Abstract
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 change the characteristic curve of the PRS according to the flow delivered by the water manager or to the pressure set-point assigned downstream or upstream of the system, maintaining good efficiency values in hydropower production.
Highlights
Many cities continue to use fossil fuels as their main energy source, the use of renewable energy sources [1] is becoming a key political solution to mitigate climate changes occurring in the world
Turbine design has to satisfy three conditions assigned at the Best Efficiency Point (BEP) among the runner diameter D, the rotational velocity ω, the flow rate Q and the net head ∆H occurring between the inlet and the outlet pipes
We investigated the design and management of a Power Recovery System (PRS) turbine inline of an oversized water transport network, subject to continuous flow rate regulations due to the changing demand of water users
Summary
Many cities continue to use fossil fuels as their main energy source, the use of renewable energy sources [1] is becoming a key political solution to mitigate climate changes occurring in the world. The main drawback of PATs is given by the need to dissipate part of the available energy when the flow rate or head jump values required by the water manager are different from the design ones, due to the absence of any hydraulic system to control the characteristic curve [18]. In order to maintain hydraulic control of the network, PATs [19,20] and crossflows [21] are often coupled with electronic systems for regulation of runner rotation velocity or with installation of PRV valves in series or parallel with the PAT [22] This type of solution to produce energy from hydro sources is applied for the recharge of electric vehicles in urban areas [23]. The design and installation of a 55 kW PRS turbine in a Sicilian aqueduct, and the start-up tests subject to flow rate and pressure variations, are described and analyzed for the first time
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