The gravitation water vortex power plant is a type of

micro hydro Micro hydro is a type of hydroelectric power that typically produces from 5 kW to 100 kW of electricity using the natural flow of water. Installations below 5 kW are called pico hydro. These installations can provide power to an i ...

vortex turbine system which is capable of converting energy in a moving fluid to

rotational energy Rotational energy or angular kinetic energy is kinetic energy due to the rotation of an object and is part of its total kinetic energy. Looking at rotational energy separately around an object's axis of rotation, the following dependence on the ob ...

using a low hydraulic head of . The technology is based on a round basin with a central drain. Above the drain the water forms a stable line vortex which drives a

water turbine A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work. Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, ...

. Precourse design where patented in 1877 and 1967. The specific design described here was first patented by Greek-Australian Lawyer & Inventor Paul Kouris in 1996, who was searching for a way to harness the power inherent in a vortex. Later, Austrian Inventor Franz Zotlöterer created a similar turbine while attempting to find a way to

aerate Aeration (also called aerification or aeriation) is the process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or dissolved in a liquid or other substances that act as a fluid (such as soil). Aeration processes create additional surface area in ...

water without an external power source.

Design

The water passes through a straight inlet and then passes tangentially into a round basin. The water forms a big vortex over the center bottom drain of the basin. A turbine withdraws rotational energy from the vortex, which is converted into electric energy by a generator. The turbine's theoretical energy conversion efficiency is up to 85%; a test installation reported 73% efficiency, and after a year of use its installation cost was just under one

US dollar The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...

per Watt of output capacity. The turbine's aeration of the water helps improve water conditions, while the reduced speeds of the turbine and the lack of cavitation ensure that most types of fish can pass through the turbine without danger, something which is much more difficult to achieve at normal hydro plants that require additional structures for the fish migration.

References

External links

Water vortex plant 500w demonstration (video)

Turbine a Vortice, Orizzontenergia

Gravitational Water Vortex Plant Project Video
Water turbines {{design-stub