Project/Hydro-Generator Pipe Insert
From Drexel Smart House
2008 Design Projects
Hydro-Generator Pipe Insert
Summary: To create energy scavenging from excess pressure in residential pipes.
Team Members:
Academic Advisor: Jameson Detweiler jmd922@drexel.edu
Problem Statement
The Problem
Many new ways to harvest sustainable energy are emerging. One of the less explored frontiers of energy harvesting lies in the energy involved in pressurized water pipes. The force provided by water pressure in the incoming plumbing and the force of gravity in drainage are two relatively unrecognized and therefore unutilized forms of energy.
Renewable Energy
In order to conserve nonrenewable energy, such as fossil fuels and oil, renewable sources of energy must become a primary souce. Sources of renewable energy include biomass, solar, geothermal, wind, and hydroelectric energies. Because water flows through pipes with such great force, this energy can be turned into electrical (and even mechanical) energy and used within the home.
Current Solutions
In the home, energy saving steps are already being taken to conserve and recollect energy that is otherwise wasted. In the winter, new advances in insulation keep the heat in and the cold out and vice versa in the summer. Solar energy that would normally raise the heat of a home on a hot summer’s day is now being blocked and repurposed by solar panels on roofs. Lights on automatic control, advanced thermostats that better manage furnace operation, and cars that charge when braking are all energy saving renovations to existing systems.
Potential Solutions to the Amount of Fossil Fuel Based Energy Used
- Wind Power : By building much smaller but more efficient wind turbines, wind power would be able to
be harvested for a lower cost in the residential arena.2
- Fuel Cell : A fuel cell can be used to chemically store the excess energy from harvesting sources such as
wind turbines, hydroelectic turbines and solar panels. This excess energy would be the converted electrical energy to power various systems in the house, from conveniences to utilities.3
- Water Pressure : By installing premade pipes that include hydroelectric turbines within them, residential
homes would be able to conserve energy wasted in the force of water pressure flowing and draining in their plumbing system.
Technical constraints
- Since two of these methods are solely dependent on pressure exerted by the fluid on the turbine, the same
amounts of energy will be hard to obtain at different locations or altitudes. An energy saving device must be tailored specifically for the system in which it will be implemented.
- If energy output depends solely on the force of fluid pressure the energy produced will be proportional only to
the amount of pressure (or force energy) sacrificed.
- Mineral deposits in such a plumbing-based force harvesting device could also cause device malfunction and
short life.
Social constraints
- Statistics must be used to convince home owners of the benefits of such a harvesting system. The rate at which
such a device is able to match and exceed its initial cost must be balanced with the impact on energy savings.
Environmental constraint
- The impact of this system involves the use of a network of devices in a single home. If comsumers decide that one
is sufficient the full impact on energy savings and fiscal savings will not be realized. This may lead to abandonment due to improper implementation.
Economic constraint
- Although initially expensive, within a few years the devices will pay off the initial investment in which case the
homeowner will start to save money. Depending on the time involved in the return on investment, consumers may feel that the initial investment is not worth the money.
- The fuel cells to be used in conjunction with the other stated solutions have an extremely variable life expectancy.
In a home in which the drainage-recharging cycle of the fuel cell is very frequent the life of the fuel cell will suffer. Conversely, in a home where the stored energy is used much less, the life of the fuel cell can be expected to last much longer. Replacement of a fuel cell is a rather expensive cost and therfore may turn prospective investors away from an excess enegry storing system like those proposed.
References
[1] "Hoover Dam Frequently Asked Questions: Power," in U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation. vol. 2006: U.S. Department of the Interior, 2006.
[2] Ellis, M. W., 2002, Fuel Cells for Building Applications, ASHRAE, Atlanta, GA.
[3] Energy Information Administration, 2001, "1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey: Housing Characteristics," <http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/recs97_hc/97tblhp.html> (accessed: February, 2008).
2008 Design Projects
