Pressure Drop and Energy Recovery with a New Centrifugal Micro-Turbine: Fundamentals and Application in a Real WDN

Maria Cristina Morani, Mariana Simão, Ignac Gazur, Rui S. Santos, Armando Carravetta, Oreste Fecarotta and Helena M. Ramos
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Maria Cristina Morani: Department of Hydraulic, Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering, Università di Napoli Federico II, Via Claudio, 21, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Mariana Simão: Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS), Instituto Superior Técnico, Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georesources, University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Ignac Gazur: IG Energy Ignác Gazur, Unipessoal, Lda, Rua Ferreira de Castro, Lote 46, Rio de Loba, 3505-570 Viseu, Portugal
Rui S. Santos: RSS Engenharia, Lda, Centro de Escritórios das Laranjeiras, Prç. Nuno Rodrigues dos Santos, 7, 1600-171 Lisboa, Portugal
Armando Carravetta: Department of Hydraulic, Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering, Università di Napoli Federico II, Via Claudio, 21, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Oreste Fecarotta: Department of Hydraulic, Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering, Università di Napoli Federico II, Via Claudio, 21, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Helena M. Ramos: Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS), Instituto Superior Técnico, Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georesources, University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-25

Abstract: Water distribution networks need to improve system efficiency. Hydropower is a clean and renewable energy that has been among the key solutions to environmental issues for many decades. As the turbine is the core of hydropower plants, high attention is paid to creating new design solutions and increasing the performance of turbines in order to enhance energy efficiency of leakage by pressure control. Hence, design and performance analysis of a new turbine is a crucial aspect for addressing the efficiency of its application. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling is coupled with experimental tests in order to investigate the optimal performance of a new centrifugal turbine. The behavior of the flow through the turbine runner is assessed by means of velocity profiles and pressure contours at all components of the machine under different operating conditions. Finally, the turbine geometry is scaled to a real water distribution network and an optimization procedure is performed with the aim of investigating the optimal location of both the designed new centrifugal micro-turbines (CMT) and pressure reducing valves (PRV) in order to control the excess of pressure and produce energy at the same time.

Keywords: centrifugal turbine; CFD models; experimental tests; dimensionless coefficients; optimal location; water distribution network (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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