Hydro Electric Power Plant in small scale

Sorry, but I think the best way to answer your question is for you to do a web search on Google.

There are books on this subject, too. So consider a trip to a library or a college campus library if you feel you need more information, but I bet everything you need is in Google.

At 1-2 feet you may need a flow of 1 - 2 m³/s to produce 5kw.

What do you consider low flow?

Lots of turbines are available.Pl give ur mail i will contact you.

regds

From the Field;

I have a friend that has a farm also. I am not sure of actual kw is but here is what he did.

Determine the head needed for your power plant.

Purchase a tank and stand if needed to achieve the head.

Install a solar powered pump to fill the tank.

Slowly fill the tank so you don't hurt anything.

Meter your water flow to run your plant keeping in tune with your ecology.

I'll also jump in on this question with an additional request for ideas. i live on a man made lake, LARGE, and the lake has this top spillway dam that has a HUGE amount of water flowing over the top to a 20 to 30 foot "Falls"

Now of course we can not do anything to the dam itself, but is there any somewhat like "ADD ON" systems out there?
Joe

You can add a siphon over the wall and create electricity at the bottom.

BUT find out about authorisation for using the water. You will actually defy the objectives of the dam dam.

The dam is not a flood control system in any way. it is strictly placed to make a man made lake. for recreation and homesites, nothing else,

Joe

Some time back in a T.V show I had seen a clip where in a garage mechanic from Kerala had developed a small generator for his domestic requirement of electricity. It consisted of big drum where he stored the water from stream,he made small oriface in bottom of the drum. He fabricated a small turbine consisting of 12" impeller which was coupled to a alternator of truck. He could electrify his house tube lights, fan and T.V.Cheap way to meet energy requirement.

There are numerous websites from manufacturers of "micro hydroturbines" available. The sites include general information on how to determine the expected power output of these devices. Just Google the topic.

The micro hydro assessment of practically all contributors are correct. Go with it, and you get what you get.

you can increase the head by tapping the stream significantly higher than the turbine. greater head = more pressure = more power.

http://www.homepower.com/search/results/?search=&resourceid=4&energyapplicationid=4

Here is a good place to learn all the dynamics of small hydro systems.

Just scroll down the page and pick areas of interest.

Brad

Might try old school technology. Channel stream through a square trough sluce to speed flow velocity as much as possible through an undershot water wheel.

I did a project where I built a water wheel for a guy a few years back. He wanted it to look good first and hopefully make electricity too. I only had about 6 feet head and I built a over shod 5' diameter steel wheel. I checked into having a buddy at an engineering firm design it all and their predicted time and cost was 40 man hours at 100.00 and hour just to design the thing. My buddy found the design info. in a 1871 engineering book and I was amazed at how much work could go into water wheel design. Well my client didn't want to spend this much money on the wheel so I built him a really nice wheel but never did hook up a generator to it. The wheel turned slow but it had huge amount of torque. I have another buddy that bought an enclosed turbine style wheel and uses an old 50 Hp 3 phase motor wired in some way to produce electricity. His set up works but he has nearly 50' of head to power it. I do not have any details on his system but I do know he bought what was billed as a high efficient enclosed turbine to power his system. I also know that the head is the key to these systems working. Now he sells excess power to the power company so he must have done something right.

Pipewelder

I was told there are water powered generators that are hung off the end of a sailboat. They are tethered by the electrical cord. The source was supposed to be Sail inc. I had no luck finding any at that site. Similar to an electric trolling motor, only wired to produce electricity. If an automotive alternator was enclosed in a waterproof housing with an impeller or propeller attached to it and allowed to hang in the spillway, it should provide free electrical power. Use an inverter to convert from 12 to 110 or 220 volts. You will want to obtain approval first probably. Good luck.

I am a retired electrician with a friend that wanted to power his shed. There was no utility power available within 1500 feet. We placed 200 feet of 4" pvc up the bed of his yearly stream, under the water to conceal the conduit, to a collection box. This gave him approximately 6' to 8' of water head. He purchased the entire system through an energy saving magazine--I am sorry I do not remember now which one it happens to be. At the turbine, we necked down the 4" pvc to 2" pvc to supply the water to the four heads turning the turbine. The system is still working exceptionally well after 6 years.