I have always been fascinated by obtaining free energy from natural resources. And somehow I got the idea to make a simple mini power station that would generate electricity from a passing water stream.
It all started with the idea of using an old drum washing machine as a water wheel - a miniature homemade hydroelectric power station.
To the drum using metal corners straight blades made of moisture-resistant plywood were attached.
The torque from the water wheel is transmitted by a belt to a bicycle dynamo (generator direct current). The generated electricity goes to the LED. Simply turn the wheel slightly with your hand and the LED will start flashing.
The basis of the entire structure is a bicycle frame.
Two bearings allow the water wheel to spin freely.
The first tests on a small river showed that water wheel It is installed too high on the frame, which does not allow the flow of water to spin it normally.
After minor changes in the frame design, the wheel began to be positioned lower and the rotation speed increased sharply. As a result, the dynamo began to rotate and the 4.5 V LED lit up.
This is how it came out of old trash homemade hydroelectric power station.
Next, the mini hydroelectric power station assembly was installed on a small stream.
It produces only a few volts, but it is enough to light the LED.
It was a good experiment to start with.
Further improvements in the project
Further improvements to the water wheel should affect:- Build a mini-dam to increase water pressure. At the same time, there are no plans to completely block the river so that the fish can escape in the second stream.
- Install a pipe under the dam through which water will flow to a homemade turbine. Place a casing in the pipe using a rubber conveyor belt. By blocking the flow of water through the pipe, you can carry out maintenance of the mechanisms.
- According to calculations, the turbine will produce approximately twice the power of a water wheel. In addition, replacing the water wheel with a turbine should eliminate the problem of freezing in winter time.
- The flow of water will spin the turbine, transmitting torque to the generator. The turbine will be supported on two bearings made of solid wood. With regular lubrication they will last a long time. The thrust washer will keep the mechanism from moving laterally.
- Make metal blades, calculating the angle at which they need to be bent (the power of the hydroelectric power station depends on this parameter). The blades will need to be screwed on using rubber gaskets to avoid tearing them off.
- To transmit torque, use a shaft assembled from pipes.
- Install the generator. Place a pulley on the generator that is smaller than the one installed on the shaft. This will increase the speed, which is necessary for efficient work generator
The power of water flow is renewable natural resource, allowing you to get practically free electricity. Energy donated by nature will provide an opportunity to save on utilities and solve the problem with recharging equipment.
If there is a stream or river running near your home, it is worth taking advantage of it. They will be able to provide electricity to the site and the house. And if you build a hydroelectric power station with your own hands, the economic effect increases significantly.
The presented article describes in detail the technologies for manufacturing private hydraulic structures. We talked about what is required to set up the system and connect it to consumers. Here you will learn about all the options for miniature energy suppliers assembled from scrap materials.
Hydroelectric power plants are structures that can convert the energy of water movement into electricity. so far they are actively exploited only in the West. In our country, this promising industry is only taking its first timid steps.
Image gallery
First, let's define the operating principle and types of small hydroelectric power plants. The flow of a river or a falling water stream rotates the turbine blades and a hydraulic pipeline, which is connected to an electric generator - the latter generates electricity. Modern compact hydroelectric power plants have automatic control with the ability to instantly switch to manual mode in case of emergency. The designs of modern factory hydroelectric power plants allow production to be minimized construction work when installing equipment.
Types of mini hydroelectric power plants
Mini power plants include generating devices with a capacity from 1 to 3000 kW. Fundamentally, the thermal power plant consists of:
- turbines (water intake device);
- generating block;
- control systems.
According to the type of water resources used for generation, mini hydroelectric power stations are:
- Channel rivers. Such stations are built on small lowland rivers with reservoirs.
- Mountain. Stationary stations that use the energy of fast mountain currents.
- Industrial. Stations that use differences in water flow at industrial enterprises.
- Mobile. Stations using reinforced hoses for water flow.
Dam types of stations are characterized by high power, but the construction of a dam is expensive, and in this case it is impossible to do without permits. To get involved with officials in our country is not just to complicate your life, but to call into question the implementation of the most good intentions, so let’s abandon this idea right away.
How does a mini hydroelectric power station work?
The principle diagram of the operation of a hydroelectric power station can be chosen from several options:
- Garland hydroelectric power station. From one bank of the river to the other, a cable with rotors strung on it is laid under water. The current rotates the rotors and, accordingly, the cable itself. One end of the cable is in a bearing, the other is connected to the generator.
