Genius Bladeless Hydro Turbine

By:

• Belal Alaa Mohamed (19100785)
• AbdelRahman Hesham Ali (19103021)
• Mohamed Salah Nassar (19101037)
• Ahmed Ashraf Ghallab (19101319)
• Sarah Ibrahim Massoud (19101606)

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Supervised by:

• Dr. Hassan El Gamal
• Dr. El Sayed Saber

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Introduction

• Traditional hydropower relies on turbines with rotating blades to convert water flow into electricity. However, these blades can pose a threat to fish and other aquatic life, and their efficiency can be limited in low-head environments (rivers with minimal elevation change).

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• The Genius Bladeless Hydro Turbine offers a promising alternative. This innovative design utilizes a vibrating sphere within a chamber to harness the energy of flowing water through vortex shedding.

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Previous Designs of Genius Bladeless Hydro Turbine

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• Victor Kaplan’s bladeless turbine.

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• Hydraulic turbine without blades.

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Victor Kaplan’s Bladeless Turbine

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• Concept: Bladeless design using the Coanda effect
• Outcome: Electricity generation

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Victor Kaplan’s Bladeless Turbine

• Function:
• Nozzle directs water jet (specific shape unknown).
• Curved surface creates low pressure zone (specific design unknown).
• Low pressure draws in water, spinning a rotor.

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Hydraulic Turbine Without Blades

• Function: 

- The rotating shaft is connected to a generator.

• As the shaft rotates, the generator converts the mechanical energy from the shaft rotation into electrical energy.

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• Water sources:

- Rivers

- Tidal streams

- Ocean currents

- Canals

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Efficiency

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Applications

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Low-head Hydro Turbine

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• Bladeless turbines are particularly suitable for low-head applications like rivers, canals, and irrigation systems where traditional turbines struggle to operate efficiently.

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Urban Waterways

• These turbines can be installed in urban waterways like wastewater treatment plants, generating power from existing infrastructure.
• Bladeless turbines use water flow or waste gases to spin and generate electricity.
• This can help them reduce reliance on external power and potentially generate extra power.

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Ocean Currents and Tidal Streams

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• Bladeless turbines use water flow to create vibrations. These vibrations, through special materials or mechanisms, are converted into electricity. This allows them to capture energy from currents and tides without noisy blades.

Types�

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• Vortex Bladeless Turbine

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• Tesla turbine

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Vortex Bladeless Turbine

• This design utilizes the principle of vortex-induced vibrations to generate electricity.
• The kinetic energy of the oscillations is converted into electrical energy.

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How Does It Work?

• Wind flows around the slender, cone-shaped mast of the turbine.

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• As the wind passes, it creates vortices on the backside of the mast.

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• The generated current is converted into usable electricity through power electronics and control systems. This electricity can then power devices or be stored for later use.

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Tesla Turbine

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• The Tesla turbine is a bladeless centripetal flow turbine invented by Nikola Tesla in 1913.

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• the Tesla turbine utilizes the boundary layer effect and the viscosity of the fluid to create torque on a series of smooth discs.

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Design

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Working Principle

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- Fluid injection:�The fluid injected by the nozzles creates a thin layer, known as the boundary layer, on the surface of the discs.��- Viscous drag:�The viscosity of the fluid causes the boundary layer to drag on the discs, transferring momentum and creating torque.��

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• Disc rotation:

As the torque builds up, the discs start to rotate, drawing in more fluid from the nozzles and perpetuating the cycle.

• Energy extraction:

The rotational motion of the shaft is used to drive a generator or other machinery, converting the fluid's kinetic energy into electrical or mechanical energy.

Torque

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Relationship between Torque and Different Bladeless Turbine Types

Vortex Bladeless Turbine & Tesla Turbine

Vortex Bladeless Turbine

• Frequency and amplitude of vibrations determine torque, influenced by flow velocity and design.

• As water tangentially enters, drag on the discs creates torque, increasing with disc number and fluid velocity.

Tesla Turbine

Factors Affecting Torque in Genius Bladeless Hydro Turbine

Challenges of Torque in Bladeless Turbines

Lower Efficiency

Compared to traditional bladed turbines, bladeless designs often have lower peak torque and overall energy conversion efficiency, needing further optimization.

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Design Complexity

Balancing factors like fluid flow, material properties, and generator compatibility can be challenging in achieving optimal torque output.

Limited Operational Data

Bladeless technology being relatively new, real-world performance data on torque characteristics is limited, making design improvements more iterative.

