This paper makes a twofold contribution. On the one hand, it deals with design of Cross Flow Water Turbines (CFWT) and simulation of blades mechanical behaviour subjected to hydrodynamic loadings generated by the turbulent flow around the turbine. On the other hand, the experimental characterization of space and time loading fluctuation of CFWT scale models is presented, in order to validate their design and their performance characteristics. An overview of the new test equipment, a six-component force measuring device devoted to hydrodynamic characterization of CFWT scale models, is given.
