Wind/Solar/Water system in Kerry

[mitchino]

Hi Bob,

I'm interested in your hydro turbine set-up. What's the head and flow at your site? How far is the turbine from your property? How is it connected to your system? What are you getting power wise out of the unit? Is it reliable? What diameter is the inlet pipe? And what is going on with your turbine housing? it looks like two car wheel rims? Is that to increase the downdraft suction?

a lot of questions! but I'd love to know more about this turnine and it's installation, I have a good site for the same model I think, but it's hard to find info on what the installation would entail. If you have any info or more pics I'd love to see them.

Donald Mitchell

[Bob]

Hi Donald

Head is about 20 feet, flow varies but is via a 6" pipe and I guess is about 100 gal/min.

The turbine is about 10 feet from the batteries which are about 300 yds from my house and the same from several other places where the power is used.

It is a 220v unit connected to the batteries via a switchmode charger.  I intend to replace the alternator with a DC permanent magnet unit sometime soon.

The two rims are in fact from a tractor, about 36" diameter.  They are set on a concrete pad in the bed of the river.  This is to create sufficient residual depth for the draught tube to work properly and to protect the turbine from surges in the river (it is a mountain stream and subject to sudden increases in water flow.

Reliability - er..  I suspect that one set of windings in the alternator has gone down but the power output remains the same at a nominal 110v.  I did have a small problem last time I dismantled it for deep cleaning, a shim had disintegrated on the impeller shaft causing it to bind on the bush.  easily fixed.  There is little mechanical to fail that cannot be sorted with a welder or some bolts and as for the electrics they are China's best!

You get what you pay for.

Hope this helps

Regards

Bob

[mitchino]

Thanks Bob,

So your flow is around 7.6 litres a second? (or is my maths way out?)

I have the same kind of head available, but my flow at it's lowest is about 40 litres a second and can reach over 80.

Excuse my ignorance, but I don't understand your power output! Can you express it in Watts or Kilowatts?

One more thing - is the navitron medium head turbine you use a copy of a non-chinese (and possibly more reliable) model? If so who makes it?

Thanks

[Bob]

Hi

There is of course a difference between the amount of water you can get down a pipe per second and the overall amount available in the river.  Last night I probably had about a million liters a minute flowing past the turbine!

The power output on a normal day would be about 250w, 8-9 amps at 24v.

I have no idea about the origins of the turbine.  As I said in an earlier post the mechanicals are simple and fairly robust for the money you are paying, a change of alternator windings might be a good option.

Good luck

[mitchino]

Thanks again Bob,

I'll stop bothering you soon! What prevents you from taking a bit more from the river?

Do you have any other pics of the hydro set-up from different angles? It would really help me to visualise how to install a similar system at my site.

[Bob]

Hi Mitchino

No problem with the questions, I will try to get a few more photos up tomorrow.

When choosing a turbine for a mountain stream I had to consider huge variations in flow.  Last night it was in flood and was about 3' deep and 15' wide a raging torrent that would sweep a man off his feet and a Landrover off its wheels (I know, I was driving that Landrover).  During the summer, last summer, the river was down to less than comes out of my tap in the kitchen.  There is no point in installing a huge turbine that will only operate for 12 days a year and not much more point in one that will work all the time but can produce a maximum of 10 watts.  You need something that will work for "most of the time". 

There is also a definite limit as to how much water one can physically get down a 6" pipe with a 20' fall.  Combine this with what is available and what one can afford and you have the reasons for why I have what I have.  Its a compromise.

I will try to get the photos up, if they have not appeared by next Sunday nag me.

regards

Bob

[mitchino]

Here's me nagging then Bob!