Optimizing Hydroelectric Power Station Design with IoT: A Case Study of e3k and FLUENT Software
Technology Category
- Sensors - Flow Meters
- Sensors - Liquid Detection Sensors
Applicable Industries
- Aerospace
- Mining
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
About The Customer
e3k is a leading Australian mechanical engineering consultancy that specializes in the research and development of new technologies in various sectors including energy, manufacturing, transportation, defense, aerospace, and mining. The company uses a combination of engineering experience and sophisticated modeling tools such as CFD and FEA to design and optimize advanced technologies. e3k provides a range of engineering services including early-stage conceptual design, detailed engineering modeling and analysis, prototype design, construction and testing, and failure analysis.
The Challenge
e3k, an Australian mechanical engineering consultancy, was tasked with optimizing the efficiency of a multi-nozzle Pelton wheel hydroelectric power station design. The challenge lay in the intricate examination of the branching distributor manifold, the nozzle design, and the rotating runner to extract maximum useful energy from the known head and flow conditions. The dynamic interaction between water jets and the runner created a particularly complex unsteady, multiphase flow field. This complexity made it difficult to identify areas for improvement and to understand the effects of potential design changes.
The Solution
e3k employed FLUENT software to quantify and visualize the effects of design changes as various aspects of the geometry were refined. The software was instrumental in characterizing the complex flow fields in the rotating runner, revealing areas where efficiency could be improved. FLUENT software also enabled the identification of an effect that had not been reported previously in empirical studies. This discovery could lead to further performance improvements. The software provided useful and timely feedback on how design modifications would influence the complex multiphase flow fields evident in the Pelton installation.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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