Hydro Energy?

Question

How does a water wheel work?

Answer 1

there are several types.

over shoot.

undershoot.

http://www.waterwheelfactory.com

http://www.waterwheelfactory.com/history...

however, most hydroelectric turbines are of this type.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectr...

http://users.owt.com/chubbard/gcdam/html...

these links seem pretty nice.

http://www.green-trust.org/hydro.htm

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks....

Answer 2

A water wheel is an old ineffective use of water power. A water wheel uses the weight of the water to cause it to turn. The opposite side is upside down hence is empty and weighs less. This rotation can be used to connect to a generator. Turbines are much more efficient.

Answer 3

In general what we call a water wheel is a low power device, designed to use rather limited sources of falling water power, where falling water power is expressed as tons of water falling times the distance the water falls, at a maximum. Water wheels however do not typically make use of the high drop that would give them a lot of power. They use water falling only the height of the wheel, or less. A few undershot wheels have been used in falls much higher than the wheel height. They typically turn much faster, using the kinetic energy of water that has dropped most of the height of the dam or flume height before contacting the fast turning wheel.

Overshot wheels were typically used where there was a risk of ice or other debris floating over the dam... it might jam in an undershot wheel but go right over the overshot wheel.

Today the water wheel is mostly replaced by the vertical axis turbine.

Answer 4

You have a path for water that runs from a high place to a low place.  

You put a dam in between the high and low place to control the flow of water.

You allow a defined amount of water to flow from the high place to the low place but as it flows you use it to turn a wheel.

The weel is grooved in such a way as to catch the water as it is flowing, so for the water to pass it's force must be tranfered to turning the wheel.

As the wheel turns it is linked to a generator that can producduce energy.

It can also be linked directly to other machines to use the turning force directly but that is more a historic use of a water wheel.  Where now it is mainly used to drive a generator.

Answer 5

There would be much more hydroelectric dams to provide the energy but the environmentalist have prevented the building of many.