DESIGN OF A REVERSIBLE HYDRAULIC MACHINE USING ANSYS AND FLOW STUDIES IN THE PUMPING MODE

The global energy sector is experiencing a transition to energy efficiency, energy security, and low-carbon energy with a focus on renewable sources and a reduction in conventional capacities. In Ukraine, the key task by 2035 is to develop hydraulic machines for pumped storage power plants (PSPP) with heads of up to 500 m, particularly for the Zakarpattia PSPP with a capacity of 230 MW in pumping mode. The current approach to designing flow parts is based on numerical studies that analyze the impact of geometric and operating parameters on efficiency. CAD makes it possible to design and subsequently accurately model the parameters, optimizing the blade geometry for better performance and minimizing losses, which was done in this work using Ansys tools: Ansys Vista CPD, Ansys BladeGen, and Ansys TurboGrid. Based on the numerical modeling of the flow in the flowing part of the reversible hydraulic machine in the pumping mode, the hydrodynamic characteristics of the flow (distributions of pressures, velocities, and other parameters) were obtained. The flow consisted of an impeller using a sectoral modeling approach, a volute, and an inlet channel. The efficiency of the designed hydraulic machine in the pumping mode was 96%, which corresponds to the best world standards and demonstrates the ability of CAD tools to create high-quality hydraulic machines. Flow modeling and analysis results showed a uniform increase in static and total pressure as the fluid moves along the blade. The absence of pressure peaks or dips from the front to the back edge of the blade indicates that no critical points require further optimization or research. However, fluid separation closer to the leading edge is observed, and the separation zone near the casing has a larger area. The meridional velocity increases at the leading edge, which will be optimized in future studies to equalize and reduce its gradient.