Hydroelectric System (Turbine, Generator Housing, Enclosure) for NEMA 11 Stepper Motor

thingiverse

My goal was to create a vertical hydroelectric turbine/generator system that could drive a standard stepper motor without requiring extra bearings or additional components. The hydroelectric system would be placed in an area with a consistent flow of water but not a high head of pressure. A key requirement is that the water enters the turbine evenly, hitting all blades at the same time in equal quantities to avoid unevenly loading the shaft and bearings inside the motor. This will need careful consideration when placing it in a real-world situation. I took the propeller by dreyfusduke and modified it to include a cavity for a NEMA 11 stepper motor, along with the housing I designed. I also added a skirt at the bottom of the propeller to allow water to pass over the motor mounting bracket and clear the electronics from the spinning turbine core. It's essential to ensure that the motor electronics and wiring are out of reach of the moving water, although I believe they will be safe with this design. M2.5 bolts are used to attach the stepper motor to the housing, while M3 bolts secure the housing to the enclosure. I recommend using an XL6009 buck/boost converter to boost the voltage up to a suitable level for your application. While a Nema 17 motor would be ideal inside this design, its larger size makes it challenging to fit within most 3D printers. However, a Nema 17 motor would make more sense as a generator, so feel free to modify the design if you have the expertise. I'm still waiting to print and test the system, but without access to a suitable water stream, I may not be able to do it anytime soon. If anyone decides to print and test this design, please share your results with me.