theoretical study and performance test of lucid … achieve this either through mechanical gearing...

IJIRST –International Journal for Innovative Research in Science & Technology| Volume 3 | Issue 02 | July 2016 ISSN (online): 2349-6010

All rights reserved by www.ijirst.org 418

Theoretical Study and Performance Test of Lucid

Spherical Turbine

Rakesh C A. H Akshay Krishna

Assistant Professor UG Scholar

Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering

New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore-560103 New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore-560103

Anwin T. V Joseph Adhvaith M

UG Scholar UG Scholar

Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering

New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore-560103 New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore-560103

Charan Nallode

UG Scholar

Department of Mechanical Engineering

New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore-560103

Abstract

Lucid spherical turbine is a provider of renewable energy systems that enable industrial, municipal and agricultural facilities to

produce clean, reliable, low-cost electricity from their gravity-fed water pipelines and effluent streams. Lucid spherical turbine

Power System is a water- to-wire energy recovery solution. Lucid spherical turbine is an in-pipe turbine generator to capture the

energy of fast-moving water inside of large, gravity-fed pipelines, converting it into a continuous source of low-cost electricity.

Unlike other renewable energy systems, Lucid spherical turbine produces predictable, base load energy with no environmental

impact. The Lucid spherical Power System can be installed in a day and energy generation can begin in less than a week. This

keeps permitting and installation costs low and project returns high. This electricity can be used on-site to power pumps and

other devices, to charge storage systems, or to connect to the grid for net metering.

Keywords: Cross flow turbine, Hydrokinetic turbine, in pipe energy generation, Power generation, Spherical Turbine

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

I. INTRODUCTION

Overview of Turbine:

A turbine is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. A turbine is a

turbo machine with at least one moving part called a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid

acts on the blades so that they move and impart rotational energy to the rotor. Early turbine examples are windmills and

waterwheels. Gas, steam, and water turbines have a casing around the blades that contains and controls the working fluid.

Modern steam turbines frequently employ both reaction and impulse in the same unit, typically varying the degree of reaction

and impulse from the blade root to its periphery. A turbine is a machine that transforms rotational energy from a fluid that is

picked up by a rotor system into usable work or energy. Turbines achieve this either through mechanical gearing or

electromagnetic induction to produce electricity. Types of turbines include steam turbines, wind turbines, gas turbines or water

turbines. Mechanical uses of turbine power go back to ancient Greece. The first wind wheels relied upon gearing and shafts to

power machinery. Windmills and water wheels are forms of turbines too and might drive a millstone to grind grain, among other

purposes. Thermal steam turbines driven by burning oil or coal or the use of nuclear power are still among the most common

methods of producing electricity. Green electricity applications include wind turbines and water turbines used in applications for

wind power and tidal power.

Because of the turbine’s many applications in a wide variety of technologies, research is still ongoing to perfect turbine and

rotor efficiency.

Hydrokinetic Turbines:

A "Hydrokinetic" turbine is an integrated turbine generator to produce electricity in a free flow environment. It does not need a

dam or diversion. In stream Energy Systems has coined the phrase Instream Energy Generation Technology or IEGT places

turbines in rivers, manmade channels, tidal waters, or ocean currents. These turbines use the flow of water to turn them, thus

generating electricity for the power grid on nearby land. In effect, IEGT is like planting windmills in the water and is

Theoretical Study and Performance Test of Lucid Spherical Turbine (IJIRST/ Volume 3 / Issue 02/ 067)


environmentally friendly. While hydrokinetic includes generation from ocean tides, currents and waves, many researchers

believe its most practical application in the near term is likely to be in rivers and streams.

II. LITERATURE SURVEY

Power Calculation

The power available from falling water can be calculated from the flow rate and density of water, the height of fall, and the local

acceleration due to gravity. In SI units, the power is:

P is power in watts η is the dimensionless efficiency of the turbine ρ is the density of water in kilograms per cubic metre Q is

the flow in cubic metres per second g is the acceleration due to gravity h is the height difference between inlet and outlet in

metres

To illustrate, power is calculated for a turbine that is 85% efficient, with water at 1000 kg/cubic metre (62.5 pounds/cubic

foot) and a flow rate of 80 cubic-meters/second (2800 cubic-feet/second), gravity of 9.81 metres per second squared and with a

net head of 145 m (480 ft.).

In SI units: Power (W) = 0.85*1000*80*9.81*145 = 97 MW

Problem Statement and Methodologies

In the present study the following objectives are -

To use hydro power to generate electricity.

To design and develop the turbine blade profile and to validate its design.

To fabricate the turbine by using 3D printing technique(FDM)

To run CFD analysis on the turbine and determine the power output for a given input conditions.

To produce cheap and low cost electricity.

To develop a water to wire system this is 2-3 times more efficient than solar and wind systems.

