Elenco Green Projects - Manual (Page 50)

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Project #74 Using Stored Water
Place the water wheel on the motor
(M4) and connect it to the meter (M6),
as shown. Set the meter (M6) to the
5V or 50mA setting. Take an empty
plastic water or milk container, make a
hole about 3 inches from the bottom,
place the bottle in a sink or bathtub,
fill it with water, and then hold the
water wheel next to it and measure
the voltage or current produced.
Fill the container to different heights
and see how the water pressure
affects the meter measurement. Plug
the hole with your finger while you fill
the container, and try to keep the
water wheel in the same position
each time.
Your parts might stop working if
water gets inside them. Let them dry
out and they should be fine.
Raising the water level in the
container is just like storing water in a
lake next to a dam. A higher water
level means more water pressure,
which spins the shaft faster, which
produces more electricity.
A dam converts the potential energy
of the high water into kinetic energy of
fast moving water, which is reduced
when the water is used to spin the
turbine in a generator. The water in
Hoover Dam is 500 feet deep at its
base and reaches speeds of 85 mph
going into the turbine.
In dam generators, the water to
the turbine blades is directed by
a series of wicket gates.
Attach a straw (flexible ones
work best) from your home to
redirect the flow to the Water
fan. Try and seal the area
around the straw with putty, play
dough, scotch tape or other
such material. Repeat the
meter readings from the
previous project and see how
much the power has increased.
50mA 5V
+
Water Redirection
Project #75
Generator
Turbine
Rotor
Stator
Wicket
Gate
Turbine Blades
Turbine
Generator Shaft
Water
Flow
on motor shaft
on motor shaft