Small Hydro project

[Mur Huwcun]

Right, here goes....

We had a smallish water wheel on the gable end of a property that we're extending and renovating. It was fed from a smallish pond 30 feet away with roughly 4 feet of drop through a clay 8" pipe. The wheel had collapsed, the pipe cracked from frost and water was appearing where it shouldn't and could flood the utility and shed during very wet weather. This summer we re-routed the water slightly using 225mm twin wall passing by the side of the wheel and re joining the stream flowing through the garden.

This pipe has been running from one thirds to half full ever since July, we have roughly 6 feet of drop where it comes out but could extend the pipe and gain maybe another three feet within the garden. My question is similar to a piece of string but roughly what hydro could I hope to run off such a flow? The house is being fully renovated with underfloor heating. Groundscorce is being considered but could I use the water flow to generate any electric that would power an immersion in a thermal store. Plan is to have a wood burner in the house which could have a boiler and I would like a Stanley oil cooker aswell, both these could utilise a coil in said thermal store.

Am I mad even contemplating such a thing or has anyone done something similar?

 

[Jim75]

Not mad but doubt it would be very big at all. We looked at doing it 2 yrs ago. 50-80ft head. Can't remember the flow but would only be 11kw at best. A few of our neighbours have considered it on a similar size to yours and have knocked it on the head and that was in the good years of FIT.

 

[fermerboy]

You need to figure out the cubic meters of water per minute and the total head available.
It needs quite a lot to do a few kw.
That said if you have the water and it can be easily channelled, then why not? 4kwh will keep a house ticking over no bother. With any more going to a heat store perhaps.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Using the calculator at http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/hydropower-d_1359.html I recon you could have around 2kW of power theoretically available. You're unlikely to achieve more than half that in reality. Would it be worth it to generate 1kW continuously?

 

[Mur Huwcun]

Using the calculator at http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/hydropower-d_1359.html I recon you could have around 2kW of power theoretically available. You're unlikely to achieve more than half that in reality. Would it be worth it to generate 1kW continuously?

I'm not worried or interested in FITs really, only looking for possible ways of heating water in a thermal store to heat the house. 1kw should be able to heat quite a lot of water 24/7 hopefully. The beauty with it is that it dies not stop like a turbine or panels!!!!

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Using the calculator at http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/hydropower-d_1359.html I recon you could have around 2kW of power theoretically available. You're unlikely to achieve more than half that in reality. Would it be worth it to generate 1kW continuously?

Yes that's what it sounds like to me. Do you know what the wheel was used for? If it was just a churn and chopper then it would only have been one horsepower or so.

 

[upnortheast]

Talking to someone the other day, they were saying the rough guide is 1Kw per 1 metre head

 

[joe soapy]

can just remember some trial work from years ago about extracting power from hydro,
the conclusion then was to use a hydraulic pump to create heat. think now it would be better to use
power to a ground /water source heat pump, they can give a 4 to one increase

 

[Greenbeast]

Talking to someone the other day, they were saying the rough guide is 1Kw per 1 metre head

surely the volume of water matters too? the potential energy will be a factor of weight of water by distance to fall (head)

 

[Y Fan Wen]

surely the volume of water matters too? the potential energy will be a factor of weight of water by distance to fall (head)

I'm old enough to use imperial, so 1 cubic foot per second and 18 feet of head give the potential for 1kw..

 

[Greenbeast]

I'm old enough to use imperial, so 1 cubic foot per second and 18 feet of head give the potential for 1kw..

Units matters not, only that it's the amount of water and how far it will fall that gives the potential energy

 

[Mur Huwcun]

Yes that's what it sounds like to me. Do you know what the wheel was used for? If it was just a churn and chopper then it would only have been one horsepower or so.

No idea really. The property only came into our family ownership mid 70s. Good chance that you know where it is and you've passed id hundreds of times!!! In the blue village which has opera singing conections not far from you opposite the shed frame that's been up for years!!!

 

[Frank_farmer]

can you stick in an archimedes screw? supposedly much better output

saw an install project on facebook. will take a look for details

 

[Mur Huwcun]

can you stick in an archimedes screw? supposedly much better output

saw an install project on facebook. will take a look for details

Can't see why not, have plenty of room for one

 

[Frank_farmer]

http://ludlowhydro.org.uk

 

[Y Fan Wen]

No idea really. The property only came into our family ownership mid 70s. Good chance that you know where it is and you've passed id hundreds of times!!! In the blue village which has opera singing conections not far from you opposite the shed frame that's been up for years!!!

Took the atv to be serviced by the singers last week.

 

[RushesToo]

Units matters not, only that it's the amount of water and how far it will fall that gives the potential energy

You must be a youngster, a cubic foot of water per second is an amount and 18ft is a height measurement. And the answer is a potential 1kW [likely to realise .5kW]

 

[Greenbeast]

You must be a youngster, a cubic foot of water per second is an amount and 18ft is a height measurement. And the answer is a potential 1kW [likely to realise .5kW]

No i understand imperial measurements, it wasn't a contradiction

 

[Exfarmer]

While 1kw output sounds small, it is a constant and delivered when you need it most. I have no idea of costs involved in such a set up and whether EA permission is needed.
As orhers say using a heat pump, possibly using the same water should give you a possible 4-5 KW thermal output, which should be sufficient for most houses today

 

[Greenbeast]

I agree, would not stick my nose up at 24 units of free electric a day....