micro hydro load controller

this altenator is it permanent magnet (like recyclesd smart-drive motor) or electromagnet (like automotice altenator) based?

seems kind of ass-backwards to me unless he's planning on modifying the charge controller.

ideally you'd want to turn the water off.

otherwise if you disconnect the altenator's output from no current will flow and it won't heat up.

it really depends on the altenator they have.

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Bye.
   Jasen

Best place for advice on this stuff:

My thought: hydro might not need a dump load because you don't have to worry about the hydro overspinning and destroying itself the way a windmill would. But take the foregoing with a grain of salt and get some advice from the more experienced.

: andy baxter wrote: : - you need to have some way of shunting power to a dump load when the : batteries are fully charged and no current is being drawn, otherwise the : alternator may burn out.

Most often the alternator field potential is reduced in better systems. Otherwise after battery equalizing (in better built systems) a shunt type load diverter is used. Often you can use the extra power to move vent air and heat or cool a building.

: - The charger is as far as can tell (I may be wrong here though) : a standard linear regulator, which I am not sure is suitable for this kind : of application where the input voltage may be variable. I would have : thought that a switch mode regulator would be more suitable, as these can : deal with a wider range of input voltages. I think this is not so much an : issue as with wind power, since the speed of the turbine and hence the : output voltage is probably fairly constant, so should be tunable to : whatever voltage is required.

All depends on the potentials you're working with. If you're using lower dc voltages to the battery bank... simply use one of the modern solar charge controllers like something built by Trace (now Xantrex or something like the Xantrex name).

: Do either of these things matter as much as I thought, or am I being too : cautious?

Yes, if you want the system to work properly and last more than a few months.

: Any advice appreciated, particularly from anyone who has any practical : experience with micro hydro or windpower electrics.

I do both all the time but don't often get on this group anymore. You can contact me direct through the below web page email contact icon and I'll try to provide help as time allows.

cheers, skipp

Thanks - I've reposted this there.

I'm also not sure why people say you need a dump load. What I'm thinking is if you have an alternator which generates its own power for the field coils, then if it overspins the voltage on these coils could rise too high, increasing the current to the point where they burn out. Is that the problem or is it something else (mechanical failure?)

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remove \'n-u-l-l\' to email me.

That makes no sense unless the alternator can be overspun by the turbine - very unlikely. If it's an auto alternator it's designed for a wide range of speeds.