Design and Modeling of a Numerical Simulator of a Mini-hydropower for Performance Characterization of the Turbine Type of Francis, Cross-flow and Pelton

Francis Kifumbi, Guyh Ngoma, Python Kabeya, Clement Umba-di-Mbudi

2022

Abstract

This research work deals with the design of a numerical simulator which consists of an upstream reservoir, a penstock, a Francis turbine, a cross-flow turbine, a Pelton turbine, and a draft tube. This simulator can allow to better study the performance of a mini-hydroelectric plant while investigating the parameters involved with the cavitation phenomenon for the Francis turbine. From existing reference data of the gross head, the flow rate and the rotating speed for the Francis turbine, the cross-flow turbine and the Pelton turbine, the geometrical parameters of the turbine runners were calculated using inter alia the specific speeds, the turbines diagrams and the empirical equations. Moreover, the equations of continuity and Navier-Stokes are applied to obtain by means of the ANSYS-code the fields of the liquid flow velocity and the pressure. The numerical results achieved for the turbine output power and the efficiency were compared with the experimental results from the existing test benches of turbines in the turbomachinery facility of the Engineering School at the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT). Also, the effect of the cavitation on the efficiency of the Francis turbine account for the draft tube height is analyzed. The impact of the draft tube height of the Francis turbine and the jet width of the cross-flow turbine on the output power and the efficiency is examined.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Kifumbi F., Ngoma G., Kabeya P. and Umba-di-Mbudi C. (2022). Design and Modeling of a Numerical Simulator of a Mini-hydropower for Performance Characterization of the Turbine Type of Francis, Cross-flow and Pelton. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications - Volume 1: SIMULTECH, ISBN 978-989-758-578-4, pages 226-233. DOI: 10.5220/0011265000003274

in Bibtex Style

@conference{simultech22,
author={Francis Kifumbi and Guyh Ngoma and Python Kabeya and Clement Umba-di-Mbudi},
title={Design and Modeling of a Numerical Simulator of a Mini-hydropower for Performance Characterization of the Turbine Type of Francis, Cross-flow and Pelton},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications - Volume 1: SIMULTECH,},
year={2022},
pages={226-233},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0011265000003274},
isbn={978-989-758-578-4},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications - Volume 1: SIMULTECH,
TI - Design and Modeling of a Numerical Simulator of a Mini-hydropower for Performance Characterization of the Turbine Type of Francis, Cross-flow and Pelton
SN - 978-989-758-578-4
AU - Kifumbi F.
AU - Ngoma G.
AU - Kabeya P.
AU - Umba-di-Mbudi C.
PY - 2022
SP - 226
EP - 233
DO - 10.5220/0011265000003274