A bulb turbine, also called a tubular turbine, is a hydropower turbine built directly into the water delivery tube of a low head hydroelectric installation, with a large streamlined bulb centered in the pipe that houses the generator, the wicket gate and the runner together in one axial assembly. Its fully axial design sets it apart from a conventional Kaplan turbine, which instead uses a radial wicket gate arrangement around the runner. Because the whole unit sits inline within the water passage, a bulb turbine is well suited to low head sites such as run of river plants and tidal barrages, where water flows through in a straight line rather than being redirected.
Facts
Partially Attested
Invented YearYear the Rance Tidal Power Station in France opened, the earliest large-scale bulb turbine installation documented; the bulb turbine design itself may predate this specific project. Technology TypeHorizontal-shaft Kaplan-type hydro turbine with the generator sealed in a streamlined watertight bulb casing set directly in the water passage 1 Classification
MaturityTRL 9: Actual System Proven in Operational Environment 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Rance Tidal Power Station
WikipediaLead section
Opened in 1966 as the world's first tidal power station
Turbines section
The turbines are "bulb" Kaplan turbines, of nominal power 10 MW
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