Investigation on the effect of particle parameters on the erosion and erosion prediction model of the Pelton turbine

The Pelton turbine will play a massive role in China's water conservancy and power generation development process. In practical engineering applications, sediment will erode the components of the Pelton turbine when they come into contact, threatening the safe and stable operation of the unit. Therefore, based on the Eulerian–Lagrangian method, this study analyzes the effects of particle size, concentration, and position angle on the degree and distribution of erosion of each component without considering the cavitation effect of the flow. The results show that the larger the particle size, the more concentrated the distribution, and the more severe the abrasion caused on the spray needle and water bucket. However, the degree of nozzle erosion weakens, and the erosion area increases. It was also found that the higher the concentration, the more severe the abrasion caused to each component. When the jet completely hits the position on the bucket, due to the low impact speed, the impact angle remains almost unchanged, resulting in less erosion. Finally, the classic Finnie model was refined by adjusting the average erosion rate, particle size, concentration, and rotation angle. This modification yielded an enhanced model, mainly showcasing improved performance for moderate particle sizes.