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As a first step, it might be an idea to try and make a vee notch flow weir and calculate how much flow you have.  Knowing that, and the head, you can calculate the potential power, and halving that is probably pretty close to what you might get from a small hydro system.

 

There is an online calculator for measuring flow with a vee notch weir here: http://www.meracalculator.com/physics/fluid-mechanics/v-notch-weir-discharge.php

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5 hours ago, Home Farm said:

 

Will look into undershot wheels this afternoon.

You might have enough drop in one place to go with an overshot wheel, undershot will not get much power out.

 

This describes the different types: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_wheel#Summary_of_types

 

Go with the best the height you have available allows.  I only have a tiny drop so undershot is my only option, but you could probably manage Probably a Breastshot wheel with the wheel about twice the diameter of the drop you have available.

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2 hours ago, Home Farm said:

What is the head please? Not sure I follow that.

Some turbines have a suction tube below the 'spinning bit' and strictly speaking the head is from the top of the reservoir down to the unconstrained water escaping from the turbine.

 

With a small head you are probably looking at some sort of cross-flow turbine or just possibly a Poncelot 'wheel' (I kid you not ?)

 

Examples of both here http://www.waterwheelfactory.com/history.htm

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  • 1 month later...

been contemplating hydro -AGAIN

somewhat different situation 

2lpersec (7200litres pr hour)and 110m head can make  5kwph -thats basically a 4" going to a 2"  input turbine at bottom of quarry 

now the stream/land drain I have  -does not flow enough all year round --

so was thinking, as I do 

2000ltr tank at top of hill fed by stream - with a syphon pipe --like a toilet cistern - so when level in tank gets up to full it starts the flow and keeps on till its near  empty --It fills up again and repeats 

what have i missed?

 the vacum created by that drop will certainly pull the water out of tank

will be testing actual output soon and throughout next year 

 

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Power = Mass x Gravity x Height x Efficiency

 

Power = 0.002 [m3.s-1] x 9.81 [m.s-2] 110 [m]x 0.9 [eff]

 

Power = 1.94 kW

 

About the same as a Honda generator that costs 600 quid.

 

(I may have misunderstood the flow rate)

 

Edited by SteamyTea
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16 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

Power = Mass x Gravity x Height x Efficiency

 

Power = 0.002 [m3.s-1] x 9.81 [m.s-2] 110 [m]x 0.9 [eff]

 

Power = 1.94 kW

 

About the same as a Honda generator that costs 600 quid.

 

(I may have misunderstood the flow rate)

 

sowmehere i gone wrong with my calcs -- LOL

  will measure flow rat+ head again r anyway --its long term project ,after i can house built 

turbine  for  that is £1200 --

assuming 300 days of runnning --that,s still £2234 pr annum(0.16 elec cost) -so still looks viable ,if using it all  ,and winter there will be no shortage of water

time and more study will tell

Edited by scottishjohn
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I like picohydro, and 2 kW is a useful amount of power.

Stick 4 kWh of battery storage on it, that will give you 6 kW, so a usable amount of power.  You can run a kettle, a kW induction hob and the oven.

The inverter for that lot will be £1500 though.

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Just now, SteamyTea said:

I like picohydro, and 2 kW is a useful amount of power.

Stick 4 kWh of battery storage on it, that will give you 6 kW, so a usable amount of power.  You can run a kettle, a kW induction hob and the oven.

The inverter for that lot will be £1500 though.

still much shorter payback than solar+ don,t see a shortage of water in scotland --maybe sun --but not rain .

 

 long way before we there .--but better to plan now for where things would go  if i did do it 

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