Hi, new here. Got a hair brain idea and was hoping some smart folks could sanity check it!
Was pondering the feasibility of mounting a water wheel based device on an old pontoon frame with a direct drive flywheel/throwout bearing/clutch and a matching 4 or 5 speed transmission from an old school 4 banger car (Pinto, …), mated to a 10-13k portable generator power head and control panel. I have property and a small cabin on a spring fed river in N Central Florida with flow rates of 1.2 kcfs at low stage and up to 9.9 kcfs in major flood stage. During low and average stages you would be hard pressed to maintain position while swimming at my dock, even with fins, so we have a good constant current. My idea is that the transmission could be shifted to produce the required rpm at the output shaft to produce the rated output of the generator head somewhere around the rated running/startup ampherage. Maybe direct drive is not the best option due to low rpm of the 6-8’ wheel…not sure? Large belt pulley on wheel/small pulley on flywheel?
I though to construct an armature that would support the wheel, transmission and power head (not sure if that’s the proper nomenclature) that would pivot up to remove the wheel from the flow for service. Wondering about the potential horsepower that the river and water wheel might be able to provide to drive the trans/gen setup and if it could be enough?
Yes, I am dreaming! But wow if it could be engineered!!! Aluminum would be my material of choice for a build.
Would love to hear some educated opinions, please be kind I’m no engineer, just a tinkerer/thinker-er with too much time on my hands!
Thanks for reading and commenting.
