Improving the Performance of an Axial Hydrokinetic Turbine Using Auxiliary Equipment

Hydrokinetic turbines are used to convert the hydropower potential of rivers and oceans into electricity. In the current paper the influence of auxiliary equipment on the hydrodynamic performance of a small axial hydrokinetic turbine is analyzed. The aim is to enhance the power output of the turbine by equipping it with a shroud and three models of diffusers of constant length and different span angles (5°, 12° and 20°). In order to test this objective, a numerical study was carried out for each case: unshrouded turbine, turbine equipped with shroud, and turbine equipped with shroud and different types of diffusers. The results show that attaching diffusers leads to an increase of the power generated by the turbine up to 40%.