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Author Topic: hydro power  (Read 2891 times)

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Offline Brucer

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #20 on: May 13, 2011, 01:29:52 am »
Google or bing these people...

Thomson and Howe Energy Systems Inc., Kimberley, British Columbia ...


Bill Thomson & I started work at the same corporation back in 1975. He had a degree in electrical engineering and was one sharp dude. After about a year he was transferred (temporarily) to the company's plant in Kimberley. He liked the city but pretty soon decided that he wasn't going to develop his potential by working for "the man". So he started his own business. We all thought he was nuts ???.

It only took me 25 years to figure out that he had the right idea :(.
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Offline mometal77

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #21 on: May 14, 2011, 07:26:58 am »
Most intelligent people in the world "I know" never have used there knowledge.  One of my best friends was in the navy and is one of the smartest people I know locally with electrical anything... works at a shell station over low stress.  Makes a lot of sense in life.  I have known two friends to have heart attacks within 6 months after retiring... one died and his wife got everything and a younger boyfriend......

My mom still talks about not investing in Bill Gates when he was just starting out. 

I am finding even locally with businesses here that a lot of retirees are not teaching any of the youth on the way out.  Most of our generators even are being manufactured over seas or look at mac n mac they are being built in mexico now.
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Offline Al_Smith

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #22 on: May 14, 2011, 07:25:49 pm »
Well I'm one of those old farts that got my start in the navy on subs as a matter of fact . I've taught maybe 100 apprentices in over 40 years .It's kinda tough though on other things not related to on the job .

Nobody wants to turn wrenchs,run machine tools or build buildings .They'd rather fiddley fart around at K-Mart than get a good paying job . Heaven forbid they'd have to sweat and get their hands soiled even if it pays twice as much . They can play a computer like a piano though .

Now that has nothing to do with home brew hydro power .

Offline laffs

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #23 on: May 16, 2011, 08:29:46 pm »
can i make any power with a 50' drop in 400' with a pelton wheel type generator ?
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Offline Ianab

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #24 on: May 16, 2011, 09:08:34 pm »
can i make any power with a 50' drop in 400' with a pelton wheel type generator ?

How much water flow?

50ft of drop is enough to be useful, if you have enough flow anyway.

Ian
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Offline fuzzybear

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #25 on: May 16, 2011, 09:36:16 pm »
  with that much drop and if you can get a permit to divert water you could power one of those type generators. You would have to divert the flow through a trough. Direct it into the turbine raise the locks and let the water flow. The size of your turbine would have to depend on the flow available.
  I've seen people use plastic drums as a flue to direct the streams into their sluice boxes at gold camps. Funny thing with water it speeds up alot when there is no resistance to slow it.  You can reduce the sizing of the flue and speed it up and deliver alot of force.  Make an 8" pipe flow into a 6" into 4" into 2" on a down hill slope and you have fire hose pressure.  Their is still one working here in the north that is made of wood. the pressure is enough to blast mud off of the D-11 cats at the end of the day.
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Offline Tom

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #26 on: May 16, 2011, 09:53:54 pm »
Excuse my interruption, I just had a wonderful thought and needed someplace to put it.

With all the latent power of the release of the Rivers through spillways such as is happening in Morganza spillway and the Atchafalaya River basin,  it's a shame that there isn't a water driven pump and a long pipe line that could reroute that water back upstream and send it over the continental divide into the water sheds of the Colorado and the Rio Grande, to recycle it through Western USA. ;D

Carry on. :)
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Offline fuzzybear

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #27 on: May 16, 2011, 09:57:11 pm »
The Romans did it so I suppose it could be done again.  But by the time they got done with the studies and try and find the funding and blah blah blah ::)....It will be drought season then they will shelve it for another 20 years.
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Offline mometal77

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #28 on: May 21, 2011, 09:04:11 pm »
The romans also had a machine that could be pushed and with every mile a metal "ball bearing" would drop out the bottom. 

I wish I could upload videos on here I would show the power plant at home.  The video is short and kinda dark.
By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
Socrates

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Offline JSNH

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #29 on: May 24, 2011, 12:45:01 pm »
50 feet of head a turgo turbine is more efficient than a pelton. I have a LV750 turbine with 3 -9/16" nozzels I am getting about 350 watts with 45 feet of head 22psi. I have 320 feet of 4" HDPE penstock. I have a 48 volt dc system with a grid interactive outback inverter.

Offline Al_Smith

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #30 on: May 25, 2011, 08:29:37 am »
There is some kind of water activated pump which uses the water of a moving stream with some check valves .They used this contraption to fill mill ponds during early colonial days .Perhaps even in the Roman era time as far as I know .

It isn't very efficient but then again the source of power is essentually free .The water really doesn't go any place .Up the pump ,into the pond, spin the wheel and back in the stream .Hah, that's almost as good as recycling beer cans .

Online submarinesailor

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #31 on: May 25, 2011, 02:44:18 pm »
Al,

They are called ram pumps: 

Bruce

Offline tyb525

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #32 on: May 25, 2011, 06:26:24 pm »
I've researched this some, and it's possible to power you home, but I wouldn't try to sell it to the power co.

I've heard of those ram pumps being used in place of well pumps, to supply water. They will run forever without any maintenance, as long as there is water.
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Online submarinesailor

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #33 on: May 26, 2011, 02:02:52 pm »
They will run forever without any maintenance, as long as there is water.

As long as there is "flowing/moving" water.

bruce

Offline Al_Smith

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #34 on: May 26, 2011, 07:00:06 pm »
The one I made reference to was made of wood .I did a google on it but couldn't find anything . Now the problem is I can't remember where I saw it at .

Offline mometal77

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By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
Socrates

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Offline Al_Smith

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #36 on: May 29, 2011, 06:44:27 am »
I wish I could find some info on the net with a drawing of vid or the one I referenced .

In simplicity it was merely a larger chamber which filled with water and drove a small chamber of a sorts which lifted the water .The check valves just let the water out of the power chamber but prevented back flow from the lift mechanism .

It's got to be out there in cyber space somewhere .Mother Earth news ,Firefire books ??? This thing dates back before they had much  ability in this country to cast iron .

Offline pineywoods

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Re: hydro power
« Reply #37 on: May 29, 2011, 10:32:25 am »
google "hydraulic ram"  Univ of north carolina has tons of info. You do need a few feet of head for one to work properly. The make use of what we call "water hammer"
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