Performance test of brushless direct current (BLDC) generator in micro hydro power plant (MHPP) with Archimedes screw turbine

Abstract

Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) generators have many advantages over DC generators that use brushes. In this research, the advantages of the BLDC generator are applied as a generator for a micro-hydro power plant (MHPP) that uses an Archimedes screw turbine. The study aims to test the performance of the BLDC generator as a generator on the Archimedes screw turbine MHPP. The MHPP specifications for the Archimedes screw turbine used in this research are an Archimedes screw turbine with three blades, an elevation angle of 40◦ and a transmission gear ratio of 2.8:1. The screw turbine has an inner diameter of 14.02 cm, an outer diameter of 23.9 cm, a pitch of 25.67 cm and a length of 51.34 cm. The generator used is a 3-phase Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) generator. The load used is a 12 Volt LED lamp with a 5 to 20 Watts power. The test results at a discharge of 0.00634 m3/s showed that the mechanical power was (36.408 ± 0.202) Watts and the highest electrical power was (7.86 ± 0.03) Watts. Based on these results, the efficiency of electrical power on mechanical power is around 22%.