Integrated Experimental And Numerical Study To Evaluate The Performance Of A GI Runner For Archimedes Screw Turbine
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29284/6ed5dp12Keywords:
Archimedes screw turbine, Runner material, Flow rate, Computational fluid dynamics, Micro-hydropower.Abstract
Micro-hydropower has gained attention in recent years with growing interest in low-head turbines due to their efficiency, cost effectiveness and ability to operate at low flow rates with minimal environmental impact. Among these systems the Archimedes screw turbine (AST) is a promising option for supplying electricity to rural and remote areas. This study investigates the performance of an AST fabricated with a galvanized iron (GI) runner through laboratory experiments and CFD modelling. Experiments were conducted at inclination angles between 20° and 40° with flow rates of 1-5 kg·s⁻¹. Parameters such as torque, rotational speed, output power and hydraulic efficiency were evaluated and the maximum efficiency of 72.51% was recorded at 20° inclination angle and 1 kg·s⁻¹ flow rate. A three-dimensional CFD model was developed in ANSYS fluent using a polyhedral mesh, Eulerian multiphase approach and the realizable k–ε turbulence model. The numerical predictions matched closely with experimental results showing a peak efficiency of 70%. Pressure contours and transient flow fields provided insight into flow behaviour. Results highlight GI as a practical and durable runner material for AST in rural low-head micro-hydropower systems.
References
[1] A. M. Omer, “Energy, environment and sustainable development,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 12, no. 9, pp. 2265–2300, 2008, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2007.05.001.
[2] S. H. Mohr, J. Wang, G. Ellem, J. Ward and D. Giurco, “Projection of world fossil fuels by country,” Fuel, vol. 141, pp. 120–135, 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.fuel.2014.10.030.
[3] F. Martins, C. Felgueiras, and M. Smitková, “Fossil fuel energy consumption in European countries,” Energy Procedia, vol. 153, pp. 107–111, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2018.10.050.
[4] S. D. Kamadje, N. S. Nouadjep and E. B. Gueguim Kana, “Assessing renewable energy trends: A global bibliometric analysis of biomass, solar, wind and geothermal resources with emphasis on Cameroon,” International Journal of Energy and Water Resources, pp. 1–20, 2025, doi: 10.1007/s42108-025-00383-7.
[5] K. E. Okedu, B. C. Oyinna, E. O. Diemuodeke, I. Colak and A. Kalam, “Multicriteria GIS-based assessment of biomass energy and hydropower potentials in Nigeria,” Measurement: Sensors, vol. 33, p. 101243, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.measen.2024.101243.
[6] Z. Wang, T. Wang, X. Zhang, J. Wang, Y. Yang, Y. Sun, X. Guo, Q. Wu, E. Nepovimova, A. E. Watson, and K. Kuca, “Biodiversity conservation in the context of climate change: Facing challenges and management strategies,” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 937, p. 173377, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173377.
[7] S. Thapa, R. Kumar, K. Kumar, S. Samir, D. Lee and T. Singh, “Analytical investigation of solar parabolic trough receiver with multiple twisted tapes using exergy and energy analysis,” Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, vol. 50, p. 103493, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.csite.2023.103493.
[8] R. Kumar, S. Kumar, Ü. Ağbulut, A. E. Gürel, M. Alwetaishi, S. Shaik, C. A. Saleel and D. Lee, “Parametric optimization of an impingement jet solar air heater for active green heating in buildings using hybrid CRITIC–COPRAS approach,” International Journal of Thermal Sciences, vol. 197, p. 108760, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2023.108760.
[9] T. Kashyap, B. Sharma and N. Sharma, “Design and simulation of PEDOT:PSS and P3HT:PCBM based HIT solar cell to improve the internal quantum efficiency,” International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, vol. 8, no. 5, 2021.
[10] R. Kumar, M. Sethi, V. Goel, M. K. Ramis, M. AlSubih, S. Islam, M. S. A. Ansari, D. Lee and A. W. Wodajo, “Thermal and effective assessment of solar thermal air collector with roughened absorber surface: An analytical examination,” International Journal of Low Carbon Technologies, vol. 19, pp. 1112–1123, 2024, doi: 10.1093/ijlct/ctae056.
[11] S. Aggarwal, R. Kumar, S. Kumar and T. Singh, “Impact of fin material properties and the inclination angle on the thermal efficiency of evacuated tube solar water heater: an experimental study,” Journal of King Saud University Science, vol. 36, p. 103186, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jksus.2024.103186.
