Investigation of Blade Number Effect on Hydraulic Performance of In-Pipe Hydro Savonius Turbine

Level of utilization of clean energy has grown dramatically in recent years due to increased pollution and environmental issues. For instance, the extra potential energy in water supply system is usually wasted, due to its low capacity. Design of a proper turbine has recently been given more attention by researchers to apply this clean energy. In the present paper, a modified Savonius turbine, suitable for use in a 4-inch pipe, is designed. Turbine with two blades is tested in a laboratory rig and also simulated with the FLUENT software. By matching numerical and laboratory results, simulations are expanded and the blades number effect on turbine performance is studied under determined hydraulic conditions. The flow field around the modified Savonius turbine is interpreted by the 3D streamlines and pressure contours. The obtained results indicate that increasing the turbine blade numbers up to 5 and more causes the turbine efficiency first to rise and then to fall, respectively.