3-D-computation of incompressible internal flows

The 1989 GAMM Workshop focused on simulating a realistic incompressible flow field for an important industrial application. Given the complexities of formulating a suitable test case, careful selection was essential, particularly in ensuring the availability of an experimental data base. Professor I. L. Ryhming proposed using the flow through a Francis turbine configuration, highlighting its numerical challenges and the potential for experimental data from the Hydraulic Machines and Fluid Mechanics Institute (IMHEF) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). This proposal was accepted by the GAMM Committee in April 1987. A scientific committee, chaired by Professor Ryhming, convened to finalize the Francis turbine configuration and test case specifications, incorporating insights from water turbine experts. The committee focused on three typical applications for the turbine's optimal operating point: simulation of the 3D flow in a rotating Francis runner, simulation of the 3D flow in the distributor (stay and guide vane rings), and simulation of the 3D flow in an elbow draft tube. The committee encouraged the simultaneous computation of two or three of these geometries.