PARAMETRIC EVALUATION OF CROSS-FLOW TURBINE PERFORMANCE

The present paper discusses an experimental investigation of the key p arameters influencing cross-flow turbine efficiency. The experiments i ncluded measurements of torque, rotational speed. flow rate, and total head in physical models of turbines and nozzles. One physical paramet er (flow rate) and six geometric parameters of the turbine were invest igated: the angle of water entry to the runner, diameter ratio, number of blades, flow-stream spreading, runner aspect ratio, and blade exit angle. A total of 39 runners and 11 nozzles were tested in 75 differe nt combinations. Analysis performed on the results identified the impa ct of the different parameters on the turbine efficiency. The results indicate that with careful selection of the cross-flow turine paramete rs, efficiencies as high as 88.0% with an uncertainty of +/- 2.4% can be achieved. This is considered an improvement over the claimed maximu m efficiency reported in the literature.