Open Access

ARTICLE

Optimization of a Pipeline-Type Savonius Hydraulic Turbine

by Xiaohui Wang^1,2,3,*, Kai Zhang¹, Xiaobang Bai⁴, Senchun Miao¹, Zanxiu Wu¹, Jicheng Li¹

1 School of Energy and Power Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China
2 Postdoctoral Station of Civil Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China
3 Postdoctoral Research Station of Xinxiang Aviation Industry (Group) Co., Ltd., Xinxiang, 453000, China
4 Chongqing Pump Industry Co., Ltd., Chongqing, 404100, China

* Corresponding Author: Xiaohui Wang. Email:

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2024, 20(5), 1123-1146. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2023.043272

Received 27 June 2023; Accepted 07 November 2023; Issue published 07 June 2024

Abstract

This study focuses on a DN50 pipeline-type Savonius hydraulic turbine. The torque variation of the turbine in a rotation cycle is analyzed theoretically in the framework of the plane potential flow theory. Related numerical simulations show that the change in turbine torque is consistent with the theoretical analysis, with the main power zone and the secondary power zone exhibiting a positive torque. In contrast, the primary resistance zone and the secondary resistance zone are characterized by a negative torque. Analytical relationships between the turbine’s internal flow angle θ, the deflector’s inclination angle α, and the coverage angle α of the power zone are introduced, and a method for calculating the optimal number of blades is proposed to maximize the power zone. Results are presented about performance tests conducted on five groups of hydraulic turbines with the blade number ranging from 3 to 7. Such results indicate that both the turbine’s recovery power and efficiency attain the highest values when the blade number is 4, which is in agreement with the number of blades calculated by the proposed method. Additionally, the study examines the effects of the flow rate on turbine parameters and the projected energy generation and cost savings for a specific pipeline configuration.

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Keywords

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