Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2023
27th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
The State-of-the-Art of Hydrostatic Transmissions in Micro-Hydropower Plants
Submission Author:
Marina Baldissera de Souza , SC , Brazil
Co-Authors:
Marina Baldissera de Souza, Sabrina Knoll Godoy Ilha, Leticia Renata De carvalho, Ruben Solarte Bolaños, Daniel Martins, Antonio Carlos Valdiero, Luís Antônio Bortolaia
Presenter: Sabrina Knoll Godoy Ilha
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2023.COB2023-0757
Abstract
Due to Brazil’s large territory, rural areas often face power supply interruptions, leading to financial losses for agricultural activities. Micro-hydropower plants (MHPs) offer an eco-friendly solution to generate electricity during these interruptions. MHPs require a variable-speed technology connecting the turbine to the generator when there are significant flow rate variations. One perfect candidate for variable-speed technology is a hydrostatic transmission. This paper aims to present a survey on the state-of-the-art of the leading technologies used in micro-hydropower plants, focusing on evaluating the prevalence of hydrostatic transmission as a speed regulator device. To achieve this objective, academic works, patents, and commercial products were surveyed and analysed. Until now, no commercial MHP containing a hydrostatic transmission nor a patent of a hydrostatic transmission developed specifically for an MHP has been found. Among the academic works scrutinized, there is only one paper on the hydrostatic transmission design for an MHP. Using a hydrostatic transmission as a variable-speed technology has innovative potential and is a promising solution for designing a modular MHP, reducing costs and reaching a larger public.
Keywords
micro-hydropower plants, hydrostatic transmission, Renewable energy., Rural electrification
