Sorry I was out of touch for a while. To your own comments:
>I plan on getting the hole thing under water so the floating debris won's be to much >of a problem for me.
That is a good, but also remember that a lot of debris and stones just get swept along the river bed and will end up stuck somewhere in your mechanics. A very heavy metal grill is what is used in France - costs lots of money of course.
>> One operator who is thankfully running an "over the top"
>> wheel said that you should never have an undershoot wheel.
>I am sorry but I don't know what you mean by "over the top" and "undershoot"??
Over the top means that the water flows over the top of the wheel and undershoot means it flows under the wheel.
>> Remember that no one (who has limited resources) ever
>> uses electricity to heat a home.
>Not true, in Quebec most people heat their home with electricity since it is so >cheap there. In fact if I can generate enough from my turbine, it will be free so I >might as well use free electricity rather then anything else, no?
It is just that most people cannot easily produce large amounts of electricity. If you can only produce (after a lot of effort) 1kWatt then it would be silly to use this just for heating as it would not be too effective in making a house warm but it would be very effective in giving you lights all over the house, music all around and computers and small motors and machines etc.
>> Regarding the pole which you are worried about in the
>> centre of the turbine: if the river is frozen around
>> the pole it needs to be kept turning so that the pole
>> does not freeze solid.
>I already have a solution for this. A tube will surround the shaft (or pole) and >between that case and the pole an anti-freeze will be poured in. The anti freeze >will have to be biodegradable should it leak out and it will be lighter then water >so that it should float in the case. I don't know what i will use yet, vegetable oil >maybe? But the ice can freeze around the tube or case but inside the case the shaft >remains in anti-freeze and free of ice.
Sounds ok in theory, I imagine that a lot can go wrong in a real situation ie the leak will happen and it is a messy result that you get which is not very nice to have to look at. Nor will the wildlife be grateful for this.
> So for a few >weeks I would have to live off of a gas or diesel generator.
Good that you are flexible in your thinking.
From what I can remember it is the HEATING that is your main requirement. As I said at the start then check that you INSULATE correctly and (like the eskimos) you will be amazed at how little energy you will need. It is great to have your own little machine running away shifting power from the river to where you need it but I have never in my life seen an independent system which is sturdy enough to be able to withstand nature's forces and yet still be affordable or practicle.
>I think I should first make a scale version of my mill and try that out. If it works >I shall build a full size one with either aluminum or titanium for corrosion >protection.
That is a very good idea, small first, just to see how it works and then full scale once you get the thing balanced.
>I like your raft idea, it might save me the trouble of having to drive a pole into a >muddy river bottom and see the ice sweep it away every Spring. But with a raft I >would have to sacrifice the raft every Fall and watch it get frozen stiff or live an >other few weeks without power until I can walk on ice and install the turbine on ice >again.
A raft can be made of treestems bound together and then your machine set on top. Dismantled and then set somewhere safe each winter is one solution...not so sure that this would satisfy you;-)
You haven't given up have you?
Kenneth Keen