Comparative Study of Conical and Cylindrical Basins for Gravitational Water Vortex Turbines

Abstract

The demand for energy is gradually increasing; governments are looking for affordable and long-lasting solutions. Hydropower is crucial for addressing this issue. Low-head hydropower stations are necessary in certain regions due to their geographical position. Gravitational water vortex turbines are an alternative for these low-head turbines. They use the water’s tangential flow to create a vortex, converting mechanical energy to kinetic energy. The design of turbine blades and basins using SolidWorks and CFD analysis was carried out during this research. CFD investigation showed that the conical basin had a higher exit velocity than the cylindrical basin, indicating a successful design.

Keywords

• vortex turbine
• low-head water turbine
• free water vortex
• low flow rate turbine
• gravitational vortex turbine