Analysis of self-oscillation stability of a pump-turbine in the S-shaped regions of characteristic curves

Abstract The hydraulic oscillation of pumped-storage power station (PSPS) affects the safe and stable operation of the power station. The S-shaped characteristic curves of pump-turbine may sometimes result in instability in speed-no-load operation. To investigate the instability mechanisms and identify the main factors that affect stability, this paper used the overall matrix method to establish a self-excited oscillation calculation model of a PSPS and analyzed the stability characteristics and influencing factors of the S-shaped regions of the speed-no-load opening. The results show that when the slope of the characteristic curve is negative, the natural frequency attenuation factors of the system are negative, demonstrating stability. When the slope of the characteristic curve is positive, the system remains stable if the slope is large. However, if the slope of the characteristic curve is below a certain value, which may lead to instability. Increasing the inlet valve resistance and appropriately changing the valve layout position can enhance the stability of the system. The damping surge chamber fluctuations have no impact on system stability. The study also found that the stability regions of the S-shaped regions are related to the slope of the characteristic curve, the unit operating discharge, and the value resistance coefficient.