Development and justification of universal designs for energy tests in flow paths of hydroelectric power plants

Introduction. The authors present one of methods for measuring water flows through the intake of a hydroelectric power plant. The new structure has a metal frame and a folding rotary row. The authors analyzed the advantages of the proposed, and mase strength and hydraulic analyses. Computational studies of the stress-strain state, made with account taken of the actual hydrodynamic pressure, allow choosing the optimal position of measurement points, designing a frame structure, and making highly accurate measurements of energy characteristics. Materials and methods. Top international publications, as well as archived materials, were analyzed to select the universal frame structure. The most promising directions were identified; the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed solutions were taken into account. Complex computational studies were performed using ANSYS Mechanical, a universal industrial software package, and ANSYS CFX, a specialized module for modeling flows of liquids and gases with account taken of turbulence. Results. The position of measurement points that ensure the least distortion of the flow and tilt angles of hydraulic turntables were determined during the hydraulic simulation. The flow loads were taken into account when the stress-strain state of the universal frame structure was calculated; optimal design solutions were selected to ensure the strength and reliability of metal elements. Stress concentration zones were identified for monitoring purposes during installation. Conclusions. Given the mathematical modeling data and experimental field studies, a universal frame structure for energy tests was substantiated. The new design ensures a measurement error of ±0.67 %, which corresponds to the leading world standards.