Numerical Analysis of Cross-Flow Hydro Turbine with Different Number of Blades

Hydropower is one of the most desirable energy sources to be used if it is as competitive and cost-effective as any other energy source. One cost-conscious measure in hydropower is the efficiency of turbines, which is the subject of the study reported here. Despite its reduced efficiency, the cross-flow hydro turbine has proven to be effective at low discharge and low head. This study aims to make a cross-flow hydro turbine more efficient. This study conducted a numerical study of a cross-flow hydro turbine (CFHT) using ANSYS FLUENT and a multi-physics finite volume solver (FVM). The shear stress transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model was used to perform 3D unsteady simulations. A CFHT’s performance was evaluated by increasing the blade numbers from 18 to 21. When the θs (nozzle entrance arc angle) was 65°, the rotational speed was 600 rpm, and the β1 was 10°, with 20 blades, the optimal efficiency was found to be 95.75%.