Theoretical and conditional monitoring of a small three-bladed vertical-axis micro-hydro turbine

This paper presents a novel 3-kW three-bladed vertical-axis micro-hydro turbine (VAMHT) system. The experimental results reveal that using this type of turbine in water is distinct from using it in wind. The micro-hydro turbine system uses a three-phase permanent magnet symmetric generator that transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy. The output voltage and frequency of the generator depend on water flow speed, and voltage steady equipment is used to maintain the maximum output power of the DC bus. According to the maximum power point tracking of the micro-hydro turbine system, the condition monitoring of the novel micro-hydro turbine requires no water flow meter. Furthermore, the construction and installation of the new micro-hydro turbine is simple, economical, and stable. This system combines a micro-hydro generator and electrical state-monitoring system, which can measure the speed, output power, DC-bus voltage, and all electrical characteristics of the micro-hydro turbine system. The results of comparing turbine between wind and water show that the speed ranges of water flow is narrower than that of wind, and the status transformation from cut-into stable power generation is short. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.