Investigating the effect of blade topology on the performance of small-scale cryogenic turbines manufactured using various 3D printing materials

推动更高普及率的可再生能源解决方案给电网带来了新的问题。可再生发电厂(如太阳能和风力发电场)受发电模式的巨大波动影响，因此很难预测电力供应情况。低温储能可以解决非高峰时段产生的剩余电能的储存问题，而不受抽水蓄能和压缩空气储能等其他方法的地理限制。要利用低温储能，需要高效和成熟的方法从储能中回收能量。对此进行研究是至关重要的。小型低温涡轮机已经被提议作为一种解决方案，用于建筑物或农村和偏远的离网社区，并正在伯明翰大学开发和3D打印。为了优化和开发更高效的涡轮机设计，能够从储存的能量中利用更多的能量；必须研究涡轮机本身的拓扑结构，即涡轮机叶片的拓扑结构，因为它们的拓扑结构将极大地影响制冷剂通过涡轮机时的流动性质。这可以通过使用CFD分析和实验验证，使用各种优化方法优化涡轮叶片的拓扑，并使用3D打印来制造复杂的优化拓扑来实现。

The push for higher penetration of renewable power solutions creates novel problems for the electricity grid. Renewable power plants (such as solar and wind farms) are subject to large fluctuations in generation patterns, making it difficult to predict power availability. Cryogenic energy storage has the potential to solve the challenge of storing surplus power generated during off peak times, without the geographical limitations of other methods such as pumped hydro storage and compressed air energy storage.To take advantage of cryogenic energy storage, efficient and well-established methods of recovering energy from the store are required. Research into this is crucial. Small scale cryogenic turbines have been proposed as a solution for use in buildings or rural and remote off grid communities, and are being developed and 3D printed at the University of Birmingham. In order to optimise and develop a more efficient turbine design that will be able to harness more power from the stored energy; the topology of the turbine itself must be investigated, namely the turbine blades as their topology will drastically effect the nature of the flow of the cryogen as it passes through the turbine. This can be done through the use of CFD analysis and experimental validation, optimising the topology of turbine blades using various optimisation methods, and using 3D printing to manufacture complex optimised topology.