Another thing is that the above turbine is extremely wasteful. It may be
suitable if you have a lot of hydro power you can do without. The first
thing is to know the head from a barrier to the generator. Low head,
high volume and you would use a turbine. High head and low volume and
you are probably better off with a pelton wheel.
In the coastal foothills of CA where realgoods is based, most resources
are better met with a pelton wheel from what I've seen.
Dan,
I have been in the hydro industry for more than 35 years. My friends
in California still call Pelton wheels "turbines". My other
professional friends also call Francis and Kaplan wheels "turbines".
Where have we gone wrong since we do not conform with your definition?
In point of fact, while the boundaries are very blurred, most low head
conventional hydro turbines employ the Kaplan (variable blade) or
propeller design (fixed blade), most moderate head turbines (above 100
feet) a Francis design, and high head (above 1,000 feet) a Pelton
design. Peltons are not reversible so pumped turbines are always
Francis at all but low heads. Ontario Hydro at Niagara Falls uses a
variable vane pumped turbine similar to a Kaplan but called a "Deriaz"
after the original manufacturer. Its maximum head is about 75 feet but
it is much more efficient than its counterparts across the River at
Lewiston that are of the Francis design.
Regards,
John Phillips