- Propeller. An underwater structure resembling a wind turbine with narrow blades and a vertical rotor. A blade with a width of only 20 mm at a high rotation speed will provide minimal resistance. A blade of this width is selected at a flow speed of 0.8–2.0 m per second.
- Water wheel. A wheel with blades, partially submerged in the flow, and located at right angles to the surface of the water. The flow of water presses on the blades, rotating the wheel.
- Rotor Daria. Vertical rotor with complex blade surfaces. The liquid flowing around the blades creates different pressures, causing rotation.
The photo shows a mini hydroelectric power station based on a water wheel
How to estimate the potential capacity of mini hydroelectric power stations
Before building a mini hydroelectric power station with your own hands, you need to determine the power you can count on. There is a reference relationship between the speed of water flow and the power that can be removed from the shaft in kW with a screw diameter of 1 m.
The speed of the flow is determined by measuring the time it takes for a chip thrown into water to travel a certain distance. Having made simple calculations, we obtain the flow speed in meters per second. If in in this case speed is less than 1 m/sec, then the construction of a hydroelectric power station will not be economically feasible.
At a flow speed of 2.5 m/s, the power will be 0.86 kW, at 3 m/s - 1.24 kW, at 4 m/s - 2.2 kW. The relationship is described by the dependence: the power of a hydroelectric power station is proportional to the cube of the water flow velocity. If the flow velocity at the proposed construction site is low, you can try to increase it by using a flow height difference device or installing drain pipe with variable diameter at the outlet of the reservoir. The smaller the outlet diameter of the pipe, the higher the flow rate.
How to make a mini hydroelectric power station at home
The operating principle of a small homemade hydroelectric power station can be understood using the example of a bicycle with a headlight and a dynamo (generator).
- We make three long blades from roofing iron, equal to the radius bicycle wheel (distance from the central hub to the wheel rim) and a width of 3-4 cm.
- We install the blades between the spokes of the wheel, bending the edge of the blade around the spokes to secure it. The blades should be aligned evenly while maintaining the same angles between them.
- We immerse the wheel with blades in a fast river to a depth of one third to half the diameter of the wheel. The generated electricity will be enough, for example, to light a tent.
Drawing of one of the options for constructing a mini hydroelectric power station
An example would be a small hydroelectric power station for farm power 3-5 kW from scrap materials:
- The rotor can be made from an old metal cable drum with a diameter of 2.2 m. Using a grinder and welding at an angle of 45 degrees to the radius, 18 blades need to be welded. The rotor rotates on bearings. Support – metal pipe or angle.
- On the rotor you need to install a chain gearbox with a gear ratio (gear ratio) of 4. Next, the rotation will be transmitted through the VAZ 2101 driveshaft. The use of a driveshaft will reduce vibration, and the coaxiality of the drive and generator when using the shaft will be uncritical.
- You will need a step-up gearbox (coefficient - 40) and a three-phase generator. The generator rotation speed is about 3000 rpm. The total reduction ratio of the two gearboxes will be 40 x 4 = 160. The generator should be covered with a casing to protect it from moisture and safety. The estimated rotation of the water wheel should be about 20 revolutions per minute.
- Can be adapted for generator asynchronous motor, and take the control unit from any small machine. You will need a VVG NG cable 2x4 long from the rotor to farm buildings.
conclusions
The total manufacturing costs will be about 10-15 thousand rubles. The main expense item is wage welder and worker helping to make and assemble the structure.
The main advantages of such equipment are the low cost of electricity, environmental Safety, inexhaustibility of the energy source and simplicity of design.
I've always wanted to get electricity from the stream that runs around the perimeter of my house. About three years ago I installed a temporary turbine to see if a larger turbine wheel would work.
The demo version of this wheel was made from old car stands. abrasive wheels And wooden pallets as blades.
For the generator I used an old DC strip from an Ametec drive motor. To prepare everything completely, I used a mini motorcycle chain and 70 and 9 tooth sprockets (for turning the wheel and on the engine). The cost of all items came to around £30.
It produced a maximum of 25 watts and ran for about a year, mainly due to the limitations of the Ametec motor and wheel size, and led me to build a larger turbine.
