Mathematical model to evaluate the performance of submersible hydraulic turbogenerators for energy recovery from water distribution networks

This paper presents the development of a model to predict the behavior of turbogeneration systems using curve affinity methods and data analysis. For this purpose, a hydroelectric turbogenerator with a capacity of 35 kW, manufactured by the Spanish company Perga Ingenieros was used. This turbogenerator was installed in the water distribution network of Bucaramanga, Colombia. Given that this type of system is not widely documented in scientific literature, it is a challenge to characterize it in detail, which provides a novel element to this research. This study compares the reliability of the proposed model with existing models in specialized literature to predict the characteristic and efficiency curves of this type of device. The results indicate that the proposed model has a satisfactory predictive capacity and fits well with the experimental data according to the goodness-of-fit parameters: Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), Sum of Squares Error (SCE), Coefficient of Determination R2 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The model generally presented an improvement in goodness of fit with respect to the other models studied: 65 %, 76 %, 28 %, and 55 % for MAPE, SCE, R2, and RMSE, respectively. To achieve a better fit in the model, the experimental dataset should be expanded, and the number of turbogenerators should be increased. Finally, hydroelectric turbogeneration systems are presented as an option for energy recovery in water distribution networks.