Hydropower

Title: Diagram of a Victor Turbine
Type: Diagram
Date: no date
Source: Descriptive Catalogue

Description: The Pillsbury "A" Mill used this turbine to harness water power in the late 1800s.

Activities:

1. This machine replaced the older, less efficient water wheels. What features on it are similar to ones found on water wheels?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The blades circling the upper half of the lower tank like part are related to the blades that formed the bucket-like parts around the edge ofthe water wheel.
2. What might be the purpose of the rod sticking out of the top of the turbine?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The rod is the same as the shaft that was turned by the water wheel. Here the shaft will be spun by the wheel on its side.
3. Can you tell from this source how large the turbine is?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: No, there's no way to tell from this page, although the text at the bottom says you can look at page 20 to find the turbine's dimensions—its size. The source must have come from a booklet or catalog.
4. The turbine seems to turn side to side where a water wheel turns from high to low. Does this mean the turbine is shown on its side on the page?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Maybe, but not necessarily. We can't tell from this source how the turbine is used, so we would need to look further to answer that question.