Click image to view full size image
Horizontal Francis turbine of horizontal water inlet direction can lower the depth of powerhouse excavation for less hydraulic construction,thus to cut the costs.
Francis turbine has advantages of compact structure, reliable operation, high efficiency, which is one of the hydro turbines widely used around the world.
Francis turbine has a wide application ranges in hydropower projects,which is suitable for all kinds of large, medium and low water head. Its character is that the water inflows along the radium direction and then outflows along the axial direction when water flows across the blades of the runner.
Francis turbines manufactured by Boland can be used in water head from 15m to 250m, the diameter of the runner is from 0.35m to 4.5m, and the installed capacity of a single unit is from 50KW to 50MW roughly.
Apart from electricity generation, they are also availabe for pumped storage, where a reservoir is filled by the turbine (acting as a pump) driven by the generator acting as a large electrical motor during periods of low power demand, then reversed and used to generate power during peak demand. These pump storage reservoirs act as large energy storage sources to store "excess" electrical energy in the form of water in elevated reservoirs. This is one of a few methods that allow temporary excess electrical capacity to be stored for later utilization.
Models:
http://www.boland-hydropower.com/