Design and Production of Hydro-Kinetic Turbines for Streams. a Case Study of Ibagwa River, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria

Student: Samuel Edet Bassey (Project, 2025)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

River currents is a reliable source of clean and renewable energy which can be harnessed to produce electricity through a rotary engine. This setup is known as the water turbine. In rural areas across Nigeria, there is limited access to electricity which has led to unproductivity, waste and increased level of poverty in these areas. The goal of this project is to create and demonstrate a possible method for solving this problem. The proposed solution is a portable, inexpensive hydro-kinetic turbine capable of producing a usable amount of power from streams or rivers. Although, many devices have been designed to harness this energy, hydrokinetic turbines represent the most efficient option for power generation. For our bachelor degree project, we have designed and tested two turbines which are the Gorlov helical turbine and the water wheel for use in rivers and streams. SolidWorks CAD package was used to develop a digital model for construction and analysis. From our findings, we discovered that 3D printing is the best option for the production of the Gorlov helical turbine. The water wheel was also manufactured using 3D printing for the convenience of making it available for classroom demonstration. We were able to power lamp and charge our phones during the turbine testing.

Keywords
Hydrokinetic Turbines Gorlov Helical Turbine Water Wheel Turbine Hydropower
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