Hydraulic Performance Assessment of a Low-Head Cross-Flow Turbine for Pico-Hydropower Applications: An Integrated Analysis of Flow Rate, Torque, Shaft Power, and Turbine Efficiency
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56904/imejour.v2i2.206Keywords:
Fluid machinery, Cross-flow turbine, Pico-hydropower, Hydraulic power, Turbine efficiency, Renewable energyAbstract
Pico‑hydropower is a viable solution to produce electricity using small amounts of water from a water source, thereby reducing the need for significant infrastructure in rural and remote settings. The cross-flow turbine is well suited and has simple construction and stable operation for low head, variable flow conditions, among the available turbine types. An integrated hydraulic performance evaluation of the low head cross flow type turbine for pico-hydro application is presented here, where the relationship among water head, flow rate, hydraulic power, runner speed, torque, shaft power and turbine efficiency have been examined. The framework translates basic equations of flow rate, hydraulic power, angular velocity, shaft power, tip-speed ratio and hydraulic efficiency into narrative language. Illustrative examples demonstrate that the higher the flow rate and the greater the effective head, the greater the hydraulic power, and the higher the overall efficiency, depending upon the efficiency of the runner in converting the water energy to shaft output. The analysis emphasizes the fact that turbine output power is not the only criterion for performance—the hydraulic input power and conversion loss also play a role. This study has contributed a simple yet comprehensive mechanical-engineering approach to analyzing pico-scale cross-flow turbines under low-head conditions which can be used in laboratory testing, small-scale turbine development, and deployment of such turbines for renewable energy in rural water channels.
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