building a small-scale hydroelectric plant

[Eman96]

i am doing a project about hydro-power and as a part of it i am trying to construct a simple small-scale hydroelectric plant but i don't know where to start! i understand the way it works but i hope you can give me steps to follow. also,what tools and equipment do i need to get to build it? thanks in advance =)

[BillBushnell]

Hi Eman96,

From your note it is not clear what question you are trying to answer by building a small-scale Hydroelectic plant. Consequently is it is not clear how to respond. Example questions might include one of the following:
1) What is the most efficient turbine blade design for fast moving water and slow moving water?
2) How does the height of the water supply affect the power output of the hydroelectric plant?
3) Do hydroelectic power plant lakes create as much energy per square mile as a solar energy farm of the equivalent size?
4) etc.

See the attached link for info on Hydro Electric plants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelect ... able_power

Best of luck

[Eman96]

Thank you very much for responding,
I am trying to clarify how hydroelectricity is produced
by building a working model paced apon hydroelectricity
My vision is that it will include a turbine connected to a generator.
Would that be correct?
Thanks again

[BillBushnell]

Yes, a hydroelectic generator consists of a turbine that is connected to the electic generator. Water passing through the turbine cause the turbine to spin which in turn spins the generator. See the following web page for more details.

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html

However you should check to see if just building a model of a hydroelectric system is appropriate for your science fair project.

As indicated on the following Science Buddies page:

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... ndex.shtml

A science fair expermiment should follow the scientific method:

1) Ask a Question
2) Do Background Research
3) Construct a Hypothesis
4) Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
5) Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
6) Communicate Your Results

So you need to think of a question that you can investigate using your model hydroelectic generator. Possible questions you could investigate include:

1) Does the height that the water falls before it hits the turbine blades affect the power output of the generator?
2) Does the size and pitch of the turbine blade affect the power output of the generator?
3) If you stacked two turbines on top of each other and had the water pass through one and then the other would you generate twice as much power?

Let me know what question you decide to investigate.

[Eman96]

this has been very useful, thanks!