Experimental Study of the Flow Induced by an Axial Hydrokinetic Turbine

Abstract The renewable energy policy strongly encourages the use of all renewable sources of energy. The authors started to develop a new hydrokinetic turbine to be implemented in small rivers or water channels with a low investment cost. This paper presents velocity map distribution around a hydrokinetic turbine prototype. Experimental measurements were performed using a Particle Image Velocimetry system in a water channel, while the water velocity and turbine rotation speed were variated. Images are presented in the same rotor position and the rotational flow is captured downstream of the blades, at different turbine operating modes. This paper is part of a larger study on developing an innovative axial hydrokinetic turbine. The resulting velocity distribution will be used to validate the numerical model.