Engineering &amp; Performance of DuoTurbo: Microturbine with Counter-Rotating Runners

Biner, Daniel; Hasmatuchi, Vlad; Violante, D.; Richard, Sylvain; Chevailler, Samuel; Andolfatto, Loïc; Avellan, François; Münch, Cécile

doi:10.1088/1755-1315/49/10/102013

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Finally, an even more compact DuoTurbo mechanical concepts with more powerful custom rim generators was developed that facilitates the integration into existing water pipelines. To investigate the new hydro-mechanical and electrical concepts, a DuoTurbo laboratory prototype was built in collaboration with industrial partners and extensively tested on the hydraulic test rig of the HES-SO Valais-Wallis [21,22]. Several mechanical solutions concerning the runner bearings and labyrinth seals were investigated to build a first DuoTurbo product prototype in 2018 [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DuoTurbo: Implementation of a Counter-Rotating Hydroturbine for Energy Recovery in Drinking Water Networks

Biner¹,

Hasmatuchi²,

Rapillard³

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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To enhance the sustainability of water supply systems, the development of new technologies for micro scale hydropower remains an active field of research. The present paper deals with the implementation of a new micro-hydroelectric system for drinking water facilities, targeting a gross capacity between 5 kW and 25 kW. A counter-rotating microturbine forms the core element of the energy recovery system. The modular in-line technology is supposed to require low capital expenditure, targeting profitability within 10 years. One stage of the DuoTurbo microturbine is composed of two axial counter-rotating runners, each one featured with a wet permanent magnet rim generator with independent speed regulation. This compact mechanical design facilitates the integration into existing drinking water installations. A first DuoTurbo product prototype is developed by means of a Computational Fluid Dynamics based hydraulic design along with laboratory tests to assess system efficiency and characteristics. The agreements between simulated and measured hydraulic characteristics with absolute errors widely below 5% validate the design approach to a large extent. The developed product prototype provides a maximum electrical power of 6.5 kW at a maximum hydraulic head of 75 m, reaching a hydroelectric peak efficiency of 59%. In 2019, a DuoTurbo pilot was commissioned at a drinking water facility to assess its long-term behavior and thus, to validate advanced technology readiness levels. To the best of the authors knowledge, it is the first implementation of a counter-rotating microturbine with independent runner speed regulation and wet rim generators in a real-world drinking water facility. A complete year of operation is monitored without showing significant drifts of efficiency and vibration. The demonstration of the system in operational environment at pre-commercial state is validated that can be attributed to a technology readiness level of 7. The overall results of this study are promising regarding further industrialization steps and potential broad-scale applicability of the DuoTurbo microturbine in the drinking water industry.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DuoTurbo: Implementation of a Counter-Rotating Hydroturbine for Energy Recovery in Drinking Water Networks

Biner¹,

Hasmatuchi²,

Rapillard³

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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“…Reference source not found.. Other types of traditional turbines, like the Francis one, usually have high installation and maintenance costs [25], [26] that largely outweigh the possible benefit. Recently, small hydro-turbines with tubular propeller [27], also with counter-rotating runners [ [28], [29]], have been proposed. The advantage of the proposed device is that its impeller can be located inside the pipe.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Banki turbines were originally designed for free outlet conditions, to be installed in the final section of an aqueduct serving an open water tank. Traditional Banki turbines had low efficiency, but new advances in their design criterion have allowed achievement of very high values, claimed to be up to 90% [29]. Recently, a new type of Banki turbine named PRS for positive outflow pressure has been proposed [ [30], [31]].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental and numerical analysis of a backpressure Banki inline turbine for pressure regulation and energy production

et al. 2020

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This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

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“…In this framework, a research project to develop new technologies to harvest hydraulic energy on existing infrastructure has been set up by the HES-SO Valais//Wallis (Sion, Switzerland) and the EPFL-Laboratory for Hydraulic Machines, Lausanne, Switzerland. One of the results is a new axial microturbine with counter-rotating runners for drinking water networks [9][10][11], which should cover a part of the hydraulic energy potential that must be additionally exploited until 2050 in Switzerland. The microturbine with a shroud diameter of φ0.1 m and a hub diameter of φ0.08 m was designed to reach a hydraulic efficiency of more than 85%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Dynamic Approach for Faster Performance Measurements on Hydraulic Turbomachinery Model Testing

et al. 2018

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During the design and optimization of hydraulic turbomachines, the experimental evaluation of hydraulic performances beyond the best efficiency point and for off-design conditions remains essential to validate the simulation process and to finalize the development. In this context, an alternative faster method to measure the efficiency of hydraulic turbomachines using a dynamic approach has been investigated. The so-called “sliding-gate” dynamic measurement method has been adapted and implemented on the hydraulic test rig of the HES-SO Valais//Wallis, Sion, Switzerland. This alternative approach, particularly gainful for small-hydro for which the investment devoted to development is limited, has been successfully assessed on two cases for drinking water networks energy recovery. A 2.65 kW double-regulated laboratory prototype of a tubular axial micro-turbine with two independent variable speed counter-rotating runners and a 11 kW multi-stage centrifugal pump-as-turbine (PAT) with variable speed have been selected. The hydraulic efficiency results obtained by dynamic measurements are compared to the ones obtained by the classical steady point-by-point method. This dynamic method, suitable not only for hydraulic machinery, allows: (i) reducing significantly (up to 10×) the time necessary to draw the complete efficiency characteristics of a hydraulic machine; (ii) rapidly detecting the hydrodynamic instabilities within the operating range of the machine.

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Engineering & Performance of DuoTurbo: Microturbine with Counter-Rotating Runners

Cited by 10 publications

References 4 publications

DuoTurbo: Implementation of a Counter-Rotating Hydroturbine for Energy Recovery in Drinking Water Networks

DuoTurbo: Implementation of a Counter-Rotating Hydroturbine for Energy Recovery in Drinking Water Networks

Experimental and numerical analysis of a backpressure Banki inline turbine for pressure regulation and energy production

A Dynamic Approach for Faster Performance Measurements on Hydraulic Turbomachinery Model Testing

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