Trying Hydro

[Basil]

OK I need help.

I have searched and read all I can indure.

I have 20ft head with 4 inch pipe of water 9 + months of the year.

It takes 100 +/- ft to the bottom. I have tried water calculations with no real answer to what I am trying to do. No understanding on my part.

I have a 2 hp 3 phase motor that I will try to run ( Banki ) fast enough to make 60 Hz ac power power. With this I can do a lot.

If I do not have the water power to run the 3 phase motor this way. I can go with other options like the 180 dc permanent magnet motor I have to get 5 amps DC max power. ( Old blue some will know )

Question 1

For the smart guys. Do I have the water power for the Banki turbine on the 2 hp 3 phase motor?

Question 2

Could someone send me the wiring diagram and the cap size I need to get the max power out of the 3 phase 2 hp motor. I know some have built this here. I have found wiring diagrams for delta wiring but not cap size. basilkey (at) bellsouth.net

My thought is if this will not work I can make a water wheel and gear it to what ever works.

Size to the water wheel is unknown at this time also. Just starting on this

[frepdx]

I'd start with how much water is available. Do you have that information?

OK, let's assume you have an unlimited amount of water during the nine months ...  2HP = 1100 lb-feet/sec. I think it's about 7gal/sec of water falling 20', or 420gal/minute.

Your pipe might be too small for 2HP from a 20' head. You can play around with flow losses here; http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/hazen-williams-water-d_797.html

If you reduce the flow to 200 gal/min, your pipe losses go down to 2.4' of head. That gives 200*(20-2.4)*8/60 = 470 lb-feet/sec = 637 Watts = .85HP.

[dbcollen]

5uF in delta on the L1,2,3 leads with the motor wired for 440v, or in star at the star point at the motor is a good place to start. Getting the motor past nameplate RPM with a banki and 20 ft of head will take gearing, and unless you need to send the power long distance the induction setup will be fairly low efficiency. You would probably be better off building an axial flux for the low speed you are going to see from the low head. Overdrive gearing is always a huge loser of power, as you DIVIDE available torque and MULTIPLY losses.

Dustin

[Basil]

frepdx and dbcollen

Thanks for the information.

Right now there enough water to fill a 6 to 8 inch

pipe. I just rounded it off at 4 inch to work with.

Axial flux would be nice but can't do that right now.

Yes I was going to run the high voltage as for as

it would let me with out to much loss. I may not

be able to use the 2 hp 3 phase motor.

Just would have been nice if I could.

I went and picked up a box for run caps from a local

heating and air shop. 35uf 440 volt and smaller.

He was glad to give them to me.

I will have study all the ways to do it.