Water distribution networks need to improve system efficiency. Hydropower is a clean and renewable energy that has been among the key solutions to environmental issues for many decades. As the turbine is the core of hydropower plants, high attention is paid to creating new design solutions and increasing the performance of turbines in order to enhance energy efficiency of leakage by pressure control. Hence, design and performance analysis of a new turbine is a crucial aspect for addressing the efficiency of its application. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling is coupled with experimental tests in order to investigate the optimal performance of a new centrifugal turbine. The behavior of the flow through the turbine runner is assessed by means of velocity profiles and pressure contours at all components of the machine under different operating conditions. Finally, the turbine geometry is scaled to a real water distribution network and an optimization procedure is performed with the aim of investigating the optimal location of both the designed new centrifugal micro-turbines (CMT) and pressure reducing valves (PRV) in order to control the excess of pressure and produce energy at the same time.

Pressure Drop and Energy Recovery with a New Centrifugal Micro-Turbine: Fundamentals and Application in a Real WDN / Morani, M. C.; Simao, M.; Gazur, I.; Santos, R. S.; Carravetta, A.; Fecarotta, O.; Ramos, H. M.. - In: ENERGIES. - ISSN 1996-1073. - 15:4(2022), p. 1528. [10.3390/en15041528]

Pressure Drop and Energy Recovery with a New Centrifugal Micro-Turbine: Fundamentals and Application in a Real WDN

Morani M. C.
;
Carravetta A.;Fecarotta O.;
2022

Abstract

Water distribution networks need to improve system efficiency. Hydropower is a clean and renewable energy that has been among the key solutions to environmental issues for many decades. As the turbine is the core of hydropower plants, high attention is paid to creating new design solutions and increasing the performance of turbines in order to enhance energy efficiency of leakage by pressure control. Hence, design and performance analysis of a new turbine is a crucial aspect for addressing the efficiency of its application. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling is coupled with experimental tests in order to investigate the optimal performance of a new centrifugal turbine. The behavior of the flow through the turbine runner is assessed by means of velocity profiles and pressure contours at all components of the machine under different operating conditions. Finally, the turbine geometry is scaled to a real water distribution network and an optimization procedure is performed with the aim of investigating the optimal location of both the designed new centrifugal micro-turbines (CMT) and pressure reducing valves (PRV) in order to control the excess of pressure and produce energy at the same time.
2022
Pressure Drop and Energy Recovery with a New Centrifugal Micro-Turbine: Fundamentals and Application in a Real WDN / Morani, M. C.; Simao, M.; Gazur, I.; Santos, R. S.; Carravetta, A.; Fecarotta, O.; Ramos, H. M.. - In: ENERGIES. - ISSN 1996-1073. - 15:4(2022), p. 1528. [10.3390/en15041528]
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11588/878733
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 6
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 6
social impact