ABSTRACT
Unfortunately, the power-efficiency curve for the fixed-blade pro peller turbine is very peaked (see Fig. 10.23, p. 287), indicating a poor performance at part load. Victor Kaplan, a professor in Czechoslovakia, overcame the problem in the early 1920’s by developing a turbine in which the pitch of the propeller blades was automatically adjusted by the governor to suit the particular load, the actuating mechanism being accommodated in the boss and the hollow bore of the vertical shaft. Although the Kaplan design is much more costly, the improvement to part-load performance is such that the fixed propeller unit is now only installed at sites where the head and load are constant.
