User:Sawyertamai/sandbox/Tyson Turbines

The Tyson turbine is a cone shaped Water turbine used to harness the energy from rivers and streams and convert it to electrical energy. It was first developed by Warren Tyson, an engineer and farmer in Australia. The turbine is composed of blades which are attached to a rotor. The rotor is spun due to the flow of water which is then converted into electrical energy using the Drivetrain and Alternator. Because of its ease of use and cheap components, it is mainly used in third world countries to provide rural communities with electricity.

Early Development of the Tyson Turbine
The Tyson turbine was first invented and developed by Warren Tyson, a local farmer/engineer in the city of Wagga Wagga. In an attempt to move towards Drip irrigation, (using low amounts of water over a long period when farming), Mr. Tyson developed a turbine that would be able to efficiently pump water from a slow stream of water. His turbine was then later tested at University of New South Wales's water lab with the help of engineers from University of Sydney and University of Technology Sydney. The prototype that he developed was able to pump water at liters per second from a stream that flowed at 2 meters per second. Mr. Tyson and his team also requested a research grant from the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. After further research, engineers discovered that the turbine can be used to generate electricity as well.

Components and Functions
The Tyson turbine is composed of high solidity blades which are attached to a rotor. The drivetrain and the alternator are used to convert the kinetic energy from the flow of water to electrical energy.

Components:
For the Tyson turbine to function properly, the following components are necessary. A pontoon boat, a rotor that is 2 meters in diameter, and 7 high solidity (strong material) blades which are attached to the rotor. Additionally, a Drivetrain with 1:182 gear ratios, and a vehicle Alternator is required to convert the kinetic energy from the water to electrical energy. The gear ratio, is the ratio between the rotation of the driver gear, to the rotation of the driven gear. So 1:182 ratio means the driver gear has to rotate 182 times for the driven gear to rotate once.

Material:
Tyson turbines uses high solidity materials such as Fibre-reinforced plastic. High solidity materials are materials that are strong that can withstand outside forces which can potentially damage weak materials. These high solidity materials are usually composite which means they are composed of several parts and/or elements. The use for high solidity materials was to withstand the many possible factors that could cause damage to the turbine. These included debris, destructive flow of water during floods, corrosion, and Biofouling (build up of microorganisms and plants).

Functions:
The turbine is most frequently mounted on a Pontoon boat (a flat platform that floats on water). The turbine is then lowered to the middle of the stream where the Current (stream) is strongest and fastest. This is done so the turbine can experience the maximum amount of Kinetic energy from the water. There, the rotor is spun in a circular motion from the flow of the water. The rotation of the rotors goes through the alternator and drivetrain of the turbine (devices that convert kinetic energy from the rotor to Electrical energy) to create AC (Alternating current) and DC (Direct current) currents. When the alternator is replaced with a Hydraulic pump, it can extract water from the stream for agricultural purposes due to its ability to move/pump water to desired locations efficiently without using excess energy which can sometimes be expensive.

Field Tests and Comparison with Other Turbines
The ten month field test done on the Tyson turbine showed that the efficiency of the turbine in terms of coefficient of power was 0.17 at 1.6 meters per second water velocity. Compared to the low solidity turbine, the efficiency was proved to be lower majorly due to the gear ratio of the drivetrain being higher on the Tyson turbine.

Field Test Data of the Tyson Turbine:
Field trials were conducted in tropical countries to measure the performance and efficiency of the Tyson turbine. After the ten month field test, the data showed that the maximum value of the coefficient of power they achieved was 0.17 at 1.6m/s velocity. The coefficient of power is a constant value derived by the ratio of electrical energy produced divided by the power applied to the turbine through water. Coefficient of power can also be applicable in Wind turbines as well. The drivetrain efficiency was 74% and the alternator efficiency was 44%. The function of the drivetrain is to convert the rotational kinetic energy from the turbine into electrical energy to operate the generator while the alternator also creates electrical energy from the rotation of the turbine but in the format of AC (alternating current).

Coefficient of Power and Tip speed ratio:
The value of the coefficient of power for hydro turbines and wind turbines rely on the Tip-speed ratio. The tip speed ratio is the ratio between instantaneous speed of the turbine and the speed of the water or wind that is rotating the turbine. The maximum coefficient of power can be achieved when the tip speed ratio is at its optimum value. Ideally, the tip speed ratio needs to be maintained at a certain value for the turbine to operate at maximum efficiency to generate the most power.

Determining Value of Energy Produced:
The method to derive the power (in Watts) produced by the turbine is notated in the form

$$\Rho= 0.5\rho\Alpha\upsilon^3$$

where

- $$\rho$$ is the Density of the fluid in kg per meter cubed

- $$\Alpha$$ is the Area of the of the turbine in meters squared

- $$ \upsilon$$ is the Velocity of the fluid in meters per second

Comparison with Other Turbines:
Another turbine that was field tested was the low solidity turbine. The low solidity turbines are a type of turbine that consists of rotor blades that are less strong in terms of material compared to Tyson turbine blades. The turbine was tested similarly to the Tyson turbine and it consisted of 4 low solidity blades, a drivetrain with a 1:14 gear ratio. The data showed that the coefficient of power for this turbine was 32% with a tip speed ratio of 3.5 and water velocity of 1.1 meters per second. The study also shows the reasons as to why the low solidity turbine was more efficient which was due to a smaller drivetrain. The reduction of the Gear ratio from 1:182 to 1:14 also made a significant impact on the efficiency of the turbines as it increased the efficiency of the turbine by 19.5%.

Applications/Uses
Because of the Tyson turbine's ability to output electrical energy, the applications for this machine is very broad and can be used in many situations. However, many suggested to use these turbines in third world countries where electrical energy is difficult to generate. This is because the turbine itself is feasible to construct and the materials and components needed are generally cheap than other alternatives. Especially in locations with rivers, rural communities can take advantage of the Tyson turbine to generate electricity in a cost effective method. Additionally, the turbine showed applications in the country it was developed in as well (Australia). Australian farmers are starting to favor Drip irrigation which requires a slow consistent flow of water rather than short intensive pumping which often results in large amounts of water running off and being wasted.