This information kit provides a description of the Hydro Power Contest and contains the rules and eligibility requirements.
To download a PDF version of this INFORMATION KIT, click here. You will need Adobe Reader to view and print the PDF file.
Contest Categories & Eligibility
The Contest is comprised of six categories, organized into
four divisions: Student, Pro, Open, and Walk-on. Winners of previous Contests are
eligible to compete in the Pro Division, but are ineligible to compete
in classes in which they've previously won first place.
Contestants may compete individually or as teams.
STUDENT DIVISION
To compete in this division, a contestant, including each individual comprising a team, must be either a pre-college
student or a regularly-enrolled full-time undergraduate or graduate student
at a college, university, or post-secondary technical school.
Students will be required to provide proof of enrollment at the time of declaring their intent to compete (see Rule #1) in order to be eligible to compete in the Student Division.
Contestants eligible for this division may compete in two classes:
Power Class --- Contestants entering this class must use one of
the supplied turbine wheels, with no modifications (see Rule #7). The contestant's
device must lift a weight of 3 kilograms.
Efficiency Class --- Contestants entering this class are not required
to use one of the supplied turbine wheels or a specific type of wheel. The contestant's device must
lift a weight of 3 kilograms.
PRO DIVISION
To compete in this division, a contestant must have won 1st,
2nd, or 3rd place in some class of competition in a previous Hydro
Power Contest. Contestants eligible for this division may compete
in one class:
Power Class --- Contestants entering this class are not required to
use one of the supplied turbine wheels, but must utilize a certain type of turbine wheel (see Rule #8). The contestant's device must lift a weight
of 3 kilograms.
OPEN DIVISION
This division is for all contestants not eligible for the Student
or Pro divisions. Contestants eligible for this division may compete in
two classes:
Power Class --- Contestants entering this class may use one of
the supplied turbine wheels, or may use a turbine wheel of their own design (see Rule #8). The contestant's device must lift a weight of 3 kilograms.
Efficiency Class --- Contestants entering this class are not required
to use a supplied turbine wheel or a specific type. The contestant's device must lift a weight
of 3 kilograms.
WALK-ON DIVISION
To compete in this division, a contestant must register with Contest staff at the annual competition and participate in person. Current-year contestants in other categories of competition are not eligible to enter this category. Contestants eligible for this division may compete
in one class:
Power Class --- Contestants entering this class are required to
use a turbine wheel and modular components provided at the Contest site and must follow rules for the Student Power Class of competition. The contestant's device must lift a weight
of 1 kilogram.
Contest Rules & Parameters
Note: These rules are subject to change. Individuals
or teams who have purchased a Turbine Kit will be notified of changes to these rules. Failure by contestants to comply with these
rules may result in disqualification of a contestant's device.
1) All individual contestants and teams shall submit a Declaration
of Intent to Compete to the Contest organizers no later
than June 1 and pay a non-refundable entry fee for each person entered in the Contest, whether competing as a team member or as an individual.
2) A contestant may submit a device for competition in any class
in any division for which it is eligible, but the same device may be entered
in only one class. Contestants must construct a separate device for each
category of competition which they enter. Contestants may enter only one device in a given category of competition. A contestant may submit a maximum of two devices
in any given year.
3) Each contestant must construct a mechanism to convert water power into
mechanical movement. During the competition in the Power Classes, each
contestant's water turbine-powered device will be tested to see which device
can succeed in producing the most mechanical power under competition conditions.
In the Efficiency Classes, each contestant's water turbine-powered device
will be tested to see which device can succeed in doing the work most efficiently
under competition conditions.
4) The measure of mechanical power produced will be the time, in seconds,
required for the contestant's device to lift a weight through a 4-meter vertical
height, starting at rest. Competition times will be recorded to the nearest tenth of a second.
The device in each power category in the Student, Pro, Open, and Walk-on divisions
with the fastest time will win its class of competition. In the event of
a tie, the most efficient device will win.
5) The measure of efficiency will be the amount of water, in liters, used
for the contestant's device to lift a weight through a 4-meter vertical height, starting at rest.
