hydro electric power?

[Sawyer Rob]

Dryers have an air inlet someplace on them, (mine is on the bottom front) then the air goes over a burner and into the drum. All you need to do is, put a heat exchanger in line with the air inlet.

I used a gas dryer that the burner would no longer come on, it ran fine other than that... I just used heated air off my wood furnace, piped to my dryer...

SR

 

[CNC Dan]

This guy has a bigger system than I think you want, but you can see all the control systems to manage the system. He is using an AC 60 hertz generator. The water flows all the time, and diversion loads are added/ subtracted to obtain the right frequency.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edEhvmNlYqk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Zerk]

Is it worth keeping a wood boiler going in the summer? I enjoy run a saw, not feeding a stove if I don't need to. Having propane or electric for the summer and wood for the winter wood work. Though payback like most of this is way out there I suspect.

I have wondered about a boiler to run a turbine. Steam, even though can be very simple, can be harder to run then hot water. Plus the controls for turbine are not all that simple, as compared to a generator being ran by a motor.

 

[bigdeano]

Automotive alternators are only about 50% efficient. Probably not the best choice.

 

[ultrarunner]

A distant relation has deeded water rights for what was a mill turned blacksmith shop back in the 1800's

The water wheel moves slow and 12' dia... it turns a shaft and through gears powers a DC generator... 24 hours a day.

In the old day the shaft operated the machine shop with overhead shafts and pulleys.

He is located in an area with cold winters... the DC power is used to heat water... provides all the heat for shop and home radiantly... quite a savings.

Tried invertor and battery and said the cost of the battery bank made it too costly...

Have to take pictures if I ever make it back again.

 

[Redneck in training]

I plan on using a series of solar collectors to give me plenty of hot water. I'll install a energy efficient heat pump, but my main source of heat will be a wood stove. Using a series of heat exchangers I can use the same water I use to run my generators to cool the house in the summer. I have an ideal for a water heated clothes dryer, havent seen one yet, but its just an ideal I had.

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You might find that passive solar water heater is more expensive and also more complicated than PV. You might just add more PV capacity and heat water directly or many heat pumps have desuperheater that will heat your HW for free when AC is running. Hydronic heat pump will heat your HW also during heating season.

 

[muddstopper]

Dan, did you notice how much head that hydrosystem had. Over 500ft and 212psi at the turbine. Also over a mile of pipe. I cant even start to reach those numbers. I am green with envy tho.

I dont undertand the statement about passive solar being more expensive than PV. I know I can, and have done it, get 180*temps out of a passive solar water heater in the middle of Dec. Now admitted it doesnt heat well at night, but with proper water storage, one could heat a house if they wanted to go that route. The cost to build a passive solar water heater isnt that great, some used window glass, (sliding glass doors for example), some plywood and 2x4's to build a frame and copper pipe and aluminum flashing and you can build a pretty big solar collector. One small PV panel to power a low voltage pump for water recirculation from water storage and the solar collector are your biggest expense. Since I have already built and installed solar collectors for the express purpose to supply hot water, i am going to disagree that it would be cheaper to heat water using PV (photovoltaic) panels than solar collectors.

 

[Redneck in training]

Dan, did you notice how much head that hydrosystem had. Over 500ft and 212psi at the turbine. Also over a mile of pipe. I cant even start to reach those numbers. I am green with envy tho.

I dont undertand the statement about passive solar being more expensive than PV. I know I can, and have done it, get 180*temps out of a passive solar water heater in the middle of Dec. Now admitted it doesnt heat well at night, but with proper water storage, one could heat a house if they wanted to go that route. The cost to build a passive solar water heater isnt that great, some used window glass, (sliding glass doors for example), some plywood and 2x4's to build a frame and copper pipe and aluminum flashing and you can build a pretty big solar collector. One small PV panel to power a low voltage pump for water recirculation from water storage and the solar collector are your biggest expense. Since I have already built and installed solar collectors for the express purpose to supply hot water, i am going to disagree that it would be cheaper to heat water using PV (photovoltaic) panels than solar collectors.

I was looking on the passive solar from the Iowa point of view. I just checked the winter temperatures in NC. It doesn't get too cold there. To make effective passive solar collectors in IA you would need vacuum tubes. Here is an idea for heat in your shop:
The Zen of Passive Solar Heating Panel Design
The Zen of Passive Solar Heating Panel Design

 

[muddstopper]

Well Redneck, I guess the old saying Location, Location, Location still holds true. I've been thru Iowa, but never in the winter so I guess I am just looking at things based on where I'm at and what I know. I helped a buddy install a solar heater system for his house just to heat hot water. He had one of those tankless hot water heater that ran off propane. The solar collector was 2x2 and made out of 2x4's, we used copper pipes to run the water thru. We used the thin aluminum flashing to back the pipes, We used some round rod and bent the flashing so that the pipe just laid into the groves. Painted everything flat black and placed a piece of lexan to cover it up. Since he had a tankless hot water heater, one panel wasnt enough to provide the hot water he needed. We then built 3 more collectors and hooked them up and could get 130*f temps with snow on the roof. It still wasnt enough hot water for the tankless heater. Just not enough storage. Then the ideal came to us to just install a regular 40 gal hot water heater tank. We put the tank in the attic. My buddy built his own solar panel sodiering all those little cells together to power a 12v recirculating pump. With water storage we could heat the water to around 180*f, which was way to hot for a family with two little girls. We ended up disconnecting two of the solar collectors and he never runs out of hot water. I dont think he even still has the propane gas tank because he was paying rent on it, so to save the rent, he told the gas company to come and get it.

 

[Redneck in training]

I fact I like your microhydro project. If I have the opportunity on our place I would do it too (regardless of ROI). It is not always about how much money it will make or save but about the challenge, fun to do and some bragging right when you turn it on and it works. How much power you think you will get? What is the volume of water you can possibly send down to turbine? If you are off grid how are you going to control the generator speed and voltage?
https://www.renewablesfirst.co.uk/hydropower/hydropower-learning-centre/pelton-and-turgo-turbines/