[12] A. K. Yadav, R. Khargotra, D. Lee, R. Kumar and T. Singh, “Novel applications of various neural network models for prediction of photovoltaic system power,” Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks, vol. 38, p. 101318, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.segan.2024.101318.
[13] S. Kumar, R. Kumar, R. Thakur, S. Kumar and D. Lee, “Effects of climate variables and nanofluid-based cooling on the efficiency of a liquid spectrum filter-based concentrated photovoltaic thermal system,” Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, vol. 149, pp. 2273–2291, 2024, doi: 10.1007/s10973-023-12836-4.
[14] S. Kumar, R. Thakur, S. Kumar, D. Lee and R. Kumar, “Impact of liquid spectrum filter and solar tracker on the overall effectiveness of a photovoltaic thermal system,” Renewable Energy, vol. 226, p. 120390, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.120390.
[15] N. Girgibo, E. Hiltunen, X. Lü, A. Mäkiranta and V. Tuomi, “Risks of climate change effects on renewable energy resources and the effects of their utilisation on the environment,” Energy Reports, vol. 11, pp. 1517–1534, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.egyr.2024.01.024.
[16] S. U. Batgi and I. Dincer, “Design of a two-renewable energy source-based system with thermal energy storage and hydrogen storage for sustainable development,” Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 89, p. 111742, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.est.2024.111742.
[17] T. Song and J. Teh, “Coordinated integration of wind energy in microgrids: A dual strategy approach leveraging dynamic thermal line rating and electric vehicle scheduling,” Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks, vol. 38, p. 101299, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.segan.2024.101299.
[18] J. K. Babu, L. Rajesh, A. M. Sarma and M. S. Ganesh, “Hybrid power generation from waste by integrating solar, hydel and TEG module,” Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Inventive Material Science and Applications, pp. 593–598, 2025, doi: 10.1109/ICIMA64861.2025.11073902.
[19] Z. Wang, F. K. Chan, M. Feng and M. F. Johnson, “Greenhouse gas emissions from hydropower reservoirs: Emission processes and management approaches,” Environmental Research Letters, vol. 19, no. 7, p. 073002, 2024, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ad560c.
[20] T. H. Bakken, H. Sundt, A. Ruud and A. Harby, “Development of small versus large hydropower in Norway: Comparison of environmental impacts,” Energy Procedia, vol. 20, pp. 185–199, 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2012.03.019.
[21] T. S. Aung, T. B. Fischer and A. S. Azmi, “Are large-scale dams environmentally detrimental? Life-cycle environmental consequences of mega-hydropower plants in Myanmar,” International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, vol. 25, no. 9, pp. 1749–1766, 2020, doi: 10.1007/s11367-020-01795-9.
[22] T. Kashyap, R. Thakur, G. H. Ngo, D. Lee, G. Fekete, R. Kumar and T. Singh, “Silt erosion and cavitation impact on hydraulic turbines performance: An in-depth analysis and preventative strategies,” Heliyon, vol. 10, no. 8, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28998.
[23] Y. Xiao, L. He, X. Chen, Z. He, Y. Lai, F. Luo, Y. Cen, D. Li and R. Jin, “Impacts of large hydropower projects on the ecological environment of watersheds: A case study of Ertan reservoir area,” Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 20, p. 9125, 2024, doi: 10.3390/su16209125.
[24] L. Li, Y. Wu, Y. Han, Z. Xu, X. Wu, Y. Luo, and J. Shen, “Problems and strategies for maintenance scheduling of a giant cascaded hydropower system in the Lower Jinsha River,” Energies, vol. 18, no. 14, p. 3831, 2025, doi: 10.3390/en18143831.
[25] H. B. Lamesgin and A. N. Ali, “Optimization of screw turbine design parameters to improve the power output and efficiency of micro-hydropower generation,” Cogent Engineering, vol. 11, no. 1, p. 2327906, 2024, doi: 10.1080/23311916.2024.2327906.
[26] A. Allouhi, “A hybrid PV/wind/battery energy system to assist a run-of-river micro-hydropower for clean electrification and fuelling hydrogen mobility for young population in a rural Moroccan site,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 442, p. 140852, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.140852.
[27] A. M. Daabo, A. Basem, M. Zafar, A. Alkhabbaz, A. Ahmad, Q. R. Al-Amir, H. K. Easa and H. K. Ahmad, “A novel design of a hybrid micro-scale multistage turbine model for sustainable energy sources,” Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, p. 106873, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.csite.2025.106873.
