Measuring Head
Head is water pressure, created by the difference in elevation between the intake of your pipeline and your water turbine. Head can be measured as vertical distance (feet or meters) or as pressure (pounds per square inch, newtons per square meter, etc. ). Regardless of the size of your stream, higher head will produce greater pressure_and therefore higher output_at the turbine.
An altimeter can be useful in estimating head for preliminary site evaluation, but should not be used for the final measurement. It is quite common for low-cost barometric altimeters to reflect errors of 150 feet (46 m) or more, even when calibrated. GPS altimeters are often even less accurate. Topographic maps can also be used to give you a very rough idea of the vertical drop along a section of a stream's course. But only two methods of head measurement are accurate enough for hydro system design_direct height measurement and water pressure.
Direct Height Measurement
To measure head, you can use a laser level, a surveyor's transit, a contractor's level on a tripod, or a sight level ("peashooter"). Direct measurement requires an assistant.
One method is to work downhill using a tall pole with graduated measurements. A measuring tape affixed to a 20-foot (6 m) section of PVC pipe works well. After each measurement, move the transit, or person with the sight level, to where the pole was, and begin again by moving the pole further downhill toward the generator site. Keep each transit or sight level setup exactly level, and make sure that the measuring pole is vertical. Take detailed notes of each measurement and the height of the level. Then, add up the series of measurements and subtract all of the level heights to find total head.
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