Whirlpool Turbine Generator Filtration System

orelshimoonov
Jan 30, 2023
2 min read

· Many companies have started investing in hydroelectric energy sources, especially in countries that don’t have access to electricity. This led to the creation of various types of whirlpool generators.

· Examples of whirlpool generators have been placed alongside running rivers and canals in countries like Indonesia and Taiwan.

· The motivation behind my project was to improve on the systems that are already in place in an attempt to make them last longer.

· Improving on the Belgian based company, Turbulent’s design of the whirlpool generator. The filtration system my team and I made can be placed anywhere that has a significant flow of water. The turbine in the center of the whirlpool is the most crucial portion of the system because of its high torque and rotation speed that increases the output of the turbine.

· Not having a good filter placed in these designs will lead to damage overtime.

· The filtration system that I designed was to use a rising platform with netted walls that collects the debris and dumps it outside of the ravine into a disposal bin.

· Having an efficient and automatic process like this creates less need for maintenance for the system as well as allowing the turbine and generator motor to last much longer.

· In order to improve on the whirlpool turbine systems of today, we had to replicate the one seen below.

· In the construction of the design, I had to change the length of the canal in order to fit the actuators inside the platform properly. We realized that the walls of the platform were also to long, so we had to cut of the excess materials to make it more appropriate.

· The projects budget was $75, with that we were able to buy the pump, 2 actuators with a rocker switch, motor with an LED light, and a 12V battery pack.

· In order to show that the motor was generating electricity I had to sotter the motor to an LED and waterproof both the motor and the LED so that it wouldn’t short-circuit because of the water.

· During our final testing, we found that the motor favored torque versus RPM in producing electricity. To counteract the lack of electricity being produced, I had to change the placement of the pump to show that it will work in real conditions.

· In conclusion, the project was a success because we were able to make a functional model and a filtration system that properly collects debris and produces a stable current of electricity.

Current Day Whirlpool Generator created by Belgian Company Turbulent