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~ The Micro Hydro turbine ~ This site is the Tasmanian and Internet marketing Agency for:
Manufactured in
New Zealand by: Clean green home power - 7000 watts to 15,000 watts a day.
This web page is set up to assist you the reader to obtain the necessary information to generate enough 'home power' to attain self-sufficiency if you are blest with having a small stream flowing on the land within 1000 metres or so from your home as I have here in Tasmania. Modern PowerSpout micro hydro turbines are usually designed to generate up to 1,000 watts of electric current that can be set between 12v up to 500 v dc to deliver power long distances from the turbine to the home. It is used to supply electricity to the 12v, 24v, and 48 volt battery range, and this is then transformed to 110v or 240v power using an 'inverter,' and you can also run 12v or 24v lights and other appliances direct from the batteries. To power a 'standard' size home one would need between 300 to 600 watts of electricity delivered to the batteries each hour dependant upon your needs, thus a small micro hydro is sufficient to supply the total daily requirement of between 7,000 to 15,000 watts, and leave room for more electricity if needed, that is IF your 'site' can supply the water volume and pressure needed to generate the required amount. The Micro Hydro turbine of itself is far better and cheaper to operate than wind or solar as it supplies energy 24 hours a day, it runs constantly and one is not dependant upon the wind or sun. If however your site has a very small stream that only supplies 100 to 200 watts of energy per hour then that energy can also be augmented by solar panels or a wind turbine. In the event that your site has a large volume of water then you can operate turbines in 'tandem' or even more, this way you can power more than one home and/or you can pass on excess electricity to the Mains power and 'earn' money. The purpose of this web site however is to assist you to become self sufficient as I believe that the mains 'grid' will fail due to many factors in the difficult times at hand, and one is better off having a 'stand alone' system that supplies your own needs. In the event that you have excess electricity then you can supply your neighbour with some. Remember, irrespective of the power output 'capacity' of the hydro unit you purchase, the amount of electricity generated is dependant upon the pressure and volume of the water input AND, the actual energy reaching the batteries is then dependant upon any 'loss' of electrical energy travelling along the wire cables from the turbine to the batteries. These 'factors' will be discussed below, for if your water supply 'pipe' is too narrow it generates friction losses to the water flow OR, if it is not assembled properly and there are highs and lows as in the diagram page 3, then air 'locks' develop and can reduce the water flow anywhere from 5% to ZERO, and also blockages from sand ingress can do the same AND, equally if the electric cable from the turbine to batteries is too thin for the distance and voltage then more losses occur. ~ The water supply Dam ~ There are many different 'situations' around the type and nature of streams or river, some are small and others large, but all suffer from the same 'problem,' being that fine sand or 'gravel,' leaves and other detritus flow continuously along the river bed and can block the intake, the pipe itself or the turbine nozzles. Not only is this flow continuous but in a heavy rainstorm it can be quite considerable, and a small dam such as mine could 'capture' enough sand to almost fill it completely if there is heavy rain over a few days. Thus it is advisory to fit a 6" 'bung' or drain in the bottom of the wall, for when wishing to empty the sand one simply removes the 'cap' on the inside and the water will wash the sand out of the dam and save you a lot of effort in trying to dig it out. It is worthwhile therefore to take the effort to make a small 'weir' across the stream using cement and rocks. My weir is about 6' wide and 2' deep, and as the water 'inlet' is one foot above the bottom I get very little sand entering the pipe, and I also have a sand 'trap' in the feed pipe. My type of dam can handle most weather situations without the need to shut off the turbine, it is only once or twice a year or so in very heavy rain situations when the creek is really flooding that I close the turbine down and this means that no 'dirty' water can enter the pipe inlet.
The below shows the 'plan' View, the pipe is fitted about 6" below the top of the dam wall and has a stainless steel mesh filter to keep out leaves and twigs, and I have a plywood insert 'wedge' cut to the shape of the 4" pipe that sits on top of the pipe to allow the dam to fill to the 'brim' and keep the inlet covered with water.
The 'sand' trap Somewhere along the pipe from the 'dam' place a sand trap as shown having a small section of pipe with a valve. This will result in sand or small stones falling out of the water flow into the vertical pipe during a storm or rainy weather and not blocking the water 'jets,' and you simply open the valve and sand trapped is exited.
~ The water pipe installation ~ The correct method is to ensure that your pipe has a steady 'fall' so that there are no 'ups or downs,' and this enables air to flow up and out of the pipe with no hindrance, and also allows sand to travel down and out without stopping and blocking the water flow. You can have the 'drop' downhill as steep or shallow as needed but always downwards. It is easier to accomplish this using 6 metre sections of 2" - 3" - 4" or 6" 'rigid' sewer pipe glued together rather than a long 'coil' of black 'flexible' irrigation pipe. Sewer pipe is not 'rated' as pressure pipe but it will withstand a pressure of 45 psi or more. (90' head) - (Burst pressure approx 60 psi) - If the 'head' is higher than 90' then go for 'pressure pipe.' The correct method Have a 'steady' fall with no 'ups or downs' as it allows air to travel 'uphill' and exit and sand to get out.
The incorrect method The incorrect method shows how both sand and air 'trapped' can restrict the flow of water to the turbine reducing its power output to ZERO.
