Welcome

Today, the modern world is sustained by energy, without electricity and other forms of energy such as heat and motive power, often produced by dwindling supplies of fossil fuels, society would be crippled.

The Hales Turbine is a means of combining the simple and proven designs of the past with modern materials and technology of today to produce clean, unlimited, renewable energy. Water powered grist mills were a common device in the middle east 2,000 years ago where they were used to grind corn. Powered by low velocity water flows, rivers and streams were used to drive horizontal wheels but were limited by the lack of bearings and fixings. These early models were surpassed by the more efficient undershot and overshot horizontal water wheels, many examples of which can still be found today.

The Hales Turbine is a modern form of the early horizontal design.

What is the Hales Turbine ?

There are four basic tidal stream turbine design groups to date that operate in the tidal stream and can be located anywhere, rather than the large barrier system which involves damming a large area of water and passing the captured water through special bulb type turbines.

Horizontal axis propeller types, the standard wind turbine but adapted for water. Also the new Open Hydro design.

Vertical Axis Darrius Turbine types that use foils and blades, often with complicated pitch controls to improve performance, often called through flow turbines.

Oscillators, these use a flat or fin shaped blade often shaped resembling a fish tail but with the water flow pushing the blade from side to side.

Side Drive Turbines, which would include Savonius type turbines and of course the old fashion waterwheel, which is not technically classed as a turbine because the blades are not fuly immersed. The Hales Turbine, also a Side Drive Turbine takes the best attributes of the water wheel design and adds modern engineering practice and materials to produce a powerful but simple design that works.