Testing and Concentrating Water Wheel Power

Generator at Cagayan de Oro River

A Research Paper Presented to

ENGR. CARMICHAEL ALABAN DANTING

CEA Instructor

PHINMA- Cagayan de Oro College

In Partial Fulfillment of

The Requirements of the subject

Research Project or Capstone Design Project

Submitted by:

HURAÑO, REYL IAN W.

BESAS, JHANEAN ROSE F.

BONGOLTO, JESSMAR U.

CONCILLO, MYKHAEL JAMES H.

September 2022
 INTRODUCTION

This research study “focuses on testing and concentrating a water wheel power

generator at the Cagayan de Oro River,” a renewable energy source. This machine or device

is similar to a windmill, but instead of using the wind to spin the turbine blades and generate

electricity, it uses the flow of water from the river to rotate the wheel by the paddles mounted

on it. The research objectives are to lower the number of fossil fuels used as the primary

source of energy and create an endless supply of clean, renewable energy from the river's

flow in Cagayan de Oro City.

This research project is planned to be performed in remote areas but has an abundant

pressure of water flowing in order for the project to spin normally to generate electricity. We

the researchers want to give those areas not just to have their own electricity source but to

minimize their bills and save a few dimes from the usual wattage their usually used. Based on

the things electricity used by those areas is commonly generated by mechanical sources in

order for the rotor to rotate to create electricity, the flow of the water on rivers or any source

of water that has enough pressure stated. Some of the side effect problems that the

researchers encountered are the stability and durability of the machine that we use to keep the

rotation of the DC Machine. In addition, the convenient place the researchers put the said

project.

Electrical energy is one of the most important aspects that affect how the economy of

each nation develops in the modern world. We use electricity in our daily lives to power our

homes, gadgets, appliances, and other things. Fossil fuels, such as coal, gas, and oil, nuclear

energy, and renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and bio-

energy are the world's two main sources of energy. Because it produces electricity

consistently over a long period and is relatively inexpensive to construct in comparison to

other energy sources, fossil fuels are the main source of electricity generation. However, they

also contribute to the devastating effects of global warming because they produce a lot of

carbon dioxide, which pollutes the air and water.

Furthermore, we the researchers need to solve this common problem for the Machine

to generate normally, not to mention the irritating sound of the machine that produces it will

not disturb the residents in the said area. In conclusion, this study needed to perform for the

area to have not just a new source of power but to have an alternating source, especially in

the areas where electricity is needed like Hospitals, Schools, and even Churches.

Statement of the Problem

The following are the questions that the researchers would like to find out:

1. What is the significance of having a Water Wheel Power Generator at the Cagayan de

Oro River?

2. Are there any positive outcomes that we can get through testing and concentrating the

water wheel power generator at the Cagayan de Oro River?

Objectives of the Study

1. To have a new source of power supply, especially for our basic daily electric

consumption.

2. To determine the capacity power output generated by the water wheel generator using

an electric fan (220V, 15W).

Significance of the Study

 To remote areas under the City of Cagayan de Oro, this study will help to

understand the capability to build a water wheel generator at the river of Cagayan de
 Oro City to reduce the number of electric bills and to ensure power support to supply

the area.

 This study will benefit future researchers and help them provide some knowledge

and data as their guide for further research similar to this study.

 Electrical Engineers, the study offers a chance to put theories into practice and make

use of various technological breakthroughs.

Scope and Limitation

This study will just look at how much power the water wheel generator produces and

how much power can be output using an electric fan motor. Researchers employed an

experimental design and quantitative research, installing the prototype in the Cagayan de Oro

River.
Definition of Terms

Discharge or Rate of Flow- is defined to be the volume of fluid passing by some location

through an area during a period of time.

Electrical Energy- is the energy generated by the movement of electrons from one point to

another. The movement of charged particles along/through a medium (say wire) constitutes

current or electricity.

Electromagnetic Induction- is a phenomenon that occurs when an e.m.f is induced when a

conductor moves through a magnetic field.

Power Generator- is basically a small power plant. It allows the owner to generate

electricity on-site, as a substitute or complement to electricity from the electric grid.

Renewable Energy – is energy derived from natural sources that are replenished at a higher

rate than they are consumed.

Rotor – is the moving part in an Alternator that has permanent magnets that move around the

Stator’s iron plates to generate an Alternating Current (AC).

