™Small steam turbine operating at low pressure for generating electricity in the Amazon

Abstract

In the Amazon, local electrical energy production is very important due to the large number of isolated communities, usually far from the conventional grid. In this context, steam turbines are relevant technologies to be used in the region, since waste biomass is widely available in several communities, besides, where sustainable agricultural activities take place, such as the use of açaí seeds, sugarcane bagasse, among others. Currently, there are not many relevant studies in the literature for small steam turbines operating at low pressure, conditioned to the reality of the Amazon region. Hence, the main goal of this work is to develop an experimental study of a small steam turbine operating at low pressure, in order to apply it to small energy demand, typically found in the Amazon. We developed measurements on the behavior of mechanical and electrical powers in relation to the shaft rotational speed of the small steam turbine, taking into account pressures of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 MPa. We concluded that the preliminary experimental survey, made in this work, demonstrates a good mechanical behavior of the small turbine and could be an alternative for electricity generation system to supply small demands in isolated communities in the Amazon, taking advantage of biomass from sustainable agricultural activities.