In this master thesis, a low-tech load management for small hydropower plants (especially water wheels) will be developed, practically built up and tested in the laboratory. The basis for that are worked out in the beginning and rely on existing foundations of previous work. Particular challenges are the use for developing countries and, as a result, the most robust system possible, which should also have low investment costs. The performance range considered in this work is set to 200 W which is low compared to similar systems.
For the load management an electronic load controller (ELC) is developed and built, which automatically switches resistive loads on and off, whereby the voltage of a self-excited asynchronous generator can be kept within a defined range. The use of this type of generator is given as this choice has already been made in previous examinations. In order to find an optimal operating point for the asynchronous generator, measurements and an efficiency determination should first be carried out for this purpose.
In order to better interpret the overall system for the user, two different supply variants are also considered. On the one hand this is a three-phase variant A with phase voltages of 230V AC and on the other hand a variant B with an output voltage of 12V DC. Practical tests and measurements with these variants and the developed controller are carried out in the laboratory. At the end, an evaluation follows and selected criteria and possibilities for extensions and further developments are discussed.
«
In this master thesis, a low-tech load management for small hydropower plants (especially water wheels) will be developed, practically built up and tested in the laboratory. The basis for that are worked out in the beginning and rely on existing foundations of previous work. Particular challenges are the use for developing countries and, as a result, the most robust system possible, which should also have low investment costs. The performance range considered in this work is set to 200 W which i...
»