Red Sea STEM School

2nd Semester
2024/2025
Group Number: 16104
Group Members:
Moamen Mohamed
[email protected]
Joseph Abdelmaseh
[email protected]
Youssef Islam
[email protected]
Ali Lotfy
[email protected]
Ammar Ahmed
[email protected]

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 Abstract:
With the rapid development of our world, the demand for electricity
generation and power is on the rise at a record-breaking rate. Along
with this, it is only natural that certain obstacles will be encountered.
Egypt has encountered merely a few of them, including the attempt
to boost the use of alternative energy and reduce the effects of climate
change. In addition, a growing population of the nation places
further strain on energy consumption, making storage harder.
Therefore, population growth and the use of non-renewable
resources threaten climatic stability. The objective of this study is to
promote the use of alternative energy and mitigate climate change by
designing a water turbine that generates electricity using
hydropower. The model is designed to be silent when operating, so it
will not disturb students but to give clean energy for use in
illuminating the school. This smart project aims to reduce the
utilization of non-renewable sources of energy and reduce climate
change. This innovative project aims to reduce the utilization of non-
renewable sources of energy and limit climate change by encouraging
sustainable means of electricity generation using Pumped Hydro
Storage (PHS). The project involves a top water reservoir, a lower
tank, and a Pelton turbine for electricity generation. A water pump
system distributes water between the tanks in order to sustain the
cycle. The project was planned to satisfy important specifications:
producing a minimum of 40 joules, functioning within 5 minutes, and
containing the volume below 0.5 m³. Experimental results proved
that the system achieved all standards and effectively produced
electricity. This prototype offers a practical solution to climate
problems, supports sustainable energy development, and responds to
increasing demands driven by population growth.

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 Introduction:
Egypt is faced with a huge number of challenges that have to be
addressed due to the massive effect they have on society and nature.
Some of them are that there has to be a switch to clean energy, such
as wind and solar, over traditional fossil fuel, which has been the king
in the energy sector. Another important task is to manage the impact
of high population growth, socio-economically and ecologically. The
need to improve access to science and technology so that all segments
of society can benefit from progress and innovation is also increasing.
Another priority area is minimizing the effects of climate change,
which poses a threat to the long-term development of the nation.
Although there has been growth, Egypt remains fossil fuel-reliant,
which supplied some 94.3% of its total primary energy use
throughout 2023, only 5.7% of which consisted of renewables (as
shown by Graph 1). The Aswan High Dam in Egypt is a big project
that uses waterpower to make electricity. It's perfect as it helps Egypt
use various types of energy that are eco-friendly.
But as the dams have advantages, they have disadvantages too, like
displacing a significant number of people, and it’s very expensive to
build and maintain. Now, we can present our project, “Electric
Flow” which is pumped hydro storage (PHS). We chose pumped
hydro storage (PHS) for several reasons. PHS has a high efficiency,
with rates of 70% to 85%, which means that most of the energy
used to pump water up can be recovered when it is released.
They're also more compact and suitable for smaller spaces, such as
urban areas. Their maintenance is simpler too. Also, it has a Long
operational lifespan which can last for decades. Overall, these
advantages make PHS a better fit for our project’s goals. The
prototype was made according to design requirements (low cost /
Eco-friendly / high efficiency).

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 Primary energy consumption by source in Egypt 2023
Src. Energy Institute
1.3% 3.7%

38%
55%

Natural Gas Oil Coal Renewable

Graph (1): Primary energy consumption by source in Egypt 2023

The prototype was tested. Our design has proved to be successful in
achieving our objectives. In fact, the most recent prototype worked
very well and generated 0.639 watts in 5 minutes. Our solution is
unique in that not only is it cheap for the power generated, but it also
reduces damage to the environment. Most importantly, it's a feasible
fit for Egypt's unique conditions and everyday needs. And among the
laws that help us in our project is Bernoulli's law. To design the water
inlet, we can calculate the speed at which the water will flow based
on the height of your water source and pressure. And helping us
choose the right turbine position for optimal pressure and velocity.

