ABSTRACT

The mini hydro turbine project is aimed at designing and constructing a hydro-electric power plant model that can generate electric power, which can be used at the domestic level to power electrical appliances. There are three main sections for the hydro turbine, such as the pelton wheel which rotate due to falling water from the water storage tank through the penstock, the generator, been made of a permanent magnet rotor and conducting coil windings on the stator connected to the turbine through a runner, and the feedback system for the continuous flow of water. The result shows that the construction of mini hydro turbine plant is feasible and there were no major problems apparent at the design and implementation stages of the mini hydro turbine power plant. The design, modification and performance evaluation of mini hydroelectric power machine consist of the following components, power generation is the dam, which typically creates a reservoir by impounding water. when the water is released from the reservoir it flows through a large pipe called penstock and strikes the turbine blade or bucket with high pressure as a result the turbine rotate transferring the kinetic energy of the water to the generator where it is converted into electricity which is then store in a 12v battery and being converted into alternating current (AC) by the inverter and as well steps up the voltage into 210-230 volts for use in the home and various firms the charge controller is there to ensure effective battery charging. The hydro turbine was tested using the Tachometer and the voltmeter, the tachometer was used to measure the speed of the flywheel while the voltmeter was used to measure the voltage of the generator at different speed of the flywheel which is observed that as the flywheel speed is increasing so the voltage of the generator is increasing. From the table of the in the result, it is observed that the voltage of the generator increases from 3.59v when the speed is 584rpm to 10.45v at the speed of 1289rpm thereby increasing its efficiency making it a viable option for meeting energy need and reducing reliance on fossil fuel. From the result table it clearly shows that when the flywheel speed is at 584rpm the generator voltage is 3.59v which powers a 3watt light diode which indicates that charges is entering the battery and also at the speed of 830.6rpm the generator voltage reads 5.11v and the 3watt light diode comes up more indicating that more charges is entering the battery until it gets to the highest speed of 1289rpm then the generator voltage reading gives 10.45 showing that greater charges is entering into the 12volts battery used for the turbine thereby making hydroelectric power more viable for use since it have long life spans and require relatively low maintenance compared to conventional power plants.