EXPERIMENTAL AND RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY-BASED OPTIMIZATION OF 3D-PRINTED IMPULSE TURBINE BUCKETS FOR SMALL HYDRO APPLICATIONS

H. LAKDAWALA, V. PATEL, D. MODI, G. BAKHRU

Abstract


Small hydro turbines have gained market traction due to the availability of water resources and lower installation costs. This study combines experimental and statistical approaches to optimize parameters influencing the displacement of impulse turbine buckets. Two Pelton turbine bucket designs, with size ratios of 0.67 (width: 31.83 mm) and 0.87 (width: 76 mm), were tested with three different jet diameters—8 mm, 10 mm, and 12 mm. The larger bucket exhibited a 30% increase in size compared to the smaller one. Both bucket types were fabricated using polylactic acid, a sustainable material, through 3D printing with fused deposition modeling. Response Surface Methodology (RSM), employing a Box-Behnken Design, was used to optimize the jet angle, jet diameter, and flow rate as numerical factors, while the bucket size ratio was treated as a categorical factor. These parameters were varied from the baseline design to assess their impact on bucket displacement. Experiments were conducted with different jet diameters at jet incidence angles of 90° ± 2.5°. Based on prior experimental investigations, the flow rate was adjusted within the range of 0.000068 to 0.000204 m³/s. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that flow rate is the most significant factor affecting bucket displacement, with a p-value less than 0.0001. The larger bucket (size ratio = 0.87) was more effective than the smaller one (size ratio =0.67) due to its ability to handle more water volume, reduce water diffusion, and create a higher moment arm. The quadratic model's optimal operating parameters were a nozzle angle of 90°, a jet diameter of 9 mm, and a flow rate of 0.001156 m³/s. The error between experimental results and RSM predictions was 0.79%, indicating a strong correlation between these two. This study establishes the potential of using polylactic acid as a viable material for turbine buckets in small hydro applications, especially under varying operational conditions.


Keywords


3-D printed turbine bucket, Jet diameter, Jet incidence, small hydro, Response Surface Methodology, Box Behnken Design

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References


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