Francis
The universal machine
A radial-axial reaction turbine for heads of 15–300 m — the most widely used turbine type in the world. Each Mavel runner is milled from a single block of forged steel on 5- and 6-axis CNC machines.
- Head
- 15 – 300 m
- Flow
- 0.5 – 35 m³/s
- Output
- 100 kW – 30 MW
- Runner
- Ø 400 – 2 500 mm
How it works
Water enters the runner radially from all sides and leaves it axially. In that 90-degree turn, both the pressure and the direction of the water change — and nearly all of its energy passes into the shaft.
Configurations
Two shaft arrangements: horizontal for compact powerhouses, vertical for the largest runners and flows.
Francis Horizontal
- Head
- 15 – 300 m
- Flow
- 0.5 – 20 m³/s
- Output
- 100 kW – 12 MW
- Runner diameter
- Ø 400 – 1 400 mm
- Drive
- Direct
Francis Vertical
- Head
- 15 – 300 m
- Flow
- up to 35 m³/s
- Output
- up to 30 MW
- Runner diameter
- Ø 1 000 – 2 500 mm
- Drive
- Direct
Applications
- Mountain rivers with medium heads
- Dam-toe and reservoir plants
- Cascade schemes
- Refurbishment of existing stations
Key facts
- 60+ Francis units installed in 20 years
- Runners milled from a single forging
- Invented by James Francis in 1848
- Reference: 6 units / 30 MW cascade in Panama
Selected references
View all →Piedra River Cascade
Panama
6 × Francis Horizontal
Bugoye HPP
Uganda
2 × Francis Horizontal
Rio HPP
USA
1 × Francis Horizontal
Fujiyoshida HPP
Japan
1 × Francis Horizontal
Other machines
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