Electronic Simulation of a Hydro-turbine with its Penstock, Speed Regulator and Damping Unit

The conception of an electronic-analog real-time hydro-turbine simulator is presented as a companion paper to the hydro-generator simulator previously published. Penstock, speed regulator and damping unit are accounted for. The system can 1) simulate any Pelton, Francis, Kaplan, or Propeller type of hydraulic turbine; 2) take care of the nonlinear relationships between power, water flow, speed, water head, and gate position from half nominal speed to load shedding speed. Four of these systems are in use with the high voltage direct current (HVDC) simulator and the transient network analyzer (TNA) at the Institut de Recherche de l´Hydro-Québec (IREQ). Simulation of the Manicouagan hydroturbine validates the approach in either transient or permanent operation.