Dr Bikash Ranabhat


PhD Thesis: Physical testing and numerical modelling of a vertical axis turbine for hydroelectricity generation


PhD Supervisors: Professor Reza Ahmadian, Dr Allan Mason-Jones and Professor Roger Falconer


Abstract

Most research and development on hydro-kinetic turbines are focused on tidal currents. Efficient turbines for the tidal stream are emerging with the axial flow and lift-based, providing promising results on efficiency (Laws and Epps, 2016). Despite the huge global potential of hydropower from in-land waters and built-in environment, there is a lack of research on low-cost, environmentally friendly turbines to adapt to the shallow bathymetry. This research focuses on experimental testing and computational modelling of a novel drag-type cross-flow turbine for optimal performance.

Background

Bikash is a PhD student in the Hydro-environmental Research Centre at Cardiff University. With many years of industrial experience in the hydropower industry, he worked for the identification, through pre-feasibility and feasibility, to overall detailed design and design coordination of hydro projects in the UK and Nepal. Bikash completed his MSc in Civil and Water Engineering with Distinction from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on assessing the movement of fine sediment particles in gravel bed spawning habitats due to hydropeaking by numerical modelling.

Research Interests

  • Eco-hydraulics and hydropower development
  • Dams and reservoir sustainability
  • Sustainable energy
  • Numerical modelling
  • Sediment transport dynamics.