Digging A Well For More Head Question

[ACDC]

Hello    Im new to these otherpower forums so please dont bite if my questions belong in the "catalogue of stupid questions entry numbers 1000 - 10,000,000 dept".

I have been reading a book called: how to dig your own well. The instructions given in the book explain a simple technigue to bore an 8inch hole 30ft down using a hand auger and a post hole digger with some steel pipe extentions. It occured to me that 30ft of head gives a fairly decent amount of power for a modest flow of water flowing through a property. The question would be how to get the water back up the hole after it hits a pelton generator at the bottom of the well. A ram pump then came to mind which as far as i understand uses little to no power.

Im sure i cant be the first person to think of this idea to create more head by cheaply digging a well and maybe im barking up the wrong tree here but my question is this:

Is this idea flawed in any way or is it a mad but workable idea for those wanting to use hydro power but dont have enough head on the stream/river they want to exploit?.

Regards

ACDC

[wpowokal]

What is your source of water?

It occures to me that if you have suficient water to run a ram pump then raising the water to an elevation of 30' is smarter.

allan down under

[spinningmagnets]

The ram-pump is a wonderful device when used in its design application. The problem for your situation is that a ram-pump passes more water by than it pumps up to a higher level. So, your well would still fill up.

How much volume of flow passes through your property in gallons-per-minute? (drop a floating ball, and measure how far it travels in 20 seconds. Then measure the average cross-section of the stream. Perform math...I think it involves a square pie.

And how much drop do you have from the high end of your property to the low end?

How far apart are the high and low ends of your property?

What voltage would you like to make (if possible)?

[Flux]

I won't spare your feelings, it's kinder to tell you this is crazy.

Head only works for a hydro set up if it is real head. In this case you have no head at all. You will require more energy to keep the well dry than you can hope to get from the turbine. The net result it energy expenditure in the pump and no power produced.

Flux

[DigitalMind]

Hello.  This is not my field, but being the Quebecer that I am, I feel the need to mention a small scale dam as an idea.  (Although that always involves flooding an area, and you need to have the proper conditions for it)  That would make a natural raise in the water, and you let X amount through which spins the turbine at the bottom.