Advanced high‐precision methodology for assessing sediment erosion in Pelton turbine buckets

Abstract Developing highly accurate sediment erosion testing methods for Pelton turbine overflow components is challenging due to their irregularly curved surfaces. In this study, we designed a method to evaluate the sediment erosion of the Pelton turbine bucket using test blocks with an accuracy of 0.0001 g. In addition, we conducted sediment erosion tests on a model Pelton turbine and conducted an in‐depth study on the installation design of the turbine runner and bucket, the design of the erosion test blocks, and the arrangement; we analyzed sediment abrasion distribution on the bucket's working surface. Our test results show that the bucket splitter edge, as well as the root of the working surface, are heavily worn. The maximum erosion rate of the working face is 0.7669 μm/h, and the maximum erosion rate of the splitter edge is close to 5 μm/h, which is highly consistent with the distribution of sediment erosion observed in Pelton turbines operating under sandy river conditions. This test method is essential for examining sediment erosion in Pelton turbines.