Hi All, I have a situation with minimum 50gpm flow year round (I have been measuring for 5 years, through drought and different seasons).
My wife and I are planning to rebuild the remnants of a small dam on the creek which would provide about 4' head. We estimate we could generate 1 to 1.5 amps here. We are on a budget, and a prebuilt micro hydro unit is out of the question, at least the ones I've seen so far ($1,000 and up). If we were to use an off the shelf auto/truck alternator w/ brushes, how long can we expect the brushes to last running 24/7? Are PM alternators available, and how pricey are they? My second dilemma is predicting the best turbine type and size, and pulley ratio to obtain the highest RPM at the alternator with the available water flow. Is there a method to help make these decisions? If we fabricate some sort of squirrel cage type turbine, how do I decide the optimum radius of the unit? Thanks so much for any help! Bill ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Does your company feature in the microhydro business directory at http://microhydropower.net/directory ? If not, please register free of charge and be exposed to the microhydro community world wide! NOTE: The advertisements in this email are added by Yahoogroups who provides us with free email group services. The microhydro-group does not endorse products or support the advertisements in any way. More information on micro hydropower at http://microhydropower.net To unsubscribe: send empty message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/microhydro/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
