Design and Analysis of Small Scale Horizontal Archimedean Screw for Electric Power Generation
A small scale horizontal Archimedean screw was designed, built, and tested for small-scale electric power generation. The small-scale device is suitable for deployment in shallow waterways and rivers. The design of the screw is environmentally friendly and allows for fish and other aquatic life to pass through harmlessly. A series of horizontal screws were designed over a range of blade pitch and tip conditions to determine the most efficient configuration of the device. The tip conditions included straight, flanged, and open. The device was placed both inside and outside of a duct to control tip conditions. The flanged condition added material to the tip of the device to simulate a partially ducted screw. Preliminary studies have shown that the straight bladed screw is the most efficient design. Preliminary data also show that the addition of a duct reduced the overall efficiency of the device. The flange feature on the screw was shown to be ineffective as well. However, the design was environmentally friendly and would provide electric power on a small scale without harm to local aquatic environments.