Explain the construction and working of Pelton wheel.
Answers
Pelton Turbine is a Tangential flow impulse turbine in which the pressure energy of water is converted into kinetic energy to form high speed water jet and this jet strikes the wheel tangentially to make it rotate. It is also called as Pelton Wheel.
The working of Pelton turbine is as follows:
•The water is transferred from the high head source through a long conduit called Penstock.
•Nozzle arrangement at the end of penstock helps the water to accelerate and it flows out as a high speed jet with high velocity and discharge at atmospheric pressure.
•The jet will hit the splitter of the buckets which will distribute the jet into two halves of bucket and the wheel starts revolving.
•The kinetic energy of the jet is reduced when it hits the bucket and also due to spherical shape of buckets the directed jet will change its direction and takes U-turn and falls into tail race.