Hi folks.
I'm designing a small over-shot waterwheel identical to the old Fitz waterwheel.
It's a small system with only a 2.5m head, and a design flow of 70 L/s. The wheel diameter will be 2.25m and it will turn at 15.2 RPM at 70 Ltrs/s and I am expecting the wheel to have a shaft power of 1.4kW.
The sluice at the end of the flume will control the flow of water on to the wheel while maintaining a constant water level. This
should result in good efficencies for part flows.
If the head is maintained at 2.5m and there is a part flow of 30 L/s the wheel
should turn at 16.0 RPM with a shaft power of 0.69kW.
Intuitively I would expect the wheel to slow down under part flows and that the wheel would turn at 10-12 RPM, but would this depend on the type of generator?
Any thoughts on the best transmission system and generator would be greatly appreciated A grid connection is available, or the power could be used off grid with a battery bank/inverter.
Many thanks.