Final Project Proposal[1]

8/8/2019 Final Project Proposal[1]

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Final Project: Hydrodynamic Turbine

Team 1, April 5 2010

Kyle Chen

Jake Tufano

Eric Yurinko

Executive Summary:

With the ever increasing desire to become environmentally friendly, homeowners are doing

whatever possible to aid in the cause. By designing a small water turbine that will conveniently

attach to the end of a faucet to generate electrical energy, we will satisfy that aspiration. This

product will be a compact electricity generating device that will be readily available for use in

the home with a minimum output of 1.5 volts. By generating useable power from a task that is

done throughout the day (i.e. hand washing, dishwashing, etc.) the turbine will be able to power

a small appliance with no added costs.


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Table of Contents:

Executive Summary..1

Introduction..3

Customer Needs and Product Specifications.4

Concept Development....6

System level design....10

Conclusion..12

Reference13

Appendix A.14

Appendix B.15

Appendix C.18


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Section 1 Introduction:

Section 1.1 Problem Statement:

To design a water turbine that will attach to a sink faucet which will generate enough power to

run a small appliance?

Section 1.2 Backgrounds:

Throughout the years a variety of turbine designs have been developed. Each one has its own

strengths and weaknesses in various applications. Every design has the same basic driving

principle: run water through the chosen model of water turbine in order to produce the maximum

possible power output. The use and further development of water turbines is driven by the ever

increasing need for green energy alternatives. In most situations turbines are large and used to

create massive amounts of power by utilizing rivers and dams. But recently there has been a push

to integrate hydrodynamic power generation into everyday living. This has started to become a

reality with products that attach to a common sink faucet and produce power to run devices suchas a light or power outlet. These products utilize a very small water turbine and an equally small

motor to convert the mechanical energy into useful electrical energy.

Section 1.3 Project Planning:

The first step our team has taken to successfully complete the given task was to thoroughly

research turbine designs and applications in order to gain a complete understanding of the scope

of the project. We will utilize the resources provided on angel and also the Fluid Mechanics

book( Cimbala) to decide upon the turbine design that will meet our needs in the most efficient

manner. Calculations for head loss, HP, flow rate, and specific flow speed will be used to direct

our attention to one specific design. The problem is broken down into three parts; the turbine, the

gearing interface and the generator. Once research and calculations are completed we will begin

to decide on the most efficient interface between the turbine and the motor. The detailed design

of the actual turbine will be done in SolidWorks after sufficient specifications and dimensions

are decided upon. The drawing will then be submitted to the Learning Factory for Rapid

Prototyping. While the turbine is constructed via the rapid prototyping machine, our focus will

then be turned to designing a suitable enclosure for the product and finalize gear designs. Using

these basic guidelines the tasks will be distributed and the design will commence. A Gantt Chart

is shown in Appendix A to give a more complete picture of our estimated schedule. The

responsibilities of each team member will be allocated as follows. Eric will be doing the detaileddesign CAD solid models. Kyle will be doing the detailed drawings of the final solid model. Jake

will take care of the scoping calculations and patent searches. Future tasks will be split up as

needed.


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Section 2 Customer Needs and Engineering Specifications:

Section 2.1 Summary:

In order for this product to be successful on the market it has to appeal to the consumer in a

variety of different areas. It must first and foremost produce the most power possible so it willbe a worthwhile investment for the homeowner. This will be accomplished by choosing the most

efficient turbine and integrate it into the faucet in an unobtrusive manner. See table 1 below.

Table 1 Needs/Metrics

Metric

Number Need Metric Value

Importance

(1-3)

1

High

Performance Volts/

> 1.5 V @

10 1

2 Low Cost Dollars < 50.00 2

3 Efficient Output/Input % 14 Aesthetics appearance subjective 2

5 Convenience attachment 3/8" threads 2

6 Dimensions inches < 4" length 3

7 Reliability lifespan > 6 years 1

8 Containment self contained subjective 2

9 Water Discharge direction vertical 1

These values were derived from the project need statements and turned into metrics based on our

current knowledge of the topic.

