energy

Micro Hydro "Island" Generator

[a one kilowatt generator based on a vertical-axis turbine]

[Summary & Motivation] [Community] [Specifications] [Issues] [Contacts] [Documents / Diagrams / Pictures]

Summary & Motivation	Project Initiator: MIT Start Date: February 2005 Projected Completion Date: Spring 2005 (Turbine Prototyping) Summer 2005 (Hydrology Data) Fall 2005 (Generation and Sytem Sizing) From there on, timing is uncertain. Would like to implement fully-working system as soon as possible. Current Status: Inactive (Project was continued as a fourth year project at the University of Cambridge, but lack of resources, direction, and time caused course to be dropped at end of Michaelmas term). Project bein pursued independently. What started as yet another project in Amy Smith's D-Lab course has evolved into an independent research project being pursued by a few students at MIT in collaboration with students and educators at the Bethl Business and Community Development Center (BBCDC) in the Phamong region of Lesotho. The goal of this project is to create a modular micro hydro power generating unit which can easily be installed and maintained by rural villagers and which does not negatively impact the local environment. The project itself is getting modified in scope as I realized that the degraded Senqu River is not necessarily the best site for run of the river hydro power. Instead, I am now looking at developing a portable generator that could be placed on the outflow from the ram pumps for use in charging batteries. Was working on this project for a class at the University of Cambridge, building off some work done by Alex Norman, but soon found that redesigning existing components would not be an effective usage of my time. Have put project on hold, but there are people at the National University of Lesotho interested in continuing work. [top]
Community	Initially, this generator will be used by the people of Bethel in the Phamong region of Lesotho. There are several other sites in Lesotho (And in other countries around the world) where such a technology could be applied. Making a modular system will allow this generation system to easily be used around the world. [top]
Specifications	1 kilowatt modular generation system Can survive in velocities ranging from 1 m/s to flood velocities Can be lifted, installed, maintained, and removed by two people Uses local materials, tools, and skills Operation cost: 10 cents per kWh or less Requires less than $5,000 capital for intial investment [top]
Issues	As we have progressed further into this project, we have increasingly realized that engineering is an iterative process which requires lots of rethinking rather than constant pursuance of one central idea. While we were able to prototype a 90 cm round by 75 cm high Darrieus / Davis water turbine and test its performance in a towing tank at MIT, we were unable to determine whether this turbine was correct for its application on the Senqu River in Lesotho. To remedy this problem, Matt is visiting Lesotho to install hydrology equipment to gage river discharge. He will also be gathering energy needs data from the people in the local community through an energy survey. Help is needed in the following areas: Determing best type of vertical-axis water turbine to use Designing raft support system Diagramming and testing different electrical generation set ups Evaluating the feasibility of using only local materials in Lesotho Reducing weight of turbine to make it more maneuverable Determing best economic structure for guaranteeing turbine success in small community [top]
Contacts	Project Leader: Matt Zedler MIT Contact: Matt Zedler <mzedler@MIT.edu> & D-Lab Hydro <d-lab-hydro@MIT.edu> ATS Contact: Lengeta Mabea <mabeal@ats.org.ls> Website (If applicable): (IF on MIT server: http://web.mit.edu/mzedler/Public/SP.717/) [top]
Documents / Diagrams / Pictures	DOCUMENTS Description (Name) [Date] Download IDEAS proposal Less-technical proposal highlighting impacts of technology [4.25.2005] *.pdf (1.53 MB) Design Review Comprehensive PowerPoint which showcases main technical specifications of project and progress [4.25.2005] *.pdf (6.92 MB) IDEAS handout One page handout describing main focus of project [5.13.2005] *.pdf (2.9 MB) UROP Report Brief discussion of progress made so far on project [6.08.2005] *.doc (2.5 MB) Turbine Testing Results of testing of prototyped turbine [8.09.2005] *.doc (0.2 MB) Michaelmas presentation Proposed plan for developing an energy storage system for the turbine. Project later dropped as formal course [11.30.2005] *.pdf (1.86 MB) DIAGRAMS Description (Name) [Date] Download Rough schematic Artist's rendition of generating unit (V. Tai) [5.04.2005] *.jpg (0.02 MB) Turbine Solidworks model of the Darrieus turbine (M. Zedler) [5.2005]   Cage Solidworks model of the cage used to support the turbine during the testing phase. Simple cage made of steel tubing welded to a central steel plate (M. Zedler) [5.2005]. *.zip (0.16 MB) Test Mounting Solidworks model of the wood and steel frame that was used to support the turbine during the testing phase. *NOTE: Frame bent and deformed during testing due to weight of load (M. Zedler) [7.2005]. *.zip (0.26 MB) Other Solidworks models of bearings and other parts that have been used with the turbine testing (M. Zedler) [7.2005]. *.zip (0.16 MB) To request orginal copies of any of the SolidWorks files, please email Matt Zedler. PICTURES Description (Name) [Date] Download Turbine Photo Album Several pictures of turbine construction and testing with captions. (ATS / M. Zedler) [8.30.05] *.html (Link) Solidworks Model (Cage) Pictorial rendering of Solidworks model of the turbine cage available above. Isometric view with components. Click on thumbnail for bigger *.jpeg picture (M. Zedler) [8.31.05]. Solidworks Model (Towing Tank Mounting Hardware) Pictorial rendering of Solidworks model of the hardware used to mount the turbine in the towing tank available above. Isometric view with components. Click on thumbnail for bigger *.jpeg picture (M. Zedler) [8.31.05]. [top]

*.pdf - Portable Document File / *.doc - Document (Microsoft Word) / *.jpg - Joint Photographic Experts Group (Browser) / *.zip - WinZip Compressed File (WinZip)

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