Development of a 3D-Printed Cross-Flow Turbine Prototype for Pico-Hydro Power Generation as a Sustainable Renewable Energy Source

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-878-3_15How to use a DOI?

Keywords

3D Printing Technology; Additive Manufacturing; Cross-Flow Turbine; Pico-Hydro Power Plant; Renewable Energy

Abstract

Hydropower remained one of the most promising renewable energy sources, particularly for rural and off-grid communities. Pico-hydro systems, typically with a capacity of less than 5 kW, offer an attractive solution for areas with limited access to electricity, with cross-flow turbines being widely applied due to their simplicity and adaptability. However, conventional fabrication methods often face challenges related to manufacturing costs, design flexibility, and modest efficiency, creating a need for alternative approaches. This study investigated the application of additive manufacturing in developing a cross-flow turbine prototype utilizing 3D printing technology. The turbine was fabricated from PLA+filament via Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and required approximately 5 days, 18 hours, and 42 minutes of printing time, with a total material consumption of 1,677 grams. Mechanical evaluation through tensile testing yielded an average tensile strength of 21.2 MPa, a maximum load of 0.508 kN, and a Young’s modulus of 2.18 GPa, indicating adequate strength for picohydro applications. Experimental testing was conducted under a flow rate of 0.00347 m3/s and a head of 3.04 m, corresponding to a theoretical hydraulic input of 93.20 W. The turbine delivered an actual output of 64 W, resulting in an overall efficiency of approximately 68,58%. These findings confirm the feasibility of 3D printing for fabricating functional pico-hydro turbines with competitive performance, reduced cost, and greater design flexibility compared to conventional methods.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - I Wayan Marlon Managi
AU  - I Made Adi Yasa
AU  - I Nengah Ludra Antara
AU  - Made Ardikosa Satrya Wibawa
AU  - I Nyoman Suparta
AU  - Ketut Gde Juli Suarbawa
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/10/31
TI  - Development of a 3D-Printed Cross-Flow Turbine Prototype for Pico-Hydro Power Generation as a Sustainable Renewable Energy Source
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Green Tourism Applied Science - Engineering Applied Science 2025 (ICOSTAS-EAS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 122
EP  - 132
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-878-3_15
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-878-3_15
ID  - Managi2025
ER  -