Inlet Channel Effects On Archimedes Screw Generators

The Archimedes screw is one of the oldest machines in the world, and has been used for various applications including hydroelectric power generation. This project investigated the effect of inlet conditions on a laboratory-scale Archimedes screw as a generator. The performance of the Archimedes screw was measured with both a narrow inlet channel and a wider inlet basin. The required inlet water depth was experimentally determined for both the channel and the basin, for a range of operating flow rates and screw rotation speeds. The tests with and without the channel were conducted at 9 different speeds and 9 different flows. The data was analyzed and plotted for efficiency, head, inlet depth, non-dimensional inlet depth with the respective flow and speed associated to each data point. The experimental data was used to develop an inlet depth model. The data was analyzed and plotted for efficiency, head, inlet depth, non-dimensional inlet depth with the respective flow and speed associated to each data point. It was found that there was a notable efficiency difference between the basin and channel inlets only at low volume flow rates and high rotation speeds.