River power

Applewood · 08-24-09, 09:35 AM

I have looked for info on generating electricity from large slow moving bodies of water and have found very little. I would like to place a generator on a floating dock where the currant is about 1 or 2 miles per hour. Can any one help or direct me to where I can get ideas and info?
Roger

Daox · 08-24-09, 09:58 AM

First off, welcome to the site! Its cool to see someone here interested in hydro power.

Would you be able to pipe off the river and go downhill to a generator station? The greater the head of water you can get the more power you'll get out of the system. I posted something like this a while back.
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/other-...ric-setup.html

We did have a post on a book about a water wheel farm setup here.
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/other-...ty-1915-a.html

Builditsolar.com is also another vast resource of info that I would check out.
Small Scale Hydro -- Ram Pumps and Water Motors

Applewood · 08-24-09, 11:04 AM

There is no option to raise the head of the river water. I will look into the 'farm electricity' as suggested soon. BuildItSolar is one of my favorite sites but has little that applies to my situation.
I live beside a navigable river that flows thru flat countryside here. I'm thinking that a floating platform with an undershot waterwheel could harness some of the unstoppable mass of water that passes by. It seems that a broad 6' to 8' wide wheel with similar diameter dipping about 2' into the flow would give plenty of torque. Gearing could be stepped as needed to match the generator.
I would like to do the math before the building so help with that is needed. Just references to sources or formulas would be fine.
Thanks
Roger

Daox · 08-24-09, 03:54 PM

This is the best thing I could find.

Calculation of Hydro Power - Hydro

I plugged some numbers in for fun to see what comes out. I used .1 meters of head. I then used 680 liters of flow per second (base off really rough calculations that I'm unsure of and I assumed 2 mph water). This gave 667W of hydro power and 400W @ 60% efficiency.

Christ · 08-27-09, 09:28 PM

Gonna have to check that link out , and see if I can find the downloadable calculator I found yesterday, but my download failed. If I find it, I'll post it here.

08-24-09, 09:35 AM	#1
Applewood Lurking Renovator Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	River power I have looked for info on generating electricity from large slow moving bodies of water and have found very little. I would like to place a generator on a floating dock where the currant is about 1 or 2 miles per hour. Can any one help or direct me to where I can get ideas and info? Roger

08-24-09, 11:04 AM	#3
Applewood Lurking Renovator Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	River power There is no option to raise the head of the river water. I will look into the 'farm electricity' as suggested soon. BuildItSolar is one of my favorite sites but has little that applies to my situation. I live beside a navigable river that flows thru flat countryside here. I'm thinking that a floating platform with an undershot waterwheel could harness some of the unstoppable mass of water that passes by. It seems that a broad 6' to 8' wide wheel with similar diameter dipping about 2' into the flow would give plenty of torque. Gearing could be stepped as needed to match the generator. I would like to do the math before the building so help with that is needed. Just references to sources or formulas would be fine. Thanks Roger

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

08-24-09, 09:58 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	First off, welcome to the site! Its cool to see someone here interested in hydro power. Would you be able to pipe off the river and go downhill to a generator station? The greater the head of water you can get the more power you'll get out of the system. I posted something like this a while back. http://ecorenovator.org/forum/other-...ric-setup.html We did have a post on a book about a water wheel farm setup here. http://ecorenovator.org/forum/other-...ty-1915-a.html Builditsolar.com is also another vast resource of info that I would check out. Small Scale Hydro -- Ram Pumps and Water Motors

08-24-09, 03:54 PM	#4
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	This is the best thing I could find. Calculation of Hydro Power - Hydro I plugged some numbers in for fun to see what comes out. I used .1 meters of head. I then used 680 liters of flow per second (base off really rough calculations that I'm unsure of and I assumed 2 mph water). This gave 667W of hydro power and 400W @ 60% efficiency.

08-27-09, 09:28 PM	#5
Christ Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 123 Thanks: 14 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Gonna have to check that link out , and see if I can find the downloadable calculator I found yesterday, but my download failed. If I find it, I'll post it here.