Recently more start-stops per day of the pump-turbine units are required by the power grid for load regulation. During the turbine start-up and shut-down transient processes, the flow and pressure of the prototype pump-turbine change dramatically at different guide vane opening angles. The extremely unsteady pressure fluctuation in the flow passages can induce large deformation, stress concentration, and strong vibration of the pump-turbine runner. Therefore, it is significantly important to study the unsteady flow characteristics and the corresponding flow-Induced vibration of the runner during turbine start-up and shut-down transient process. In this investigation, a 3D model of the pump-turbine unit including the flow passages of the spiral casing, stay vane, guide vane, runner, and draft tube, crown chamber, band chamber, labyrinth seals, and balance pipes are constructed. The flow characteristics of the unit during the turbine start-up and shut-down process were analysed by coupling the 1D pipeline calculation and 3D turbine flow domain calculation. By mapping the pressure distribution of the fluid domain to the runner structure domain, the flow-induced dynamic behavior of the pump-turbine runner is performed, and the large deformation and stress concentration of the runner are investigated in detail. The flow-induced vibration results achieved are able to provide meaningful suggestions for safe operation and for improving the pump-turbine runner design.

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