Energy Systems & Design Model FT Stream Enginetm Tested by Bob-O Schultze Ä KG6MM To anyone familiar with living on Renewables, a working hydroplant is an awesome thing to behold. Power coming in 24 Hrs/day, no Sundays off, the sun doesn't have to shine and the wind doesn't have to blow. It just doesn't get much better than that! Using a water runner designed to take advantage of relatively low head situations, ES&D's latest offering has the potential to make usable power at a wide range of hydro sites. The Product The Model FT uses a standard 70 Amp Ford (Motorcraft) alternator directly connected to a turgo type impulse water wheel or runner. The alternator is available with different windings to optimize the machine's output for the site conditions, including a special low-head winding. Standard voltage configurations are 12, 24, 36, 48, and 120VDC. Other output voltages may be available depending on your site conditions. Consult the factory for details. The 4" pitch diameter turgo runner is manufactured in-house of a very dense, high abrasion and impact resistant polyurethane. This is tough stuff. I have seen other runners made from the same material which have been spinning for five years without showing appreciable signs of wear. The nozzle holder terminates in 1 1/2" pipe thread, making adaptation to any water system a snap. Standard nozzle sizes are available from 1/8" thru 1" diameter. Three nozzles of your choice per nozzle holder are included in the purchase price. The Model FT is available is 1, 2, 3, and 4 nozzle input configurations. Two long allen wrenches are supplied with the unit. With just these two tools and maybe a small crescent wrench, you can take nearly the whole thing apart. Packaging & Documentation The FT Stream Enginetm arrived protected by a custom plywood and 1" x 1" frame enclosed in a cardboard box. Since ES&D is based in New Brunswick, Canada, the package had survived the rigors of both the US and Canadian postal systems. No small thing, that. The docs, on the other hand, are less than great. ES&D manufactures several different Stream Enginestm besides the FT we tested. They have tried to make one manual fit all. While the siting info, pipe friction loss,wire sizing charts, and a lot of other general information are the same for all situations, they are interspersed with diagrams and pictures relating to specific products and models. The result is pretty confusing. In addition, they are constantly modifying their product to extract better water-to- electricity efficiencies and give longer life. While the energy that goes into R&D is certainly worth an Attaboy, the docs have suffered by being out of date with their current model. Test Environment Our test site here on Camp Creek on the California-Oregon border is typical of the majority of hydro sites across the US and Canada. During the rainy season, it runs about 30-50 CFM (225-375 GPM) and drops about 50' per 1000' of run. As microhydro goes, that's a fair amount of water, but kinda weak in the vertical head department. Since there are other users for the water instream, notable the riparian flora and some small fish and amphibians, we decided to limit our share of the water to about 10% of the available flow. We ended up with a little over 800' of 2 1/2" and 2" PVC pipe running 24GPM thru a 5/8" nozzle. Our static (gross) head was 23' and the running (dynamic) head ended up at about 17.5'. Installation Installation is pretty straightforward. Battery negative is connected to the "GRD" terminal of the alternator. The red wire from the FT's ammeter is connected to the battery positive thru a fused safety switch (not supplied). A forward-biased diode sized to handle your highest power output is recommended to prevent battery drain thru the rheostat and field windings to ground should the alternator quit producing power. Any number of thing could cause this to happen. The most common are nozzles or the intake penstock clogged with trash, but I've seen everything from a runner unscrewing itself from the alternator shaft to a bear munching up whole sections of pipeline. You may have to provide a diode bypass circuit like the one pictured here to allow the alternator field to "boot up" after a shutdown. Any momentary switch rated for 3 Amps or better and whatever voltage you are using will do. Operation A simple rheostat field control and ammeter is used to maximize the FT's output. This is the same kind of control scheme utilized by the Harris Hydro machine and others. Just turn on the water, adjust the rheostat up to reflect maximum amperage output and you're done. While this type of field control is simple and effective for optimizing the alternator output or matching the output to your uses, it is not a battery voltage regulator and will not prevent your battery bank from overcharging if left unattended. For automatic regulation and battery protection, it must be used in conjunction with a shunt type load diverter or replaced with an electronic field controller. Both options are commonly available and easy to fit or retrofit. Conclusions According to ES&D's charts, we should have generated between 25-30 Watts. Our measured output was 2 Amps into a 15VDC battery bank (Nicads). 2 X 15 =30 Watts. That may not seem like a lot of power, and it isn't - but consider this: During the wet part of the year our PV system produces about 150-175 Watts per module on average. Since the FT runs 24 hrs/day, EVERY day, that's a reliable 720 Watt/hrs, or the equivalent of over 4 modules during the season when we need the power the most. What can you run with 720 Watt/hrs a day? Well, our SunFrost RF-16 only draws about 600 Watt/hrs during the winter. The FT handled that load and threw an additional 120 Watt/hrs into the battery bank to boot! For the price of two extra PV modules, the FT did the work of four when we needed the power the most. The base price of a single nozzle input Model FT is $700 US. Additional nozzle inputs are $50 each and additional nozzles are $15. The low- head (under 50') option costs $50. Access Author: Bob-O Schultze, Electron Connection, POB 2303, Hornbrook, CA 96044 Manufacturer: Energy Systems & Design, POB 1557, Sussex, N.B. Canada EOE 1PO, 506-433-3151