Machine for high heads
An impulse turbine for heads of 50–1 000 m. Instead of pressure acting on submerged blades, needle-controlled jets strike bucket-shaped cups. Suited to sites with a large drop and a small flow.

- Head
- 50 – 1 000 m
- Flow
- 0.1 – 10 m³/s
- Output
- up to 30 MW
- Runner
- Ø 500 – 2 500 mm
How it works
How it works
At a head of 1 000 m water leaves the nozzle at about 140 m/s — close to 500 km/h. The double-cup buckets split each jet in two and turn it back almost 180°, transferring nearly all of its kinetic energy to the runner.
Configurations
Configurations
Horizontal machines carry up to three jets, vertical machines up to six, for the highest output at a given head.

Pelton Horizontal
- Head
- 50 – 1 000 m
- Flow
- 0.1 – 6 m³/s
- Output
- up to 30 MW
- Jets
- 1 – 3
- Drive
- Direct

Pelton Vertical
- Head
- 50 – 1 000 m
- Flow
- up to 10 m³/s
- Output
- up to 30 MW
- Jets
- 3 – 6
- Drive
- Direct
Applications
Applications
- High mountain penstocks
- Glacier- and snow-fed streams
- Drinking-water pressure recovery
- Sites with strongly seasonal flow
Key facts
Key facts
- Heads up to 1 000 m — jet speed close to 500 km/h
- 1–6 jets, each with its own spear valve
- The runner turns in air: no cavitation on the buckets
- Reference: 11.3 MW at 165 m head in Canada
Upper Clowhom HPP
Canada
1 × Pelton Vertical
Armamar HPP
Portugal
1 × Pelton Horizontal
Other machines
Send your head and flow figures. We will confirm the type, size the unit and prepare a budgetary proposal.
Request a proposal