Abstract
This paper demonstrates the procedure of blade adjustment in a Kaplan-type water turbine, based on calculations of the flow system. The geometrical adjustment of a twisted blade with varying chord length is described in the study. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was used to characterise aerofoil and turbine performance. Furthermore, two turbines, with a different number of blades, were designed, manufactured, and tested experimentally. The numerical model results were then compared with the experimental data. The studies were carried out with different rotational velocities and different stator blade incidence angles. The paper shows a comparison of the turbine efficiencies that were assessed, using numerical and experimental methods, of a flow system with four- and five-bladed rotors. The numerical model results matched up well with those of the experimental study. The efficiency of the proposed turbines reached up to 72% and 84% for four-bladed and five-bladed designs, respectively. These efficiencies, when considered with the turbine’s simplicity, low production and maintenance costs, as well as their potential for harvesting energy from low energy flows, mean that Kaplan turbines provide a promising technology for processing renewable energy.
Highlights
Small water turbines are a promising solution to increasing the flexibility of the power system so that it can deal with periods of lower demand
This is because small turbine units work with small water flows and can be turned on at any time to meet the power demand caused by the change of energy production, which may be caused by weather-condition-dependent units
This paper presents the experimental and numerical study of a small Kaplan turbine
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Small water turbines are a promising solution to increasing the flexibility of the power system so that it can deal with periods of lower demand This is because small turbine units work with small water flows and can be turned on at any time to meet the power demand caused by the change of energy production, which may be caused by weather-condition-dependent units. As in the case of other renewable energy sources, their effectiveness is going to depend on the scale of water stream utilisation This reasoning prompted the authors to investigate small water turbine design, to present the procedure of blade formation of water turbines for small power units. The lift and drag coefficients are non-dimensional values that relate the lift and drag forces to the blade size and flow conditions around it These coefficients are described as follows: Energies 2021, 14, 2604.
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