Design and Experimentation of a Hydrokinetic Turbine for Electricity Generation in Closed Pipes

Abstract

In the present research work, a device for electrical energy generation to be used in water pipelines has been designed, simulated, and tested. To achieve this, a study of the most influential parameters involved in the experiment has been carried out and both, the turbine model and the geometry of the experimental test pipe, have been selected through CFD simulations. Next, the Design of Experiments (DOE) has been used to obtain the configuration with a higher energy extraction from running water. Finally, the turbine and the test pipe section have been manufactured by 3D printing and the experimental tests have been carried out with the optimal configuration to validate the results obtained in the CFD simulations. To simulate the exchange of energy between the water and the turbine, the CFD software SIMULIA XFlow has been used.