Your Waterwheel Solution

Water Turbine Types

There are two types of water turbines; Impulse and Reaction. The best way to understand the basic difference between impulse and reaction is to imagine yourself on roller skates and someone turned a fire hose on you. Your movement under this condition would be "impulse" Now suppose that you were handed the fire hose. Your movement under this condition would be "reaction" The Pelton, Turgo, crossflow and Kaplan are impulse turbines, deriving their power from turning, slowing or stopping the flow of water striking their blades. The Francis, Leffel; and Fourneyron are reaction turbines, deriving their power from the equal and opposite reactive force of the water passing between their blades.

Early Greek Turbine

 
Reaction
 
 
 
Impulse
 
   
     

Early French Turbine

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