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Coupled 1D-3D CFD Analysis of Full-Load Instability in a Prototype Francis Turbine

Author(s): Nathan Veuthey; Bjoern Huebner; Roland Jester-Zuerker; Elena Vagnoni

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Keywords: No Keywords

Abstract: Coupled 1D-3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) co-simulation is an emerging technique that enables the integration of upstream or downstream components into CFD domains with minimal computational cost by using 1D modeling. Dynamic data exchange at the 1D-3D interface enables time-varying boundary conditions, essential for resolving complex hydraulic phenomena. This work presents 1D-3D CFD co-simulations of full-load instability in a prototype Francis turbine, coupling ANSYS CFX and SIMSEN through the Functional Mock-Up Interface (FMI) protocol. The results, validated against prototype measurements, confirm the ability of the co-simulation to capture the upstream propagation of vortex rope fluctuations and highlight the need to model compressibility to maintain numerical stability. The findings demonstrate the potential of 1D-3D CFD co-simulation to improve the accuracy of numerical studies in complex industrial applications, while also identifying key limitations.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1561/1/012043

Year: 2025

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