Time and flow rate will be continuously monitored and integrated to give
the volume of water used to lift the weight. The device that uses the least
amount of water will win its class of competition. In the Efficiency Classes,
devices must complete the work of lifting the weight through the 4-meter vertical
height in less than 2 minutes. In the event of a tie, the fastest time
will win.
6) Each individual or team that pays an order fee will receive a Turbine
Kit. Any parts of this Kit may be used. (See Figure 1 for supplied
components.) However, as a minimum, in the Power Class of the Student
Division, one of the supplied
turbine wheels must be used. Only one of the supplied turbine wheels
may be used for each device in this category.
7) No modifications may be made to the supplied turbine wheel
(other than removing molding marks and flashing) in the Power Class of
the Student Division. All other parts of the Turbine Kit may be eliminated or modified as
desired. Modification of the wheel will be judged as any change or alteration of the wheel itself which would prevent substitution of the wheel in the device, through simple mechanical disassembly and reassembly, by a wheel taken from the inventory of the Contest stock of components.
8) In the Open Division and Pro Division Power Classes, the requirement to use a supplied turbine
wheel is waived. However, the turbine wheel utilized must function as a cross-flow turbine. That is, water must enter and exit the wheel radially and/or tangentially and pass through a two-stage wheel. The water must traverse the rotating wheel near the axis of rotation between stages, first with inward flow, then with outward flow.
9) In the Efficiency Classes, the requirement to use a supplied turbine
wheel is waived. However, the motive force for performing the work of lifting
the weight must be developed using a water-driven turbine-type device. Either
impulse or reaction turbines may be used. If a reaction turbine is used the device may include a draft tube.
10) In each run, up to 30 liters of water will be allowed to flow, starting
at a 5-meter elevation above the control valve centerline, through a conduit
(a 1-inch ID (inside diameter) x 3.5-meter-long polyethylene tube) to
a magnetic-type flow meter. From the flow meter, the water will run through
another conduit (a 1-inch ID x 2.5-meter-long polyethylene tube) to
the control valve. From the control valve, the water will run through a hose pigtail (a 1-inch ID x 1-meter long polyethylene tube), and then to the contestant's device. The device, in
turn, will lift a weight vertically 4 meters. A sump beneath the testing
apparatus will collect water flowing out of the device. Figure 2 is a sketch
of the test stand.
11) All motive force produced by the contestant's device for lifting the
weight must come from the potential, pressure, and kinetic energy of the water that
flows through the device. No means of storing mechanical energy in the device or take-up
line prior to its operation by water will be allowed. No electrical or electronic items may be part of a contestant's
device.
12) The device may use shaft gears, pulleys, or other mechanisms attached
to the mounting board to convert the turbine power into mechanical movement.
However, no liquid lubricants (other than water) or greases may
be used in any part of the device. All bearings must be operated either dry or wetted only with water. No cleaning agents other than water may be applied to the device at any time.
Back to Top of Rules Page
13) The contestant's device shall be attached to a mounting board that
is 20 inches wide and 15 inches in height. The mounting board shall be a continuous board at least 1/4 inch thick and not more than 1/2 inch thick. The mounting
board shall have two, 1/2 inch holes drilled through it. The holes shall
be centered at a point 1-1/2 inches from the edges of the board nearest
the two upper corners. These holes will be used to display the turbine
on support brackets.
14) The device's mounting board will be affixed to mounting rails on the
test stand with clamps, furnished at the test location. Figure 2 illustrates where the mounting board fits on the test stand as viewed from the front of the test stand. The device must be constructed such that the upper edge of the mounting board is level and does not protrude above the test stand mounting rails when mounted for testing. When mounted on
the test stand, no part of the contestant's device --- with the exception
of the take-up line --- may extend beyond the edges of the mounting board.
15) No part of the contestant's device may protrude more than 1" from the back of the mounting board. No part of the contestant's device may protrude from the back of the mounting board within 2" of any edge. No part of the contestant's device may protrude more than 15" from the front of the mounting board.
