ENERGY CAPTURE IN THE GRAVITATIONAL VORTEX WATER FLOW

The theoretical and experimental study of a new type of micro hydropower converter is realized. The converter may be used for energy conversion of river water with small heads and coastal currents into mechanical work by local restructuring of water flow through a vertical conical channel in spiral form of gravitational vortex. In this vortex, at different heights of the conical channel, are positioned the rotor blades of the turbine with different values of specific speed. The characteristics of the gravitational vortex flow of water through the conical channel, the speed and the power characteristics of the micro hydropower converter were investigated and experimentally validated.