Designing a Water Turbine - Size, Shape, Dimensions

[Christian Ruiz]

Hello all,

I am new to the thread and am a Mechanical Engineering consultant at a small company. We are currently working on a project in which we are designing a small (4ft x 4ft x 1ft) aqua drone that uses hydro-kinetic energy to swim around the Merrimack River collecting trash. I have calculated the amount of power that the river can generate using the hydroelectric power equation and have found it to be 3MW. I am now having trouble figuring out how to use this information to determine the dimensions of the turbine that will be needed for the device. Below is a picture of the general shape of the device. The intent is for it to be able to travel approximately three miles collecting trash and then return to a charging station, similar to a Roomba. Any guidance or push in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BEMPE16524]

so basically the device will generate its own power from the river current through the turbine to operate?
is that what you mean?

R.Efendy

 

[LittleInch]

"Hydro electric power equation???

Care to share your assumptions and calculation.

3MW sound enormous.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[LittleInch]

Ok I read the post a little closer and 3 MW is the total amount the river could produce ( still don't know how).

However for a device like this, the unit would need to be somehow fixed to the river bed whilst floating in the strongest current for hours on end to generate power to allow it to do its business, then navigate back to a similar spot, anchor up again somehow and then park for a while again.

If you investigate AUV technology (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) you'll find a wide variety of processes and companies who have spent millions developing their systems. Some navigate back and plug in, some float about the ocean.

e.g.

https://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/the-advancing-technology-of-auvs

A noble effort for sure but full of pitfalls.

Picking up trash? These will block your turbines.
What sort of trash?
Ropes and nets will strangle it
Big bits?



Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[itsmoked]

This thing fetches trash on the surface I'm guessing.

If that's the case I'd look to solar. Now cheap, understood, and capable of running most the day without all the fuss of docking and connecting electrical connections. It also avoids the problems of putting a water-to-generator system into the channel.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com