Can You Generate Power from a Water Source Using Gears and Equations?

[Aquadust]

Hi

I am writing a research paper in which I will receive no help with and am hoping for some suggestions / guidance with the equations and formulas I will need.
I am looking at generating power from a falling water source which will be connected to a waterwheel/turbine through a set of gears such as spur or Epicyclic gearing to a power generator such as a dynamo which can generate power. Probably around 5V is the target.I am guessing I will need to use equations with regards to Potential energy and possible torque and gear equations but any help or exact equations would be brilliant and much appreciatedPossible equations could be:
Potential Energy = MxGxH
Kinetic Energy = 〖1/2 x m x v〗^2
Driven gear / Driver Gear
Any help with this would be much appreciated and if more details are needed please let me know.

Many thanks in advance

 

[berkeman]

Hi

I am writing a research paper in which I will receive no help with and am hoping for some suggestions / guidance with the equations and formulas I will need.
I am looking at generating power from a falling water source which will be connected to a waterwheel/turbine through a set of gears such as spur or Epicyclic gearing to a power generator such as a dynamo which can generate power. Probably around 5V is the target.


I am guessing I will need to use equations with regards to Potential energy and possible torque and gear equations but any help or exact equations would be brilliant and much appreciated


Possible equations could be:
Potential Energy = MxGxH
Kinetic Energy = 〖1/2 x m x v〗^2
Driven gear / Driver Gear
Any help with this would be much appreciated and if more details are needed please let me know.

Many thanks in advance

Fixing your 2nd equation --> Kinetic Energy = 1/2 x m x v^2

And you are correct, if you could run this at 100% efficiency, you could recover the loss of PE in the falling water as energy out. Your waterwheel+generator will not be 100% efficient, but you should be able to get reasonable efficiency out of the system.

You should design your gears and whatever to try to run the generator at whatever its optimum RPM is for generating power. Generators should come with some curves showing how they operate at different RPMs. Do you have some generators in mind, and do you have their datasheets?

 

[Aquadust]

Hi

Thanks for your reply

I didn't have a generator in mind for the basic prototype, I was thinking about using a dynamo but I realize these can be stiff and difficult to turn and probably wouldn't be suitable, Do you know where I could find these kinds of generators and there data sheets?

Many thanks for your help and advice.

 

[berkeman]

I didn't have a generator in mind for the basic prototype, I was thinking about using a dynamo but I realize these can be stiff and difficult to turn and probably wouldn't be suitable, Do you know where I could find these kinds of generators and there data sheets?

I don't know offhand which generators would be the best for your appliction. Maybe whatever is used in gas-powered portable generators, but with some gearing...

I googled hydropower generators, and got some reasonable hits. Maybe these will give you some ideas:

http://www.google.com/search?source...=1T4GGLL_enUS301US302&q=generators+hydropower

.

 

[berkeman]

This is an especially interesting hit off of that list:

http://hackaday.com/2010/08/27/hydropower-generator/

It describes the generator and the Pelton Wheel that a person used to make their own 1/2 kW generator...