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Aerospace engineer, dedicated to Hydraulic Turbines. I am Research and Development Manager at Zeco S.r.l., Italian company with more than 50 years of experience in the field. My main interests concern Hydraulic Turbines CFD, optimization, transients analysis and Research programs.
Hydropower remains a key renewable energy source in the pursuit of the decarbonization of the economy, although the relatively high potential impact of the hydro-morphological alterations it may cause poses significant concerns for aquatic ecosystems. In the last years, new technologies and practices have been increasingly adopted to minimize the impacts of hydropower plants, while improving efficiency and flexibility of energy generation. The overall effect of these innovations may be a more sustainable design and operation of hydropower, striking a better balance between the objectives of decarbonization and ecosystem protection. This contribution presents and discusses a few representative examples of hydropower installations from companies in Italy, France, Switzerland, Belgium and the USA, where solutions have been adopted in this direction. The case studies cover (1) ecologically improved and low head hydropower converters (Vortex turbine, Hydrostatic Pressure Machine, VLH and Girard-optimized turbines, hydrokinetic turbines), hydropeaking reduction (2) new control systems, governors and digitalization, (3) hydropower as a strategy for local sustainable development and (4) energy recovery in existing hydraulic infrastructures and aqueducts. It was found that better-governing systems can extend the life span of runners, for example avoiding the runner uplift during a trip. Digitalization can improve efficiency by 1.2%. New sustainable practices and turbines with better ecological behavior can minimize environmental impacts, like the reduction of fish mortality, improvement of fish habitat availability, reduction of oil for lubrication purposes and generation of economic incomes for local development. The use of existing structures reduces the total installation cost: examples are the total saving of 277 €/kW by reusing irrigation pipes and reservoirs, or the reduction of the investment period from 9 years to 6 years by turbining the environmental flow. Innovative low head hydropower converters can exhibit good ecological behavior, with reduced costs (<5000 €/kW) especially when installed in existing weirs. Results are discussed, contextualized and generalized to provide engineering data and tools to support future realizations of similar case studies; normalized costs, efficiency improvement, best practices and new technologies are discussed.
Emanuele Quaranta; Manuel Bonjean; Damiano Cuvato; Christophe Nicolet; Matthieu Dreyer; Anthony Gaspoz; Samuel Rey-Mermet; Bruno Boulicaut; Luigi Pratalata; Marco Pinelli; Giuseppe Tomaselli; Paolo Pinamonti; Raffael Pichler; Paolo Turin; Daniele Turrin; Jason Foust; Bradly Trumbo; Martin Ahmann; Marc Modersitzki; Susy Kist; Cecilia Mosca; Carlo Malerba; Ada Francesconi; Ivan Casoli; Raffaele Ferrari; Vittoria Stefani; Marco Scibetta; Lorenza Meucci; Walter Gostner; Riccardo Bergamin; Francesco De Pretto; Davide Turcato; Vincent Kocher; Pierre Lefaucheux; Abdelali Elmaataoui; Mario Mariucci; Prakriteesh Sarma; Geert Slachmuylders; Riccardo Clementi; Fabio Pasut; Nicola Bragato. Hydropower Case Study Collection: Innovative Low Head and Ecologically Improved Turbines, Hydropower in Existing Infrastructures, Hydropeaking Reduction, Digitalization and Governing Systems. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8873 .
AMA StyleEmanuele Quaranta, Manuel Bonjean, Damiano Cuvato, Christophe Nicolet, Matthieu Dreyer, Anthony Gaspoz, Samuel Rey-Mermet, Bruno Boulicaut, Luigi Pratalata, Marco Pinelli, Giuseppe Tomaselli, Paolo Pinamonti, Raffael Pichler, Paolo Turin, Daniele Turrin, Jason Foust, Bradly Trumbo, Martin Ahmann, Marc Modersitzki, Susy Kist, Cecilia Mosca, Carlo Malerba, Ada Francesconi, Ivan Casoli, Raffaele Ferrari, Vittoria Stefani, Marco Scibetta, Lorenza Meucci, Walter Gostner, Riccardo Bergamin, Francesco De Pretto, Davide Turcato, Vincent Kocher, Pierre Lefaucheux, Abdelali Elmaataoui, Mario Mariucci, Prakriteesh Sarma, Geert Slachmuylders, Riccardo Clementi, Fabio Pasut, Nicola Bragato. Hydropower Case Study Collection: Innovative Low Head and Ecologically Improved Turbines, Hydropower in Existing Infrastructures, Hydropeaking Reduction, Digitalization and Governing Systems. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (21):8873.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEmanuele Quaranta; Manuel Bonjean; Damiano Cuvato; Christophe Nicolet; Matthieu Dreyer; Anthony Gaspoz; Samuel Rey-Mermet; Bruno Boulicaut; Luigi Pratalata; Marco Pinelli; Giuseppe Tomaselli; Paolo Pinamonti; Raffael Pichler; Paolo Turin; Daniele Turrin; Jason Foust; Bradly Trumbo; Martin Ahmann; Marc Modersitzki; Susy Kist; Cecilia Mosca; Carlo Malerba; Ada Francesconi; Ivan Casoli; Raffaele Ferrari; Vittoria Stefani; Marco Scibetta; Lorenza Meucci; Walter Gostner; Riccardo Bergamin; Francesco De Pretto; Davide Turcato; Vincent Kocher; Pierre Lefaucheux; Abdelali Elmaataoui; Mario Mariucci; Prakriteesh Sarma; Geert Slachmuylders; Riccardo Clementi; Fabio Pasut; Nicola Bragato. 2020. "Hydropower Case Study Collection: Innovative Low Head and Ecologically Improved Turbines, Hydropower in Existing Infrastructures, Hydropeaking Reduction, Digitalization and Governing Systems." Sustainability 12, no. 21: 8873.
