Author(s): Jens Metzger, Jorg Wieland, Jens Bender, Jorgen Jensen, Md Abid Hasan
Linked Author(s): Jens Metzger
Keywords: Sustainable energy, turbine, kinetic energy, small drop heights, blade optimization.
Abstract: The potential of Germany's hydropower is nearly exhausted and almost all locations where large hydropower plants can be applied have been developed. Due to missing application areas for large hydropower plants, potentials of less than 250 W (nano-hydropower) are becoming more and more important. In order to use the potentials efficiently, technical implementations are hardly available thus far. The free jet turbine developed for the location of Netphen converts kinetic energy in the range of nano-hydropower to electricity. Due to its simple construction, it is possible to produce this turbine cost-effective and to apply it at various different application areas. On the grounds that a complex and loss-intensive transmission is not needed, the maintenance efforts of the turbine can be reduced to a minimum. After investigating the free jet turbine regarding its performance and efficiency in the laboratory, currently it is being used at a power station for supplying loads (e. g. LED-lights) with electricity. A maximum mechanical efficiency of 25 % and an electrical power of 10 W by using a discharge of 3. 0 l/s were achieved. Due to the simple turbine components, a larger dimension to generate an electrical power of several hundred watts is conceivable
Year: 2017