A turbine looks like a water wheel and it is used to extract energy from fluid liquid, gases or steams and turns this type of energy into the energy that is needed. In this case, the function of turbine is to transfer the gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy of the falling water into mechanical energy to generate electricity. In order to increase the efficiency of the turbine to make sure that the energy we get to generate electricity can reach its maximum, the vane wheel of the turbine should be light, firm, and thin so that as the water passes through it, the vane wheel can rotate easily. Hence, I will choose plastic as the vane wheel and cut them into thin and long pieces. In addition, the center part of the turbine should be lubricant enough so that as the turbine starts to rotate, inertia of the water will play an major role in keeping the turbine rotating continuously because the resistance will be very small. Therefore, I will choose steel as the material of the center part and put lubricating oil or black lead between them to reduce the resistance when rotating.
A generator is a device to produce electricity by converting mechanical energy into electric energy. The law of electromagnetic induction states that a change in the magnetic field in the region of a conductor induces a voltage in the conductor, causing an induced electric current in the conductor. Therefore, the operating principle of a generator is to make the electric conductor place in between two external magnets, one is North Pole and another one is South Pole. The electric conductor twined with coils has to rotate in a certain direction either clockwise or counterclockwise, which depends on the position of the external magnets so that induced electric current will be created. Then, using wires to connect coils and the ammeter, we can notice that as the turbine rotates, the electric conductor will rotate at the same time, which ultimately creates induced electric current. In order to increase the efficiency of a generator, we should choose an electric conductor with a high conductivity such as coppers and twine as much as coils around it. In this way, more induced electric current will be created.
Main Materials: Magnets, coils, scissors, plastics, copper,
wire.
As the draft sketch of my design showed on the left, when the falling water goes down from a higher place, gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy of water will transfer into mechanical energy and cause the plastic turbine to rotate. The rotation of the turbine drive the electric conductor twined with coil to move clockwise. Because the North Pole of the magnet is on the left and the South Pole is on the right, according to Right Hand Rule for the Motor Principle, the induced current will flow like what I labelled on the diagram, positive pole on the left and negative pole on the right. Moreover, I use two conductors with brushes on them to conduct the induced electric current to the wire. The reason why i put brushes on the conductor is that the copper will rotate all the time so that the joint of copper and conductor cannot be fixed, otherwise the entire wire will rotate at the same time. There is an ammeter in series of the circuit so that we can know if the device can really generate electricity by observing the change of the pointer of the ammeter.
Contributions to Society
The hydroelectric power plants that I design will benefit society a lot if it could be scaled up to generate a significant amount of electricity. First of all, with the high development of science and technology, the demand of electricity increases every year. Hydroelectric power plants I design will have a high production of electricity which allows it to guarantee the demand of electricity. Secondly, the original energy is the gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy of the falling water. Comparing with coals or nuclear sources, water is free and the reserve of water on earth is relatively huge. Moreover, for nuclear power plant or fossil-fuel power station, we have to burn the fuels which require a lot of money and cause pollution and greenhouse effect to generate electricity. However, for hydroelectric power plants, the only requirement is water. Also, water will not decrease in the process of electricity production so that it can be recycled and use again. Thirdly, for some areas, building a hydroelectric power plant will utilizes water effectively. For instance, in flood season, the dam will block the flood and the reservoir will keep the water and use it to generate electricity. Therefore, building a hydroelectric power plants benefit society a lot.
The hydroelectric power plants that I design will benefit society a lot if it could be scaled up to generate a significant amount of electricity. First of all, with the high development of science and technology, the demand of electricity increases every year. Hydroelectric power plants I design will have a high production of electricity which allows it to guarantee the demand of electricity. Secondly, the original energy is the gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy of the falling water. Comparing with coals or nuclear sources, water is free and the reserve of water on earth is relatively huge. Moreover, for nuclear power plant or fossil-fuel power station, we have to burn the fuels which require a lot of money and cause pollution and greenhouse effect to generate electricity. However, for hydroelectric power plants, the only requirement is water. Also, water will not decrease in the process of electricity production so that it can be recycled and use again. Thirdly, for some areas, building a hydroelectric power plant will utilizes water effectively. For instance, in flood season, the dam will block the flood and the reservoir will keep the water and use it to generate electricity. Therefore, building a hydroelectric power plants benefit society a lot.
Does it realistic?
For the design part, I believe that my power plant is an ideal model for real life situation. The entire process of generating electricity only requires natural resource, water, and the original energy and the whole process produce no pollution at all. In addition, for the efficiency, hydroelectric power plants have a high efficiency of generating electricity. However, for the material part, I think if my design becomes a full-sized power plant, it will not work for a long time. As I mention, the turbine of my power plant is made of plastic. For models, this type of material is good enough because it is light and easy to rotate. Nevertheless, in real life, plastic-made turbine will be destroyed soon due to the great pressure of water. Therefore, in this case my design is not really realistic for the actual situation.
For the design part, I believe that my power plant is an ideal model for real life situation. The entire process of generating electricity only requires natural resource, water, and the original energy and the whole process produce no pollution at all. In addition, for the efficiency, hydroelectric power plants have a high efficiency of generating electricity. However, for the material part, I think if my design becomes a full-sized power plant, it will not work for a long time. As I mention, the turbine of my power plant is made of plastic. For models, this type of material is good enough because it is light and easy to rotate. Nevertheless, in real life, plastic-made turbine will be destroyed soon due to the great pressure of water. Therefore, in this case my design is not really realistic for the actual situation.