Water Wheels (PA Technology)

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Last modified by Franz Schreier on 2014-12-15. This is a wiki so please feel free to update information by clicking on "Edit with form". | Printable version

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Name of technology example:		Type
Water Wheels		☐ Energy Efficiency ☑ Renewable Energy ☐ Alternative Methodology

Description	A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface. Most commonly, the wheel is mounted vertically on a horizontal axle, but the tub or Norse wheel is mounted horizontally on a vertical shaft. Vertical wheels can transmit power either through the axle or via a ring gear and typically drive belts or gears; horizontal wheels usually directly drive their load. Water wheels were still in commercial use well into the 20th century, but they are no longer in common use. Prior uses of water wheels include milling flour in gristmills and grinding wood into pulp for papermaking, but other uses include hammering wrought iron, machining, ore crushing and pounding fiber for use in the manufacture of cloth. Some water wheels are fed by water from a mill pond, which is formed when a flowing stream is dammed. A channel for the water flowing to or from a water wheel is called a mill race (also spelled millrace) or simply a ""race"", and is customarily divided into sections. The race bringing water from the mill pond to the water wheel is a headrace; the one carrying water after it has left the wheel is commonly referred to as a tailrace. John Smeaton's scientific investigation of the water wheel led to significant increases in efficiency in the mid to late 18th century and supplying much needed power for the Industrial Revolution. Water wheels began being displaced by the smaller, less expensive and more efficient turbine developed by Benoît Fourneyron, beginning with his first model in 1827. Turbines are capable of handling high heads, or elevations, that exceed the capability of practical sized waterwheels. The main difficulty of water wheels is their dependence on flowing water, which limits where they can be located. Modern hydroelectric dams can be viewed as the descendants of the water wheel as they too take advantage of the movement of water downhill. They use a turbine instead of a wheel though. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_wheel
Technology for the Application of	☐ Solar ☐ Biomass ☐ Biofuel ☐ Biogas ☐ Wind ☐ Geo-Thermal ☑ Hydro ☐ Energy Efficiency ☐ Other: /
Primarily Relevant for the following Agricultural Value Chain Steps	☐ Mechanization ☐ Efficiency of Operation ☐ Processing ☐ Transportation ☐ Controlled Atmosphere ☐ Controlled Temperature ☐ Mechanical Sorting ☐ Preservation ☑ Other: All value chain steps with electrical power demand
Primarily Relevant for the following Agricultural Value Chain Activities	☐ Grinding ☐ Hauling and conveying ☐ Sorting ☐ Seedbed Preparation ☐ Milling ☐ Tearing ☐ Planting ☐ Washing ☐ Mixing ☐ Pumping ☐ Heating ☐ Drying ☐ Irrigation ☐ Cooling ☐ Animal feeding ☐ Fertilizing ☐ Venting ☐ Animal health and Welfare ☐ Pest Management ☐ Lighting ☐ Packing and branding ☐ Cutting ☐ Sanitation ☑ Other: All value chain activities with electrical power demand
Primarily Implemented in the following Commodity Groups	☐ Cereals ☐ Fruits and vegetables ☐ Nuts and berries ☐ Forage ☐ Dairy products ☐ Meat products ☐ Oil Seeds ☐ Roots and Tubers ☐ Eggs ☐ Pulses ☐ Fiber Crops ☐ Forestry ☐ Sugars ☐ Stimulants ☐ Spices ☑ Other: All commodity groups with electrical power demand
Region & Country of Development	N/A ☐ Africa ☐ South Asia ☐ East Asia & The Pacific ☐ Europe & Central Asia ☐ Latin America & The Caribbean ☐ Middle East & North Africa ☐ North America ☑ N/A: Region of development cannot be named
Region & Country of Current Deployment	None ☐ Africa ☐ South Asia ☐ East Asia & The Pacific ☐ Europe & Central Asia ☐ Latin America & The Caribbean ☐ Middle East & North Africa ☐ North America ☐ N/A: /
Region & Country of Potential Deployment	None ☐ Africa ☐ South Asia ☐ East Asia & The Pacific ☐ Europe & Central Asia ☐ Latin America & The Caribbean ☐ Middle East & North Africa ☐ North America ☐ N/A: /
Manufacturers	http://waterwheelfactory.com/
Economics
Technology Development Level
Required Maintenance Technical Level
Required Infrastructure for Deployment
Required Resources during manufacture
Required Resources during operation
Deployment Level
Deployment Capability and Potential
Requirements for Deployment
Relevance for Autonomy and Food Security
Environment Impacts (emissions)
Conformity with Bio- Cybernetic System Rules
Additional information / Comments	No comments.
Internal Reference
Additional Links	http://www.waterwheelfactory.com/hp-table.htm http://permaculturewest.org.au/ipc6/ch08/shannon/index.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNLc5r3R8sc http://www.top-alternative-energy-sources.com/water-wheel.html

"Renewable Energy," is not in the list (Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Alternative Methodology) of allowed values for the "PAT Type" property.