Abstract:
The project was initially started with the objective of designing a power generation system that could be used in open channel water flow anywhere around the globe. The purpose was to make a turbine that could provide for the power requirements of general public when on an adventurous trip or for a small scale power requirement in a forest or any other unreachable place, i.e. our aim was to have an output of about 25-30 Watts. We set out to find out if setting up such a system in open channel water flow will actually yield results or not. The idea was to set up small capacity power generation system, hence the name micro-hydro turbine and to discover new way of providing electricity to the people. To design such a system, we studied different types of turbines and discovered that vertical axis turbines were most suited for small capacity generation systems. Working from there we designed a Vertical Axis turbine using a specific Airfoil design to (theoretically) give the best possible results.
Our team then completed the manufacturing of a small prototype based on the idea with which we started i.e. to produce electricity on a small scale just enough to provide light in a remote area where travelers might be camping for a day or few. We tested the speed of water in a canal near Taxila and we designed our prototype according to the speed we measured (1.6m/s) and the Calculations were done accordingly. Our turbine is portable by the use of nuts and bolts and can simply be taken anywhere easily by just unscrewing a few nuts and bolts. The idea was to help people so that they can take the whole turbine to any place they desire easily with convenient transportation.
