uses gas as its working fluid is called a gas turbine. Turbine – As water flows from a reservoir at a higher elevation through a channel to a turbine located at a lower elevation, the potential energy of the water at the higher elevation is converted into kinetic energy, which drives the turbine to rotate. The tailwater flowing through the turbine moves along the channel. The only purpose of modern hydroturbines is to serve as a power source in hydropower stations, driving generators to produce electricity. Turbine -- its working medium is steam, which possesses thermal energy. The steam comes from boilers that burn fossil fuels, or from steam generators heated by nuclear power plants. The high-temperature, high-pressure steam generated by them is sent at high speed through nozzles to the steam turbine, driving the rotor to rotate and generate power. The steam flow rate is very high and the turbine rotor is small, so the speed can reach 10,000 revolutions per minute. Turbines are primarily used in thermal power plants to drive generators to produce electricity ； It is also used in large ocean-going ships and submarines as the main engine to drive the propellers and propel the vessels. Gas turbine – along with the compressor and combustion chamber, it constitutes the three main components of a gas turbine engine. Air is fed into the compressor, where it is compressed to higher pressure and temperature to become compressed air. This compressed air then flows into the combustion chamber, where it mixes with fuel and burns, resulting in a high-temperature, high-pressure, high-speed gas stream. This gas stream enters the gas turbine, driving it to rotate and generating mechanical power through the turbine shaft. Gas turbines can reach speeds of tens of thousands of revolutions per minute. The most common application of modern gas turbines is as propulsion for jet aircraft. Some are used as power sources for ships, power plants, and small power stations for handling peak loads, and they also serve as the driving force for gas pumps used in the long-distance transportation of natural gas. Gas turbines used as power for locomotives and cars are still under development and testing. There is also a type of gas turbine used in rocket engines; it serves as the power source for the pumps that transport rocket propellant (fuel and oxidizer). A gas generator generates the high-temperature gases needed through chemical reactions, which then drive the turbine to rotate and thus operate the pumps. Additionally, there are turbines that use compressed air as the working medium to drive rotation; they can only be used for small amounts of power, and such turbines are known as air turbines. If there is anything that needs to be added, I would appreciate your guidance. Last edited by Simple fish on 2008-3-22 16:59]