Improving the accessibility of in-stream water wheels
| dc.contributor.advisor | Birzer, Cristian | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Kelso, Richard | |
| dc.contributor.author | Brandon-Toole, Matthew Lawrence | |
| dc.contributor.school | School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The United Nations established the Sustainable Development Goals with the aim of “peace and prosperity for people and the planet.” Sustainable Development Goal 7 aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. For resource-rich countries, this mostly refers to transitioning the energy system to a low-carbon, more environmentally-conscious industry. In resource-constrained countries, sustainable development of energy infrastructure must also focus on improving access to electricity. However, many forms of sustainable energy (include large-scale hydropower and utility-scale solar) are prohibitively expensive for resource-constrained communities. More affordable options for resource-constrained communities are decentralised energy resources, including pico-hydropower. Unfortunately, research into pico-hydropower technologies has often been unsuccessful at improving access to energy. The current research aims to improve the accessibility of pico-hydropower, and specifically the in-stream water wheel, within resource-constrained communities as a method of renewable energy that is in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7. This is achieved through a range of investigative techniques, including experimental analysis, regional kinetic energy resource modelling, and analytical fluid mechanics. The objectives of the thesis all aim to improve the accessibility of the technology in some way. It is necessary to develop guidance around how to deploy and operate in-stream water wheels effectively. Several under-explored variables, namely the tip-speed ratio and blade depth ratio, have a significant influence on the power output of an in-stream water wheel. Adequately controlling these variables can improve the efficiency of the turbine without increasing its capital cost. An experimental investigation found that, typically, increasing the blade depth ratio increases the power output, but high blade depth ratios may create significant regions of negative torque across the blade sweep at the inlet and outlet. In addition, at high blade depth ratios the likelihood of damage to componentry increases. It was also found that the tip-speed ratio has a significant influence on the power output, particularly at higher blade depth ratios. The current research improves the ability of in-stream water wheels to be adequately placed in fluid flows and operated at an optimal tip-speed ratio. It also allows the design of these turbines to be optimised. An analytical model to better predict the power output of an in-stream water wheel was also developed. An accurate predictive model allows for more appropriate planning, cost-benefit analysis, and installation guidelines for in-stream water wheels. The analytical model was formulated by analysing the fluid forces on a flat plate in unsteady flow. Findings from existing research on the fluid mechanics of flat plates were used to more accurately model the physical turbine system. The model was designed to be robust, to allow for a wide range of input variables, to reflect the wide range of circumstances in which turbines can be installed. After comparison with data from the previous study, the model developed was found to be adequate at predicting both the power output and the tip-speed ratio at which the maximum power output can be achieved. It was deemed necessary to develop a better understanding of the fluid environment around the in-stream water wheel, particularly the wake. The impact of the turbine on the fluid environment is important both from a local ecological impact perspective and due to the potential impact of the turbine wake on downstream turbine installations. This study characterised the three-dimensional topology of the wake of an in-stream water wheel, providing some quantitative understanding of the near-wake and how the blade depth ratio and number of blades influence the wake topology. The findings from this study improve the ability to install turbines downstream of one another and provide a novel insight into the fluid mechanics of the in-stream water wheel wake. The final objective of the thesis was to develop a method to estimate the regional potential for kinetic pico-hydropower using only globally-available datasets. This should allow for better inclusion of kinetic pico-hydropower in evidence-based decision-making. A method was developed based on previously-used hydrological modelling techniques and Geographic Information System analysis. Particular assumptions were made to allow for an analysis of the kinetic pico-hydropower potential in a given river or stream. While the model developed provides an a priori estimate, not based on any local measurement data, the ability to develop these estimates will allow for better inclusion of kinetic pico-hydropower in policy and state electrification plans, increasing the accessibility of the technology. The work addressed in this thesis aims to improve the ability to access and deploy instream water wheels by providing a better scientific basis for a number of important, under-explored characteristics of the technology. It is the intention that this improved scientific basis leads to further research into the technology and further consideration of kinetic pico-hydropower in rural electrification plans in resource-constrained communities. | |
| dc.description.dissertation | Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, 2024 | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2440/144548 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.provenance | This electronic version is made publicly available by the University of Adelaide in accordance with its open access policy for student theses. Copyright in this thesis remains with the author. This thesis may incorporate third party material which has been used by the author pursuant to Fair Dealing exceptions. If you are the owner of any included third party copyright material you wish to be removed from this electronic version, please complete the take down form located at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/legals | en |
| dc.subject | fluid dynamics | |
| dc.subject | water wheels | |
| dc.subject | rural electrification | |
| dc.subject | analytical model | |
| dc.subject | GIS | |
| dc.subject | kinetic hydropower | |
| dc.title | Improving the accessibility of in-stream water wheels | |
| dc.type | Thesis | en |
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