Naturally the nearer the dam and turbine is to the house the 'cheaper' becomes the installation costs, and the steeper the water 'fall' along the hillside the thinner is the pipe needed to carry it and costs are far less. Just remember the need for height of 'head' pressure and the need to 'deliver' as much water flow as possible to the turbine, and from it as much electrical current to the batteries. Skimping on pipe size or cable size is error. ~ The 'best' Micro Hydro Turbine ~ There are many types of Micro hydro and many give an excellent performance, but for the purpose of this web page I have done much research over the years and believe that the PowerSpout permanent magnet unit that has been developed using the latest technology is the best priced product available. The powerspout is the best 'value for money' to be found today, and it also has the latest technological advances incorporated. The reason for its availability at low cost price is that its innovative 'smart drive' permanent magnet 'rotor' is mass produced by Fisher & Paykel. I also now promote it worldwide per this document to assist those seeking to become self sufficient with their electricity supplies. Many micro hydros use high rotational speeds and outdated 'turgo' runners that give a reduced transfer of energy, but the PowerSpout has a large 10" diameter Pelton wheel, and this gives it more power running at half the rotational speed of many other manufacturers, thus there is less 'bearing' wear and tear and better transfer of useable kinetic energy. The permanent magnet
The Pelton 'runner'
The 'twin' system installation
You can operate 5 units in conjunction, and the above models have a 'dual' jet operation, this means that there are two smaller nozzles in operation and less water is used for power generation than when using a single jet. ~ PowerSpout models ~
Note: Prices quoted are 'today's' prices, (25 Aug 2011) and will be subject to fluctuation/amendment. ~ MPPT - Maximum power point tracker regulator and controller ~ The maximum power point tracker regulator/controller is an enhancement incorporated into charge controllers that isolates the charging equipment power output from the restrictive effects of the batteries so that the maximum power (watts0 output of the charging equipment can be utilised, and this significantly increases the (watts) delivered to the battery storage unit. The maximum power point tracker regulator/controller is a unit that in fact 'boosts' the available solar panel (PV) watts to the battery and enables high voltages at 'source' to be changed to 12v, 24v, or 48v battery banks. AMPS - are the electrical
'current' generated Both Volts (pressure) and Amps
(current) are necessary for Watts (power used) Solar modules force energy into a battery, and once the battery is full the electricity supply emanating from PV modules, water hydro turbine or wind turbine the electricity created needs to be halted so as to not overcharge the battery. This 'control' mechanism is called a "Regulator" and there are a variety of different types. How Does a maximum power point tracker increase Charge Current? A photovoltaic (PV) array is a constant voltage device. Unlike a battery which is a constant current device. As shown on a typical PV module voltage-current curve, voltage remains relatively constant over a wide range of current. A typical 75 watt panel delivers 3.75amps @ 20volts. Traditional PV controllers connect the PV array directly to the battery when the battery is in a state of discharge. When a 75 watt panel is connected directly to a battery charging at 12-14 volts, the PV panel won't provide its maximum power due to it being pulled down to the battery voltage. Maximum power point tracker technology operates in a very different fashion. Under the above conditions it calculates the voltage at which the PV module delivers maximum power, in this case under 17v. It then converts the available power to charge the batteries (typically 12-14V) in a 12v system, while extracting the power from the panels at its maximum power point 14 -17V. A maximum power point tracker continually recalculates the peak power voltage as operating conditions change. PV output power, now 75 watts, feeds a high efficiency power converter which creates more current to be available to charge the batteries than the panels would produce connected directly and operating at 12 -14V. The full 75 watts delivered at 17 volts would
produce a current of roughly 4.5A. A charge current increase of
1.8 amps or 22 watts or 20% is
achieved by converting the 22 watts that would have been wasted
into useable charge
current. This example
assumes 100% efficiency to illustrate the principal of
operation. Actual boost will be less as some power is lost in
wiring, connections, fuses. Under normal conditions in comfortable ambient temperatures, current increase typically ranges between 10 to 25%, using an MPPT controller, with 30% or more easily achieved with a discharged battery and cooler temperatures. What you can be sure of is that a maximum power point tracker will deliver the highest charge current possible for a given set of operating conditions. When conditions are such that the battery voltage and maximum power point are exactly the same, the tracker will pass the current through but will still have small losses. (between 5-10%) conditions. Some inverters have an inbuilt maximum power point tracker (MPPT) and are able to Grid feed from the solar modules or from battery supply. When set in Battery Mode, it will feed excess power into the grid when the batteries have fully charged at 54V (for 48V model or 108V for 96V model). Note: The MPPT control regulator does not need to be used in every application. Only as an 'enhancement' to power storage 'volume' as well as when a high 'voltage' is needed to transmit electricity for a long distance from the Source to the batteries. (120v turbine) There are many charge control regulators that can be used in 'general' applications that cost less than half that of the MPPT, and not every MPPT has the capacity to be used with Hydro systems. Check first with the manufacturer.
In this situation the turbine and pipe is buried to avoid forest fire damage. Picture of Gillian & Timothy in Tasmania
~ Notes on ordering ~ Hydro site data required for the product model to be ordered On making inquiries please give the below info in your first email contact.
For purchase enquiries fill out the above form and contact < timmalaher@gmail.com > Sales Agent at: http://aus-nz-microhydro-systems.com Tim's site includes Latronics Inverters & batteries ~~~ This web page needs to be read in conjunction with my 'Wind & Solar' site as that section contains other relevant info. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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