A Backwoods Home Anthology
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
wheel. Impulse wheels are available in
several types, each designed for a spe-
Waterpower for personal use cific type of stream.
No-head water motor
efficient and compact they require
No-head—If you have a stream with
more “tending” than a non-profes-
an average velocity of 4 feet per
By Rudy Behrens sional may be able to provide. While
second or higher (preferably higher),
they can be automated sufficiently to
(This introductory overview to water- you can use a no-head water motor.
allow unattended operation, these con-
wheels is the first of a three-part series. The These are a relatively new innovation.
second installment (Issue No. 17) will be trols are very costly and really can’t
While they are somewhat inefficient
about undershot and no-head wheels, and the be justified for a non-professional
third installment (Issue No. 18) will deal with compared to more traditional designs,
power plant.
overshot wheels.—Editor) they have the advantage that they do
For this reason I recommend
not need a dam of any sort. The time,
T he creak of an old, wooden moss-
covered wheel lazily driving a gristmill
impulse type water wheels. These func-
tion by transferring the momentum of
expense and just plain hassles associ-
ated with building a dam make
the moving water to the machine.
in a long lost past is how most people these designs very desirable. There are
The energy transfer is similar to one
think of a small scale water power. Of three choices:
billiard ball transferring its energy to
course water power is old. Historical
records put it at around 4000 years old.
another. Because of this, impulse • 1. a simple paddle wheel (Be sure
wheels have a very high efficiency, and to use a large diameter).
While that makes it an ancient tech- more importantly, have a constant effi-
nology, that doesn’t make it an antique ciency over varying stream conditions. • 2. a Scheider Lift Translator. This
technology. If you have ever consid- is a patented design. The company
On a small, variable stream (a typi-
ered windmills, think of a water wheel is located in the area of
cal home/farm stream) an impulse
as a windmill that uses a fluid 824 Sacramento, CA.
wheel can produce more than twice
times as dense. In other words, 824 the. kilowatt hours of a reaction
times as powerful. On the negative side,
you need access to a good stream,
while the wind is everywhere. I am
making this comparison to show that
water power isn’t any more complicat-
ed than wind power to understand
How they work
Waterwheels run because “gravity”
causes a “mass” of water to fall some
distance (HEAD). This energy is
absorbed by the wheel to do work.
There is more than one way to absorb
the energy, so wheels have evolved
into two classes:
• reaction
• impulse
Reaction, uses the moving water to
create a pressure differential like an
airplane wing. These are correctly
called “turbine’s.” A propeller is the
most common example of the type.
They have many advantages, but
most of the advantages benefit profes-
sional or large-scale users. While very
An all-welded steel undershot Poncelot waterwheel ready for installation.
248 The Third Year
A Backwoods Home Anthology
• 3. A FITZ C-Rotor and the
Scheider Lift Translator are
autonomous generators, con-
tainipg the wheel, generator, and
regulator in a single unit. You just
place one in a stream and connect
the power cable to a load. Both
designs are quite cost-effective as
a personal power source.
Undershot wheel
Undershot wheels range from simple
paddle wheels placed in a stream to
Poncelot Wheels. They were devel-
oped in France during the 18th centu-
ry. They are good for small to medium
flows and heads from 1 foot to 12 feet.
If properly designed, a Poncelot can
be 85% efficient or more. Even an
amateur-built wheel can be over 75%
efficient. The undershop wheel from the previous page, plus attached generator, installed.
per year with the least expenditure of can, or get stream flow data from the
Overshot wheel time and money. U.S. Geological Survey. Usually a
Overshot wheels are the kind people Surprisingly, wheel horsepower and flow that is met or exceeded 25%
associate with Currier & Ives engrav- efficiency are not the most important of the time is a good How to size
ings. While many were made of wood, factors. This is because stream flows your generator. While you may miss
after 1840 most were made of metal. vary over the year. some power during spring floods,
For small streams and heads up to 25 The best choice is the wheel that remember that they don’t occur often
feet, these are still the best choice for delivers 50% or more of the theoreti- enough to justify the expense of a
a home/farm user. The old FITZ I-X-L cal power of the stream. In other larger waterwheel.
designed in 1862 was tested at the words, the total annual production
University of Wisconsin in 1913. It should be at least HALF of the pro- Generator type?
proved to be 93% efficient. duction you would get if the wheel ran When selecting a generator type,
at full power all year long. decide if you want AC or DC power.