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 Materials & Methods
Materials:
Name Source Cost Image

Pelton FAB Lab 0 LE

Wheel
Turbine

CPVC FAB Lab 0 LE

Pipes

Valve Plumbing 40 LE
Shop

Bearing Mechanic 10 LE
Wheel Store

DC Makers 100 LE
Motor Electronics

Cement Plumbing 25 LE
Shop

Wires FAB Lab 0 LE

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 Lithium Old 0 LE
Battery Prototype
and
Battery
Holder

Total 175 LE

Methods:
Our prototype is divided into three main sections to clarify its
structure and function:
1. Preparation:
❑ A 3D design was created for the turbine using Autodesk Fusion
as shown in Figure (1)

Figure (1): 3D Design of Pelton Wheel Turbine

❑ We printed two gears using a 3D printer in the Fab lab, the ratio
between their tooth numbers is 1:4, then the big gear was
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 installed at the runner's axis of the turbine and the small gear at
the generator.
2. Base Structure:
❑ The base was built using 1-inch CPVC pipes. Two pipes were cut
to
65cm and another two to 45 cm, then connected using four
elbows to
form a rectangular frame. Each 45 cm pipe was cut in half, and
a tee joint was inserted at the center to serve as connection points
for the upper sections. All joints were bonded with CPVC
cement to ensure strength and water resistance.
3. Hydraulic Ram Pump:
❑ Tee joints were added on both the right and left sides of the base,
connected with 10 cm 1-inch pipes. From each tee’s outer side, a
series of elbows and 10 cm pipes created a curved path, with a
central tee placed between them. This central tee connects to the
hydraulic ram pump, which lifts water from a lower level to a
higher level. The pump includes a 1 to 1.5 reducer, a 10 cm 1.5
pipe, a 1.5 to 2 reducer, and a 50 cm 2 pipe sealed with an end
cap. A ball valve is installed for air injection to build pressure
and push the water upward.
4. Water Inlet and Outlet:
❑ The inlet connects through a tee to a valve and a 45° elbow,
leading to a water tank. The outlet includes a 90° elbow, valve,
and two elbows forming a half-square path. A long 1-inch pipe
then transports the water to a turbine placed above the
reservoir.
TEST PLAN:
❑ Making SAFETY ROLES was an important and appreciated
step before proceeding.
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 ❑ A crocodile wire was connected to the ammeter from one side,
taking care to match the positive and negative wires accordingly.
❑ The other end of the crocodile wire was connected to the
generator.
❑ The first mode set on the ammeter was the potential difference
(Voltage) mode.
❑ The required pressure applied to the prototype matched the
pressure of standard water tanks.
❑ The voltage readings were impressive, reaching an average of
(x) volts.
❑ The second mode set on the ammeter was the electric current
mode.
❑ The current readings reached an average of (x) amperes.
❑ Consequently, the calculated electric power was approximately
(x) watts on average, which exceeded the minimum required
amount of 0.04kWs.

Results
Any scientific project might be based on wrong regulations or may
not be applied in the real world. Our project was tested in many
ways to ensure that it achieves the design requirements, which are
efficiency, low cost, and eco-friendliness. The consequences of our
tests were trying to remove our prototype mistakes and enhance its
efficiency to produce electricity, making the required minimum
energy production, which is 0.04kWs.

Negative Results:
Before modifications, our Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) had issues
which affect the ability of producing electricity, the issues were:
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firstly, the wrong choice of our generator, the chosen generator
couldn’t rotate the required number of RPMs it was rotating at 33
RPMs, so we couldn’t produce the 0.04kWs. Secondly, the type of
materials we used in constructing the Pelton Wheel Turbine was
heavy; we used the (x) material. Due to this, it was hard for the
turbine to rotate due to its high mass, which means also the high
force required to rotate it (𝑭 ∝ 𝑴). All this cost us time searching
for the best modifications to apply, but without these failures, we
couldn’t accomplish the final prototype.

Positive Results:
The modifications were necessary to apply, so in the stage of fixing
the problems and building the final workable prototype, we started
to do our calculations to choose the right generator that can work
well with our Pelton Whell Turbine, we calculated of the required
RPMs of the Pelton turbine to generate 0.04kWs in our prototype
which was between 400RPMs to 650 RPMs, so our chosen generator
was between 400RPMs to 650 RPMs to be able to rotate to produce
the required electric energy.
After a discussion with our FAB Lab teacher, we chose the (x)
material to be the material used in constructing the turbine due to
its lightness, which fits our Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) system.
And here are the results of our modifications, which resulted in 6
trials:
Trial 1: When time is equal to 0 minutes
Trial 2: When time is equal to 1 minute
Trial 3: When time is equal to 3 minutes
Trial 4: When time is equal to 5 minutes
Illustrated in Table (1)

