Numerical and experimental investigation of optimum surge tank forms in hydroelectric power plants

In this paper, economically optimised surge tanks used for hydroelectric power plants were investigated. For this purpose, four basic surge-tank systems were numerically investigated. A 2° inclined straight V-type surge tank was found to be the most optimum configuration. Both rigid and elastic water column calculation methods were used for this study. Following this approach, an experimental model of a hydroelectric power plant with an optimised surge tank was created based on the model. This experimental model and prototype were numerically investigated. Finally, the results were compared and were found to be in agreement.