Undershot Water Wheel - is a vertically mounted water wheel with a horizontal axle that is

rotated by the water from a low weir striking the wheel in the bottom quarter. Most of the

energy gain is from the movement of the water and comparatively little from the head.
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This chapter represents the theories that are relevant to the related studies of the said

project, it is the concepts and definition of the technical background of the work, like

formulas, procedures, and explanations of the project.

The study is the generation of the project’s rotor that creates motion in order for the

project to work and creates electricity that could light up bulbs, chargers, and even machines

if it has enough rotation generated. The remote areas that do have not enough electricity, this

project can be harnessed by water that will create convenient daily work that needed

electricity especially when the sun comes down. Although there are technical difficulties or

barriers that need to be overcome. One of these is the need for enough pressure or flow of the

water that will circulate in order for the rotor to rotate and generates electricity, not to

mention the place that is convenient to put especially when it comes to the bigger machine

that will create a non-ending buzz of the machines.

According to the “Alternative Energy Tutorial”, Hydro energy is not just to make

people convenience or can save money on electricity but it can transform mechanical into

electrical energy and it is the earliest device used to convert moving water into usable work.

This work is called Hydrokinetic Energy caused by moving water from mechanical power

into electrical power.

Michael Faraday (1831) explains the electromagnetic induction principle, which

underpins the operation of generators. Faraday reasoned that if a current flowing through a

coil of wire could produce a magnetic field, then a magnetic field could induce a current of

electricity in a coil of wire. He did this by reversing Oersted's work and extending ampere's
work. He generated an electrical current by swinging a magnet back and forth within or close

to a coil of wire without another source of power feeding the wire.

Figure 1: Flow Chart of Research Development

Following relationships based on fluid characteristics placed in a fluid flow were used for

calculation:

1. Hydro Power = Head x Discharge x Gravity

2. Discharge/ Flow rate = Cross-sectional Area x Velocity of water

The Head and flow of the river or stream must be taken into account when getting the

power equation. The head is the distance of water that will flow on the way to the generator

and the flow is the amount of water that can be captured and directed to turn the turbine

generator. The amount of water and head of electricity increases along with the size of the

flow stream. Increase the head and flow by double, then the power will be doubled as well
 A head that is less than 10 meters will need a lot of water flow to generate electrical

power. While a head that is greater than 20 meters will not need a lot of water flow to

generate electricity since gravity will give you more energy, where the unit of power is in

Watts, the unit of flow is in liters per second, and the unit of gravity is in meters per second.

Approximately 9.81 meters per second are the acceleration caused by gravity meaning that as

an item falls its speed rises by a meter per second.

The volume of fluid traveling past a certain point via a space over time is defined as

the flow rate Q. The velocity of the water that flows through the pipe with a cross-sectional

area that has enough length and diameter for a continuous flow rate. Where Q = Cross-

sectional Area * Velocity flow of water, where the SI unit for the flow rate is m³/s.

Figure 2: Type of Water Wheel used in the Study

Undershot Water Wheel

This type of water wheel design, simply lowered into a quickly flowing river, partially

buried, and supported from above is how the wheel is used. Due to the velocity of the water

below pushing against the submerged paddles, the lower part of the wheel can only rotate in
one direction relative to the direction of the flow of the water. When the water flow is

sufficiently quick or in flat areas without an inherent land slope, this type of waterwheel is

frequently used. Compared to other waterwheel designs, this one is relatively inefficient; only

20% of the water's potential energy is actually used to rotate the wheel. In addition, the

water's energy is only employed once to turn the wheel. The design of a water wheel is built

on the water flow and experimental methodology. One blade or paddle at a time is considered

to be submerged in the water for calculation reasons. A turbine runner's blades experience

force as a result of flowing water being directed upon them. The force travels a certain

distance because of the runner's spinning motion. In this way, the turbine receives power

from the water flow.

Figure 3: 3D Flow Chart of Project Development

 METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researcher utilized the experimental and observational method in gathering

information and explanation to focus on testing and concentrating Water Wheel Power

Generator regarding its efficiency and power generation. The whole process focuses on the

experimental method in which researchers test the capacity of the electric fan motor to

generate power to produce enough electricity.

Instrumentation

The quantitative information that the researchers collect for this study is the volume

of energy produced by the water wheel. To get this data, the researchers are developing a

prototype that uses a specific electric fan motor and a continuous flow of water. The

researchers utilized a multi-tester to evaluate the voltage and documented the data they

collected throughout the experiment.

Development of the Study

In accordance with the evolution of the study undertaken in order to construct the

research study, the researchers carried out research and concept exploration. Relevant

information was gathered from relevant prior research, journals, and other reference sources
in accordance with the goals and objectives of the study. Numerous academic and

commercial websites provided the majority of the references and study resources.