To harness the energy by utilizing the flow velocity of water due to gravity from the dams.

The device can be placed anywhere between the dams and the utilization centres.

To reduce the use of fossil fuels for power generation and reduce pollution.

III. LUCID SPHERICAL TURBINE

The lucid spherical turbine Power System is a water-to-wire system that generates clean, renewable energy from excess head

pressure in gravity-fed water pipelines. Lucid spherical turbine converts water pressure to energy using a unique, lift based,

vertical axis turbine installed within a pipeline. A single unit can produce 20 – 100kW of renewable, zero-emissions electricity,

depending on the flow and head pressure conditions at a given site. Multiple units can be aggregated for a system that can

produce more than a MW. The Lucid Spherical Turbine rotates the same direction regardless of the direction of the water flow

and can accommodate flows in any direction through a pipeline. This means gravity fed water can pass through the system to

generate power, while when the pipeline is used to convey pumped water in the opposite direction, the system can be stopped

and the impact is virtually unnoticed. Typically, Lucid Spherical Turbine systems are designed to generate 240 volts, 3- phase

AC power. Other configurations are possible.

Performance and Technical Specifications:

The unique flexibility of the Lucid Spherical Turbine Power System design accommodates multiple configurations and flow

systems. This enables Lucid Spherical Turbine to be used in a broad range of applications for municipal, industrial, irrigation, oil

& gas and desalination facilities among others. The capacity factor for water and wastewater applications of Lucid Spherical

Turbine is 2-3X that of solar and wind power.

1) The Lucid Spherical Turbine Power System is designed for use in large-diameter (24”-96”) water pipes for maximum

efficiency and energy output. The renewable energy produced can be used off grid, fed back into the grid or used to directly

power devices and equipment such as pumps, meters, controls, smart water devices, mixers, lights at the outfall,

hypochlorite machines, etc.

2) Water velocity helps determine the optimal size of the Lucid Spherical Turbine system that can be operated in a pipeline.

Also factored in are the pipeline diameter, head pressure that is available for extraction and the capacity factor (frequency

and duration of water flow). Best performance and reliability of the Lucid Spherical Turbine is achieved at velocities

greater than 4 ft./s.

3) Water velocity is the most important indicator for determining the energy generating capacity of a pipeline. The power

generated by the Lucid Spherical Turbine is proportional to the water velocity. Typical water velocities in pipelines are 4-7

ft./s (1.7-2.1 m/s). In most cases, it is necessary to reduce the diameter of the pipeline where a Lucid Spherical Turbine

system is installed. This increases water velocity through the turbine for increased energy output.



4) The Lucid Spherical Turbine automatic and remote control system can stop or slow down the turbine as needed. Lucid

Spherical Turbine is designed to be a component of a large water operation. The system allows for monitoring, managing

and controlling water velocity to maintain output to the optimal operational efficiency.

Lucid Spherical Turbine Installation:

Lucid Spherical Turbine can be installed anywhere upstream of a pressure-transient zone in a gravity-fed pipeline. This provides

several advantages for project siting:

Flexibility to be located anywhere in the pipeline where power is desired (to power remote devices, etc.)

Ability to harvest head pressure along the pipe, thus incrementally reducing pressure throughout

Operation across a wide range of flow conditions without the need for pumps to create back-pressure and velocity

adjustments

No need for bypasses

IV. THEORETICAL ANALYSIS

Power for the Scales down Model:

Input conditions- Input velocity- 2 to 3 m/s; Speed of turbine- 100rpm

Angular velocity=2∏N/60 = 2*3.14*100/60=10.46 m/s

Power = angular velocity*torque = Power = 10.46*4.27192= 44.68W

Power for the Actual Turbine:

The power output for .4m pipe is 44.68W. Hence the power for a 1.920m pipe is – 0.4m44.68W; 1.920m 214.5W. Therefore,

the power output for a full scaled turbine is 214.5W. 1.920m is the size of the pipe currently being used for the CAUVERY stage

3 water supplies from the KRS dam to the Bangalore city.

Power in KWH = power *hours = 214.5*8760 = 1879.02 KWH

V. SOFTWARE METHODOLOGIES

Geometry:

Fig. 1: Geometry of the turbine Fig. 2: Design of the turbine

The geometry consists of mainly three main parts are - the pipe body, the multiple reference frame, and the turbine.

