Ross Dam Micro Hydro Project

The Ross Dam and reservoir in Angels Camp needs a reliable power source for powering its SCADA system which monitors its water level and flow rate. Currently, the existing hydro power supply is very unreliable and needs to be replaced with a micro hydro generator system that can consistently produce power to charge the onsite batteries. This paper details the design and implementation of a micro hydro Pelton wheel replacement system designed by our senior project team.Outlined in this report is our design overview of the system and how our project will redesign and optimize the use of the onsite fluid power. Explained in this report is how our design will utilize the static pressure from the penstock by adding a static tap that will separate the flow and give us consistent fluid power. Also discussed in this paper is the engineering design of the Pelton wheel, its cups, the housing, and the generator, as well as how these critical components will interact with each other to optimize power production. Also explained throughout the report is the various design challenges that the team faced and how our final design adapted throughout the design and manufacturing process.Also discussed in this report, is the manufacturing details of the final product and how each of the critical components of our design were manufactured and assembled. In addition, the various challenges that we encountered specifically during the manufacturing process and how we had to redesign components for feasible manufacturing are highlighted. Once our project’s initial design had been completed, we emphasized testing our design to further optimize the Pelton wheel’s performance by varying the nozzle positions and directions. Also from our testing, we were able to briefly simulate scaled down flow conditions, and demonstrate our Pelton wheel’s ability to operate as intended and ultimately create electrical power.