Characteristics Analysis of Archimedes Screw Turbine Micro Hydro Power Plants with Variations in Water Discharge

Abstract

Electrical energy has a very important role in human life, but the electricity supply still does not fully meet the needs of the community. Many potential energy resources can be converted into electrical energy. One of the potential energy resources is the flow of water that can be used for micro-hydropower plants for remote areas. This paper presents the results of research on micro-hydro power plants using Archimedes screw turbines. This power generation system has several advantages, namely low maintenance costs, does not damage the water ecosystem, does not require extensive land. The purpose of this research is to study the characteristics of the Archimedes micro-hydro power plant on variations in water discharge. These characteristics include mechanical characteristics such as the maximum torque and rpm and electrical characteristics such as voltage, current and electric power. The determination of characteristics is carried out on the prototype of the micro hydropower plant Archimedes screw turbine with the specifications of the turbine screw having 2 blades, the turbine elevation angle of 30°, 2.5: 1 gearbox ratio using four variations of water discharge, namely 1.18 l/s, 2.33 l/s, 2.55 l/s, and 2.64 l/s. The determination results of the micro hydropower plant Archimedes screw turbine characteristics show that an increase in water flow will cause an increase in mechanical characteristics such as large torque and rpm and electrical characteristics such as voltage, current and electric power. However, the increase in the magnitude of these characteristics is not directly proportional to the increase in water discharge.