Abstract:
The project was initiated with an objective to design a power generation system that could easily be used in an open channel flow. The main targeted areas of the operation of this system were rivers and canals. We had an aim to design and fabricate a hydrokinetic turbine which would be able to generate an output of 5kW. Initially, the strategy was to design and fabricate a micro hydrokinetic turbine as a prototype, with small power output capacity and then to scale up this model after certain tests, relatively larger hydrokinetic turbine which would be able to provide the desired power output.
In the designing phase of the micro hydrokinetic turbine, a number of turbines were studied and based upon the characteristics of different turbine types, it was decided that the vertical hydrokinetic turbines had the potential to serve our purpose in a more effective manner. Furthermore, it was decided to go with an idea of designing a self-starting and high torque transmitting, hybrid hydrokinetic turbine.
The prototype was designed according to the available water velocity in the SMME water tunnel i.e. 0.5ms-1. After the completion of fabrication process a number of tests were conducted and conclusions were drawn, based upon which the prototype model was to be scaled up to a larger hydrokinetic turbine to be operated in rivers and canals with the ability to provide the desired power output of 5kW.
