Thesis: Modern Uses of Hydro power

Sample Thesis Paper

Many of the modern ways of harnessing hydro power are extensions of original ideas that have existed for hundreds of years. One of the oldest methods is by machinery known as the trompe. The trompe has been used by individuals to create an inexhaustible source of air since the Iron Age. Many of them were built during the turn of the century to supply mines with fresh air, though it is not as widely used now, many engineers still consider it a viable method to harness hydro energy. The hydraulic ram is another method which utilizes the water Hammer effect to increase the pressure of the water where there is a low source of hydro kinetic energy. It is used commercially to aid in the extraction of vehicle crash victims and also in hydraulic cylinders which has applications in engineering vehicles and allows them to do linear motions. It is also widely used in developing nations to improve conditions in remote areas with a low water source (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association, 2003).
Another method which is discussed above is the water wheel. The Water Wheel is still used in several mills in the United Kingdom to grind corn and also to pump water from mines.  The concept of the water wheel has evolved into the rotary engine which can further harness hydro power to create electricity. This engine is known as a water turbine. The uses of the water turbine lead to the creation of hydro-electric power stations. Today there power stations usually come in two forms dammed and dam less of which the dammed versions are the most common.   Hydroelectricity was originally used to generate electricity to make light and power for paper mills and houses. There are many hydropower stations around the world supplying 20% of the world’s power by hydro energy (A. Darvill 2008).
Other ways in which hydro power has been harnessed includes the use of tidal power which is powered by the kinetic energy of water movement in much the same way as wind turbines are powered by wind. In 2008 the Portuguese government open the first wave power station three miles off the coast of Agucadoura, near Portio. Wave power is not a new concept but has not been thought to be a feasible energy source until recently. Wave power uses Pelamis wave energy converters to generate electricity by harnessing the power of waves as they pass along them (Jha, 2008). Similar to this is the use of Tidal energy which is made by Tidal generators. Tidal generators are turbines which are placed in area with high tidal activity and are designed to capture the kinetic motion of ocean tides (Alternative Energy News.info, 2008). Another innovative approach to harnessing this energy is one where the energy which flows in water currents is extracted by the use of Vortex Induced Vibrations Aquatic Clean Energy or VIVACE. Vivace is a relatively new technology which creates vortexes through vibrations in water and uses the subsequent kinetic energy discharge to generate electricity (VIVACE (Vortex Induced Vibrations Aquatic Clean Energy), 2007).

Many of the modern ways of harnessing hydro power are extensions of original ideas that have existed for hundreds of years. One of the oldest methods is by machinery known as the trompe. The trompe has been used by individuals to create an inexhaustible source of air since the Iron Age. Many of them were built during the turn of the century to supply mines with fresh air, though it is not as widely used now, many engineers still consider it a viable method to harness hydro energy. The hydraulic ram is another method which utilizes the water Hammer effect to increase the pressure of the water where there is a low source of hydro kinetic energy. It is used commercially to aid in the extraction of vehicle crash victims and also in hydraulic cylinders which has applications in engineering vehicles and allows them to do linear motions. It is also widely used in developing nations to improve conditions in remote areas with a low water source (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association, 2003).  Another method which is discussed above is the water wheel. The Water Wheel is still used in several mills in the United Kingdom to grind corn and also to pump water from mines.  The concept of the water wheel has evolved into the rotary engine which can further harness hydro power to create electricity. This engine is known as a water turbine. The uses of the water turbine lead to the creation of hydro-electric power stations. Today there power stations usually come in two forms dammed and dam less of which the dammed versions are the most common.   Hydroelectricity was originally used to generate electricity to make light and power for paper mills and houses. There are many hydropower stations around the world supplying 20% of the world’s power by hydro energy (A. Darvill 2008).Other ways in which hydro power has been harnessed includes the use of tidal power which is powered by the kinetic energy of water movement in much the same way as wind turbines are powered by wind. In 2008 the Portuguese government open the first wave power station three miles off the coast of Agucadoura, near Portio. Wave power is not a new concept but has not been thought to be a feasible energy source until recently. Wave power uses Pelamis wave energy converters to generate electricity by harnessing the power of waves as they pass along them (Jha, 2008). Similar to this is the use of Tidal energy which is made by Tidal generators. Tidal generators are turbines which are placed in area with high tidal activity and are designed to capture the kinetic motion of ocean tides (Alternative Energy News.info, 2008). Another innovative approach to harnessing this energy is one where the energy which flows in water currents is extracted by the use of Vortex Induced Vibrations Aquatic Clean Energy or VIVACE. Vivace is a relatively new technology which creates vortexes through vibrations in water and uses the subsequent kinetic energy discharge to generate electricity (VIVACE (Vortex Induced Vibrations Aquatic Clean Energy), 2007).

Please order custom thesis paper, dissertation, term paper, research paper, essay, book report, case study from the Order Now page.