NV Dynamics was hired by Brindavan Hydropower Private Ltd. to assess noise and vibration on 3 units of Kaplan Turbines, capable of generating 24MW of power. The assessment of noise and vibration was carried out to ensure operational efficiency, good health and condition of the Kaplan turbine.
Uniaxial vibration transducers were used for all measurements throughout the task. Vibration data was recorded by coupling the transducer to the turbine, stator and generator bearing, one at a time. Measurements were carried out separately for each Kaplan turbine unit under different loading conditions such as no-load, multiple load, and trip conditions.
To assess noise generated by the Kaplan turbine unit, a microphone was positioned near the turbine bearing and noise data was collected under various load and trip conditions. Both the vibration transducer and microphone were connected to a multichannel data acquisition system (DAQ) and configured to record data throughout the task. The noise and vibration tests were performed on three Kaplan turbine units for different loading conditions such as no load, 75% load, trip at 75% load, 100% load and trip at 100% load. The recorded vibration levels were processed, analysed and compared against ISO 20816 standard to evaluate the health and condition of the Kaplan turbines.