Influence of Blade Number on the Flow Characteristics in the Vertical Axis Propeller Hydro Turbine

In this paper, the design method of a low-head propeller-type hydro turbine is studied for various numbers of blades on an axial propeller. We also investigate the relationship between geometrical parameters and internal performance parameters, such as angular velocities (100, 200, 300, 400 rpm) and 2.5~4m low heads through a three-dimensional numerical method with the SST turbulent model. The numerical results showed that the blade number had a more dominant influence than the change in heads and rotational speed on the flow characteristics of the turbine. The distributions of pressure and velocity in the streamwise direction of the propeller turbine were graphically depicted. Especially, the relationship among dimensionless parameters like specific speed ($N_s$), flow coefficient (${\phi}$) and power coefficient (P) were investigated.