Detalhes do Documento

The use of technologies to obtain energy from renewable sources has developed extensively over time and some of them are consolidated, such as hydroelectric power plants and wind turbines. On the other hand, there are still areas with a lot to increase and that has great potential. One of the energy sources is water. Hydroelectric is one of the main renewable generators of. However, there are still areas of technology with a low degree of maturity, such as energy from marine currents and the generation of electricity through mini-turbines in river flows. In this sense, this work presents a method based on the Blade Element Moment Theory to calculate the blade elements of a horizontal axis mini turbine, vary its geometry and allow a better e of power. After the creation of a code in the Excel software and using parameters already calculated in another work, five different propellers were developed. Through the results obtained through the code, the modelling was carried out in the SolidWorks software. Then, it was possible to do the optimization of the chord of the blades, 3D print prototypes, and make the experimental comparison. The results of the experimental tests carried out showed the influence of the tip speed ratio factor (λ) on the performance of an axial propeller and. These results are consistent with the literature that recommend values of λ based on the number of blades that make up a propeller. On the other hand, the importance of considering the number of blades that will make up a propeller when projecting the aerodynamic profile and how this affects its performance was demonstrated.