A Variable-Speed Micro-Hydro Turbine by Wells Hydro, LLC

Long before Francis, Pelton, and Kaplan invented our modern-day turbines, Fourneyron was the one who came up with the idea to build up water pressure using penstocks and an enclosed turbine, rather than an open water wheel. It was Fourneyron's mentor that coined the term "turbine". Although it was his idea that made modern-day turbines possible, the name Fourneyron was largely forgotten as his turbines were replaced by higher efficiency Francis turbines. The naming of our turbine pays tribute to the man who kick-started this industry.

"Net-metering" -- producing your own electricity and selling what's left into the grid -- is an excellent way to recover energy and reduce operating costs. While the style of our turbine runner is brand new, patent-pending,  state-of-the-art technology at high efficiency, the power output in kilowatts is comparable to Fourneyron's first turbines, which output 50 to 60 hp. This output happens to be close to the power available at many pressure-reducing valve (PRV) installations at existing water treatment plants (WTP) and in municipal water systems. 

 Three new patents are coming together to create a micro-hydro turbine system that will finally exceed 80% overall system efficiency over a wide range of head and flow, at an affordable price - something that still hasn't been accomplished almost 200 years after Fourneyron's idea. While large hydropower turbines normally exceed 90% efficiency, pump-as-turbine (PAT) systems are still used for energy recovery at existing PRV installations, with peak efficiencies of 70% and capacity factors of 50% or less. The Fourneyron 5G seeks to change that.