Analysis and design optimization of turbines (ADOpT)

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This research project, in partnership with Andritz Hydro Ltd., aims to develop state of the art computational approaches for the Analysis and Design Optimization of hydraulic Turbines (the ADOpT project), through advancements in simulation and optimization methodologies. The proposed work is divided into two major poles, one that focuses on optimal shape design and the other on steady and unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. These two principal research themes are supported by a third, complementary theme, on hybrid mesh generation and adaptation. The project will mobilize a team comprising several graduate students and research professionals, working on projects all directly related to the prediction and improvement of hydraulic turbine behavior over a wide range of operating conditions. Close interaction between researchers, students and engineers from Andritz will allow validating simulations through laboratory experiments, and design methodologies through case studies, carried out jointly by Andritz and Polytechnique. As part of the ADOpT project, design and analysis aspects of the distributor, the runner and the draft-tube, the three major parts of a hydraulic turbine, will be addressed. Specific research themes include the development of design space exploration methods, the inclusion of high-fidelity Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations in a multi-fidelity shape optimization framework, and the validation of unsteady RANS simulations for various off-design operating conditions such as part-load condition, load-rejection and machine start-up. Concrete results expected from this project include the development of advanced numerical methods both for analysis and for design, their inclusion into open-source software such as OpenFOAM for CFD and Nomad for optimization, and their transfer and integration in Andritz' design tools.