This paper aims to demonstrate how to model, mesh and simulate a hydraulic propeller turbine runner based on the geometrical specification of the runner blade. Modeling process is divided into preparation and implementation phase. Preparation phase illustrates how to develop stream surfaces and passages, how to create and transform meanline and how to create an rtzt file. The profile in rtzt file has a certain fix thickness which has to be altered later. Implementation phase describes operations necessary in creating a propeller runner model in ANSYS BladeGen which consist of importing rtzt file, modifying the trailing edge properties and altering profile thickness distribution to that of 4 digits NACA airfoil standard. Grid is generated in ANSYS TurboGrid utilizing ATM Optimized topology. CFD simulation is done using the ANSYS Fluent with pressure inlet and pressure outlet boundary conditions and k-ε turbulence model. Hydraulic efficiency of the runner is calculated utilizing Turbo Topology module in ANSYS Fluent. The authors will share the advantages that may be obtained by using ANSYS BladeGen compared with the use of general CAD Systems.
Published paper on modelling of propeller turbine blade and runner is not commonly found, especially those using Autodesk Inventor. One of them is titled CAD Modelling of Axial Turbine Blade using Autodesk Inventor. However, the road taken is quite complicated and should be repeated from the beginning whenever new geometrical characteristics of a new axial propeller turbine will be modelled. Currently, Autodesk Inventor has introduced the new tool that help sketching the spline lines either in 2D plane or 3D space simplifying the task of 3D modelling of propeller turbine blade, called Equation Curve. The Equation Curve tool requires the codes for creating the spline lines. To create the codes, two sources have been used: NACA report no. 460 and modelling methodology proposed by Milos in his paper. In NACA report no. 460, it is explained that NACA 4 Digit Series is created by combining mean line with the thickness variation curve of Gottingen 398 and Clark Y. This airfoil has 4 different lines with their own equation. The equations can be used for sketching in 2D plane. However, the solid model of the runner blade is formed from the airfoils in cylindrical surface. Then, as explained by Milos in his paper, the procedure is as follows: sketch the airfoil in 2D plane that is the tangent of cylindrical surface, move the airfoil to its center, rotate to its stagger angle, and project it to cylindrical surface. The result of this process will be the equations of lines in 3D space. Transform them to the Inventor codes. Input these codes to 3D Equation Curve tool to create the 4 lines for each cylindrical surface section of blade. Making the solid model of runner the following step is required: use loft command to create blade surfaces, use the stitch command to solidify, use the pattern command to create other blades, create hub, and lastly combine blades and hub. The solid model of the runner then is tested by simulating it using ANSYS Fluent. The hydraulic efficiency of the model is 85%.
<span>This paper analyzes the performance of a pico hydropower plant consisting of an axial hydro turbine integrated with a permanent magnet generator (PMG) and connected to a power converter. The proposed system is aimed to obtain a wide system operation range to gain more power captured while maintaining time-harmonic distortion in voltage (THDv) that meets the standard. The PMG specification is 1 kW, 1 phase, 235 V, 50 Hz, 83 rpm. The design and simulation of PMG were carried out by analytical and numerical calculations using FEMM 4.2. The power converter was simulated using PSIM and functions to reduce the THDv and pass the generator voltage between 50–500 V. The results show the THDv of the generating system at the upper and lower limits of the passed voltage having a THDv below 5%. Meanwhile, the PMG performance characteristics at various currents and rotations produce efficiency of 87.20% at nominal current. From these results, it can be concluded that the pico hydropower plant works well as desired.</span>
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