Investigation the Performance of Stream Water Wheel Turbines using CFD Techniques

Abstract

A stream water wheel is a machine for convertingthe energy of moving water into power. It consists of a large metal wheel, witha number blades arranged on the outer rim which allows the wheel to be rotatedby the water striking the blades. Water wheels were used since ancient as aprimary source of power. It was used for irrigation, grain milling andsupplying villages with water. In the present study, a stream water wheelturbine of 5 m in diameter is numerically simulated using ANSYS-CFX packageunder different flow conditions. The wake region behind the turbine ismonitored where it influences on other turbines next to it. The simulationresults have shown that in case of constructing a farm of wheel turbines, thestreamwise span should not be less than 6 m. The stream wheel turbines worksnormally at a tip speed ratio TSR less than unity.