Realizing that performance was of the utmost importance, we will employ the most efficient

turbine possible along with an appropriate gearing interface between the turbine shaft and the

motor. Some possible ideas to help boost this performance would be to add a nozzle to the outlet,

and experiment with several different types of gear ratios. With all of these power boosting

features the turbine will be able to produce sufficient amounts of electricity to run a small

appliance.

While the success of the product depends largely on the effectiveness of the turbine, it is also

dependent on its price. There would be no benefit to utilizing this device for power output if itwould be much cheaper for the homeowner to pay for electric. It will therefore be designed in a

very price conscious manner. The turbine will be small enough that the cost of materials will be

very low and when producing large quantities, very inexpensive to manufacture. The motor used

for collecting the generated power is also just a standard issue small D/C variety, purchased for

several dollars each. The containing apparatus will be constructed of PVC piping, which is both


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very cost effective and virtually indestructible. The remaining components of gears, bearings and

shafts are very low priced when purchased in bulk.

This product will also take up very little room, leaving the sink area unobstructed. The length

will be approximately 4 inches straight downward so the sink will still function in its original

fashion. The entry end of the product will have a 3/8 standard thread to easily attach to any

common faucet. Clear Lexan glass will also be used on the ends as to allow the user to see how

the device works to generate the power. As a whole this product will intrude a minimal amount

on the normal operating functions of the sink, and will also be aesthetically pleasing to fit into

the common kitchen dcor with ease.


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Section 3 Concept Development:

Section 3.1 External Search:

In todays society, alternative energy powered appliance will always have a strong selling point.In this case, we convert hydro power into electrical power. The Electrical power produced by the

device will be used to run a house appliance. Currently, a similar product on the market useswater flow through shower head to power up a shower light. Another product applies the same

technology to the facet. A temperature sensor outputs to LED, which indicated the watertemperature. Both of those devices have patents and are on the market for a long time. We did a

reverse engineering analysis for both products, and some of the design concepts can be modifiedto fit our needs. Along with this a patent search was done to help in the concept generating

process. They can be found in Appendix B.

Section 3.2 Problem Decomposition:

Block Diagram (Drew in AutoCAD):

Form the diagram, water flows into a nozzle and flows out with greater velocity. The outlet flow

will shoot at one of the turbine blades. A ball bearing and output shaft is at the center of the

turbine. The flow will cause the turbine to rotate; and output shaft will rotate at the same angular

velocity. A step-up gearing stage amplifies the output rotational velocity and input amplified

velocity onto the shaft of the motor. The rotational motion in the motor will generate output

voltage at the other end. The output voltage is then put through a testing circuit which consists of

a 10 resistor.

Section 3.3 Ideation Method:

We planned out the basic block diagram first and decided which stage should be done. After

finishing the project timetable, we worked on the turbine first because the faster we run our

turbine the higher output voltage we will get. Therefore, we started with turbine first. We


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searched online and literatures such as Professor Cimbalas fluid mechanics textbook. With the

help of other resources, we brainstormed together as a group and used a selection matrix to

evaluate all of the concepts we generated. A lot of ideas were generated during this process, and

a few of them were actually selected. We wrote our ideas on note cards and grouped similar ones

together. After some discussion and voting, we picked the ones we thought were best suited to

this application. They are presented in the next section.

Section 3.4 Description of the design concept:

Design #1 Pelton Wheel:

Design #2 Francis Turbine @50 RPM:

Design #3 Francis Turbine @70RPM:

Design #4 Kaplan Turbine:

The Pelton wheel extracts energy from the impulse of moving

water, as opposed to its weight like traditional overshot water

wheel. Although many variations of impulse turbines existed prior

to Pelton's design, they were less efficient than Pelton's design; the

water leaving these wheels typically still had high speed, and

carried away much of the energy. Pelton's paddle geometry was

designed so that when the rim runs at the speed of the water jet,

the water leaves the wheel with very little speed, extracting almost

all of its energy, and allowing for a very efficient turbine. (Durrant,

The Francis turbine is a reaction turbine, which means that the

working fluid changes pressure as it moves through the turbine,

giving up its energy. A casement is needed to contain the water flow.