The overall cost of a hydropower plant is mainly due to the expenses of civil works, mechanical equipment (turbine and control units) and electrical components. The goal of a new draft tube design is to obtain a geometry that reduces investment costs, especially the excavation ones, but the primary driver is to increase overall machine efficiency, allowing for a reduced payback time. In the present study, an optimization study of the elbow-draft tube assembly of a Kaplan turbine was conducted. First, a CFD model for the complete turbine was developed and validated. Next, an optimization of the draft tube alone was performed using a design of experiments technique. Finally, several optimum solutions for the draft tube were obtained using a response surface technique aiming at maximizing pressure recovery and minimizing flow losses. A selection of optimized geometries was subsequently post-checked using the validated model of the entire turbine, and a detailed flow analysis on the obtained results made it possible to provide insights into the improved designs. It was observed that efficiency could be improved by 1% (in relative terms), and the mechanical power increased by 1.8% (in relative terms) with respect to the baseline turbine.
Riccardo Orso; Ernesto Benini; Moreno Minozzo; Riccardo Bergamin; Andrea Magrini. Two-Objective Optimization of a Kaplan Turbine Draft Tube Using a Response Surface Methodology. Energies 2020, 13, 4899 .
AMA StyleRiccardo Orso, Ernesto Benini, Moreno Minozzo, Riccardo Bergamin, Andrea Magrini. Two-Objective Optimization of a Kaplan Turbine Draft Tube Using a Response Surface Methodology. Energies. 2020; 13 (18):4899.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRiccardo Orso; Ernesto Benini; Moreno Minozzo; Riccardo Bergamin; Andrea Magrini. 2020. "Two-Objective Optimization of a Kaplan Turbine Draft Tube Using a Response Surface Methodology." Energies 13, no. 18: 4899.
The overall cost of a hydropower plant is mainly due to the expenses for civil works, mechanical equipment (turbine and control units) and electrical components. The goal of a new draft tube design is to obtain a geometry that reduces investment costs, especially the excavation ones, but the primary driver is to increase the overall machine efficiency allowing for reduced payback time. In the present study, an optimization study of the elbow-draft tube assembly of a Kaplan turbine was conducted. A CFD model for the complete turbine has been developed and validated; next, an optimization of the draft tube alone was performed using a Design of Experiments technique; finally, several optimum solutions for the draft tube were obtained using a Response Surface technique aiming at maximizing pressure recovery and minimizing flow losses. A selection of optimized geometries was subsequently post-checked using the validated model of the entire turbine and a detailed flow analysis on the obtained results could make it possible to provide insight into the improved designs. It was observed that efficiency could be improved by 1% (in relative terms), and the mechanical power increased by 1,8% (in relative terms) with respect to the baseline turbine.
Riccardo Orso; Ernesto Benini; Moreno Minozzo; Riccardo Bergamin. Two-Objective Optimization of a Kaplan Turbine Draft Tube Using a Response Surface Methodology. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleRiccardo Orso, Ernesto Benini, Moreno Minozzo, Riccardo Bergamin. Two-Objective Optimization of a Kaplan Turbine Draft Tube Using a Response Surface Methodology. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRiccardo Orso; Ernesto Benini; Moreno Minozzo; Riccardo Bergamin. 2020. "Two-Objective Optimization of a Kaplan Turbine Draft Tube Using a Response Surface Methodology." , no. : 1.