Hydraulic distributor prestress adjustment by HBK

Incorrect setting of the gate ring on KAPLAN, FRANCIS or BULBE turbines in hydroelectric power plant can lead to..:

• Water leaks (loss of producibility)
• Breakage of fusible parts (connecting rods, bursting pin)
• Wear and tear of the winnowing circle guides until destruction
• Stop times too long, leaky start-ups
• Difficulties in getting groups off the ground
• A limit on maximum power

In addition, the increase in start-ups and shutdowns of generating units (to compensate for intermittent energy) is putting more and more strain on the units and increasing the risk of damage.

It is important to limit the force on the control, which is oversized to allow the dstributor to close even if there are obstacles between the guides. If the force is not limited, there is a risk of premature wear of the guides, or even breakage.

?The below image is before adjustment and shows an unbalanced efforts, insufficient effort on the AM arm & too much effort on the front arm

HBK monitor the forces and make adjusted in accordance with the theoretical forces, using the instrumentation set up to verify correct application. The adjustments are made reducing the maintenance work on wear parts/guides and fusible components.