Effects of Inclination Angle on Archimedes Screw Generator Power Production with Constant Head
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 3
Abstract
Three laboratory-scale Archimedes screw generators were tested for their power production. They were tested at different inclination angles corresponding to their lengths in order to maintain a constant head for each screw. Experimentation was used to develop initial insight into the effect of inclination angle on Archimedes screw power production. Computational fluid dynamic simulations were then compared to the experimental data and evaluated for their accuracy. The model was found to be acceptable and was then used to extend the data set to a total of seven inclination angles across the range of –40°. It was found that Archimedes screw generators with shallower inclination angles produced more power. It was also noted that shallower inclination angles correspond to longer screws and, thus, more civil infrastructure costs. The authors suggest that the ideal inclination angle for an Archimedes screw generator installation is between and 25° based on this laboratory-scale testing.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
Aspects of this work were financially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) program (Grant No. CRDPJ 433740-12) and Greenbug Energy (Delhi, Ontario, Canada). The assistance of Tony Bouk and Brian Weber of Greenbug Energy is gratefully acknowledged.
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jan 21, 2020
Accepted: Sep 23, 2020
Published online: Jan 5, 2021
Published in print: Mar 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jun 5, 2021
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