DYNA JOURNAL ENGINEERING

Key words:

Microturbina, flujo axial, número de alabes, CFD, potencia, Micro turbine, axial flow, blades numbers, CFD, power,

Article type:

COLABORACION/COLLABORATION DAMR

Section:

COLLABORATIONS

Hydraulic microturbines are an option to clean energy generation, small waterfalls may be used as energy source. Performance of these devices can be affected due to blade numbers both the nozzle and the runner. In present work the power of hydraulic microturbine of axial flow was calculated numerically varying number of runner blades. The microturbine evaluated consists of stator with eight blades and a runner, blades number was varied using 6, 12, 14, 16 and 18 blades. Numerical calculations were realized using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based on the finite volume method, flow dynamic was described using the RANS equations and the turbulence was resolved with k-omega model. Mass flow and static pressure were boundary conditions to inlet and outlet. The domain (nozzle and runner) was divided into 6.5x106 elements. In each geometry studied was corroborated the results with independence grid study using grid convergence index (GCI). With the simulation results was obtained runner blade torque, which is used to calculate mechanical power. The results of blade number and power were plotted, and shows a parabolic form, the maximal power value calculated was 35.419 kW obtained for 8 nozzle blades and 14 runner blades geometry.

Keywords: Micro turbine, axial flow, blades numbers, CFD, power.