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Old 12-12-2009, 03:57 PM   #3 (permalink)
Bicycle Bob
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Location: N. Saskatchewan, CA
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Appliance White - '93 Geo Metro 4-Dr. Auto
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It is pretty easy to calculate from gallons of water to pounds, and measure the vertical fall, etc, to get the potential HP (33,000 lb-ft per minute) and get from there to watts. One problem with tiny pelton wheels is that as you scale down, the boundary layer in the nozzle starts to dominate, and efficiency drops. I'm fond of systems with stored water and two ponds or tanks separated in elevation instead of a battery to store available wind power or whatever. However, for low-draw, on-demand generators, I think we will find that small, positive displacement diaphragm pumps will be very suitable, running backwards.
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