The turbine is located between the high pressure water source and the

low pressure water exit, usually at the base of a dam.

The inlet is spiral shaped. Guide vanes direct the water tangentially to

the turbine wheel, known as a runner. This radial flow acts on the

runner's vanes, causing the runner to spin. The guide vanes may be

adjustable to allow efficient turbine operation for a range of water

flow conditions.

As the water moves through the runner its spinning radius decreases,

further acting on the runner. For an analogy, imagine swinging a ball

on a string around in a circle; if the string is pulled short, the ball

spins faster due to the conservation of angular momentum. This

property, in addition to the water's pressure, helps Francis and other

inward-flow turbines harness water energy efficiently.

At the exit, water acts on cup shaped runner features, leaving with no

swirl and very little kinetic or potential energy. The turbine's exit tube

is shaped to help decelerate the water flow and recover the pressure.

(Doble, 1999)The Kaplan turbine is an inward flow reaction turbine, which means

that the working fluid changes pressure as it moves through the

turbine and gives up its energy. The design combines radial and axial

features.

The inlet is a scroll-shaped tube that wraps around the turbine's


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Section 3.5 Concept Selection:

Design #1 Pelton Wheel:

After listing all of the criteria and selecting the most important ones, we used a selection matrix

and scoping calculations to decide which turbine design is the best for our application. The result

is recorded below. During the selection process, we put all of our ideas on index cards first. After

having all of the ideas on paper, we grouped all of them together. We summarized each group

into a word or two so our selection matrix is concise. After determining all of the criteria, we

discussed the importance of each criterion. Since the Pelton Wheel is clearly the winner of the

selection matrix, we did not go into more detailed discussion on which design to choose. In

section 4 the scoping calculations to support our choice are explained.

Table 2: Selection Matrix:


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Selection Criteria Pelton

Wheel

Francis Turbine

@50 RPM

Francis Turbine

@70 RPM

Kaplan Turbine Reference

high performance + 0 + 0 0

low cost 0 + 0 0 0

attractive

appearance

+ + - 0 0

ergonomics + 0 - 0 0

ease to attach + 0 0 - 0

reliable + + + + 0

discharge water

vertically

+ 0 - 0 0

orientation of

output shaft

+ - - - 0

Plus 7 3 2 1 0

Minus 0 1 4 2 0

Same 1 4 2 5 0

Rank 1 2 4 3 0

Continue Yes No No No 0

From the descriptions of each turbine type above along with Professor Cimbalas book we

ranked each of the turbines against the zero reference. After carefully rating every criterion, the

ranking is shown above. As the table indicated, the Pelton Wheel would become our turbine

selection. One of the top reason we selected the Pelton Wheel is that the output shaft orientated

perpendicular to the vertically discharged water. The orientation allowed us to connect DC

generator to the output shaft horizontally. In this case, our generator would be less likely to

become wet.

Section 4 System level design


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Section 4.1 Chosen design/ Section 4.2 Scoping Calculations:

For further support selecting a Pelton design, scoping calculations were completed. To start the

calculations we began with what we already knew. This included the Pressure upstream of the

faucet (50 psig), the velocity upstream in the faucet (0 ft/s), the pressure at the outlet (O psig),

and the vertical change in distance (9 in). From this we could use the Bernoulli equation tocalculate the outlet velocity. From there the head of the faucet and the break horse power (BHP)

of the water flow could be calculated. From the known values along with and estimation for the

angular velocity the N(st) chart could be utilized to help decide upon which specific type of

turbine to design. So with a value of 50 rpm for the angular velocity the chart revealed that we

should use a Francis turbine. However as discussed previously, if a Francis turbine is used the

water exit would have to be in line with the motor. This would cause problems with sealing the

motor away from the water. Based upon this we decide to modify our outflow velocity in order

to utilize a Pelton turbine. This is because a Pelton turbine is more like a water wheel with the

axis of rotation perpendicular to the water flow, thus eliminating the possibility of corrosion. To

properly use a Pelton turbine a nozzle needs must be implemented. The nozzle chosen goes from

