• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.19-29
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• 2014

In addition to the development of micro hydro turbine, the challenge in micro hydro turbine design as sustainable hydro devices is focused on the optimization of turbine runner blade which have decisive effect on the turbine performance to reach higher efficiency. A multi-objective optimization method to optimize the performance of runner blade of propeller turbine for micro turbine has been studied. For the initial design of planar blade cascade, singularity distribution method and the combination of the Bezier curve parametric technology is used. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II(NSGA II) is developed based on the multi-objective optimization design method. The comparision with model test show that the blade charachteristics is optimized by NSGA-II has a good efficiency and load distribution. From model test and scale up calculation, the maximum prototype efficiency of the runner blade reaches as high as 90.87%.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.183-192
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• 2015

The aim of this study was comparative analysis of sediment-induced erosion on optimized design and traditional design of Francis runner blade. The analysis was conducted through laboratory experiments in a test rig called Rotating Disc Apparatus. The results showed that the extent of erosion was significantly less in the optimized design when compared based on the material loss. It was observed that the optimized design could reduce sediment erosion by about 14.4% if it was used in place of the reference design for entire duration of the experiment. Based on the observations and results obtained, it has been concluded that the optimization of hydraulic design of blade profile of Francis runner can significantly reduce the effect of sediment-induced erosion.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.392-399
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• 2009

The paper concerns the description of the step by step development process of the new fixed blade runner called "Mixer" suitable for the uprating of the Francis turbines units installed at the older low head hydropower plants. In the paper the details of hydraulic and mechanical design are presented. Since the rotational speed of the new runner is significantly higher then the rotational speed of the original Francis one, the direct coupling of the turbine to the generator can be applied. The maximum efficiency at prescribed operational point was reached by the geometry optimization of two most important components. In the first step the optimization of the draft tube geometry was carried out. The condition for the draft tube geometry optimization was to design the new geometry of the draft tube within the original bad draft tube shape without any extensive civil works. The runner blade geometry optimization was carried out on the runner coupled with the draft tube domain. The blade geometry of the runner was optimized using automatic direct search optimization procedure. The method used for the objective function minimum search is a kind of the Nelder-Mead simplex method. The objective function concerns efficiency, required net head and cavitation features. After successful hydraulic design the modal and stress analysis was carried out on the prototype scale runner. The static pressure distribution from flow simulation was used as a load condition. The modal analysis in air and in water was carried out and the results were compared. The final runner was manufactured in model scale and it is going to be tested in hydraulic laboratory. Since the turbine with the fixed blade runner does not allow double regulation like in case of full Kaplan turbine, it can be profitably used mainly at power plants with smaller changes of operational conditions or in case with more units installed. The advantages are simple manufacturing, installation and therefore lower expenses and short delivery time for turbine uprating.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2016

As a key component of a Francis turbine facility, the runner performance plays a vital role in the performance of the turbine. It is effective and successful to design a Francis turbine runner blade with good performance by one dimensional hydraulic design method. On the basis of one dimensional hydraulic analysis, there are a lot of parameters of the internal flow passage shapes determined by experience. Among those parameters, the effect of port area of blade on the performance of a Francis turbine is investigated in this study. A given Francis turbine model was selected for investigating the port area of blade on the performance. The result shows that the effect of port area of runner blade on the outflow angle from runner passage on the performance is quite significant. A correct exit flow angle reduces the energy loss at draft tube, which has the best efficiency of the turbine model.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.116-125
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• 2024

Ultra-low-head is an unexplored classification among the sites in which hydroelectric power can be produced. This is typically owing to the low power output and the economic value of the turbines available in this segment. A turbine capable of operating in an ultra-low-head condition without the need of a dam to produce electricity is developed in this study. A gate structure installed at a shallow water channel acting as a weir generates artificial head for the turbine mounted on the gate to produce power. The turbine and generator are designed to be compact and submersible for an efficient and silent operation. The gate angle is adjustable to operate the turbine at varying flow rates. The turbine is designed and tested using computational fluid dynamics tools prior to manufacturing and experimental studies. A parametric study of the runner blade parameters is conducted to obtain the most efficient blade design with minimal hydraulic losses. These parameters include the runner stagger and runner leading edge flow angles. The selected runner design showed improved hydraulic characteristics of the turbine to operate in an ultra-low-head site with minimal losses.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.561-566
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• 2011

