WATER POWER ON THE FARM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3114, 19 November 1913, Page 14

WATER POWER ON THE FARM.

There are many farms in this Dominion which command the water from a stream which comes from a height of 600 ft or 800 ft, and carries enough water to fill a 3in pipe during most of the year. With 100 ft of fall such a volume might be utilised with a turbine or pelton wheel for power purposes, and supply sufficient horse-power to work small machinery two or three days in the week—at least if stored up effectively. This would entail considerable outlay for a good-sized dam and for the pipes to convey the water; but it the country was suitable for dammaking the expense should be very soon recouped. Sometimes a break in the fall of the country provides a natural basin which, can be dammed at small expense. Anything from to 5 horse-power is required for such small machinery as the chaffcutter, oat-bruiser, sawbench, washing machine, churn, etc. The hydraulic turbine is chiefly uccd in cases where the head of water is small. The force oi water plays on vanes set at such an angle on a shatt that the shaft revolves at high speed, and thus generates energy. Where the power to be utilised is derived from a high fall, the pelton wheel is used. Two and a half horse-power is obtained by using 2jin pipes, with a fall of 140 ft; 3£ h.p. by using either 22m pipes at 200 ft fall, or 3in pipes at 130 f t; while 4i h.p. requires approximately 3in pipes and 164 head feet. The pressure per square inch will vary from 601 bto 901 b. One of the highest recorded falls under which Pelton wheels are working (says the Stockowner’s Guide) is at Comstock, in Nevada. In this case six large pelton wheels are running under a head of 1680 ft, developing power for electrical transmission, the efficiency of the wheels being over 80 per cent. 'The advantages of sucb high falls lie in the small quantity of water required. The pressures which are developed in the head pipes are enormously high. The head at Comstock developed a statical pressure (i.e., with the valve partially closed) exceeding 9001 b per square inch, and from a nozzle not more than J)in in diamater, driving a 2ft pelton wheel at 1150 revolutions per minute, about 100 h.p. was obtained. A station in Western Queensland is also quoted which has a bore with a flow of 1,500,000 gal per day over the casing. This gives a pressure of 251 b to the square inch through a 2!n nozzle, and generates sufficient power per pelton wheel to drive a plant of six shearing machines and light the homestead with electricity. Those cases are quoted to show what might be done locally in such places as Queenstown and Cromwell, where abundant 'water-power is available in the way of supplying cheap power round the districts. So far as the farmer is concerned who is fortunate enough to have water-power going to waste, he will find the motive power derived from a fall of water to be the handiest and cheapest he can procure, and well worth considerable trouble and outlay to secure.