Project Description
We plan to create a water-powered device for use in developing countries and rural areas. These places, often without a power grid, may benefit from sustainable electricity that is easy to maintain. Campers and travelers may also use this tool, providing a second market. The generator will operate in all moving water sources like rivers, streams, and oceans. The design intends to use an electrical system to produce an electricity output comparable to that of a common car (12V). Due to different conditions in these running environments, we aim to produce two different designs, one for oceans, and one for rivers.
We intend to use the first designs to as proof of concept. Using this generator for basic electric production, the group plans to demonstrate its robustness, simplicity, and adaptability. We propose to design a scalable product to meet the needs of any customer. The team plans to market this large customer base, and use it to grow the product into a successful business. As part of this goal, we expect to design, test, and record all necessary calculations and lessons-learned to continue production into the future.
River Variant
The river design makes use of a floating waterwheel, like a classic grain mill or steamboat. The river variant consists of three primary components: water wheel, power transmission, and the frame. This concept utilizes a standard undershot waterwheel to spin a geared alternator and produce electricity. The device uses side-mounted floats, and is anchored in place using two elastic cords attached to the frame.
Ocean Variant
The ocean design uses a more-complex helical turbine. The ocean variant consists of two primary components: electrical housing and helical turbine. The helical turbine for this design will be submerged under the water while mounted underneath a hollow waterproof cylindrical base that will house the electrical components. The device would be secured using elastic cables that would be mounted or attached to the side of a floating cylindrical base and staked into the ground or connected to other infrastructure near the water source. This would ensure the device’s up right operation while not disturbing the gyroscopic nature of the device’s framework within the water.
Electrical System
Both of our devices utilize the same compact electrical system. The electrical system consists of the generator, charge controller and DC-to-AC converter. All three components are housed within the cylindrical shell of the ocean variant. The detachable turbine assembly of the ocean variant allows for dynamic mechanical connections, depending on situational requirements.
Future Work
Our future goals pertain to our desire to further improve the electrical system to reduce any losses incurred during transmission and conversion. We also plan to improve the efficiency of our turbine design so that we can harness the greatest amount of energy possible.