Dimensions - Pipe Diameter =0.4m; Pipe Section Length=1.2m; turbine diameter=0.355m

Materials used are - Pipe-mild steel; turbine- Aluminium; Fluid domain –Water



Meshing

Fig. 3: meshing

Table – 1

Object Name Mesh

State Solved

Defaults

Physics Preference CFD

Solver Preference Fluent

Relevance 0

Sizing

Use Advanced Size Function On: Proximity and Curvature

Relevance Centre Coarse

Initial Size Seed Active Assembly

Smoothing Medium

Transition Slow

Span Angle Centre Fine

Curvature Normal Angle Default (18.0 °)

Num Cells Across Gap Default (3)

Min Size 1.e-003 m

Proximity Min Size Default (3.9118e-004 m)

Max Face Size 5.e-003 m

Max Size 5.e-003 m

Growth Rate Default (1.20 )

Minimum Edge Length 5.0193e-005 m

Inflation

Use Automatic Inflation None

Inflation Option Smooth Transition

Transition Ratio 0.272

Maximum Layers 5

Growth Rate 1.2

Inflation Algorithm Pre

View Advanced Options No

Assembly Meshing

Method None

Patch Conforming Options

Triangle Surface Mesher Program Controlled

Patch Independent Options

Topology Checking Yes

Advanced

Number of CPUs for Parallel Part Meshing Program Controlled

Shape Checking CFD

Element Midside Nodes Dropped

Straight Sided Elements

Number of Retries 0

Extra Retries For Assembly Yes

Rigid Body Behaviour Dimensionally Reduced

Mesh Morphing Disabled

Defeaturing

Pinch Tolerance Default (3.5206e-004 m)

Generate Pinch on Refresh No

Automatic Mesh Based Defeaturing On

Defeaturing Tolerance Default (1.9559e-004 m)

Statistics



Nodes 1601128

Elements 8917023

Mesh Metric None

Units:

Table – 2

Unit System Metric (m, kg, N, s, V, A) Degrees rad/s Celsius

Angle Degrees

Rotational Velocity rad/s

Temperature Celsius

VI. SOLVER

Pressure Contour:

Fig. 4: Pressure contour on pipe

The pressure contour gives us information on the pressure difference throughout the pipe.

The pressure tends to increase at the turbine region and reduces towards the exit.

Velocity Contour:

Fig. 5: Velocity contour

The velocity contour gives us information on the flow characteristics and the velocity of the fluid at a given point.



The streamline characteristics indicate where the fluid is laminar and where it is turbulent and also traces the path of the

fluid through the pipe.

The velocity of the fluid is uniform at the entry and increases when striking the blades and the flow becomes turbulent.

The velocity of the fluid decreases again at the output.

VII. CONCLUSION

This development is now successfully capable of using hydro power to generate electricity within a pipe with flowing fluid.

Design study and development of the turbine blade profile was accomplished which is a critical necessity to validate its design.

An inferior turbine design has also been fabricated by using a 3D printing technique (FDM). A CFD analysis was run on the final

turbine design and the power output for given input conditions has been realized. This new scheme can be successfully used to

produce cheap and low cost electricity which can be a boon to our society and ultimately the entire world. A water to wire

system that is 2-3 times more efficient than solar and wind systems has been achieved. This system, unlike the solar and wind

systems can be functional at any time and is not daytime or season dependent and hence is a more reliable source. This setup can

be capable of harnessing the energy of water flowing from dams to city by utilizing the flow velocity of water to create a

pressure difference along the two surfaces of the blade.

This device can be placed anywhere between the dams and the utilization centres to achieve its purpose. This system will

eventually help reduce the use of fossil fuels for power generation and therefore reduce pollution.

REFERENCES

[1] Paraschivoiu, Wind Turbine Design with Emphasis on Darrieus Concept, 1st Edition, Polytechnic International, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 2002. [2] A. Gorlov, Unidirectional helical reaction turbine (1995).

[3] A. Gorlov, Development of the helical reaction hydraulic turbine, Final Technical Report DE-FG01-96EE 15669, Northeastern University (August 1998).

[4] U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Water Power Program, first ocean energy delivered to u.s. grid, http://www1.eere.energy.gov/ water/news_detail.html? news_id=18638 (September 2012).

[5] B. Pelage, M. Kawase, P. Malte, In-stream tidal energy potential of Puget Sound, Washington, Proc. IMechE Part A: J. Power and Energy 223 (2009)

571–587. [6] P. Bachant, Experimental investigation of helical cross-flow axis hydrokinetic turbines, including effects of waves and turbulence, Master’s thesis,

University of New Hampshire (2011).

[7] P. Bachant, M. Wosnik, Experimental investigation of helical cross-flow axis hydrokinetic turbines, including effects of waves and turbulence, in: Proceedings of ASME-JSMEKSME Joint Fluids Engineering Conference 2011, no. AJK201107020, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, JAPAN, July 24-29, 2011.

doi:10.1115/AJK2011-07020.

[8] B. K. Kirke, Tests on ducted and bare helical and straight blade Darrieus hydrokinetic turbines, Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 3013–3022. [9] Lucid energy power system www.lucidenergy.com

[10] Design consultants Aero frame Aero design Pvt Ltd http://www.airframeaerodesigns.com/

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