Search results for "Micro-hydropower"

Numerical analysis of a new cross-flow type hydraulic turbine for high head and low flow rate

2021

Cross-flow turbines have recently been proposed for energy recovery in aqueducts when the outlet pressure is greater than zero, owing to their constructive simplicity and good efficiency within a large range of flow rates and head drops. In the case of high head drop (higher than 150 m) and relatively small discharge (lower than 0.2 m3/s), the traditional design of these turbines leads to very small widths of the nozzle and the runner; as a consequence, friction losses grow dramatically and efficiency drops down to very low values. Standard Pelton turbines require zero outlet pressure and cannot be used as alternatives. A new counter-pressure hydraulic turbine for high head and low flow rat…

Impeller optimization in crossflow hydraulic turbines

2021

Crossflow turbines represent a valuable choice for energy recovery in aqueducts, due to their constructive simplicity and good efficiency under variable head jump conditions. Several experimental and numerical studies concerning the optimal design of crossflow hydraulic turbines have already been proposed, but all of them assume that structural safety is fully compatible with the sought after geometry. We show first, with reference to a specific study case, that the geometry of the most efficient impeller would lead shortly, using blades with a traditional circular profile made with standard material, to their mechanical failure. A methodology for fully coupled fluid dynamic and mechanical …

RECUPERO ENERGETICO ALL’INTERNO DELLE RETI ACQUEDOTTISTICHE MEDIANTE MICROTURBINE IDRAULICHE

2022

Coupled Electric and Hydraulic Control of a PRS Turbine in a Real Transport Water Network

2019

Although many devices have recently been proposed for pressure regulation and energy harvesting in water distribution and transport networks, very few applications are still documented in the scientific literature. A new in-line Banki turbine with positive outflow pressure and a mobile regulating flap, named Power Recovery System (PRS), was installed and tested in a real water transport network for the regulation of pressure and flow rate. The PRS turbine was directly connected to a 55 kW asynchronous generator with variable rotational velocity, and coupled to an inverter. The start-up tests showed how automatic adjustment of the flap position and the runner velocity variation are able to c…