Effects of nature-inspired methods on the efficiency of the flow part elements of hydraulic machines

Abstract

Hydraulic machine is one of the most widespread technical systems in various areas of production. The paper examines the problem of the efficiency of vane hydraulic machines and ways to address it through the biomimetic approach. The study reviews previous research into the peculiarities of the construction of living organisms that provide a reduction of their energy costs. The hydrodynamic effect of the sharkskin structure is created by the roughnesses (micro ribs) oriented along the flow and allows reducing the value of hydraulic drag in the near-wall area. Hypotheses are proposed about the possibilities of applying these features and approaches in technical systems, particularly for flow part elements of hydraulic machines. The authors set the goal to assess the efficiency of using an imitation of sharkskin in a simplified form of scales, and geometric outgrowths, which will provide the necessary hydrodynamic effect. The development includes 3D modeling and subsequent computational verification on the surfaces of flow part elements of hydraulic machines. The findings enable conclusions on the effect of scale placement on the plate on energy losses as the plate is streamlined by fluid. A conclusion is drawn on the current state of the use of nature-inspired technology in hydromechanical engineering and the development trends in this field.