Design and Fabrication of a Pico Hydropower Generation System

Abstract

With an ever-increasing demand for energy and the depletion of naturally occurring resources, the focus is shifting towards devising clean and sustainable energy production methods. One of these methods is the usage of in-pipe hydropower generation systems in applications such as high-rise residential buildings, water transmission pipelines, and tropical areas where abundant rainfall is present. This system utilizes an in-pipe hydro turbine which uses the head and flowrate of water to produce mechanical energy which is then converted to electricity via a motor used in reverse as a generator. Initially, a thorough literature review was conducted and the Kaplan, Michell Banki, Darrieus and Savonius turbine were selected. Then, parameters such as efficiency, overall cost, Von Mises Stress, factor of safety (FOS) and what water heads and flowrates each turbine optimally operates in were considered and the Kaplan turbine was selected. Furthermore, the Kaplan turbine was designed according to our design parameters and a 3D CAD model was generated. Then, the turbine was 3D printed using Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) as the printing material due to its numerous advantages. Then, the in-pipe hydropower generation system was assembled and experimentally tested under the influence of various flowrates and parameters such as the voltage, current, rotational speed and power output were obtained. Lastly, the payback period was calculated across different flowrates for both domestic as well as industrial applications.