DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF A MICRO HYDRO TURGO TURBINE

The increasing demand for energy and the concerns regarding environmental protection have been driving forces toward the exploitation of renewable energy sources as a better alternative compared to conventional energy sources. Furthermore, renewable energy sources enable an independent energy supply for isolated locations or communities that lack access to the main electricity grid, and additionally, they offer the possibility to use available energy sources for beneficial individual purposes. Considering these statements, the use of micro hydropower plants represents a convenient and advantageous option to implement. A micro hydro Turgo turbine is used for analysis in this paper, due to its simple design, structure, easy production and low installation cost. In this manner, this paper deals with the use of Euler equations in detailed analysis in designing and implementation of a micro hydro Turgo turbine. The presented methodology will be based on numerical calculations of micro hydro Turgo turbine characteristic parameters in various operating regimes. The obtained results from numerical calculation will be compared to the current performance of the real existing Turgo turbine. Accordingly, based on obtained results, recommendations for improving the performance of micro hydro Turgo turbines will be presented.