Numerical Study of Tandem Installation of Twin Savonius Hydrokinetic Turbines on PLTU Paiton Cooling Water Channel

Abstract

Water energy is a renewable energy source that has enormous potential in Indonesia. In PLTU Paiton, there is a cooling water channel with a width of 15 m and a depth of 10 m with a water flow speed of 1 - 2.8 m/s. Of course, this is a source of energy that will be wasted if not utilised. This research proposes to exploit this potential energy source by installing twin Savonius hydrokinetic turbines arranged in tandem. This research uses numerical simulations to determine the optimal longitudinal distance between the twin turbines. The simulation configures two tandem turbines rotating in the same direction. The variations in this research are the distance between the two turbines. The turbine is simulated with a water flow speed of 2 m/s. The results obtained are that the greater the distance between the two tandem turbines, the better the performance of the two turbines. At the distance of T/D = 2.1, the front turbine and rear turbine influence each other, and distance of T/D = 70, the rear turbine does not affect the performance of the front turbine but the front turbine still affects the performance of the rear turbine.