A Laboratory Investigation of a Domestic Hydropower Model

This work shows the results of an experimental investigation on a domestic hydropower model assembled at the Laboratory of Environmental and Maritime Hydraulics of the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Italy. Hydropower offers the opportunity to create a clean renewable source of energy, reducing carbon footprint and having a minimal impact on the environment. Small-scale hydropower plants in the domestic context are suitable for buildings with heights and roof surfaces that, in conjunction with a proper storage system, may yield capacities of up 100 kW. The device here adopted, mimicking the vertical part of a drain serving a flat complex, is composed of a storage tank of 60 l connected to a pressurized system fitted in the final downstream section with a nozzle. The available kinetic energy is converted in electricity thanks to a microturbine which drives a generator. The system is analyzed by: using different nozzles obtained by a 3D printer, varying the flowrate and attack angle at the microturbine and changing the number of blades.