A novel multi-excitation transient vibration framework for coupling three- and one-dimensional pumped storage hydropower shafting systems

In vibration models of shafting systems, the hydraulic excitation is difficult to characterize due to the complex and changeable hydraulic factors. Thus, hydropower units are not well understood in terms of their dynamics and stability control under transient processes. A hydraulic–mechanical–electric multi-excitation transient vibration calculation framework is developed for analyzing the relationship between shafting vibration and internal flow regimes. First, the boundary data from penstocks, tailraces, and hydro-turbine are interacted with using one-dimensional and three-dimensional (1D–3D) coupling; Second, user-defined function secondary development is applied to achieve two-stage guide vane closure and the runner's variable speed rotation; Third, based on the computational fluid dynamics results, a multi-excitation vibration model is established to analyze shafting system characteristics. There is less than 1.2% error between the algorithm and the field test in terms of speed peak values. Under braking or reverse pumping modes, various vortice clusters are generated in the blade channel as well as the cascade, blocking the flow passage and leading to the runner's unbalanced force. Three sudden increases in vibration amplitudes of the shafting system have occurred in the radial direction under load rejection, each corresponded to the runner's stall rotations. The change trend in axial vibration amplitudes, however, is closely related to the change in axial hydraulic thrust. Furthermore, in braking and reverse pumping conditions, the axis trajectory is more complex under the action of multiple coupling factors than when only hydraulic factors are considered.