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

推动可再生能源解决方案的更高渗透率给电网带来了新的问题。可再生能源发电厂（如太阳能和风力发电场）受制于发电模式的大幅波动，因此很难预测电力的可用性。低温储能有可能解决存储非高峰时段产生的剩余电力的挑战，而不受其他方法（如抽水蓄能和压缩空气储能）的地理限制。为了利用低温能量储存，需要有效和完善的方法从储存中回收能量。对此进行研究至关重要。小型低温涡轮机已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，并且正在伯明翰大学开发和3D打印。为了优化和开发一个更有效的涡轮机设计，将能够利用更多的电力从储存的能量；涡轮机本身的拓扑结构必须进行研究，即涡轮叶片，因为它们的拓扑结构将极大地影响制冷机通过涡轮机时流动的性质。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结构，以及使用3D打印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.