homebru hydro update - Page 6

 

This sounds like a better approach. No multimeter is likely to go to the 35 amps
of your controller, much less the 150 amps of the generator. You could use part
of your wiring as a shunt resister. If you measure the voltage across the wire's
length at a known current, you can determine the current from the voltage during
operation. Twice the voltage would mean twice the current.

You probably need to be careful you don't get this working too well. Your
controller won't take it. Any idea what it will do if too much current is
presented?

What you need next is an electrically operated valve to regulate the flow
depending on the need.

I sure wish I had the water source to try this project.

Bob F

  z wrote:

Zach, you get a few days of nice weather and you go to town, don't you!

I don't think it's mentioned on your Website so at some point you might
address the question of why you are running with a vertical rather than a
horizontal shaft and how that affects the selection of bearings.

I saw a similar but horizontal installation on the Invention Nation
television show a few weeks ago. That generator was mounted solidly on the
floor of a shed similar to yours. It had dual nozzles and was a screamer (in
a good way).

The beautiful thing about hydro is that it is full-time. No waiting for the
wind or the sun to come up.

--
Chuck

 

heh.  Yeah its been a hell of a winter!

So why horizontal?  The primary reason was that I wanted a direct drive
setup rather than a pully and I thought about how best to keep water way
from the altnerator, so gravity seemed to be on my side by doing it this
way.  Also I had the barrel which made water management really easy -- it
flows out the bottom and keeps the splash down and also lets me aim the
jets easily.  Dono really.. just the way it worked out.  I cut a little
door in the barrel so you can have a look and see how its doing in there
and then you can shut it up and let it rip!

Today I drilled and tapped the coupler so tomorrow we'll see if its going
to be any good.

Also ordered a teflon bearing which i'll add to the mix when it gets
here.  Going to fab a mount and all that, but for now its still about
testing stuff


cool.  I'll have to see if I can get that channel.


Yeah if you've got the water!

 z wrote:

Too much La Nina.


You need to put that (and all the rest) in a microhydro blog. Drop in a few
Google Adwords to pay for generator parts. We also need a video complete
with the sound of a turning system.


It's on the Science Channel:
http://science.discovery.com/fansites/invention-nation/invention-nation.html
I think it was the Sun Power episode. "Chris, Nobu and Micah battle veggie
engine trouble on the road to exploring solar concentrators, micro-hydro
power generation, state-of-the art lighting alternatives and solar ovens."
It'll be rebroadcast March 3rd, 4th, 5th and 9th.


You're lucky in that department.

--
Chuck

 

heh we'll see.  I"m on dialup so video is a pain in the arse.  As for
blogs I don't feel like installing a CMS on my server.  Its just as easy
to edit the thing directly.  Suppose I could make it nicer and add a
comments thing easily enough

as for google i kinda doubt id make that much money man.. also who wants
to see adverts?


ahh bummer.  I have to upgrade my service to get that one.  
 

Yeah still a little more work to do in that regard.  The pond doesn't
fill fast enough when its not actually raining.  There is a stream near
by I just have to plumb in more pipe.  Did not want to bother until I was
convinced this whole micro-hyro thing would actually work.

But it seemingly does!  Today I ran a 1000 RPM test with no shaft wobble.


Tapping and drilling the coupler did the trick

http://www.jeffersonfreestate.org/hh

cheers

-z