Session: 04-11-01 Posters

Paper Number: 194618

194618 - A Design Optimization Framework for Turbine Blades in Flow-Type Hydropower Applications 

Abstract: 

Pakistan possesses a highly developed canal irrigation system; however, its utilization for energy generation remains limited despite the country’s abundant water resource potential. As part of a national Official Development Assistance (ODA) project initiated in 2024, this study aims to develop and implement a small-scale hydroelectric power system in the irrigation canals of the Punjab region to support decentralized power supply. The proposed system adopts a flow-type hydropower concept rather than a conventional head-based (drop-type) configuration. Unlike traditional hydropower systems that rely on hydraulic head and large-scale civil infrastructure, the proposed approach directly harnesses the kinetic energy of canal flows, enabling scalable and cost-effective energy generation with minimal modification to existing waterways. The turbine blade plays a dominant role in determining system performance, particularly under the low-head, high-flow conditions characteristic of irrigation canals. To address this challenge, a comprehensive computational framework is established to evaluate and optimize blade performance. The hydraulic characteristics of candidate blade designs are analyzed using ANSYS CFX, and a systematic optimization strategy is developed by integrating Design of Experiments (DOE) with the Response Surface Method (RSM). The primary contribution of this study is the development of a blade optimization methodology tailored for flow-type hydropower applications in canal environments. The proposed approach enables efficient exploration of a wide design space and identifies blade geometries that achieve improved hydraulic efficiency across varying operating conditions, thereby enhancing the feasibility of canal-based hydropower deployment.

Presenting Author: Soohwan Jeon Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology

Presenting Author Biography: Soohwan Jeon received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Inha University and his M.S./ Ph.D. in Pohang University of Science
and Technology (POSTECH). He is a researcher of at Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology (RIST).

Authors:

Hyunsu Kang Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology
Soohwan Jeon Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology
Jindae So Rio-Energy Co., Ltd.
Haram Oh Sungkyunkwan University
Youn-Jea Kim Sungkyunkwan University