Gravitation water vortex power plant
Encyclopedia
A gravitation water vortex power plant is a micro hydro
power plant, which is capable of producing energy using low heads
0.7 to 3 metres. The technology is based on a round basin with a central drain. Above the drain the water forms a stable line vortex which drives a water turbine
.
As an added advantage, the inventor refers to the fact that the turbine aerates the water, helping improve water conditions, while the reduced speeds of the turbine, and the lack of cavitation
ensure that most types of fish can pass through the turbine without danger, something which is much more difficult to achieve at normal hydro plants that require additional structures for the fish migration.
. Slow rotating turbines are used (~20 rpm), which are safe for fish. Fish can pass the power plant downstream as well as upstream. Minor flotsam can pass the turbine so there is no need for a close meshed screen.
There is no attrition because of cavitation
as there is no big pressure difference in the area of the turbine. The water vortex aerates and cools the water.
In a pilot study in Ober-Grafendorf
with a pond diameter of 5.5 m and a vertical height of 1.3 m 8 kW of electrical power were achieved. The hydraulic efficiencies are 80% full design flow, 83% 2/3 design flow and 64% at 1/3 design flow. Additional power plants are operational in Switzerland (river Suhre
in Schöftland
with electric power up to 15 kW and annual production of 90,000 kWh). This technology has been proposed for use in some water-rich developing countries.
A similar idea but without the pond has also been patented by the Australian inventor Paul Kouris to use the energy of a vortex La Rance tidal power station has giant vortices above the multiple conventional turbine intakes which could be harnessed with floating vortex turbines probably in the order of 0.1MW/turbine.
Micro hydro
Micro hydro is a term used for hydroelectric power installations that typically produce up to 100 kW of electricity. These installations can provide power to an isolated home or small community, or are sometimes connected to electric power networks....
power plant, which is capable of producing energy using low heads
Hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of water pressure above a geodetic datum. It is usually measured as a water surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance of a piezometer...
0.7 to 3 metres. The technology is based on a round basin with a central drain. Above the drain the water forms a stable line vortex which drives a water turbine
Water turbine
A water turbine is a rotary engine that takes energy from moving water.Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now they are mostly used for electric power generation. They harness a clean and renewable energy...
.
As an added advantage, the inventor refers to the fact that the turbine aerates the water, helping improve water conditions, while the reduced speeds of the turbine, and the lack of cavitation
Cavitation
Cavitation is the formation and then immediate implosion of cavities in a liquidi.e. small liquid-free zones that are the consequence of forces acting upon the liquid...
ensure that most types of fish can pass through the turbine without danger, something which is much more difficult to achieve at normal hydro plants that require additional structures for the fish migration.
How it works
The water passes through a straight inlet and then passes tangentially into a round basin. The water forms a big vortex over the center bottom drain of the basin. A turbine is withdrawing rotational energy from the vortex, which is converted into electric energy by a generator.Practice
The Austrian engineer Franz Zotlöterer created and patented a concept, which can be used with small vertical heights of 70 cm, and flow rates of 1 m³/s or more. The technology is an instance of micro hydroMicro hydro
Micro hydro is a term used for hydroelectric power installations that typically produce up to 100 kW of electricity. These installations can provide power to an isolated home or small community, or are sometimes connected to electric power networks....
. Slow rotating turbines are used (~20 rpm), which are safe for fish. Fish can pass the power plant downstream as well as upstream. Minor flotsam can pass the turbine so there is no need for a close meshed screen.
There is no attrition because of cavitation
Cavitation
Cavitation is the formation and then immediate implosion of cavities in a liquidi.e. small liquid-free zones that are the consequence of forces acting upon the liquid...
as there is no big pressure difference in the area of the turbine. The water vortex aerates and cools the water.
In a pilot study in Ober-Grafendorf
Ober-Grafendorf
Ober-Grafendorf is a municipality in the district of Sankt Pölten-Land in Lower Austria, Austria....
with a pond diameter of 5.5 m and a vertical height of 1.3 m 8 kW of electrical power were achieved. The hydraulic efficiencies are 80% full design flow, 83% 2/3 design flow and 64% at 1/3 design flow. Additional power plants are operational in Switzerland (river Suhre
Suhre
The river Suhre is a 34 kilometer long tributary of the river Aare in the Swiss cantons of Lucerne and Aargau. The river sources in Lake Sempach at an altitude of 504 meters above sea level, and joins the Aare east of the town Aarau at an altitude of 362 meters...
in Schöftland
Schöftland
Schöftland is a municipality in the district of Kulm in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Schöftland has an area, , of . Of this area, or 35.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 39.5% is forested...
with electric power up to 15 kW and annual production of 90,000 kWh). This technology has been proposed for use in some water-rich developing countries.
A similar idea but without the pond has also been patented by the Australian inventor Paul Kouris to use the energy of a vortex La Rance tidal power station has giant vortices above the multiple conventional turbine intakes which could be harnessed with floating vortex turbines probably in the order of 0.1MW/turbine.