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valerian
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Registration Date: 04.01.2010
Posts: 1
Herkunft / Country: Romania
System Design - Lower head, MPPT Battery charging Reply to this Post Post Reply with Quote Edit/Delete Posts Report Post to a Moderator       Go to the top of this page
I currently have a 24V battery solar system and I was thinking to add a hydro generator to provide me some reliable extra power.
I have a site which provides me enough water flow for a MHG-500LH but not enough head. I'm considering building a dam but still the maximum head that I can achieve without affecting significantly the upstream neighbors is around 1m.

Since the head that I can possibly achieve is way lower than what the datasheet is asking for, I'm raising the question if I can still use the MHG-500LH generator to charge the battery bank that I have. I'm assuming that the voltage/power/water flow of the hydro generator has a relatively linear variation with the head (down to 1m head at least) so it should work also for lower heads with diminished capacity. If this is correct then by reducing the head with 33% the voltage/power/water flow should be reduced by 33%. If my assumption is incorrect maybe another runner will solve the lower head issue. I have no experience with hydro so I'm not sure if this is possible.

I was thinking to use the 110V generator with the hydro controller that comes with it to ensure that the system never runs without a load. I'm not sure how this controller works but I'm just assuming is providing a load to the system such that the voltage does not go above the adjusted value. Tap in before the hydro controller and connect a bridge rectifier that is fed into the Outback FX-60 charge controller. The input of the charge controller comes with some large capacitors to aid in eliminating the reactive effect of the coil of the DC converter. I can install some extra capacitors if needed. Maybe also install some cooling fan on the generator if it is supported.

If the above assumptions are correct then the maximum power that I would get should be around 335W with a nominal voltage around 75Vac. This value should not be a problem for the Outback charge controller, which is capable to handle an input of up to 145Vdc/40A and up to 60A output. To prevent an over voltage at the input of the Outback controller when the battery bank is charged, adjust the value of the hydro controller to 90Vac (I hope it support this otherwise will have to be modified to extend its limits).

I currently use this Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charge controller for solar panels and is quite good to get the maximum power out of the solar panels. Since it works very well with solar panels I guess it should also perform well in getting the maximum power from the hydro generator. Actually, if I remember correctly, the manual makes some notes that it can be used for hydro systems.

I would appreciate if some one could go over this design and comment on it.

Thanks,
Valerian

This post has been edited 3 time(s), it was last edited by valerian: 04.01.2010 17:13.
04.01.2010 09:34 valerian is offline Send an Email to valerian Search for Posts by valerian Add valerian to your Buddy List
Simon Simon is a male
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Registration Date: 02.04.2007
Posts: 110
Herkunft / Country: Germany
RE: System Design - Lower head, MPPT Battery charging Reply to this Post Post Reply with Quote Edit/Delete Posts Report Post to a Moderator       Go to the top of this page
Hello Valerian

Normally, the minimum useable head of the MHG-500LH is around 1,2m. On this point of operation, the unit will deliver around 250W electrical power. I think with a head of only 1m, maybe the unit will produce 200W maximum.

Function of the controller: Is tries to keep the voltage stable at 230V. If there is no load connected, the controller will divert load to a dump load, to keep the voltage stable and prevent a overturnig of the turbine system.

For battery charging systems, the MHG-500LH should be air cooled. For this, we offer a fan kit that fits to the unit.

Don´t use MPPT controller. This will not work. Use a simple Xantrex C40 or MS TriStar 45 controller.

Regards

Simon

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