water wheel electrical generation

Robert Lake
Robert Lake Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
I have an 8' water wheel half built and ready for bucket installation. Has anyone built one or had any experience with one? My water flow will be low so I am looking for a small alternator or PM motor that won't overload the capability of the wheel.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: water wheel electrical generation

    The Micro-hydro issue!

    I suggested it as a potential topic, but there's not many into it around here.
    http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=5455

    Someone sent me a very nice link to a more suitable site for this, but it's on the wrong computer and I don't have access right now.

    I'm sure it'll come up again; lots of nice, helpful people here.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: water wheel electrical generation

    This is the other link I was sent by RalphDay:

    http://www.greenpowertalk.org/
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  • TnAndy
    TnAndy Solar Expert Posts: 249 ✭✭
    #4
    Re: water wheel electrical generation

    It takes a LOT of water to get much shaft horsepower out of a traditional overshot type water wheel.

    200 gallons/minute on a 12' wheel will only give you about 1/2 horsepower according to this site:

    http://www.waterwheelfactory.com/HP%20Table.htm

    Hard to believe......friend of mine down the road built a decorative wheel....about 8' diameter, about 8" wide and runs it with a stream of water out of a 1" pipe....nothing hooked to it, it just turns. I tried to stop the wheel with my hands as a brake, and was amazed how much torque it had, but was able to finally stop it....but I guess that doesn't translate to usable power when you try to hook up a generator to the shaft.
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  • john p
    john p Solar Expert Posts: 814 ✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: water wheel electrical generation

    The main problem trying to use a water wheel as a "motor" to drive a generator is its veeeery sloooow speed.. It would need gears between it and the generator and that most likely lose you about1/2 the power .
    And as you said you could stop the wheel you tested with hands.. even if difficult.. Now if that wheel had the losses of gears and the drag of a generator even if it not suppling power to anything.. how fast you think it likely to be spinning? most likely not fast enough to get the generator up to a usable speed.:grr
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