Pelton turbine also called a free-jet turbine or Pelton wheel, a type of
impulse turbine, named after L. A. Pelton who invented it in 1880. Water
passes through nozzles and strikes spoon-shaped buckets or cups arranged
on the periphery of a runner, which causes the runner to rotate, producing
mechanical energy. The runner is fixed on a shaft, and the rotational motion
of the turbine is transmitted by the shaft to a generator.
The impulse type turbines are the best election for high head and small discharge hydraulic power resources. They have compact structure, small size, high efficiency and need fewer investments.They have been divided into Turgo and Pelton type.