Homemade hydroelectric power station from an old washing machine

I have always been fascinated by obtaining free energy from natural resources. And somehow I got the idea to make a simple mini power station that would generate electricity from a passing water stream.

It all started with an idea to use the drum of an old washing machine as a water wheel - a miniature homemade hydroelectric power station.


Straight blades made of moisture-resistant plywood were attached to the drum using metal corners.


The torque from the water wheel is transmitted by a belt to a bicycle dynamo (direct current generator). The generated electricity is supplied to Light-emitting diode. All you have to do is turn the wheel slightly by hand and Light-emitting diode will start flashing.


The basis of the entire structure is a bicycle frame.

Two bearings allow the water wheel to spin freely.

The first tests on a small river showed that the water wheel on the frame was installed too high, which did not allow the flow of water to spin it normally.
After minor changes in the frame design, the wheel began to be positioned lower and the rotation speed increased sharply.As a result, the dynamo began to rotate and Light-emitting diode at 4.5 V it lit up.

This is how a homemade hydroelectric power station was created from old trash.
Next, the mini hydroelectric power station assembly was installed on a small stream.


It produces only a few volts, but it is enough to glow LED.

It was a good experiment to start with.

Watch the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F9-vUvBhMs

Further improvements in the project

Further improvements to the water wheel should affect:

• Build a mini-dam to increase water pressure. At the same time, there are no plans to completely block the river so that the fish can escape in the second stream.
  
• Install a pipe under the dam through which water will flow to a homemade turbine. Place a casing in the pipe using a rubber conveyor belt. By blocking the flow of water through the pipe, you can carry out maintenance of the mechanisms.
  
• According to calculations, the turbine will produce approximately twice the power of a water wheel. In addition, replacing the water wheel with a turbine should eliminate the problem of freezing in winter.
  
• The flow of water will spin the turbine, transmitting torque to the generator. The turbine will be supported on two bearings made of solid wood. With regular lubrication they will last a long time. The thrust washer will keep the mechanism from moving laterally.
  
• Make metal blades, calculating the angle at which they need to be bent (the power of the hydroelectric power station depends on this parameter). The blades will need to be screwed on using rubber gaskets to avoid tearing them off.
  
• To transmit torque, use a shaft assembled from pipes.
  
• Install the generator.Place a pulley on the generator that is smaller than the one installed on the shaft. This will increase the speed, which is necessary for the generator to operate efficiently.

The generator should produce about 600 W of electricity. This will make it possible to connect household appliances. If the next stage of the experiment is successful, it will be possible to think about further modernization in order to generate several kilowatts of electricity.