After 2 years of engineering and build iterations the team of Turbulent has finished its first 15kW low-head hydropower turbine.
(Source: http://www.turbulent.be/)
This is a scalable technology that can be installed at any kind of water fall, rapid, or water control structure in rivers and canals.
By basing this turbine on the principle of a whirlpool, it is both fish friendly and can let debris pass through.
This approach creates no CO2, employs the local community with meaningful work, creates electricity from energy that would have wasted down the river, frees local communities from utility bills, creates local employment for maintenance.
It also happens to be similar to what Edison built for Ford at his mansion in Dearborn a century ago.
We must look at this option even for cities where in drain water which gets wasted after use from home/office/shopping mall etc. may be diverted to such common stations for generation of electricity after a bit of screening rather than letting them stored in small lakes, ponds etc which may even result in diseases etc. at later stage.
MECHANICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Dry weight: 700kg (excluding the basin)
Height: 1.5m – 3m with a cascade of turbines for larger heads
CFD optimized basin with a diameter of 3.8m up to 6m for 100kW
Concrete basin, designed for a life of 100 years
Fiber-composite impeller with impact-proof coating
Self-cleaning trash rack for larger debris (> 25cm)
Flow control and automatic actuated sluice gate
ELECTRIC SYSTEM
Suited for 220-480v and 50/60Hz
Single phase (<5 kW) – Three phase (> 5kW)
IP68 Waterproof generator with double barrier mechanical face seal system
Danfoss ® active rectifier and inverter with diversion load to improve stability
Off-grid systems deliverable on request
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The operation of the turbine is quite simple. It has only one moving part, extending
it's operating life, energy production and thus requiring very little maintenance
A self-cleaning screen holds large debris out of the turbine
The flow is guided into a vortex through our optimized concrete basin.
The vortex turns a specially designed impeller.
The water flows back into the stream with all debris gone through and all fish unharmed
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