Directory:Beck Mickle Hydro Ltd. Micro Hydro Generator
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Scottish inventor, Ian Gilmartin, has invented a mini water wheel capable of supplying enough electricity to power a house from as little as an eight-inch water fall. The contraption is designed to be used in small rivers or streams, without harming fish.
AKA: The Beck Mickle "low head" micro hydro generator.
- "It is the first off-the-shelf water-wheel system that can generate a good supply of electricity from as little as an eight-inch water fall." [1] (http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=5492007)
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Official Website
- http://www.beck-mickle-hydro.co.uk/ - Beck Mickle Hydro Ltd. "This site is under construction."
- News (http://www.beck-mickle-hydro.co.uk/index.php?id=bmh_news)
- Supporters (http://www.beck-mickle-hydro.co.uk/index.php?id=bmh_supporters) - Land Polymers; Lancaster University
Latest Developments
How it Works
Makes use of recycled plastic.
The Beck Mickle hydro generator contains the water for the full drop of the device, converting about 70 per cent of the energy into electricity. [2] (http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=5492007)
Patents
"patented technology" [3] (http://www.beck-mickle-hydro.co.uk/index.php?id=bmh_lancs_uni)
Prototype
The prototype has been working successfully at St Catherine's, a National Trust site near Windermere. The water wheel produces one to two kilowatts of power and generates at least 24kw hours of sustainable green energy in a day - just under the average household's daily consumption of about 28kw hours. [4] (http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=5492007)
Company Profile
Beck Mickle Hydro Ltd.
http://www.beck-mickle-hydro.co.uk/index.php?id=bmh_about
Inventor: Ian Gilmartin
Mr Gilmartin, a 60-year-old electrician and inventor, was born near Cupar, Fife.
He does not own a television and has never lived in a house with electricity.
In the News
- Scots inventor cracks centuries-old puzzle (http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=5492007) - Ian Gilmartin, 60, has invented a mini water wheel capable of supplying enough electricity to power a house - for free. (Scotsman; Jan. 1, 2006)
- Waterwheel invention promises cheap electricity (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=425665&in_page_id=1965) - (the Daily Mail; Dec. 31, 2006)
Related Pages
- Google > Beck Mickle hydro generator (http://www.google.com/search?q=Beck+Mickle+hydro+generator)
NEC Comments
B.S.
On Jan. 4, 2006, New Energy Congress member, Ken Rauen wrote:
"I rarely assess a technology this way, but here goes: BULLSHIT!!!!! If the inventor has something here, it is not hydroelectric!"
Waterturbine in Nimbin
On Jan. 4, 2006, New Energy Congress member, Mark Dansie wrote:
My sentiments as well Ken.
In Australia a company based in Nimbin (the hippy town) has been manufacturing and selling a small waterturbine for many years. It's a great unit, and many have been sold to the Pacific Islands and local alternative lifestylers. They work for years trouble free, but require a reasonable head and flow of water. The graeter the head, the greater the power. However not all of us have a water fall nearby.
Performance Calculations
On Jan. 4, 2006, Danny Miller wrote:
The scenario described is full of easily calculable factors. One cannot get more energy out than the difference in kinetic and potential energy provided.
Since the provided scenario is a "stream", I am considering the difference in velocity (kinetic energy) from the inlet and outlet to be negligible and thus neglecting it in the calculation.
2000W is 2000 joules/sec. 1 joule is the energy of raising or lowering 0.7376 lbs over 1 ft. So at 100% efficiency, you'd need to move 2212.8 lbs/sec over 8", 276.6 gal/sec. 16,596 gal/min.
Water turbines have had 80%-90% efficiency for over 100 years when used under ideal circumstances. As such it's notable that while a small, economical, low draw waterwheel may be something new, it cannot possibly produce much more power than turbines have in the past. The 70% specified is a somewhat low performer but operating on such low head may be something new.
So let's take 70% specified in this Wiki. Then we need 23,709 gpm through the turbine to generate 2KW. That's a pretty powerful stream @ 8" of head! This would fill a 50m by 25m by 2m Olympic swimming pool in 27.8 minutes. I have to note that since the speed of water in a natural stream is usually limited to a few feet per sec, the width of the device depicted is perhaps a meter, and the height of the water channel's cross sectional area must be only a small fraction of the 8" head then I don't see how such a volume could flow through a device of the width depicted. I get 89.9 cu meter/min through a 1 meter wide by 2cm high cross section (10% of head) requires 74.8 m/sec flow rate, or 167.3 mph!
Perhaps he meant the device could begin turning at only 8" of head, but achieved 2KW at a higher head which would require a lower flow rate?
Contact
http://www.beck-mickle-hydro.co.uk/index.php?id=bmh_contact
BECK MICKLE HYDRO LIMITED
Registered Office:
28 NORTHUMBERLAND STREET
MORECAMBE
LANCASHIRE LA4 4AY
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