Kaplan
The low-head workhorse
An axial-flow reaction turbine for heads of 1.5–35 m and flows up to 200 m³/s. Both the runner blades and the wicket gates adjust in real time — so efficiency stays high even when the river doesn't cooperate.
- Head
- 1.5 – 35 m
- Flow
- 1.2 – 200 m³/s
- Output
- 20 kW – 20 MW
- Runner
- Ø 550 – 5 500 mm
How it works
Water flows along the turbine axis, like through a ship's propeller in reverse. Double regulation — adjustable blades plus adjustable gates — is what makes the Kaplan the master of variable flows.
Configurations
Five arrangements adapt the same hydraulics to your civil works — from open-pit installations to compact S-type units.
Kaplan PIT
- Head
- 1.5 – 12 m
- Flow
- 15 – 150 m³/s
- Output
- 400 kW – 8 MW
- Runner blades
- 3 – 4
- Drive
- Belt · Parallel gearbox
Kaplan Vertical
- Head
- 1.5 – 35 m
- Flow
- 3.5 – 200 m³/s
- Output
- 70 kW – 20 MW
- Runner blades
- 4 – 6
- Drive
- Direct · Belt · Parallel gearbox
Kaplan Bulb
- Head
- 1.5 – 12 m
- Flow
- 5 – 45 m³/s
- Output
- 100 kW – 3 MW
- Runner blades
- 3 – 4
- Drive
- Direct · Belt · Bevel gearbox
Kaplan Z
- Head
- 2 – 35 m
- Flow
- 2 – 60 m³/s
- Output
- 30 kW – 20 MW
- Runner blades
- 4 – 6
- Drive
- Direct
Kaplan S
- Head
- 1.5 – 15 m
- Flow
- 1 – 14.5 m³/s
- Output
- 20 kW – 1.75 MW
- Runner blades
- 4 – 5
- Drive
- Direct · Belt
Applications
- Run-of-river plants
- Irrigation canals and weirs
- Existing dams and locks
- Modernization of old plants
Key facts
- 260+ Kaplan units installed worldwide
- Double regulation: blades + wicket gates
- Runner diameters from 550 to 5 500 mm
- The best match for Uzbekistan's canal network
Selected references
View all →Grodnenskaya HPP
Belarus
5 × Kaplan PIT
Alba HPP
Italy
2 × Kaplan PIT
Yipo HPP
South Korea
3 × Kaplan PIT
Lovosice HPP
Czech Republic
4 × Kaplan PIT
Other machines
Is this the right machine for your site?
Send us your head and flow figures — we'll confirm the type, size the unit and prepare a budgetary proposal.
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