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neil0mac
Senior Member

Joined: 26/12/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 210

Posted: 05:08am 07 Oct 2010

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Now,

If you can run two (or more) poly pipes (or use a 3 inch pipe with an end to spread the water? - less resistance, more volume, more velocity) into the great width of your blades, you might get some better grunt out of the system?

Downwind

Guru

Joined: 09/09/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 2333

Posted: 12:53pm 07 Oct 2010

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Nice work, i can see a lot of man hours in that.

I have a feeling the wheel is too wide in width for the flow you show out of the poly pipe.

I think you will strugle to get enough rpm, and if you add gearing than i doubt you will have enough torque.

I hope im wrong for your sake after all that work.

What is the Alt you intend to hang off it.

Pete

Sometimes it just works

natures helper

Newbie

Joined: 03/10/2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 8

Posted: 09:06pm 07 Oct 2010

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I do have a flat bottom flume made from galv steel that is 2/3 thirds the width and about 7 feet long to spread the water out evenly over the buckets I may even be able to widen it to within an inch to each side. There will also be small riffles mounted to floor of flume to add in dispersing the moving water over the entire width so that part will have to wait till I can observe the velocity of water as its running along the flume...there will also be a small tailgate that will also be adjustable to deliver the water right ontop of the buckets as they revolve around. eack bucket has a volume capacity of just over 1.7 litres which if any 2 buckets are full at any one given time will give me 3.4 kgs of end tourque.

The motor is a perm magnet dc motor/generator that at peak can deliver 180 volts with 12 ampers output if it runs at 4500 rpm...hahaha I know wont get that but even if it runs 1/10th speed will still charge at 18 volts that is hopeful that can get the generator spinning at 8 rps = revolutions per second...

Again I dont intent to power my home but only to run dc lighting in the upper gardens and outdoor bath house...as well as a visually pleasing water feature. I do have a 12 volt beer fridge however that can act as a good dump load would be nice to grab a cold beer as im in the bath at night without needing a tourch

Mud is just wet dust

grub
Senior Member

Joined: 27/11/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 169

Posted: 09:27pm 08 Oct 2010

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How would it go with a wheel wide nozzle on the end of your pipe, like a paint stripping nozzle? It would spread the load over a wider area, or does the wheel require volume, not pressure?

natures helper

Newbie

Joined: 03/10/2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 8

Posted: 01:48am 09 Oct 2010

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Hya Grub...
To answer your latter question,the wheel is designed for volume but I may concider altering the tailgate at the end of flume as a nozzle to direct flow precicely where it is needed...as well even though the flume will be fixed over top of the wheel I will have an adjuster to either bring the water drop forward or back to the end of the race. as you can see in the pixthe velocity of water once it hits the piece of plywood has a higher velocity thus needing a fine tuning once in place...There may even be needed a race gate also to adjust the level ans volume as well but these ideas will only become reality if warranted.

Mud is just wet dust

Greenbelt

Guru

Joined: 11/01/2009
Location: United States
Posts: 566

Posted: 04:35pm 10 Oct 2010

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natures helper;

HI--Welcome to the Forum.
With a stream like that in my back yard I wouldn't be messing with a 2" pipe.
If those pic's are what you're looking at you really need to get serious and start thinking about a 6" pipe or minimum 4"Dia.

A Turgo or Kaplin Turbine ,You appear to be talented at fabricating so Google up a Glass or Brass Turgo Turbine and build the bearing housing and Generator mounts for it.
This will save tons of money.

Please give us all a little slack for passing out the what you ought to do's, we are expressing our hurt that a great resource is not being utilized to its capability.

Nice work on the Water Wheel,. Regards, Greenbelt

Time has proven that I am blind to the Obvious, some of the above may be True?

natures helper

Newbie

Joined: 03/10/2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 8

Posted: 10:02pm 10 Oct 2010

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Hya greenbelt and thanks for the welcome...
Im sure that with time I may invest in a pelton wheel design.

For the time being my main goal is to build and experiment with something that is as asthetic as well as useful...

I dont own the land here but am a comitted caretaker so any expences would have to be passed onto the property owner...
although as I do like to work with water I have many other job comittments that take priority.

The owner is quite supportive with what I plan to do as he would like the appearance of a water feature that is pleasing to the eye and even better if it can produce some Power for lighting particularly in the outdoor bath house which I recently built also see here

reverse angle here

OK I know this hasnt got to do with micro hydr but as you can see there is plenty of hot water with this little beauty....

Mud is just wet dust

Greenbelt

Guru

Joined: 11/01/2009
Location: United States
Posts: 566

Posted: 04:03am 11 Oct 2010

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Your new post gives a clear picture of your situation and motivation for the water wheel,It should fit in well with the Water heater.
When it comes time to wire up the gen to the lights there will be someone here to help
out if you should need it.
BTW, If your watt output is struggling to burn the lights, Check out the Light emitting Diodes (LED'S) used in Auto Tail Lights (White Backup) for the Bath House Lights.
All the Best to You.
Greenbelt

Time has proven that I am blind to the Obvious, some of the above may be True?

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