DefinePK

Abstract

In this study, the activity undertaken is to develop a kinetic turbine that has been studied previously with the modification of the turbine blade shape, so that the momentum of the resulting blade becomes larger. Some researcher mentioned in some studies, that a kinetic turbine is a simple turbine and has a low efficiency. As previous studies of turbines to be observed are a laboratory-scale prototype turbine and what is sought is the turbine efficiency as a representative of a turbine performance. The results of this turbine performance measurement will be compared with the result of the kinetic turbine modeling on the Computer Fluid Dynamic system. In order that the modeling results comparable to be valid, it was then compared with the previous studies result. Then what was done was observing the pressure distribution occurred in the turbine. For the bowl bladed kinetic turbine it was found that the highest efficiency achieved was 21% at a water flow rate of 45 m3/ h and a turbine rotation of about 80 RPM. The simulation results with CFDs that observe every movement of rotating runner appear that there are at least two turbine blades that experience great momentum in the modeling. Compared with previous research, the kinetic turbine with a curved blade, the turbine bowl bladed efficiency has a higher efficiency and a more stable turbine rotation. The largest water flow, pressure occurs on the 45 (runner position as big as 1.02e+010 Pa and occurs in its two blade area. On the 40° runner position, the water flow pressure is slightly lower as big as 9.34e+009 Pa and also occurs in the two blades regions. While at the 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25° and 30 runner position the water pressure is the lowest but still high enough with a value of about 8.63e+009 Pa. Thus, based on the water pressure between the blades which produces the same relative momentum in the kinetic turbine with the bowl blade, it can be concluded that this turbine rotation is more stable. The water pressure produced is higher than that on the curve bladed kinetic turbine observed in the previous research.