Alstom Renewable Technologies

Ge Renewable Technologies

Jean-Francois Bertea

Claude Beral

Yves Bouvet

Jacques Bremond

Gerard Vuillerod

Serge Troilo

A hydraulic machine including an impeller which rotates with respect to a fixed structure and about an axis of rotation by a forced flow of water passing through it and at least one device for limiting water leaks is positioned between the impeller and the fixed structure so as to define an operating clearance between the impeller and the fixed structure and including at least one member that can be deformed or moved, while the impeller is rotating and being fed with water, in a redial direction with respect to the axis of rotation of the impeller.

Hydraulic machine, an energy conversion installation including such a machine, and a method of adjusting such a machine

This hydraulic machine comprises a wheel supported by a shaft (), the wheel and the shaft being able to rotate about a vertical axis (X) while a radial hydrostatic or hydrodynamic bearing () is formed between, on the one hand, a radial peripheral surface () of the shaft and, on the other hand, an internal radial surface () of a member () that is fixed relative to the vertical axis. The bearing () extends between two edges () which, in normal operation, constitute regions for the removal of a film of water formed in the bearing. At least one cavity () is created in the fixed member () and opens onto its internal radial surface () near a first edge () of the bearing. The machine comprises means () for placing the cavity () in fluidic communication with a volume (V) situated outside the bearing near the second edge () of the bearing (). That allows some (E) of the film of water from the bearing () to be removed towards the second edge () if the bearing becomes obstructed near the first edge ().

Hydraulic machine, and an energy conversion installation including such a machine

The invention relates to a Pelton turbine that comprises a plurality of sub-assemblies arranged about the rotation axis of the wheel and each including a bucket () and an anchoring leg (). At least one blocking pin () is provided in a direction (X) parallel to the rotation axis (X) of the wheel between two adjacent anchoring legs (), wherein said pin is inserted into two housings () respectively formed in the two anchoring legs (). According to the method of the invention, the blocking pin () is placed by inserting the same into the two housings () of two adjacent anchoring legs (). The pins are placed into the housings with a clearance, thereby allowing the relative sliding of the anchoring legs (') before blocking them with the pins ().

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Saint Jean de Muzols, France

Jean-Francois Bertea