Rotational speed

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Factors Affecting Rotational Speed in Genius Bladeless Turbine

Water Flow Rate

Vortex Chamber Geometry

Sphere Size and Materials

Higher flow rates result in increased force on the sphere, impacting its rotational speed.

The shape and size of the chamber influence the vortex formation, affecting rotational speed.

Sphere size, inertia, and material properties impact rotational speed and torque generation.

Generator Design

Matching the generator's speed requirements to the turbine's achievable speed is crucial for optimal power output.

Power

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Power

Definition of Power

Factors Affecting Power Output

Optimal Speed for Power Generation

Power is the product of torque and rotational speed and directly impacts the generation of electricity.

Efficiency of the generator plays a crucial role in converting mechanical energy into electrical power, ultimately affecting the power output.

The optimal speed is a balance between maximizing torque and maintaining efficient energy conversion to achieve optimal power output.

Theoretical Analysis

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How To Calculate Power and Torque?

1. INPUT POWER

Power at dimmer cable

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2. FIRST EQUATION

Amount of available power:

Power = ρ * g * H * Q * ηt * ηg

Power = Electrical power, kW.

ρ = Density of the water, 1000kg/m3.

g = Gravitational constant, 9.81m/s2.

H = Head of the dam, m.

Q = Quantity of the water, m3.

ηt = Efficiency of the turbine, %

ηg = Efficiency of the electrical generator, %.

How To Calculate Power and Torque?

THIRD EQUATION

• The power delivered to a system that is rotating about a fixed axis is the torque times the angular velocity, P = T * ω.
• P = Electrical power, kW.
• T = Torque, N.m.
• ω = Rotational speed, rps

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SECOND EQUATION

• Output power = generator power

Power = V * I

- V = voltage, volt.

- I = current, ampere.

Components

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Encoder

Breadboard, wires,

current sensor, Arduino uno, motor, generator

Regulator dimmer controller

Pump

Tank

Vortex chamber (cone), containing the ball inside

Connecting rod

Tank (Housing)

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This is a large reservoir for storing water.

Vortex Chamber (Cone)

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• This chamber, shaped like a truncated cone with an angled opening at the bottom.

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• As water flows through the opening, it creates a swirling vortex.

Ball

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• The ball creates instabilities in the water flow, which is what initiates the vortex formation.

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Connecting Rod

• This rod translates the ball's back-and-forth motion into rotational motion.

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Pump

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• This pump essentially increasing the water flow rate before it enters the bladeless turbine. This allows the turbine to operate more effectively and generate more electricity.

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Generator

• The rotational motion of the connecting rod is finally transferred to a generator, which converts the mechanical energy into electricity.

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Motor (5 volt)

• The motor is used to generate electricity from the movement of water in the hydro turbine.

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Regulator Dimmer Controller

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• It is for controlling the speed of the motor.

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Encoder

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• This can be used to measure the rotational speed of the turbine shaft, which can be helpful for monitoring performance and optimizing power output.

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Current and Voltage Sensor

• This can be used to measure the electrical output of the generator.

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Arduino UNO

• It is used as a data acquisition system, collecting information from the encoder and potentially the current/voltage sensor.

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Results

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Relations

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Relation between dimmer steps and power

Relation between dimmer steps and flowrate

Relations

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Relation between flowrate and power

Relation between flowrate and torque

Relations

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Relation between flowrate and rotational speed

Relation between flowrate and efficiency

Advantages of Using Genius Bladeless Hydro Turbines Over Traditional Bladed Turbines

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Environmental Advantages

• Reduced Impact on Aquatic Life and Ecosystems:

Eliminates risks to fish and aquatic organisms posed by rotating blades.

• Reduced Noise and Visual Impact:

Quieter operation and less visible compared to traditional turbines.

• Water Quality Preservation:

Maintains water flow and quality, benefiting downstream ecosystems.

• Adaptable to Variable Flows:

Optimizes energy production in changing water flow conditions.

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Mechanical Advantages

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Troubleshooting

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Troubleshooting

• Transitioning pump.
• Modifications for the valve types and their positioning.
• Transitioning connecting rod.
• Changing bearing.
• Replacing dynamo power source with a 5V generator.
• Changing the ball.
• For accurate reading of RPS, RPM, current and voltage, there were some changes in code and sensors.

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Conclusion

• The Genius bladeless hydro turbine is a promising new technology that has the potential to revolutionize hydropower generation. Its bladeless design offers several advantages over traditional turbines. However, technology is still in its early stages of development, and there are some challenges that need to be addressed before it can be widely adopted.

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Thank you

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