Novel Runner Configuration of a Gravitational Water Vortex Power Plant for Micro Hydropower Generation
Novel Runner Configuration of a Gravitational Water Vortex Power Plant for Micro Hydropower Generation
Aamer Sharif1,*, Muftooh Ur Rehman Siddiqi1 and Riaz Muhammad2
ABSTRACT
The demand for renewable energy is increasing in developing countries. In developing countries like Pakistan renewable energy such as micro hydropower has come to be one of the most dominant sources of energy for its low cost, user- friendly, reliable and clean generation of electricity. Gravitational water vortex power plant is certainly one of such low head hydro turbines in which the potential energy of free surface flowing water is converted into kinetic energy through vortex turbine that tangentially passing the water into the basin, which forms a powerful water vortex. This study is the experimental analysis of novel runner which has the ability to maximize output power and efficiency. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) is carried out on novel runner and ANSYS (CFX) was used to numerically analyze the water flow over the channel and formed water vortex in a conical basin. The experimental analysis was absorbed by measuring the rotational speed (rpm), torque, output power and efficiency of the vortex turbine. The result showed that efficiency (52.54%) is maximum at median rotational speed and median torque applied on shaft. Also water vortex height and output power decreased as torque increased on turbine shaft.
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June 2020
Vol. 39, Iss. 1, pp. 01-126
