Next Steps

Industrial Design

Get someone to look at the visual aspect of the Unit and make it look neat and modern.  This will certainly help sell the idea.

Build a prototype

This can be ½, ¼, or even 1/10th scale. 
It should be capable of proving the basic concept of the design. 
Repairability & Circular Design are paramount.

I suggest having a wheel that is much wider than its diameter, maybe 4:1? 
This will visually make it completely different from any other waterwheel – we call it a Hydrotor – and would probably be the sort of design for the majority of uses.

Ideas for Buzz Hydro

Are there some niche possibilities for Buzz Hydro?

What about VERY small: for use in small rivers and/or streams?

For very small ones, say, 30cm to 50cm in diameter it will be possible to 3D print the hydrotor.

This brings enormous possibilities:

  1. Cheaper to develop & produce.
  2. Can be made in many countries, incl developing nations.
  3. Bigger sizes can then be developed using the experience gained with the smaller ones
  4. The types of array, etc, are all possibilities with it.

3D printing can be in plastic or metal of various types – they can be up to 1m3 at the moment, and surely much bigger in the future.

3D printing can be used the world over: it just needs a 3D computer drawing & 3D printer – no tools, etc.

The 3D printed Hydrotors can be designed to link together to make a longer one.

The 3D printed Hydrotors can be made with moulded gear teeth for belt or gear or chain drive to the generator.

Further Ideas

Design a steel “weir” that is part of the mounting structure.  The Hydrotor will fit neatly into this and it can be part of the package of the product. 

A “lead-in” to create a venturi effect, to increase efficiency?

The more that can be made in a factory, the better.  This can reduce any need for expensive concrete done for the installation.

There are endless permutations of Rotor diameter, width, and type, including turbines, and size of generator for different water flow conditions. 

These aspects need to be researched so that it will be fairly easy to look at a particular site’s water levels, and flow rate, etc, and be able to select:
– The best Hydrotor diameter and width, and then the best generator and gearing.

Other aspects: avoidance of debris, safety of boats, etc, plus much more…

Some Details

All but the main wheel rotating pivot could use pillow blocks. Using pillow blocks makes swivels easy to bolt on to any steel Rectangular Hollow Section (RHS) member. 


Or use simple pivots for cheapness where necessary.