Experimental analysis of a small-scale hydraulic power plant developed for river flows

In this thesis, an alternative approach to electricity generation is presented by utilizing water flow in open channels. For this, a novel tilted axis hydrokinetic turbine system similar to the pelton turbine was designed, manufactured and tested. This system, which is placed on a specially made trailer for portability, consists of turbine blade, blade arms, differential, transmission mechanism and alternator. In the experiments carried out on Namnam Stream in Muğla province, the power obtained from 7, 9 and 11 bladed turbines was measured for different water flow rates up to 3 m/s. A total of 11 turbine blades were manufactured and mounted around a turbine center with fixed angle intervals determined according to the number of blades (7, 9 and 11). The water flow rate required for the experiments was obtained by working with the help of an excavator in two different locations of the stream. According to the test results, significant hydrodynamic efficiency was achieved, which was consistent with the theoretical calculation results. It was observed that the turbine rotation speed and the amount of power produced by the alternator increased for all three turbines as the water flow rate increased. In addition to the friction and lift forces, the power produced in the 7-bladed turbine was also unstable due to the distance between the blades. The system weight and production cost of 11 bladed turbines are also high. Therefore, 9 blade turbines were preferred due to their torque, load power (800 W) and efficiency (15.9%) compared to others. As a result, 9 bladed hydrokinetic turbines can be produced in different sizes according to stream characteristics and used.