Building and testing a micro-hydro turbine

The brain drain from Africa to the developed world is a major drain on any economy. Access to energy in Africa, and more specifically in Cameroon, is a key factor in the development of agricultural industries. It is in this context that we conducted our research into the manufacture of a micro-hydro turbine. The preliminary design showed that the diameter of the impeller is 263 mm, that of a trough is 50 mm and that of the injector is 20 mm. The inertia mass of the impeller is 0.0021 Kg.m2. The torque developed at the end of the shaft is 11 Nm, with a jet impact force of 83.68 N. Tests in a high-pressure laundry showed that our prototype has a promising future in the renewable energy sector. We recorded a voltage of 220V to 230V from a flow rate of 2.5 L/s to 6 L/s. The maximum current value recorded was 3.2 A, giving an output of 736 W and an estimated efficiency of 92%. The micro-hydro turbine can supply 172.6 kWh/d of energy, avoiding the emission of 5.8 T of carbon per year.