Additive manufacturing for sustainable energy production in pico hydroelectric power plants. (2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Boschetto, Alberto; Bottini, Luana; Jose, Jacob; Vatanparast, Somayeh; Veniali, Francesco
• Is Part Of: Materials today. Volume 70(2022)
• Page Start: 703
• Page End: 709
• Publication Date: 2022
• Subjects: Additive manufacturing -- Selective laser melting -- Sustainable manufacturing -- Pelton turbines; Materials science -- Congresses -- Periodicals; 620.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2022.10.159
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2214-7853

Abstract

Abstract: Additive manufacturing has proven to be a reliable method of producing components that are often difficult to produce using traditional methods. The growing worldwide energy demand requires the development of new innovative approaches to sustainably produce energy. This necessitates the development of small pico-hydroelectric power plants, which are more sustainable and practical for decentralized energy production. This study investigates the capacity of additive manufacturing to fabricate tiny, miniature hydroelectric power turbines using Selective Laser Melting. The study goes on to explore ways to make it more sustainable, such as modifying process parameters to achieve a minimum surface roughness and using a parametric design approach. The results of the methods used were validated by measuring the surface roughness and dimensional accuracy using profilometry and reverse engineering techniques. The findings showed that the methods used in this study could be used to obtain a customizable solution for manufacturing pico-turbines sustainably without the need for additional post-processing.