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Open AccessArticle

Optimizing the Layout of Run-of-River Powerplants Using Cubic Hermite Splines and Genetic Algorithms

by Alejandro Tapia Córdoba, Pablo Millán Gata and Daniel Gutiérrez Reina

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(16), 8133; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12168133 - 14 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2275

Despite the clear advantages of mini hydropower technology to provide energy access in remote areas of developing countries, the lack of resources and technical training in these contexts usually lead to suboptimal installations that do not exploit the full potential of the environment. To address this drawback, the present work proposes a novel method to optimize the design of mini-hydropower plants with a robust and efficient formulation. The approach does not involve typical 2D simplifications of the terrain penstock layout. On the contrary, the problem is formulated considering arbitrary three-dimensional terrain profiles and realistic penstock layouts taking into account the bending effect. To this end, the plant layout is modeled on a continuous basis through the cubic Hermite interpolation of a set of key points, and the optimization problem is addressed using a genetic algorithm with tailored generation, mutation and crossover operators, especially designed to improve both the exploration and intensification. The approach is successfully applied to a real-case scenario with real topographic data, demonstrating its capability of providing optimal solutions while dealing with arbitrary terrain topography. Finally, a comparison with a previous discrete approach demonstrated that this algorithm can lead to a noticeable cost reduction for the problem studied. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolutionary Computation: Theories, Techniques, and Applications)

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14 pages, 3893 KB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Archimedes Screw Design: An Analytical Model for Rapid Estimation of Archimedes Screw Geometry

by Arash YoosefDoost and William David Lubitz

Energies 2021, 14(22), 7812; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14227812 - 22 Nov 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 13864

Abstract

In designing Archimedes screws, determination of the geometry is among the fundamental questions that may affect many aspects of the Archimedes screw powerplant. Most plants are run-of-river and highly depend on local flow duration curves that vary from river to river. An ability to rapidly produce realistic estimations for the initial design of a site-specific Archimedes screw plant helps to facilitate and accelerate the optimization of the powerplant design. An analytical method in the form of a single equation was developed to rapidly and easily estimate the Archimedes screw geometry for a specific site. This analytical equation was developed based on the accepted, proved or reported common designs characteristics of Archimedes screws. It was then evaluated by comparison of equation predictions to existing Archimedes screw hydropower plant installations. The evaluation results indicate a high correlation and reasonable relative difference. Use of the equation eliminates or simplifies several design steps and loops and accelerates the development of initial design estimations of Archimedes screw generators dramatically. Moreover, it helps to dramatically reduce one of the most significant burdens of small projects: the nonscalable initial investigation costs and enables rapid estimation of the feasibility of Archimedes screw powerplants at many potential sites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Conversion System – Small Hydropower Plants)

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34 pages, 16642 KB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceReview

Archimedes Screw Turbines: A Sustainable Development Solution for Green and Renewable Energy Generation—A Review of Potential and Design Procedures

by Arash YoosefDoost and William David Lubitz

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7352; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187352 - 8 Sep 2020

Cited by 83 | Viewed by 43952

Abstract

Archimedes Screws Turbines (ASTs) are a new form of small hydroelectric powerplant that can be applied even in low head sites. ASTs offer a clean and renewable source of energy and are safer for wildlife and especially fish than other hydro generation options. As with other energy solutions, ASTs are not a global solution for all situations. However, in terms of sustainable development, ASTs can offer many economic, social, and environmental advantages that make them an important option for providing sustainable hydropower development. Archimedes screws can operate in low water heads (less than about 5 m) and a range of flow rates with practical efficiencies of 60% to 80% and can generate up to 355 kW of power. ASTs increase the number of suitable sites where it is possible to develop sustainable hydropower, including in undeveloped, hard to access regions and small communities. At many low head sites, ASTs may be more cost-effective, with lower installation and operating costs than alternative hydropower systems. An AST may also reduce the disturbance of natural sedimentation and erosion processes and have smaller impacts on fish and other fauna. ASTs can often be retrofit to existing unpowered dams or weirs, providing new hydropower capacity for very little marginal environmental impact. This review outlines the characteristics of ASTs, then discusses and analyzes how they could benefit the sustainability of hydropower development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Future of Hydropower: Sustainable Practices, Innovative Technologies and New Scientific Insights)

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