Turbine could generate electricity each time you flush
By Darren Murph 
posted March 6th 2008 11:06AM
posted March 6th 2008 11:06AM
[Via Inhabitat]
posted March 6th 2008 11:06AM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
Um, yeah. Lets just build these things that are impractical and ignore all of the faults. Who needs engineering anyway?
I would agree with you were it not for the fact that a true engineer would want to know a bit more about the device than what is in the article before making the assumption that it is impractical. I am of the opinion that this particular invention has at least one good use and that is that is needed really isn't it?
(for the record I am an undergraduate mechanical engineer)
My brain just did a massive fart - what I meant to say instead of "I am of the opinion that this particular invention has at least one good use and that is that is needed really isn't it?" was:
"I am of the opinion that this particular invention could have at least one good use and that is all that is really needed isn't it?
>> Of course, there's nothing revolutionary about yet another hydroelectric generator
That may seem so at first glance, but really it is /amazing/ how much of our infrastructure could be coupled with electrical generators. It is obvious that there is a revolution waiting to happen here, but someone needs to stick together all the pieces...
Ross is right. Most of the people on here don't get it. This is for large systems with constant water flow (think how many pipes there are under your city). Chances are if something like this has made it to the prototype/trade show stage, people have at least considered things like whether or not it would actually work.
"That way all water going into your building will generate some amount of power.
"
what most of the anal-ysis seems to forget is that it requires energy to "get" the water to your house in the first place. Any turbine you put on the outflow imparts some resistance to the water pressure you already spent money on delivering to the household in the first place. Is that a good idea?
The storm drains are 'free' potential energy in that the rain is falling like it or not. So yes for storm drains and no for the closet. Besides who wants to slow the outflow down and create greater risk of blockage? If the outflow could be "THAT MUCH" less, don't you think the systems would have been designed already instead of wasting water? Anyone who has children and had to unclog a drain or twelve will tell you that you want all the flow you can get and JUST SAY NO to backpressure.
I agree that you don't want backpressure at home (and frankly the outflow homes is too small anyway), but you're wrong about a turbine in the outflow imparting resistance to the inflow. The outflow is completely decoupled from the inflow. The only thing taking water/sewage away from your home is gravity.
Too lazy to make any calculations, but I think this will work pretty well in case of high occupancy tall buildings.
It is not such a good idea to put them on the rain gutters since those turbines slow down the water flow and will reduce the capacity and main reason for rain drains. On the other hand given good topography larger more conventional turbines maybe set on the outlets and overflow pathways from the rain water collection pools.
Dude, I've got it. Lets just put a turbine on the pressurized side of the water (you know, pressurized by a large pump) then have that turbine generate electricity, and use that electricity to power the original pump! Perpetual motion is easy!
(sarcasm of course)
I had this idea 10 years ago in High School in an applied physics class. It never got beyond a sketch in my notebook, though. Weird.
I can see this for showers in homes maybe to power the lights for the duration that you're in the bathroom. But It would have to become a standard package that comes with all of those other "eco friendly " housing upgrades.
but I can really see this for public bathrooms like commercial buildings , hospitals,and sports arenas where water is running almost constant.
murray is right. let's say they installed a turbine in the drain to reclaim some of the energy from the waste water flowing through it. as they draw energy from the water, it flows slower through the pipes. this will then have an effect on the sewer system, as more water will accumulate along the pipe system, which will likely result in flow problems, not to mention the concerns about having solid waste mixed in with this water. then, the waste water would be less likely to reach its destination at the treatment plant. so, in the end, we may have generated a tiny amount of electricity by adding these generators, but we will need to completely redesign the sewer system and water supply system to compensate. you don't need an advanced engineering degree to understand this. take a flat plate and set it at some incline in the rain. as you decrease the angle of the plate, at some point, the water will stop moving and begin collecting on the plate. this is exactly what will happen in the sewer system.
A turbine will require a large amount of water flow and a fair amount of pressure to extract any useful amount of electricity from the kinetic energy of the moving mass. I'll agree that a municipal sewage system should have a large amount of flow, but most in-ground sewage systems are plumbed to have just enough of a downhill slope to move the water and solids along. Too much of a slope and the water will leave the solids behind. Slow water means not much energy to extract.
This could definitely be useful in a high-rise building such as the reference to Vegas hotels. Plenty of flow and enormous vertical drop = lots of kinetic energy available to convert to electricity.
guys, it is saying downward movement of water, not necessary to be just your waste... it can be the water from taking a bath, washing dishes or etc. Plus, you can store the enrgy that may help reducing a few $ of you electric bill each month.
What do you do what it clogs?
most newer sewer systems have low gradiant to save money. At the same time low flow toilrts push more mass with less water flow. This might cause clogs instead of watts.
Here's another one. I go to a gym and see at least 20 people per session using tread-mills, stair-climbers and the like. Why not attach generators to those exercise machines? They could then power the elevator that the clients use to get to the 2nd floor to use these machines instead of using the stairs! Imagine the scene - lots of "encouragement" to run faster so the elevator could operate! Always choose the lesser of two (we)evils. http://freeandcheaparounddisneyland.googlepages.com/
That's a clever idea.
Use them for the hotels AND the schools (and anywhere else that has high volume use bathrooms) and the power could add up.
There's a new idea being used here in Tucson: the water from your sink goes into your toilet tank so it can be used later to flush. Not a bad idea to re-use water, especially in desert areas.
I went on-line looking for a way to harvet rain and found one - in Australia! This gizzmo even filters the water so it's drinkable. Very clever.
Anything that saves energy is a step in the right direction.
How about a solar powered water pump on your well so you can flush it "all" for free ?
And make a zero carbon footprint.
alfredschrader@aol.com
well thats power for a lot of s--t
Doesn't the author mean, "to a NETHER level"?
Great idea till it malfunctions and fries your arse!
Sally...you say flush, save water, make clean again to drink...the filter will be attached to the bowl incase you get thirsty..I say, some things
should be left alone. Got enuff ---- on my mind today without this....smiles..off to work