Multi-stage hydraulic machine and a method of operating same
AssigneeTokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorKentaro Ichikawa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multi-stage hydraulic machine which includes a plurality of runner housings or chambers each having a runner positioned therein, a head cover and an intermediate speed ring, movable guide vanes at an outside portion of the runner housing or chamber of the highest pressure stage, each of the runners having a runner crown with an exhaust hole bored through it, each of the runner housings or chambers having an exhaust chamber formed at the exit portion of the exhaust hole and a device for sealing water at the radially outside portion of the exhaust chamber, and a plurality of exhaust paths provided in each of the exhaust chambers to the exterior of the machine respectively. Additionally, a method for operating the machine is disclosed.
Claims4
A method for operating a multi-stage hydraulic machine including;
- a plurality of runners;
- a plurality of runner housings for housing each of said plurality of runners, respectively;
- each of said runner housings being connected to a runner housing of the next stage thereof through a return path;
- and
- movable guide vanes positioned outside of said runner housing of a highest pressure stage, comprising the steps of:
- completely closing said guide vanes;
- feeding air into each of said runner housings until the water level is lowered by such an amount that a runner of a lowest pressure stage is out of contact with the water;
- starting rotation of said runners in air;
- exhausting the air in said runner housing of the highest pressure stage so as to introduce water into said runner housing of the highest pressure stage through said return path;
- detecting the volume of the air remaining in said runner housing of the highest pressure stage;
- and
- exhausting the air in each of the remaining runner housings when the detected volume of the air remaining reaches predetermined value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.