Block Diagram of Water Wheel Power Generator

RIVER FLOW

WATER WHEEL
BLADES

ELECTRIC FAN VOLTAGE

STRIP OUTLET
MOTOR GENERATED

PERMANENT LIGHT BULB / ELECTRICAL

MAGNET AND APPLIANCES TO BE USED
CAPACITOR

The following information are the equipment and materials needed for the research

development:

1. Electric Fan Motor

 Electric fans have a motor that turns a shaft on which there is an impeller. The turning

impeller creates air pressure, causing airflow. If the fan moves air in the same direction as its

shaft, it is axial flow.

2. Permanent Magnet

Permanent magnets generate a flux field in the rotor. The stator generates a field that

interacts with the rotor's magnetic field. Changing the position of the stator field with respect

to the rotor field causes the rotor to shift. The shift due to this interaction is the magnetic

torque.
 3. Motor Capacitor

The motor capacitor is an electrical capacitor that alters the current to one or more

windings of a single-phase alternating-current induction motor to create a rotating magnetic

field.

4. Improvised water wheel blades (12 pieces)

 The water wheel blades are designed for the overshot type of water wheel and it

should be a spherical curve at the tip of the shaft to catch falling water from the head to

rotate the motor at a constant speed.

5. Multi-tester

A multi-tester is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several measurement

functions in one unit. A typical multi-tester may include features such as the ability to

measure voltage, current, and resistance.

6. Power Strip
 The Power strip is a block of electrical sockets that attaches to the end of a flexible cable

(typically with a mains plug on the other end), allowing multiple electrical devices to be

powered from a single electrical socket.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

To determine the output power, we used the information received from the test that

was performed. We utilized a multi-tester to calculate the voltage output of the water wheel

generator and to measure the water discharge from the pipe that was connected to a bucket to

assist the water wheel to rotate. To support the data results we applied theoretical calculations

to get the current, discharge, and power output. This research uses an electric fan motor

(220V, 15W) as the main component for creating a water-wheel generator.

 Table 1. Data Results

DESCRIPTION RESULTS

Discharge/Flow rate 0.002647 m³/s

Power 13.840 Watts

Voltage 24 Volts

Current 0.5766 Ampere

Table 1 shows the continuous power and voltage output of the water wheel generator and the

flow rate of water used in the experiment. It was calculated based on the given formulas to

get the values of every data needed.

Table 2: Roughness Coefficient of the Pipe

Material Roughness Coefficient

Cast Iron 100

Concrete 110

Plastic 150

Steel 120

Copper 140
Theoretical Calculations:

Discharge / Flow rate

To get the discharge of water we used a bucket that can store 25 liters of water and a

20 mm diameter plastic pipe with a 0.38 m length connected to the bottom of the bucket for

the possible flow rate calculation.

Using the formula: Discharge = Cross-sectional Area x Flow Velocity of water

1. Divide the diameter by 2 to find the radius of the pipe.

r= d/2 = 0.02m/2 = 0.01 meter

2. Find the cross-sectional area of the pipe.

2
A=π r = π (0.01)² = 0.0003142 m²

3. Determine the perimeter of the pipe.

P =2πr = 2π (0.01) = 0.06283 m

4. Divide the area by the perimeter to find the hydraulic radius of the pipe.

R= A/P = 0.0003142/0.06283 = 0.0050

5. Pick "Plastic" from the drop-down list and write down its roughness coefficient.

C = 150

6. Divide the drop by the length of the pipe to calculate the slope.

S = Y/L = 0.533 m / 0.38 m = 1.4026

 7. Use the Hazen-Williams equation to find the velocity of the gravity flow.

V = 1.318 * C * R^0.63 * S^0.54

V = 1.318 (150) (0.0050^0.63) (1.4026^0.54)

V = 8.4276 m/s

8. Multiply this value with the cross-sectional area of the pipe to find the discharge:

Q = 0.0003142 m² * 8.4276 m/s

Q = 0.002647 m³/s

Water Wheel Power

P = Head x Discharge x Unit Weight of Water

P = 0.533m * 0.002647m³/s * 9810 N/m³

P = 13.840 Watts

Current Calculation

I = P/V

I = 13.840 watts / 24 volts

I = 0.5766 Ampere

Voltage Reading
 We set the multi-tester to 50 AC Voltage to conduct the experiment. The multi-tester

measures unstable voltage reading from 24 – 25 AC voltages, so we assume the output

voltage reading is only 24 AC voltage.

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