16) The turbine shaft can be in any orientation on the mounting board, however, the turbine centerline must be located on the horizontal centerline of the mounting board.
When mounted for testing, the centerline of the wheel will be set equal to the elevation of the centerline of the test stand control
valve.
17) When mounted, the contestant's device will be connected to the
test apparatus with a hose pigtail (for supplying water to the contestant's
device) and through a fishing line connector (to connect the contestant's
take-up line to the weight lifting line that is attached to the weight).
The pigtail and fishing line connector will be furnished at the Contest location.
18) The contestant's device shall include a standard garden hose thread female
connector for connection to the male garden hose connector on the water
supply pigtail (see Figure 2). The device's inlet tube and female connector
shall be horizontal when the board is mounted on the test stand. The female connector shall end at the right edge of the mounting board when viewed from the front, its centerline shall be located within 1" of the mounting board's horizontal centerline, and its centerline shall be located within 2" of the back of the mounting board.
19) Each device must include a
motion translator (take-up) system, including a take-up line (fishing line or similar cord)
for connection to the weight lifting line. The take-up system must be mounted on the device such that the take-up line is not located within 6" of the left vertical edge of the mounting board. The contestant's take up line
must be at least 50 pound test and be at least 5 meters long (see Figure 2).
20) Each turbine device must be clearly identified on the front of the
mounting board with the contestant's name, school or company affiliation,
and competition category in letters that are at least 1/4 inch high.
21) During the competition, a contestant or representative should be present
to set up the device that is submitted for testing. If a contestant cannot
arrange for a representative to be present, Contest organizers will, upon
request, arrange for representation. (Please request shipping information.) If the contestant sends a turbine
to be set up by a representative, the contestant must provide a 1-page
set of set-up/operation instructions.
22) Each contestant or representative will be allowed 15 minutes on the
test apparatus. This includes setting up the device for testing, making
trial runs and adjustments, completing two competition runs, and removing
the device from the test stand. Contestants may not touch the device during
competition runs and must advise the judges regarding which runs are competition
runs before the run begins.
23) Modifications to the device between test and competition runs may be
made within the allotted competition time frame. Additionally, modifications
to the device between preliminary qualifying rounds and final competition rounds may be made.
However, these modifications must be minor adjustments, not design changes.
Before making these modifications, the contestant must obtain the prior
approval of a Contest judge. These changes must be made at the Contest
booth in the presence of a judge. Modifications which imitate design features included on competitors' devices but not originally included on the contestant's device may be judged unacceptable.
24) Modifications which are considered design changes shall be in the sole discretion of the Contest Judges. However, typical modificatins which have been considered acceptable in the past are: adjustments to device components where adjustment features were clearly part of the as-submitted device, or exchange of components on the device with components which were clearly intended to be substituted and which were brought to the competition as spare parts.
25) Devices, spare parts, and all materials which will be used to modify the condition of the devices shall be submitted at the Contest booth a minimum of two hours before the start of test stand trials. Devices shall remain at the Contest booth from the time of submittal, through test stand trials, the preliminary round
of competition, and the final round of competition, until the conclusion of all prize awards and photography sessions, at which time the devices will be retrieved by the contestants.
26) In the event that a contestant desires to bring to the Contest judges' attention a competitor's perceived rules infraction, the contestant must submit a written protest according to the Protetst Procedure explained at the initial orientation meeting.
27) At the option of Contest judges, devices are subject to impoundment
for examination for rule infractions. In the event of a dispute, judges'
decisions are final.
For more information, or if you have questions about the Contest rules
and parameters, contact:
Michael Coates, Contest Administrator
HANDS-ON! Projects
Tel./FAX: (508) 351-6023
e-mail: hands-on@rcn.com.
Back to Top of Rules Page
Technical Advisory Committee
The Contest rules and parameters were developed by the following
technical advisory committee members:
Notice: The turbine devices supplied to contestants for
use in this contest were manufactured by Advanced Air International and
may be protected by certain patents. The use of the devices by contest
participants for contest purposes does not convey to participants
any license or rights to Advanced Air's registered and pending patents.
12/03/05