Pelton turbine: Identifying the optimum number of buckets using CFD

A numerical case study on identifying the optimum number of buckets for a Pelton turbine is presented. Three parameters: number of buckets, bucket radial position and bucket angular position are grouped since they are found to be interrelated. By identifying the best combination of the radial and angular position for each number of buckets it is shown that reduction in the number of buckets beyond the limit suggested by the available literature can improve the efficiency and be beneficial with regard to the manufacturing complexity and cost perspective. The effect of this reduction in the number of buckets was confirmed experimentally.