Gravitation water vortex power plant

Description

The design ensued from years of observation and experiments around water treatment close to nature in his own pond. What technical jargon calls a gravitation water vortex power plant serving as a bioreactor puzzles even the experts. While the turbine purifies flowing water and creates an ideal ecological environment for fish and small animals, it simultaneously produces clean power even at locations with little fall height, in ecologically sensitive flowing water ways or in water treatment plants. From small to large, the output ranges from several kW to 150kW. As an eco-power generating fish ladder and an interesting residual water dosing module, even without additional fish ladders the turbine fulfills the EU Water Framework Directive, which requires that the new power plant construction cannot cause a deterioration of water quality. In its first year of operation the Zotlöterer turbine supplied 14 Austrian households with electricity. The plant feeds into the public grid and can be viewed on the Mühlbach in Obergrafendorf (10km southwest of St. Pölten in Austria), accessible via the public Pielachtal bike trail.

Supporting tools

Innovative aspects (enviromental, social, economic)

With the prototype of an innovative water turbine, in 2009 Franz Zotlöterer created an internationally recognized, multifunctional technology.

Advantages

• The GWVPP is a new bioreactor which generates water plants, microbe, fishes and green electricity
• The GWVPP cleans rivers since water gets aerated and is led through a fine structure of water plants.
• The GWVPP uses the Zotlöterer-turbine - worldwide the first turbine which is powered by water, is low pressure operated in an open hydraulic system and which enables an aeration of the water on a long spiral way naturally
• and effectual for the creatures in the water.
• The GWVPP allows microbes and fishes to migrate upstream and downsteam (the worldwide first fish pass which produces electric energy).
• The GWVPP does not need a bearing system under water and therefore is specially suitable for water with sand particles and agressive fluids (waste water).
• The GWVPP is a technique with a high lifetime.

Constraints

The GWVPP is suitable for low head from 0,5 up to about 2m at a flow rate from 0,05 up to about 20m³/s.