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Harris Hydroelectric

  • Works with heads as low as 10 feet   harris hydro 2 head.gif (31829 bytes)

  • Powder coated castings

  • 17 bucket, reshaped Pelton wheel

  • Up to 4 nozzles

  • Available in 12, 24 and 48 volt models

 
The Harris Hydro unit shown at left has been in service since 1989, we estimate over 8,000,000 miles of use with 5 overhauls. It is fed with 160 psi through a single 3/16" nozzle and generates 20-25 amps @ 12 volts.

How to determine system output

The simple formula is: Head x Flow /12 = watts.

Head is the elevation difference from the hydro generator to the point at where the water enters the penstock (pipe line). The diameter, length, condition, and material of the penstock play a large roll in the performance of the system. PVC pipe is the best material to use because it has the least amount of friction against the water.

Flow is the number of gallons per minute (GPM) passing through the nozzles of the generator.

Dividing by 12 is the efficiency of the alternator and has nothing to do with the system voltage.

A precise output is difficult to determine due to slit build-up and bends or dips in the penstock. Keep your penstock as straight as possible. Generally, single nozzle systems with under 2000' of pipe require a 2' pipe; 2 nozzle systems needs a 3"pipe and 4 nozzle systems a 4" pipe. Longer pipes must be larger and shorter ones can be somewhat smaller. Use the largest pipe your budget will allow, but remember a under sized pipe will save a few dollars on installation, but will cost you power for the life of the system.

The chart below shows the expected output of a typical Harris Hydro Generator. The highlighted section shows a flow of 10 GPM at 300' of head generating 275 watts. Multiply this 275 watts x 24 hours and you get 6.6 kWh per day.
Feet of Head
G.P.M. 25 50 75 100 200 300 600
3         40 70 150
6     10 20 100 150 300
10   15 45 75 180 275 550
15   50 85 120 260 400 800
20 25 75 125 190 375 550 1100
30 50 125 200 285 580 800  
50 115 230 350 500 950 1400  
100 200 425 625 850 1500    
200 225 520 850 1300      

The chart below shows the GPM that various nozzles will discharge at the stated feet of head. The highlighted section shows that at 100' of head with a 1/2" nozzle will discharge 45.7 GPM. If multiple nozzles are used simply add the GPM together. IF your water source has seasonal flows, we recommend at least a two nozzle unit with a nozzle for your lowest flow installed in the un-valved fitting. On the second, third, and fourth nozzles use progressively larger nozzles and open or close them as the water flow permits. 

  3/16 1/4 1/8 1/2 Nozzle Size
Head         GPM
25 4.3 5.9 12.7 22.8
100 6.8 11.8 25.4 45.7
400 13.6 23.6 50.8 91.4

The chart below shows the friction loss per 100' of 160 PSI PVC pipe.

 

