PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF SAVONIUS HYDROKINETIC TURBINE

Abstract

Small hydro power can be seen as a trend in the recent times. The difficulties associated with the setup of conventional hydro power systems can be significantly compensated by the utilization of the hydrokinetic technology. Hydrokinetic turbines transform the kinetic energy of flowing water into electric power. This project deals with the study of one such class of hydrokinetic turbines namely the Savonius Hydrokinetic rotors. The SHKT is a drag based double S-shape bladed turbine although not ideal for power generation can produce electricity in the strongest flows without incurring damage and operating quietly. Besides they are low cost turbines which utilize the natural flow of water and do not cause harm to the environment. The aim of this project is to analyze the performance of a Savonius rotor in frcc and restricted flows and to study the effect of deflector plate shielding the returning blade of the turbine. The CFD simulations were carried out through the ANSYS-CFX module wherein the 3D geometry of rotor's blades have been developed through the Ansys Design Modeller. A transient blade row model using the k-ε turbulence model with medium turbulent intensity was chosen for the pre-processing and the necessary boundary conditions such as inlet velocity, exit static pressure and no slip wall were given tot he meshed domains of rotor and the water channel and were subsequently initialized.