In this paper, 1-D design of axial flow hydraulic turbine including runner blades, spiral casing with distributors(guide vanes and stay vane), and draft tube was conducted and then 3-D flow analysis was carried out using CFX-12.1. The results of 3 runners showed that with an increase in the number of blades, the flow rate and the power of the turbine system increased. On the other hand. the runner loss was not directly connected with the number of blades. As a result, proper blade number could be selected and more than 100kW small hydraulic turbine could be designed.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.45-56
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• 2015

This paper aims to develop a submerged propeller turbine for micro hydropower plant which allows to sustain high values of efficiency in a broad range of hydrological conditions (H=2~6 m, $Q=0.15{\sim}0.39m^3/s$). The two aspects to be considered in this development are mechanical simplicity and high-efficiency operation. Unlike conventional turbines that have spiral casing and gear box, this is directing driving and no spiral casing. A 10 kW class turbine which has the most high potential of the power generation has been developed. The most important element in the design of turbine is the runner blade. The initial blade is designed using inverse design method and then the runner geometry is modified by classical hydraulic method. The design process is carried out in two steps. First, the blade shape is fix and then other components of submerged propeller turbine are designed. Computational fluid dynamics analyses based on the Navier-Stokes equations have been used to obtain overall performance data for the blade and the full turbine, respectively. The results generated by performance parameters(head, guide vane opening angle and rotational speed) variations are theoretically analysed. The evaluation criteria for the blade and the turbine performances are the pressure distribution and flow's behavior on the runner blades and turbine. The results of simulation reveals an efficiency of 91.5% and power generation of 10.5kW at the best efficiency point at the head of 4m and a discharge of $0.3m^3/s$.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.93-103
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• 2015

This study set out to figure out the tendencies of the staff members participating in the space design of Blade Runner and compare and analyze its set and location characteristics with its narrative based on Gilles Deleuze' Simulacrum, one of the basic theories of Post modernism, thus identifying the characteristics of postmodern space inherent in it. The findings were as follows: first, the spaces in a Late modernism tendency in Blade Runner seem to have been created by the cinematic imagination of Syd Mead and Douglas Trumbull rather than being influenced by the old Late modernism architecture. Second, the postmodern spaces of the movie were designed to depict a more realistic future by reinforcing the old ornamental elements or adding the mechanical aesthetics of Late modernism based on a prediction of future cities. Third, the characters representing Late modernism and Post modernism in the narrative of the movie embrace the tendencies of the parties objected by Model and Simulacrum in the scenes where they deny the tendencies of the spaces to which they belong, thus exhibiting a dual trend. Fourth, the dual narrative of Model and Simulacrum holds duality even in the space and architecture of the movie, which is the reason why the movie chose postmodern spaces reflecting historical contexts instead of inner spaces in the tendency of minimalism, which was in vogue when SF movies were made those days. Finally, the spaces of the movie can be categorized according to the Late modernism and Post modernism tendencies from the perspective of the 1980s and be understood to show the architecture and space of future Post modernism feasible through the layering of historicity, locality, and mechanical aesthetics from ancient Maya to a future city in Los Angeles, the background of the movie, from the perspective of 2019.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.294-303
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• 2015

The present study is conducted to identify a better design and optimal number of Francis runner blades for sediment laden high head micro hydropower site, Tara Khola in the Baglung district of Nepal. The runner is designed with in-house code and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is performed to evaluate the performance with three configurations; 11, 13 and 17 numbers of runner blades. The three sets of runners were also investigated for the sediment erosion tendency. The runner with 13 blades shows better performance at design as well as in variable discharge conditions. 96.2% efficiency is obtained from the runner with 13 blades at the design point, and the runners with 17 and 11 blades have 88.25% and 76.63% efficiencies respectively. Further, the runner with 13 blades has better manufacturability than the runner with 17 blades as it has long and highly curved blade with small gaps between the blades, but it comes with 65% more erosion tendency than in the runner with 17 blades.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.44-51
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• 2012

The aim of this paper is to examine the hydraulically optimized camber of a blade. Prior studies have tried to determine the sound method of design on small-hydro turbines. These have appeared to realize a reasonably efficient small-hydro turbine. Nonetheless, specific and accurate design data have not as yet been established for the shape of the runner blade. Hence, this study examines the performance characteristic of an axial propeller turbine with 0~8% camber variations. The results of output power, efficiency, and pressure distribution of the turbine are graphically depicted. The definition of camber refers to the NACA airfoil. The commercial finite element analysis (FEA) packages, ANSYS, and CFX are used in this study. The results revealed the performance characteristics on small-hydro turbine and suggested a highly efficient section shape of the runner.