Design and Construction of Single Phase Radial Flux Permanent Magnet Generators for Pico hydro Scale Power Plants Using Propeller Turbines in Water Pipes

¹ Mechanical Engineering Department, National Institute of Technology Malang, Jl. Sigura-Gura No.2, Malang 65145, East Java, Indonesia
² Electrical Engineering Department, National Institute of Technology Malang, Jl. Sigura-Gura No.2, Malang 65145, East Java, Indonesia
³ Graduate School of Renewable Energy, Darma Persada University, Jl. Radin Inten 2, Pondok Kelapa, East Jakarta 13450, Indonesia
⁴ Department of Water Management, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia; Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwaldi 1a, 51014 Tartu, Estonia

^* Corresponding author: yohanes@lecturer.itn.ac.id

Abstract

Pico hydro or a small scale hydroelectric power plant is used as the rotating energy of the generator. Pico hydro is a hydroelectric power plant that has a power of less than 5 kW. Technically, Pico hydro has three main components namely water, turbine and generator. Turbine type propeller reaction has a special profile that causes a decrease in water pressure during the blades. This pressure difference exerts force on the blade so that the runner (rotating part of the turbine) can rotate. Permanent magnets are used to produce magnetic flux. Permanent magnets used are rare-eatrhrod magnet material, neodymium-iron-boron NdFeB with N35 type. The planned generator released is 36.85 V, 500 rpm, 50 hz. This designed water turbine has four blades which cannot change its angle. As for the measurement results produce a voltage of 35.1 V with a manufacturing efficiency of 95 %. Charging the battery voltage must be more than 12 V, therefore the generator must be turned at least 200 rpm with a voltage of 14 V to be used for charging batteries.