Nominal Pipe Diameter in Inches
GPM 1' 1 1/4" 1 1/2" 2" 2 1/2" 3" 4" 5" 6" 8" 10"
1   0.02 0.01                  
2    0.06 0.02 0.01                
3    0.14 0.04 0.02                
4     0.23 0.07 0.04 0.01              
5     0.35 0.11 0.05 0.02              
6     0.49  0.15 0.08 0.03 0.01            
7      0.66 0.20 0.10 0.03 0.01            
8      0.84 0.25 0.13 0.04 0.02            
9      1.05 0.31 0.16 0.05 0.02            
10       1.27 0.38 0.20 0.07 0.03 0.01          
11       1.52 0.45 0.23 0.08 0.03 0.01          
12       1.78 0.53 0.28 0.09 0.04 0.01          
14       2.37 0.71 0.37 0.12 0.05 0.02          
16       3.04 0.91 0.47 0.16 0.06 0.02          
18       3.78 1.13 0.58 0.20 0.08 0.03          
20        4.59 1.37 0.71 0.24 0.09 0.04 0.01        
22        5.48 1.64 0.85 0.29 0.11 0.04 0.01        
24        6.44 1.92 1.00 0.34 0.13 0.05 0.02        
26        7.47 2.23 1.15 0.39 0.15 0.06 0.02        
28        8.57 2.56 1.32 0.45 0.18 0.07 0.02        
30        9.74 2.91 1.50 0.51 0.20 0.08 0.02        
35         3.87 2.00 0.68 0.27 0.10 0.03        
40          4.95 2.56 0.86 0.34 0.13 0.04 0.01      
45          6.16 3.19 1.08 0.42 0.16 0.05 0.02      
50          7.49 3.88 1.31 0.52 0.20 0.06 0.02      
55          8.93 4.62 1.56 0.62 0.24 0.07 0.02      
60          10.49 5.43 1.83 0.72 0.28 0.03 0.08  0.01    
65            6.30 2.12 0.84 0.32 0.09 0.03 0.01    
70            7.23 2.44 0.96 0.37 0.11 0.04 0.02    
75            8.21 2.77 1.09 0.42 0.12 0.04 0.02    
80            9.25 3.12 1.23 0.47 0.14 0.05 0.02    
85            10.35 3.49 1.38 0.53 0.16 0.06 0.02    
90             3.88 1.53 0.59 0.17 0.06 0.03    
95             4.29 1.69 0.65 0.19 0.07 0.03    
100              4.72 1.86 0.72 0.21 0.08 0.03 0.01  
150              10.00 3.94 1.52 0.45 0.16 0.07 0.02  
200                6.72 2.59 0.76 0.27 0.12 0.03 0.01
250                10.16 3.91 1.15 0.41 0.18 0.05 0.02
300                 5.49 1.61 0.58 0.25 0.07 0.02

"copyright by Home Power, Inc., used by permission."

The chart below shows the friction loss per 100' of pipe using Polyethylene (PE) SDR-Pressure rated pipe.

 

Nominal Pipe Diameter in inches
Flow/GPM 1/2" 3/4" 1" 1 1/4" 1 1/2" 2 2 1/2" 3"
1 0.49 0.12 0.04 0.01        
2 1.76 0.45 0.14 0.04 0.02      
3       3.73 0.95 0.29 0.08 0.04 0.01    
4      6.35 1.62 0.50 0.13  0.06 0.02    
5      9.60 2.44 0.76 0.20  0.09 0.03    
6        13.46 3.43 1.06 0.28 0.13 0.04 0.02  
7       17.91 4.56 1.41  0.37 0.18 0.05 0.02  
8        22.93 5.84 1.80 0.47 0.22 0.07 0.03  
9         7.26 2.24 0.59 0.28 0.08 0.03  
10          8.82 2.73 0.72 0.34 0.10 0.04 0.01
12         12.37 3.82 1.01 0.48  0.14 0.06 0.02
14       16.46  5.08 1.34  0.63 0.19 0.08  0.03
16         6.51 1.71 0.81 0.24   0.10 0.04
18           8.10 2.13 1.01 0.30 0.13 0.04
20          9.84 2.59 1.22 0.36 0.15  0.05
22           11.74 3.09 1.46 0.43 0.18 0.06
24          13.79 3.63 1.72 0.51 0.21  0.07
26           16.00 4.21 1.99 0.59 0.25 0.09
28           4.83 2.28  0.68 0.29 0.10
30            5.49 2.59 0.77 0.32 0.11
35            7.31 3.45 1.02 0.43 0.15
40            9.36 4.42 1.31 0.55 0.19
45            11.64 5.50 1.63 0.69 0.24
50            14.14 6.68 1.98 0.83 0.29
55             7.97 2.36 0.85 0.35
60             9.36 2.78 1.17 0.41
65             10.36 3.22 1.36 0.47
70            12.46 3.69 1.56  0.54
75             14.16 4.20 1.77 0.61
80              4.73 1.99 0.69
85              5.29 2.23 0.77
90              5.88 2.48 0.86
95              6.50 2.74 0.95

100  

           7.15 3.01  1.05
150

Numbers in Italics indicate 5 ' per second velocity.

 15.15 6.38 2.22
200   10.87 3.78
300     8.01

"copyright by Home Power, Inc., used by permission."

Single Nozzle $875.00
Two Nozzles $955.00
Four Nozzles  $1095.00
Units with brushless permanent magnet alternators add $625.00
48 volt add $190.00

To order, please send an e-mail to jean@nwes.com with the model number. We will send a personal confirmation ASAP.

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