Design and Development of Vertical-Axis Hydrokinetic Turbine for Sustainable Energy

Design and Development of Vertical Axis Hydrokinetic Turbine

Objective

• Design and development of a vertical-axis hydrokinetic turbine with the following desirable features: improved efficiency, reduced torque ripple, reduced problem of starting torque, Includes the design of drive train from the turbine to the generator, identification of suitable electrical generator, and development of suitable power electronics.

Description

• Methodology planned to achieve the objectives stated above can be summarised as: 1. Analysis of design and performance data of existing literature, 2. Numerical simulation of flow-behaviour of an existing turbine and comparison of numerical prediction with experimentally obtained performance parameters, 3. Parametric study of the effect of varying turbine geometry on the stated objectives, 4. Fabrication of turbine design found most suitable from the numerical simulations. Size and power rating will be chosen keeping in mind laboratory restrictions, 5. Testing of the fabricated turbine, 6. Identification of generator: Identify a suitable generator for these low power applications, 7. Three-phase permanent magnet AC generator would be used, 8. A suitable power electronic system comprising of AC/DC conversion will be developed to address concerns of varying rotational speed and torque with incoming flow speed, 9. Assembly of the test set up

Impact

• In contrast to conventional hydroelectric plants, where an artificial head is created using dams, hydrokinetic turbines are constructed without significantly altering the natural pathway of the water stream. Thus this technology causes very less disturbance to ecology and human settlement in comparison to the conventional hydropower generation.