Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras
A Guide Vaneless Bulb Turbine System For Micro/ Mini Hydropower Generation
Technology Category/Market
Category- Energy, Energy Storage & Renewable Energy
Industry Classification:
Turbine manufacturing, power generation equipment and flow management systems
Applications:
Micro and Mini Hydro power generation, Rural Electrification, Run-of-the-river hydropower, water resource optimization, decentralized power.
Category- Energy, Energy Storage & Renewable Energy
Industry Classification:
Turbine manufacturing, power generation equipment and flow management systems
Applications:
Micro and Mini Hydro power generation, Rural Electrification, Run-of-the-river hydropower, water resource optimization, decentralized power.
Market report:
The global micro-hydro power market in 2025 was valued at USD 2.17 Billion and is projected to reach USD 2.86 Billion with a CAGR of 5.67%
Problem Statement
- Micro/mini hydropower systems offer several benefits as renewable and reliable electricity sources, especially for remote or rural communities, while minimizing environmental impact.
- Traditional bulb turbines, which employ adjustable guide vanes and fixed runner blades, improve peak efficiency but require complex designs.
- These traditional designs may suffer reduced efficiency under off-design conditions and involve high manufacturing and maintenance costs due to moving parts and control systems.
- A vaneless bulb turbine with a flat efficiency-discharge curve that eliminates complex designs and reduces costs is needed.
Technology
- A guide vaneless bulb turbine designed for micro/mini hydropower applications, ensuring flat efficiency curves across varying flow rates, specifically for ultra-low-head conditions, minimizing cost and complexity.
- Eliminates movable guide vanes, incorporates high-stagger angle runner blades, and features a conical draft tube for optimal hydraulic energy capture and pressure recovery.
- Tested with a 9 kW prototype at 1500 rpm and 900 m³/h flow rate, achieving consistent efficiency under diverse operational conditions.
- Includes a bulb geometry housing a generator, rib-like support structure for stability, hydrofoil-shaped struts to minimize water flow disturbance, and a shaft sleeve to reduce turbulence and energy losses.
- Ideal for low-head hydropower, enabling cost-effective renewable energy generation with reduced maintenance, making it suitable for rural electrification, remote installations, and sustainable infrastructure projects.
Key Features/Value Proposition
- Unlike traditional bulb turbines that suffer efficiency drops under off-design conditions, this invention achieves a near-flat efficiency curve, ensuring consistent performance regardless of varying water flow rates.
- Eliminates the need for movable guide vanes and complex control mechanisms, reducing fabrication, installation, and maintenance costs compared to traditional bulb turbines with adjustable components.
- The absence of moving parts and the simplified structural design lower both initial capital investment and long-term operational costs, making it particularly suited for low-budget installations.
- Features such as high-stagger angle runner blades and a conical draft tube enhance hydraulic energy capture and pressure recovery, outperforming conventional designs in low-head scenarios.
- Ideal for ultra-low-head and run-of-the-river hydropower projects, this invention offers efficient energy generation with minimal ecological disruption, unlike older systems requiring larger infrastructures or significant water flow modifications.
Questions about this Technology?
Contact for Licensing
Research Lab
Prof. Dhiman Chatterjee
Prof. Shyama Prasad Das
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Intellectual Property
- IITM IDF Ref 2900
- IN 202441056130 Patent Application
Technology Readiness Level
TRL 4
Technology Validated in Lab