Green Building Forum - what's the best way to use this small river ? Sun, 31 May 2026 04:45:59 +0100 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.0.3 what's the best way to use this small river ? https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2273&Focus=30031#Comment_30031 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2273&Focus=30031#Comment_30031 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:29:10 +0100 TheDoctor what's the best way to use this small river ? https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2273&Focus=30075#Comment_30075 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2273&Focus=30075#Comment_30075 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:16:42 +0100 pahuk In this particular case, they came to us seeing the application for other work with the Local Authority.
Does anyone know, when the EA need to know, as I have found if you ask, they say yes to everything and you can't do what you want to.]]> what's the best way to use this small river ? https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2273&Focus=30529#Comment_30529 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2273&Focus=30529#Comment_30529 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:44:21 +0100 chocolatepixie
They can be designed to be almost invisible, and are in use on some National Trust properties.

The guy who does these in the UK is the guy behind the restoration of Howsham Mill as a renewable energy centre

http://www.rht.greenisp.org/HowshamMill.htm

Click on the presentation button for pictures of the Archimedes screw (on pages 15 and 16)

and there's a brief article about them here:

http://www.forumforthefuture.org/greenfutures/articles/tamingofthescrew]]> what's the best way to use this small river ? https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2273&Focus=30543#Comment_30543 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2273&Focus=30543#Comment_30543 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:03:57 +0100 fostertom
Given an upstream extract point from the river, and a downstream discharge point, a water wheel or archimedes screw must waste some or most of the precious available head, because the incoming and outgoing channels must slope. Even if it's piped not channelled, none of that head wasted on just moving the water is available to generate power, because neither wheel nor screw is capable of using over-pressure in the delivery pipe nor suction in the discharge pipe. Both are pure gravity machines, 'seeing' only the head difference between their own highest and lowest point. Whereas a turbine 'sees' the whole head from the top end of the delivery pipe to the bottom end of the discharge pipe, and can also 'see' the velocity/momentum of the water in the pipe.

The exception to this would be installation beside a waterfall, so the delivery and discharge channels/pipes would be of negligible length and fall.]]>