First of all, I needed to dam the water of the stream so that the water level was approximately up to my chest. Without waiting for the end of summer, I drained the water using a sump pump and made a dam out of cement.
The turbine wheels were made for me locally construction companies made of durable multi-layer material used for sheathing and decking in shipbuilding, 13 mm thick. I made the blades from the same material. Finally, I coated the discs and blades with a special water-repellent compound to extend their life.
I built the base for the turbine from oak logs. The oak turned out to be very hard, I had to tinker with it while I bolted the logs to the stone frame. We had to drill holes, and for this we had to tie the turbine down to balance it and adjust all the dimensions and tighten the bolts.
The next step after installing the wheel was to resolve the issue with the drive and generator.
I initially used a drive made by Minimoto, but then the small chain started slipping due to the tooth spacing, so I decided to purchase 3/8 pitch chains and sprockets from a bearing supplier. The generator was supplied by Windblue Power Permanent Magnet Generator (PMG). It is capable of producing 12 V at 150 rpm. It is often used as a converted car alternator. A conventional generator produces 12 V only at 3000 rpm. I ordered this engine from the USA for £135 including postage.
The wheel was spinning too slowly, and I had to make a stepped tray under the dam, on which the water collected in a narrow mouth and poured onto the blades with greater force.
In addition, I screwed steel cable with a cross section of 1 cm, the main frame slats, and where possible, strengthened the base with 1 foot long anchor bolts to protect the device from damage if the dam suddenly breaks or there is a strong gust of wind.
The turbine is equipped with 4x55AH Brand New batteries. With their help I constantly recharge my laptop. I also bought two military traction lead acid battery 2x110Ah Hawker for garage and home lighting. The voltage supply to two different types of batteries comes from different wires.
I've been using this system for about a year. Output power is 50 W, at peak it produces up to 500 W. The turbine stopped a couple of times due to a decline in water, as well as due to the blockage of the main flow during floods. And so - all year round works.
Translation: Yaroslav Nikolaevich
“Greens” around the world are increasingly and increasingly protesting against the development of new oil, gas, coal deposits, as well as the massive use of engines internal combustion all over the world, which bring the most heavy pollution our habitat. Celebrities from the world of fashion, theater, and cinema call for living more economically in terms of energy consumption. They set up on the roofs of their mansions solar panels, wind generators(like actor Leonardo DiCaprio, for example).
More ordinary people They also understand that something can depend on their behavior, and if at least one person finds an alternative to the internal combustion engine, then the world will become a little cleaner. Therefore, in villages, towns and in our country, where there is falling or running water, a certain pool of water on a hill, it is possible to make a mini hydroelectric power station with your own hands and, thereby, help both yourself and Her Majesty Nature. This is an alternative to a gasoline or diesel generator, which still runs on fuel and produces caustic emissions into the environment.
What if more than one person, more than one household decided to find an alternative way to obtain electricity? What if it’s a whole town, village, aul? Here the load on Nature will decrease significantly. And it will remain in the consumer’s pocket more money for household needs, because electricity from a mini hydroelectric power station created by the hands and minds of enthusiasts is about three times cheaper than buying it from regular producers (CHP, Atom stations, industrial hydroelectric power stations).
Finding the right water
Recently I saw a short video that showed how, in an ordinary Indian village, students from one of the Western colleges decided to build a mini hydroelectric power station. There is no electricity in that wilderness, young people are fleeing to the cities, but what will happen if you give the residents electricity? There is no river as such in the village, but there is a reservoir. A natural bowl with a huge amount of water is located slightly above the village level. What did the students come up with?
With their smart heads they realized that since there is no flow from Nature here, it can be created! By the hands of hired workers, a covered long pipe with a diameter of a meter was installed, and one end of it was closed onto a reservoir, and the other, below, went into a small and slow-moving river. Due to the difference in height, water from the reservoir rushed down through the pipe, accelerating more and more, and at the exit a rather powerful flow was already created, which rested against the blades of the mini hydroelectric power station. The pipe in which the water of the reservoir is enclosed runs down the hillside so picturesquely that it seems as if a huge python is slowly crawling from top to bottom and instills terror in the local residents with its size. You want to touch it with your hands, feel it, feel its power.