[28] M. A. Khan, A. U. Rehman and I. U. Rehman, “An assessment of the cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability of mini micro hydro power projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan,” The Sciencetech, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 85–97, 2025.
[29] N. Triana, N. Mukhtar, O. M. Rasip, H. F. Ramadhan and L. J. Monk, “Legal system of community participation in environmentally friendly power plants: A socio-legal study of micro-hydro projects in Central Java,” Jurnal Hukum, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 567–587, 2025, doi: 10.26532/jh.41.3.567-587.
[30] J. S. Jeong, S. K. Lim and S. W. Lee, “Aerodynamic performance of suction-side squealer tip in impulse/reaction turbine blade rows,” Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, vol. 136, p. 110666, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2022.110666.
[31] M. Alonso-Martinez, J. L. Suárez Sierra, J. J. Coz Díaz and J. E. Martinez-Martinez, “A new methodology to design sustainable Archimedean screw turbines as green energy generators,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 24, p. 9236, 2020, doi: 10.3390/ijerph17249236.
[32] R. Thakur, T. Kashyap, R. Kumar, R. K. Saini, D. Lee, S. Kumar and T. Singh, “Potential of the Archimedes screw to generate sustainable green energy for mini, micro, and pico hydro turbine power stations: An extensive analysis,” Energy Strategy Reviews, vol. 55, p. 101514, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.esr.2024.101514.
[33] I.S. Pauwels, J. Tuhtan, J. Coeck and D. Baeyens, “Archimedes screw – an alternative for safe migration through turbines?,” Novel Developments for Sustainable Hydropower, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 125–133, 2022, doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-99138-8_11.
[34] P. Koukouvinis and J. Anagnostopoulos, “State of the art in designing fish-friendly turbines: Concepts and performance indicators,” Energies, vol. 16, no. 6, p. 2661, 2023, doi: 10.3390/en16062661.
[35] A.T. Ubando, I. A. Marfori III, M. S. Peradilla, C. L. Sy, A. M. Calapatia and W. H. Chen, “Sustainable manufacturability of Archimedes screw turbines: A critical review,” Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing, vol. 6, no. 6, p. 161, 2022, doi: 10.3390/jmmp6060161.
[36] H. Helmizar, N. Windiharto, Y. Witanto, A. K. Mainil, R. I. Mainil and K. Sai, “Experimental study on a laboratory-scale Archimedes screw turbine using pitch-to-diameter ratio for low-head hydropower,” Jurnal Polimesin, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 301–307, 2025, doi: 10.30811/jpl.v23i3.6690.
[37] B. Indarto, D. N. Kumalasari and M. A. Bustomi, “Archimedean screw-based micro hydro power plant prototype with turbine elevation angle parameters,” Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 2623, p. 012026, 2023, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2623/1/012026.
[38] M. I. Maulana, R. Sary, A. Syuhada, S. Mayasari and Y. Yusmanizar, “Investigation of pressure distribution in an Archimedes screw turbine with head below one meter using CFD,” Jurnal Polimesin, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 252–257, 2024, doi: 10.30811/jpl.v22i2.4901.
[39] B. Darmono and H. Pranoto, “Archimedes screw turbines performance analysis using CFD software based on variation of blades distance and thread number on the pico hydropower plant,” International Journal of Advanced Technology in Mechanical, Mechatronics and Materials, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 18–25, 2022, doi: 10.37869/ijatec.v3i1.53.
[40] V. Uniyal, A. Karn and V. P. Singh, “Parametric optimization of Archimedes screw turbine by response surface methodology and artificial neural networks,” Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 100–108, 2024, doi: 10.21622/RESD.2024.10.2.1008.
[41] I. Imawati, M. Febiansyah, E. K. Novtrianda and H. Mubarok, “Portable pico-hydro power plant with Archimedes screw turbine in Pelangi reservoir of Universitas Islam Indonesia,” ELKHA: Jurnal Teknik Elektro, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 132–138, 2022, doi: 10.26418/elkha.v14i2.57770.
[42] K. Muzaka, D. R. Pamuji, M. A. Wahid, S. Hadi and J. D. Prasetyo, “Effect of Archimedes screw turbine shaft inclination on output power,” International Journal of Software and Hardware Research in Engineering, vol. 9, no. 3, 2021, doi: 10.26821/IJSHRE.9.3.2021.9314.
