Application of Laser Doppler Velocimetry to the development of a counter rotating micro-turbine

The sustainability of the electricity mix can be increased by introducing recovery energy systems on existing water supply infrastructures. The concept of the new counter rotating micro-turbine presented in this work is a competitive option for energy recovery on water utility networks. The micro-turbine performances and velocity fields have been predicted through a wide Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study. Experimental campaigns have been carried out to measure the performance parameters and an experimental investigation on the flow velocity field characteristic of the new machine was also performed. 2D Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) measurements have been used in the counter rotating micro-turbine prototype operating in water to explore and investigate the flow velocity field along with the prediction of the numerical simulations.