If something similar is being created in an Indian village, then why not try to do the same in a Russian village? If there is no fast-flowing river nearby, but there is a reservoir, then the construction of a mini hydroelectric power station is also possible. You just need to look at the terrain, but one thing is clear: the reservoir - be it natural or artificial - must be located higher than the place where the hydroelectric power station will be installed. If the height difference is significant, even better! The flow of water will run stronger from top to bottom, which means that the possible power of the generated electricity will increase.
It is not necessary to buy expensive pipes to organize an artificial water flow. You can make a kind of gutter with your own hands, and let the water from the reservoir accelerate through it. To begin with, it is better to generally take any available means, old pipes, albeit of small diameter for now, and build trial version draining water from a reservoir located above. This way it will be possible to measure the flow speed (I already wrote how to do this earlier). If there is a fast-flowing river nearby, then there is no need to build either dams, gutters, or artificially create a flow of water. Mini hydroelectric power stations in the form of a garland, propeller, Dardieu rotor or water wheel can be installed in such places without any problems.
It will be important to protect the structure. How? A protective screen made of mesh or a diffuser should be installed in front of the mini hydroelectric power station so that fragments of trees, or even whole logs, floating along the river, as well as live and dead fish, and all kinds of debris, do not fall on the turbine blades, but float past.
The simplest DIY mini hydroelectric power station
Almost everyone can create their own mini-hydroelectric power station with their own hands. Examples? To obtain lighting during a hike, many tourists use an ordinary bicycle, which they use to get around. On any bicycle wheel, they install jumpers made of pieces of, say, thin iron between the spokes and, first with their hands and then with pliers, bring the edges of the sheet behind the spoke, thereby fixing the jumper. The length of the jumper should correspond to half the diameter of the wheel, that is, cover the distance from the rim to the hub. In fact, it should be equal to the length of the knitting needle. It would be optimal to install four such jumpers according to the cardinal directions: North, South, West, East. Next, you will need a regular bicycle generator and a flashlight connected to it.
It's time to go hiking. You need to stop for the night by the river. Well, let the mosquitoes bite! But you will be able to make a video of the party and take photos around the fire. This is very picturesque! The water in the river must have a noticeable flow and then our camping mini hydroelectric power station will work. “Let there be light!” - said the mechanic and made a short circuit. No, this is not about us.
“Let there be light!” - said the tourist and lowered the wheel with iron jumpers a third into the water of the flowing river. The bicycle itself is placed on a small stand, or suspended from a tree or peg on the shore so that one third of the wheel is immersed in the stream. The water presses on the jumpers, spins the wheel, the generator converts the water energy into current and a mini-flashlight illuminates the parking area.
There is no risk that the batteries will be defective, as in the case of using a conventional flashlight, there is no risk that they will run out, and you do not need to take large quantities of them on a hike. The flow of the river will not disappear anywhere. Tourists most often prefer to stay in proven places. So, once you receive electricity through a mini-velo-hydroelectric power station at the place where they spend the night, they will remember this place and try to while away the dark time of the day here.
Negotiation difficulties
However, lighting one candle, figuratively speaking, is one thing, but lighting thousands, giving people light, as Prometheus did, is a completely different matter. A compact hydroelectric power station as a source of electricity, by its appearance in everyday use, can disrupt the established picture and state of affairs.
The largest monopolies are accustomed to the fact that they are the ones who produce electricity for small settlements; sales subsidiaries are accustomed to receiving money for delivering goods - kWh to the consumer. Where to fit mini hydroelectric power stations into this scheme? And not yet controlled by monopolists? I’ll say right away that it will not be easy to coordinate such a project with local authorities in Russia, just like any other new business. But the result is worth the effort.
In general, a compact (mini) hydroelectric power station means a station that produces power up to 100 kW. Craftsmen, working with their hands and heads, can quite easily build this useful thing in your own town or village, even in a private household. But only if there are appropriate natural conditions and the desire to create something NEW, save money, that is, pay less for electricity in the future.
If you watch a video or photo of some mini-hydroelectric power plants, you will see that sometimes they look very strange. But for the contemporaries of Leonardo Da Vinci, his flywheels with huge wings also seemed at least strange, and with his daring experiments and ideas, the great Italian completely terrified many people of his time. So what? We don't remember those people. And Leonardo’s drawings and creations will live on for centuries. Build a mini-hydroelectric power station with your own hands, experiment, dare! Nature and descendants will only say “Thank you” to you!
Mikhail Bersenev
There are also craftsmen in Tajikistan, no worse than Indian ones:
