The Influence of Incoming Water Flows and Head Variations on the Archimedes Screw Turbine Torque Force for Low Head Hydroelectric Power Plants

Renewable energy has become a promising alternative energy due to innovations that have reduced costs and realized the future of environmentally friendly energy. Hydroelectric power plants are one of the most promising renewable energy in Indonesia, especially in areas with many rivers. In many low head water flow locations, Archimedes Screw Turbine (AST) may be more cost-effective, with lower installation and operation costs than alternative hydroelectric power systems. Although many theoretical and experimental investigations have been published regarding the implementation of this AST over the past decade, there has been no experimental evaluation in the literature for heads below 1 meter. This post presents test results from Single Screw Archimedes turbine with a difference in flow rate of 106 l/min, 291 l/min, 594 l/min, and 1035 l/min and head variations of 0.7 meters, 0.8 meters, 0.9 meters, and 1 meter. Maximum turbine power of 93.93 Watt at 1035 l/min at head 0.7 meters. The results provide new insights into the performance of the Archimedes screw turbine efficiency under the 1-meter head. The flow rate is comparable to torque and power increases as the turbine entry flow increases.