WP 3 - Optimization framework set-up for the new design procedure

During a parallel preparatory phase the final planning of the new design methodology will be established and the expected outcomes in the proposed research project will be set up. More precisely, the undertaken work will be focused on the following tasks:

At first, investigation and selection of the most appropriate methods to represent the geometry of the various turbine components (Pelton buckets, Turgo and Matrix blades, etc.).

As a second step, the definition and quantification of objectives to be employed during the optimization will be evaluated. The global efficiency for a range of operating points, the turbine head, the developed forces and torque, the losses in different machine elements, will be considered among the basic quantities, together with manufacturing parameters that can be used to construct the various objective functions. These objective functions shall constitute an optimum compromise between performances and costs, as required from the small hydro market.

Investigation of variants to maximize the exploitation of existing design experience will be achieved by using modern data mining and classification techniques to evaluate previous designs.