[43] D. S. Edirisinghe, H. S. Yang, M. S. Kim, B. H. Kim, S. P. Gunawardane and Y. H. Lee, “Computational flow analysis on a real-scale run-of-river Archimedes screw turbine with a high incline angle,” Energies, vol. 14, no. 11, p. 3307, 2021, doi: 10.3390/en14113307.
[44] M. Zamani, R. Shafaghat and B. A. Kharkeshi, “Numerical study of the hydrodynamic behavior of an Archimedes screw turbine by experimental data in order to optimize turbine performance: the genetic algorithm,” Journal of Applied and Computational Mechanics, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 1060–1075, 2023, doi: 10.22055/jacm.2023.43137.4031.
[45] K. Kashyap, R. Thakur, S. Kumar and R. Kumar, “Identification of Archimedes screw turbine for efficient conversion of traditional water mills into micro hydropower stations in western Himalayan regions of India,” International Journal of Renewable Energy Research, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 1451–1463, 2020.
[46] M. D. Lee and P. S. Lee, “Modelling the energy extraction from low-velocity stream water by small-scale Archimedes screw turbine,” Journal of King Saud University – Engineering Sciences, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 319–326, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.jksues.2021.04.006.
[47] Z. Abbas, M. Waqas, S. S. Khan, R. Khatoon, S. Larkin and L. Zhao, “Numerical and experimental investigation of an Archimedes screw turbine for open channel water flow application,” Energy Science and Engineering, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 1317–1336, 2024, doi: 10.1002/ese3.1649.
[48] K. Shahverdi, R. Loni, J. M. Maestre and G. Najafi, “CFD numerical simulation of Archimedes screw turbine with power output analysis,” Ocean Engineering, vol. 231, p. 108718, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2021.108718.
[49] O. S. Abdullah, W. H. Khalil, A. H. Kamel and A. J. Shareef, “Investigation of physical and numerical model of Archimedes screw turbine,” Journal of Power and Energy Engineering, vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 26–42, 2020, doi: 10.4236/jpee.2020.810003.
[50] A. YoosefDoost and W. D. Lubitz, “Development of an equation for the volume of flow passing through an Archimedes screw turbine,” In Sustaining Tomorrow: Proceedings of Sustaining Tomorrow 2020 Symposium and Industry Summit, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 17–37, 2021, doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-64715-5_2.
[51] S. Simmons, G. Dellinger, M. Lyons, A. Terfous, A. Ghenaim and W. D. Lubitz, “Effects of inclination angle on Archimedes screw generator power production with constant head,” Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, vol. 147, no. 3, p. 04021001, 2021, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001854.
[52] A. I. Siswantara, M. H. Syafei, M. A. Budiyanto, C. D. Widiawaty, A. Syuriadi and T. A. Farhan, “Design of Archimedes screw turbine: Exploring the influence of pitch ratio, radius ratio, and inclination angle on outer diameter size,” Cogent Engineering, vol. 11, no. 1, p. 2389685, 2024, doi: 10.1080/23311916.2024.2389685.
[53] D. S. Pillai, C. Stephen, D. K. Tiwari and M. Singh, “Onsite performance testing of Archimedes hydropower screw for low head and ultra-low head hydropower project – A case study,” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, vol. 1411, no. 1, p. 012070, 2024, doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1411/1/012070.
[54] T. F. Ardiansyah, M. I. Maulana and A. Syuhada, “The influence of incoming water flows and head variations on the Archimedes screw turbine torque force for low head hydroelectric power plants,” Defect and Diffusion Forum, vol. 441, pp. 117–124, 2025, doi: 10.4028/p-B5l2xS.
[55] Z. Abbas, M. Waqas, S. S. Khan, R. Khatoon, S. Larkin and L. Zhao, “Numerical and experimental investigation of an Archimedes screw turbine for open channel water flow application,” Energy Science and Engineering, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 1317–1336, 2024, doi: 10.1002/ese3.1649.
[56] N. Khan, M. K. Sarwar, M. Rashid, H. K. Abbasi, S. Haider, M. A. Tariq, A. Nadeem, M. A. Zulfiqar, A. Salem, N. Al-Ansari and A. M. Okasha, “Development of a sustainable portable Archimedes screw turbine for hydropower generation,” Scientific Reports, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 5827, 2025, doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-90634-8.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
