Control apparatus and method of operating the same

A control apparatus for a hydraulic turbine comprising:

• wicket gates control means for controlling the opening degree of wicket gates of said hydraulic turbine,
• bypass control means,
• first signal transmitting means for detecting the opening degree of said wicket gates and transmitting the corresponding signal to said bypass control means,
• second signal transmitting means for detecting position of a pressure distributor valve plunger for said wicket gates and transmitting the corresponding signal to said bypass control means,
• said bypass control means being operable to control an amount of bypass flow in response to said signals transmitted from said first and second signal transmitting means, and
• reset means for automatically resetting said signal from said second signal transmitting means when it is detected that said wicket gates control means is operated to hold said wicket gates at a predetermined opening degree.

A control apparatus in combination with a rotary kinetic fluid machine having a rotary drive shaft, a plurality of blades mounted peripherally around and on said drive shaft, a working fluid inlet leading to said blades, and a working fluid outlet leading from said blades:

• a primary control unit including valve means for changing the working fluid flow through said machine, and being capable of taking variable operative positions, and a secondary control unit including bypass valve means operable to control an amount of bypass flow of working fluid around said primary control unit valve means in response to the opening and closing operative positions of said primary control unit valve means;
• first signal transmitting means for detecting the operative position of said primary control unit and transmitting the corresponding positional signal to said secondary control unit,
• said primary control unit including a power amplification servo-motor at the final stage thereof,
• second signal transmitting means for detecting the changing rate with respect to time of the operative position of said primary control unit and transmitting the corresponding differential signal to said secondary control unit,
• said second signal transmitting means not detecting exact operative position of said final stage servo-motor but detecting motion of its command signal yielding or generating unit upstream of said servo-motor, and
• means for modifying said differential signal when it is detected that the motion of said servo-motor of said primary control unit is mechanicaly or hydraulically restricted.