Technical and functional analysis of Albolafia waterwheel (Cordoba, Spain): 3D modeling, computational-fluid dynamics simulation and finite-element analysis

A detailed study has been made of a vertical waterwheel, the wheel of Albolafia situated on the Guadalquivir river near the city of Cordoba (Spain). We propose a methodology for ad hoc research based on three aspects: 3D geometric modeling, analysis with computational fluid-dynamics techniques and dynamic simulation of the whole and its finite-element analysis. The results show the correct operation of the waterwheel with an initial moment of inertia of 90,800 N m and a range of water-flow speeds of between 0.91 and 1.01 m/s. These values are related to the average flow of the river, which allowed the wheel to operate at least 124 days per year. The spatial distribution of stresses has shown that the full buckets created an imbalance compared with the empty ones, and that the star-shaped polygon reinforcement effectively absorbed these tensions. In addition, the oak wood used in the construction of the waterwheel proved highly resistant, as the maximum working stress has never been surpassed, reflecting the effectiveness of the materials used at the time.