Studi Experimental Performansi Pembangkit Listrik Sistem Gravitasi Vortex Menggunakan Sudu Straight Blades

Abstract

The basic theory of fluid flow or hydrodynamics states that flowing water possesses energy that can be harnessed to rotate turbine wheels. Therefore, hydropower plants are constructed along rivers and in mountainous areas. These hydropower plants can be classified into two categories: high-pressure hydropower plants and low-pressure hydropower plants. The vortex turbine, known as the Gravitation Water Vortex Turbine (GWVT), falls under the category of ultra-low head small hydropower plants, operating in the range of 0.7 m to 2 m. Various studies have been conducted using different blade configurations such as the basic turbine, inclined turbine, heightened turbine, vertical twisted turbine, and horizontal curved turbine. It has been found that the vertical twisted turbine with a conical basin achieves an efficiency of 55.3%. In this research, an experimental study was conducted to analyze the influence of straight blade count (3, 5, and 7 blades) on the efficiency of the vortex turbine. The study considered variations in flow rate, torque, and turbine power. The highest efficiency was observed for the 7-blade configuration, reaching 47.9%, with a flow rate of 0.0113 m3/s, torque of 6.18 N.m, and power of 45.28 watts. The results were validated by comparing the experimental findings with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation results.