This paper is to make a better understanding of the flow instabilities and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) features in a largescale Francis hydroturbine model. The flow instability with aspect of pressure oscillation and pressure-velocity correlation was investigated using large eddy simulation (LES) method along with two-phase cavitation model. The numerical simulation procedures were validated by the existing experimental result, and further the TKE evolution was analyzed in a curvilinear coordinates. By monitoring the fluctuating pressure and velocities in the vanes' wake region, the local pressure and velocity variations were proven to have a phase difference approaching /2, with a reasonable cross-correlation coefficient. Also the simultaneous evolution of pressure fluctuations at the opposite locations possessed a clear phase difference of , indicating the stresses variations on the runner induced by pressure oscillation were in an odd number of nodal diameter. Considering the TKE generation, the streamwise velocity component ⟨ 2 ⟩ contributed the most to the TKE, and thus the normal stress production term and shear stress production term imparted more instability to the flow than other production terms.