Effects of cavitation in Francis type hidrolic turbines

Possible to meet in water turbines, centrifuge pumps, ship fans, valve and elbow which are on the pipe installation and several technical area else to cavitation.A quantity decline happens in efficiency of any turbine which has been working with cavitation. However, it is not only the reason that why cavitation is important, if equipment is being exposed to cavitation?s damage, the equipment will be calcify and fragmented quickly because of the cavitation. One of the chief point is in the water turbine?s constrictions, in any working position, take measures for not being under of the cavitation?s limit of water turbines.The cavitation problem in Francis turbines is seen in many power plants in Turkey, especially at Sarıyar, Gökçekaya, Karakaya, and Keban Hydro-electric Power Plants (HEPPs). With this study intensive cavitation problem at Karakaya and Keban HEPPs on River Euphrates and Atatürk HEPP with no cavitation is investigated and the actions in order to reduce the cavitations in old power plants and to maximize the turbine efficiency are evaluated.Key words: Hydraulic turbine, cavitation, turbine efficiency, Francis turbine