Crossflow turbines For example, there are 8760 hours in Will you co-generate with the electric
Crossflow turbines are incorrectly a year. If you had a 100 kilowatt company or go it alone? If your power
called a turbine since they work on the wheel, it should produce 438,000 kilo- plant is 25 kilowatts or larger, a self
impulse principal. They can best be watthours annually. (100 KW * 8760 regulated AC system is the best. If it is
described as undershot wheels in a * 50%). If it doesn’t, you should use a smaller, or you want to supplement
can. They are useful for small to large smaller wheel. This isn’t as difficult to with wind power or photovoltaics, DC
flows and heads from 10 feet to 100 calculate as it sounds. Power available is the simplest to use. If you are co-
feet. They are close tolerance devices can be calculated as flow (in cubic generating, a simple AC induction
so we wouldn’t recommend this feet per second) times head (in feet) system will work for any size power
design to an amateur builder unless divided by 11.8. This will give you plant. This is the absolute least cost
you have some machining experience. power in kilowatts. Divide this answer arrangement. Here is where the self-
A Pelton wheel is a high head variant by 0.746 to get horsepower. regulating characteristics of impulse
of the crossflow, best used with heads Also remember a stream varies over wheels really pay off.
of 50 feet or higher. the year. The most important thing to
know for any waterwheel installation Wheel selection
Site selection is how much water is available, and
Head is the real factor when select-
how much can you use. An oversized
Basically, the problem you have to ing your wheel. Review the descrip-
wheel is both inefficient and a waste
solve with site selection is this: How tions above and make your choice.
of money. Plot the flows if you
can I make the most kilowatt hours
The Third Year 249
A Backwoods Home Anthology
Speed increaser
Impulse wheels turn slowly. This
was one reason reaction turbines were
invented. Today gearing is very reli-
able so it is no longer necessary to direct
drive a generator. This also allows use
of more efficient 4-pole (1800 rpm)
generators. Any industrial enclosed
drive will work. Do not use auto trans-
missions. They were never intended
for continuous duty. The bearings and
casing are too light unless you are
making 10 kilowatts or less.
This is an overview of how water-
wheels can be used for personal power
Waterwheel company, I had been
plants. As in anything, attention to Summer Rain
through some hard times. Now 6 years
detail is what separates success from
later, I operate 1250 kilowatts of gen- The angry ones behind the hill
failure. Measure your stream carefully,
erators commercially, providing clean, Just shook those dusty clouds until
and don’t over-estimate your power the thunder roared,
environmentally safe power to over
needs or building skills. Waterwheels the lightning came
1000 homes. I hope you have as much
are heavy industrial machines. to bring through
fun and satisfaction with your water-
On the other hand, don’t under-esti- the summer rain.
wheel, whatever the size.
mate what one person looking to (Rudy Behrens owns the FITZ Waterwheel June Knight
change their piece of the world can Company. 118 Sycamore CL, Collegeville, Caldwell, ID
do. Before I bought the FITZ PA 19426, Phone: (215) 489-6256.) ∆
Coyote
Ow-ow a-ooooo, she howled
Drowning out the hooting of the last spotted owl.
If you’d listen sharply, you’d hear shrill cries
As her pups poked their noses into the skies.
The temperature plummeted when the moon rose
Capturing their silhouettes as shadows transpose.
Their coats were priming for the winter ahead.
The pups knew not of blizzards or being underfed.
You say their existence appears somewhat bleak
Serving no purpose—reaching no peak?
Why, nature itself set-forth their goals
To chase prairie dogs, to unearth moles.
I can’t imagine sleeping out in a tent
Rolling over at night without ear half-bent,
Listening for the song they alone can sing,
The song of our wilderness ... vanishing.
Ow-ow a-oooooooo.
Hal Meili
Cheney, WA
250 The Third Year
