A Study on Performance Prediction of Darrieus-type Hydroturbine Operated in Open Channels Using One-dimensional Streamline Model

Abstract

To harvest very small hydropower more efficiently, it is important to develop the prediction method of performance of turbine installed at actual flow channels, which is to be used at early design/planning stages. For this purpose, we have proposed the performance prediction method using 1-D stream-tube theory and applied it to the Darrieus-type turbine without sufficient validation. In the present study, since the validation with the various flow channels through experiments or 3-D numerical simulation taking account of free surface dynamics was expensive, it was made based on 2-D numerical simulation, only focusing on the basic concept behind the prediction method. It was found that the power coefficient was qualitatively well predicted by the proposed model provided appropriate values of flow tuning parameters. However, insufficient prediction of flow rate through the turbine was found to lead to the quantitative discrepancy.