Our Products - Kaplan Turbines
Pictured Above: Installation of 225KW Kaplan Invergarry Dam Compensation Set
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The Kaplan turbine was developed by Austrian engineer Viktor Kaplan around 1915. Kaplans are generally considered for low head high flow applications.
The Kaplan is an inward radial flow type reaction turbine similar to a Francis turbine. The turbine is usually placed in a spiral volute. Like a Francis turbine the Kaplan has a series of adjustable wicket gates. However the turbine runner (looking somewhat like a ship’s propeller) has adjustable blades. By changing the angle of the blades in tandem with the angle of the turbines the Kaplan can maintain a high efficiency even at very low flows.
Reaction Turbines like the Kaplan have a change in water pressure as the water passes through the turbine. There is pressure on the upstream side of the turbine runner and suction on the downstream side. On the downstream or outlet side of the turbine is the drafttube which slows the water as it exits the turbine. The draftube has a unique curved horn like shape.
Because Kaplans have a very flat flow to efficiency curve they are particularly suited to sites on rivers where the amount of available water varies greatly.