Development of inline hydroelectric generation system from municipal water pipelines

It is a challenging work to ensure reliable power supply for the data monitoring and control devices of modern water supply networks in urban environment due to limited underground space and transportation restriction. In this study, a novel inline hydroelectric generating system (IHGS) was developed to harness the potential energy of the water flow onsite and provide power for data monitoring system of main water pipelines. Specifically, a drag-type turbine was designed for medium size pipelines and a lift-type turbine for large size pipelines, and a hybrid energy storage system which combine battery and supercapacitor was developed to store excess energy and stabilize power supply for the off-grid IHGS, and a control system with remote monitoring software was developed to manage the whole system. The main work presented in this paper includes theoretical study, computer simulation, prototype design, and experimental tests. The results demonstrate that this development can solve the power supply problem of the data monitoring systems, while there are still significant opportunities for further research such as cost-benefit analysis, long-term system monitoring and assessment.