Pumps as Turbines (PATs) by Analysis with CFD Models

[EN] Pumps as turbines (PATs) are the typical solution for electrification using micro hydropower plants (MHP) in the rural sector. Other engineering applications where lately the use of PATs have increased are irrigation, water supply, and energy recovery systems due to their availability, short de...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Plua, Frank, Hidalgo, Victor, Cando, Edgar, Pérez-Sánchez, Modesto|||0000-0001-8316-7778, López Jiménez, Petra Amparo|||0000-0002-7043-3683
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/190535
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/190535
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Pump as turbine (PAT)
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Best Efficient Point (BEP)
Efficiency prediction
Mycro-hydropower
INGENIERIA HIDRAULICA
07.- Asegurar el acceso a energías asequibles, fiables, sostenibles y modernas para todos
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] Pumps as turbines (PATs) are the typical solution for electrification using micro hydropower plants (MHP) in the rural sector. Other engineering applications where lately the use of PATs have increased are irrigation, water supply, and energy recovery systems due to their availability, short delivery time, long service life, economic feasibility, construction, and maintenance advantages. However, selecting the suitable pump(s) is difficult because manufacturers only provide performance curves when operating in pump mode; therefore, there is no universal method to predict that issue. For this reason, theoretical, analytical, experimental, and numerical simulation research have been made to predict these curves and the PATs' performance. The present paper analyzes PATs with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based on advanced research. For this aim, information from a wide range of types of pumps with different rotation speeds was classified to examine case approaches, computational domains, mesh generation, boundary conditions, optimization of elements, and CFD package used to establish the effectiveness of this tool and to find characteristics which have not been enough investigated at present. Most studies used CFD simulations with ANSYS code and K-¿ turbulence closure model, which presented adequate results. Finally, this paper shows that numerical simulations with CFD analysis were successfully carried out to determine pump performance and predict curves in direct and reverse mode, improving certain components and conducting more profound research on certain specific issues.