Cutout Types Analysis on Picohydro Pelton Turbine

Abstract

Pico hydro is a simple electricity generation technology and can be applied in remote areas that do not have access to electricity. Pico hydro systems produce power less than or equal to 5 kW. Pelton turbine is an impulse turbine frequently used in a pico hydro system. Pelton turbine has a cut-out in its buckets that prevent the water jet leak from the tip of the bucket into the next bucket. The study has been done to explain the effects of bucket geometry on energy conversion from water flow into kinetic energy. Four different types of cutouts namely ω, v, w and u were used. This study aims to find the best cutout geometry, which can convert the most water energy. The computation method is utilized to study in detail the flow of the fluid. In this study, there is two principal analysis performed, first is ANOVA blocking design for torque analysis, and the second is a qualitative analysis of the flow passing the cutout. The results indicate that the cutouts of the buckets have a significant influence on generated torque. The analysis revealed that u type cut-out buckets give the best performance among others type of buckets and are the easiest to manufacture.