This turbine was designed and built specifically for a site in Lancashire with around 80m of head and a flow rate of around 2 liters per second. As it was built with almost no budget nearly all major components were obtained second hand from decommissioned industrial plant. It uses a plastic Turgo runner built on a custom built arbor, directly coupled to a 3 phase induction motor running as a generator. Due to the nature of the flow at the site the valve is controlled by a float switch at the dam. The hydraulic pressure in the penstock is used to actuate the valve thereby requiring very little current to turn the turbine on. A small Gel cell provides this current and is charged when the turbine runs. The custom manifold also includes a pressure relief valve to protect against pressure surges caused by valve failure or jet blockage. A viewing window is provided for education purposes at the site.
For more information and pictures of the Middle Wood site and the design and development of the turbine click here.