3/8 to 1/8 causing the outlet flow to increase by a factor of nine. When the calculations were

done taking this into consideration a value of 0.2766 was acquired for the chart. This lies in the

range of the Pelton turbine on the N(st) chart. Therefore the turbine design selected is a Pelton

turbine with a 3/8 to 1/8 nozzle. The scoping calculations in full can be found in Appendix C.

Detailed drawings of the potential product are shown below.


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Section 4.3 Bill of material:

Table 3: BOM with part number

Part # Name Description Manufacturer Quantity

7 motor metal-brush motor Jameco 1

7 wire wires Tyco 2

2 turbine turbine assembly Team 1 1

5 gear 1 tooth gears Rushgear 1

1(Sub-

component)

nozzle nozzle Team 1 1

6 gear 2 tooth gear Rushgear 1

4 axle rod Team 1 1

3 Bearing 1 Ball Bearing Dynaroll 2

1 Casing Turbine casing Team 1 1


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Table 4: Estimate Cost

Note: Most of the estimated costs were taken from the price listed on manufactures online store

such as McMaster Carr and MSC Supply. A certain percent reduction in price was estimated

based on 100k in quantities.

Unit Cost ($) Part # Name Quantity

2 7 motor 1

.1 7 wire 2

5 2 turbine 1

1 5 gear 1 1

3 1

(Sub-component)

nozzle 1

1 6 gear 2 1

3 4 axle 1

1 3 Bearing 2

5 1 Casing 1

Total Cost: $22.2

Section 5 Conclusion:

The development of faucet attached power generating device will allow the common consumer

to contribute to the ever increasing popularity of green energy. This product will be readily

available, low priced and easy to use for any homeowner. It will also produce enough power to

run a small electronic device without any added costs. Being constructed in an aesthetically

pleasing manner, it will have little impact on the overall look of the sink area. This product will

help the population save precious dollars and facilitate the movement toward a moreenvironmentally friendly society.


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Section 6 Reference:

1). A.B. Wilson 1995, pp. 507f.; Wikander 2000, p. 377; Donners, Waelkens & Deckers 2002, p.

13

2). Arnold Pacey (1991), Technology in world civilization: a thousand-year history, MIT Press, p.

10, ISBN 0262660725

3). Cline, Roger:Mechanical Overhaul Procedures for Hydroelectric Units (Facilities Instructions,

Standards, and Techniques, Volume 2-7); United States Department of the Interior Bureau of

Reclamation, Denver, Colorado, July 1994 (800KB pdf).

4).Cimbala, John M.. Essentials of Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications (McGraw-

Hill Series in Mechanical Engineering). Boston: Mcgraw-Hill Higher Education, 2008. Print.

5). Donald Routledge Hill, "Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East", Scientific

American, May 1991, p. 64-69. (cf. Donald Routledge Hill, Mechanical Engineering)

6). United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation; Duncan, William (revised

April 1989): Turbine Repair (Facilities Instructions, Standards & Techniques, Volume 2-5) (1.5

MB pdf).

7). W. A. Doble, The Tangential Water Wheel, Transactions of the American Institute of Mining

Engineers, Vol. XXIX, 1999.

8). W. F. Durrand, The Pelton Water Wheel, Stanford University, Mechanical Engineering, 1989.


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Appendix A: Gannt Chart


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Appendix B: Patent Search


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Appendix C: Scope Calculation


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Table 5: Updated Gantt Chart

Final Project Proposal[1]

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