Design Optimization of a 3D-Printed Cross-Flow Turbine for Pico-Hydro Systems Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-805-4_30How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Cross-flow turbine; Pico-hydropower; Computational Fluid Dynamics; Additive Manufacturing; 3D Printing Design Optimization

Abstract

Access to electricity in rural areas with low-head water resources remains a challenge due to the limited availability of efficient and affordable pico-hydropower technologies. Cross-flow turbines are well suited for low-head applications; however, their complex geometry often increases manufacturing cost and limits widespread implementation. This study presents the design optimization of a modular 3D-printed cross-flow turbine using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) coupled with additive manufacturing. Three runner configurations with 9, 11, and 13 blades were evaluated under identical operating conditions using the SST k–ω turbulence model and a Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) approach. The numerical results showed that increasing the blade number improved the flow distribution inside the runner, leading to higher hydraulic performance. The 13-blade configuration produced the highest torque of 0.702 N·m, shaft power of 36.78 W, and hydraulic efficiency of 60.7%, outperforming the 9- and 11-blade designs. Based on the CFD optimization results, the optimum runner was successfully fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM), demonstrating the feasibility of rapidly manufacturing complex turbine geometries with high dimensional accuracy. The proposed integration of CFD-based design optimization and additive manufacturing provides an efficient and cost-effective approach for developing modular cross-flow turbines suitable for low-head pico-hydropower applications.

Copyright

© 2026 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 Nyoman Agus Adi Saputra
AU  - I Komang Rusmariadi
AU  - I Wayan Suastawa
AU  - I Gusti Ngurah Kade Mahesa Adi Wardana
AU  - Anton Nugroho
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
TI  - Design Optimization of a 3D-Printed Cross-Flow Turbine for Pico-Hydro Systems Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Green Tourism Applied Science - Engineering Applied Science 2026 (ICOSTAS-EAS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 281
EP  - 291
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-805-4_30
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-805-4_30
ID  - Managi2026
ER  -