Dam!+It's+Tall!+(Inquiry+Lab)

= **//__Dam, That's Tall!__//**  =

=By Pedro Munoz= =**//__Problem Statement__//**: The effect of reservoir height on hydroelectric power production=

=**//__Background__//**:= Hydroelectricity has been one of the oldest and has still been one of the most popular ways of generating electricity today. Hydroelectricity is one of the most important forms of getting electricity by converting a renewable energy source, water, into electricity. Yet hydroelectricity helps the environment by using water as a resource, only about 7% of the total amount of power created in the United States is used. Hydroelectricity is important because of its advantages, for example, hydroelectricity is very renewable and it causes little pollution to the environment around it. However, as useful it may be, it still has its disadvantages, for instance, it is costly to build, it has the capability of causing inundations, and it can also affect the habitats of native species of animals

Hydroelectricity is created by flowing water so if a stream that flows at a fast speed may create enough pressure to allow the turbines in the dam to begin spinning; to create more pressure, the dam stores the water in a reservoir, blocking the normal flow of a river, at a height so gravity can do all the work making the water flow downwards into a penstock, or a passageway leading to the turbine, creating more pressure to push the turbine. The turbine is connected to a power generated which contains large magnets that rotate creating a new current which is then sent into a transformer connected to power lines which sends the electricity to different areas. So more water pressure equals higher production of electricity because such high pressure causes the turbine to spin at much higher speeds. This means, the higher a reservoir is placed above a dam, greater amounts of gravity will act upon the flowing stream thus making the water flow past the turbine at high speed causing higher amounts of pressure than just placing it regularly at the height of the dam

Reservoirs are artificially created lakes from a dam. Reservoirs are usually created from blocked river ways of the construction of a dam or the possible excavation in the ground and the addition of water. Reservoirs are above the dam because they are what used to produce the electricity. Gravity causes the water to move downward into a penstock. So height of the reservoir may possibly affect the creation of hydroelectricity. If the height of the reservoir is low, then there is the possibility of creating less pressure amount of pressure than if the reservoir were to be higher. With a higher reservoir, there would be more gravity causing more force downward into the penstock and if there is more force pushed onto the water, it would make it gain more speed to be able to create more water pressure to move the turbine.

So in a reservoir, the height affects the hydroelectric production meaning that if different reservoirs were placed at different elevations, such as a standard elevation to lower and then higher elevation, there would be significant differences in hydroelectric production speed seen. But different objects may possibly affect whether or not this may be possibly seen such as the environment must be the same. Environments such as smooth areas may have a better possibility of easier flowing water than one with a lot of debris. Other things such as the type of water and same type of dam (milk jugs) may affect how the movement of water may be done. Since the reservoirs in the experiment will be placed at different elevations, some variables will be kept constant in order to prevent the flowing water from being affected in any sort of way. First, the environment must be kept the same in order not to affect the directional flow of the river because specific terrain can affect the speed at which the stream flows: such as the milk jug being tilted to a side more than another. Second, the water must be kept the same and third, the dam must also be kept the same.

=**//__Hypothesis__//**: If the reservoir height is higher then the amount of hydroelectric production would increase.=

=**//__Materials__//**:= =**//__Procedures__//**:= - Make the first in the center 3.5 inches from the bottom - Make the second 1 inch to the left of the center and 1 inch from the bottom - The last is 1 inch to the right of the center and 6 inches up from the bottom
 * Tape measure
 * Plastic milk jug
 * Ruler
 * 1-inch nail
 * Duct tape
 * 3 objects of required sizes
 * Timer
 * Water
 * Graduated Cylinder
 * 1) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Rinse the milk jug so there is nothing affecting the experiment
 * 2) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Use a ruler and a marker to mark where to punch holes with the nail
 * 1) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Puncture each mark with the nail
 * 2) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Cover the diagonal holes with a strip of duct tape, cover tightly
 * 3) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Place the milk jug on an area 10cm, 20cm, then 30cm above ground level.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Fill the jug with 4000 mL with the graduated cylinder
 * 5) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Place tape measure under area where the water will fall
 * 6) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Remove duct tape one hole at a time and determine where water is coming out of the holes and allow water to flow for 1 min.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Record distance where water lands for each hole at each reservoir height.
 * 8) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;"> Repeat step 6 several times at different heights

=__//**<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Constants: **//__=
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Plastic milk jug
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Tape Measure
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Amount of water
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Time water was flowing

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 * //__Cited__//**: []