فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Pressure control valves are commonly employed in water distribution systems because excessive water pressure can cause significant damage to infrastructure. As an alternative, a turbine can serve a dual purpose by ensuring that the pressure drop across the turbine matches the required pressure drop, while simultaneously transferring a portion of the surplus energy to the turbine. This energy is then converted into electricity through a connected generator. The objective of this research is to design a turbine that can be integrated into pipelines to harness energy from flowing water and generate electricity. A spherical cross-flow turbine was selected for this system because it can sweep the maximum area of the pipe cross-section. Owing to its compact structure and simple mechanics, the spherical design is well-suited for use in urban pipeline networks to enable decentralized renewable energy production. To evaluate performance, turbines with varying parameters were designed and fabricated using 3D printing. Experimental results show that a turbine with six blades set at an angle of 35° achieved the highest output power of 0.231 W. The findings indicate that increasing the number of blades, enlarging the turbine diameter, and adopting a greater angle of attack lead to higher output power. The maximum efficiency achieved by the proposed turbine was 70.64%. Furthermore, the estimated theoretical output power was calculated as 207 W, which is sufficient to supply electricity to street lighting or other nearby loads. In conclusion, this research demonstrates that clean energy can be generated by installing a compact turbine within a pipeline system. The proposed spherical cross-flow turbine offers a portable, cost-effective, and flexible solution for decentralized renewable energy applications.