Cuban Cuchufleta

[Miguel Lopez]

In another thread, we were talking about the possibility to obtain energy from a water hose. As that thread was closed, and I didn't know where exactly to open this one, I open it here. If this is the wrong place, I beg the Mods to move it to the right place.

The term "cuchufleta" is the name that the inhabitants of Cuban mountains had given to a device to obtain electric energy from the water derived from a river, a lake or a reservoir, via a hose (mostly).

It has many variants, and one of the most commonly used it's to add a propeller to a car alternator and make the water to move the propeller as it gets expelled from the hose.

I have some links to the device in youtube, but as I have no access to youtube, not sure if they represent well what the "cuchufleta" is. Hope you can watch them and comment.

You can find more videos googling "Cuban Cuchufleta"

PS: This is not a joke. It is a real (and working) device in Cuban mountains

 

[GreenGiant]

Thats a small scale version of a water wheel, originally used to turn mills to make flour and other powders, but now used in the form of turbines in hydroelectric dams (slightly different yes but same idea)

 

[Miguel Lopez]

That's right. The cuchufleta has evolved from pushbike dynamos to car alternators, but the principle to move the axis is the same (+/-)