What is BS EN IEC 62364 - Hydraulic machines about?
BS EN IEC 62364 is a series on hydraulic machines. Hydraulic machines use liquid fluid power to perform work. BS EN IEC 62364 gives guidelines for:
- Presenting data on hydro-abrasive erosion rates on several combinations of water quality, operating conditions, component materials, and component properties collected from a variety of hydro sites
- Developing guidelines for the methods of minimizing hydro-abrasive erosion by modifications to hydraulic design for clean water. These guidelines do not include details such as hydraulic profile shapes which are determined by the hydraulic design experts for a given site
- Developing guidelines based on “experience data” concerning the relative resistance of materials faced with hydro-abrasive erosion problems
- Developing guidelines concerning the maintainability of materials with high resistance to hydro-abrasive erosion and hard coatings
- Developing guidelines on a recommended approach, which owners could and should take to ensure that specifications communicate the need for particular attention to this aspect of hydraulic design at their sites without establishing criteria which cannot be satisfied because the means are beyond the control of the manufacturers
- Developing guidelines concerning operation mode of the hydro turbines in water with particle materials to increase the operation life
BS EN IEC 62364 focuses mainly on hydroelectric powerplant equipment. Certain portions can Also, be applicable to other hydraulic machines.
Note 1: It is assumed in BS EN IEC 62364 that the water is not chemically aggressive. Since chemical aggressiveness is dependent upon so many possible chemical compositions, and the materials of the machine, it is beyond the scope of BS EN IEC 62364 to address these issues.
Note 2: It is assumed in BS EN IEC 62364 that cavitation is not present in the turbine. Cavitation and hydro-abrasive erosion can reinforce each other so that the resulting erosion is larger than the sum of cavitation erosion plus hydro-abrasive erosion. The quantitative relationship of the resulting hydro-abrasive erosion is not known, and it is beyond the scope of BS EN IEC 62364 to assess it, except to suggest that special efforts be made in the turbine design phase to minimize cavitation.
Note 3: Large solids (e.g., stones, wood, ice, metal objects, etc.) travelling with the water can impact turbine components and produce damage. This damage can in turn increase the flow turbulence thereby accelerating wear by both cavitation and hydro-abrasive erosion. Hydro-abrasive erosion-resistant coatings can also be damaged locally by the impact of large solids. It is beyond the scope of BS EN IEC 62364 to address these issues.
Who is BS EN IEC 62364 - Hydraulic machines for?
BS EN IEC 62364 on the hydraulic machine is useful for:
- Hydraulic machine manufacturers
- Plant engineers
- Industries with hydraulic machines
Why should you use BS EN IEC 62364 - Hydraulic machines?
The number of hydropower plants with hydro-abrasive erosion is increasing worldwide. An overall approach is needed to minimize the impact of this phenomenon. Already at the start of the planning phase, an evaluation should be done to quantify the hydro-abrasive erosion and the impact on the operation. For this, the influencing parameters and their impact on hydro-abrasive erosion have to be known. The necessary information for the evaluation comprises among others the future design, the particle parameters of the water, which will pass the turbine, the reservoir sedimentation, and the power plant owner’s framework for the future operation like availability or maximum allowable efficiency loss before an overhaul needs to be done. Based on this evaluation of the hydro-abrasive erosion, an optimised solution can then be found, by analysing all measures in relation to investments, energy production and maintenance costs as decision parameters. Often a more hydro-abrasive erosion-resistant design, instead of choosing the turbine design with the highest efficiency, will lead to the highest revenue. This analysis is best performed with the help of BS EN IEC 62364 by the overall plant designer. BS EN IEC 62364 guidelines explain some recommended methods to minimize hydro-abrasive erosion and the effects thereof, by modifying the design for clean water.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN IEC 62364:2019 supersedes BS EN 62364:2013. BS EN IEC 62364:2019 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN 62364:2013. These include:
- The formula for TBO in the Pelton reference model has been modified
- The formula for calculating sampling interval has been modified
- The chapter in hydro-abrasive erosion-resistant coatings has been substantially modified
- The annexe with test data for hydro-abrasive erosion-resistant materials has been removed
- A simplified hydro-abrasive erosion evaluation has been added