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 Number Time Voltage Intensity Power Work
of trials

Trial 1 0 seconds 0 Volt 0 amp 0 Watt 0 Joules

Trial 2 60 10 Volt 0.25 amp 0.20 18

seconds Watt Joules
Trial 3 180 12 Volt 0.25 amp 0.22 40
seconds Watt Joules
Trial 4 300 9 Volt 0.25 amp 0.30 90
seconds Watt Joules
Table (1): Result Analysis

POWER GRAPH (WORK/TIME)

150
108 108 108
Work in Joules

102
90
100 72
40
50 18 25
0
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Time in Seconds

Graph (1): Power Graph

The result for us at 5 minutes was 90 joules equals 0.3 watts, which
exceeds the required energy of 40 joules. The power of 0.3 watts
can be represented in Graph (2)

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 Analysis
Optimizing Alternative Energy in Egypt Through
PHS:
Persistent challenges are confronting Egypt, particularly in the
realm of utilizing alternative energy. And with the increase in
population, it leads to an increase in energy consumption used in
many fields as studied in (ES.01.09). Additionally, the overuse of non-
renewable sources like using coal that comes from solar radiation as
studied in (ES.01.11) which is obverse to what is needed in our
project this semester. In Egypt specially in the presence of the Nile
which gives Egypt the point of water to drink and the wastewater
which we can benefit from it in the fast flow in some areas, we saw
that pumped hydro station (PHS) was the appropriate solution.

Pumped Hydro-Power Station:

Utilizing pumped hydro storage has existed for over a century. The
earliest known system was constructed in Switzerland in the 1890s,
aiding in balancing energy for trains. By the 1930s, countries like
Italy and the U.S. began building larger PHS systems to support
growing electricity demands. In our prototype we used a kind if
pump that doesn’t need electricity to pump water, but it works by
the difference of pressure of the water in the different areas of it
which causes the water to rise up opposite to the gravity from the
high concentration pressure of water to the low concentration
pressure of water, and this structure is the Hydraulic Ram Pump as
shown in the Figure 2.

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 Figure (2): Hydraulic Ram Pump

Fluids Dynamics
Conservation of Energy (Bernoulli’s Principle)
Moving on to what we studied in (PH.01.09), Bernoulli’s Principle,
which is a component of the conservation of energy in fluids.As water
falls from a higher level to lower level, its potential energy turns into
kinetic energy, and when the valve shuts, part of that energy is
converted into pressure. This pressure enables the system to lift
water to a higher elevation without using any electrical power. This
will help us to lift up the water without the need for electricity.
𝟏 𝟏
𝑷 𝟏 + 𝝆𝒗𝟐𝟏 + 𝝆𝒈𝒚𝟏 = 𝑷 𝟐 + 𝝆𝒗𝟐𝟐 + 𝝆𝒈𝒚𝟐
𝟐 𝟐
P= Fluid Pressure, ρ= Fluid density, v= Fluid velocity ,and y= Height
Continuity Equation:
Previously studied in (PH.01.09), the continuity equation what does
it mean briefly?
When the fluid flow up with a certain velocity in a pipe of a known
area where the fluid goes there, when the area is decreased the
velocity of the fluid ( water ) increases as there is an inverse relation
between the area the fluid goes in it and the velocity the fluid goes
with it, so if we had the pipes with this structure like this figure (),
we will get the highest velocity of water and the turbine will blow
faster affecting on the generator and generating electricity will be
more efficient. 𝑨𝟏 𝑽𝟏 = 𝑨𝟐 𝑽𝟐
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V = Velocity of the fluid (Water),
and A = Cross-sectional Area of the pipe
If water flows through a narrower pipe, its speed increases,
if it flows through a wider one, its speed decreases.

Figure (3): Continuity Equation

Pelton Wheel Turbine :

Essential considerations arise when selecting a turbine for PHS, as
several factors must be taken into account, including head height,
flow rate, efficiency, maintenance requirements, and cost-
effectiveness. After careful search, the Pelton wheel turbine emerged
as the optimal choice for this project, so why was the Pelton turbine
was selected over other types (such as Francis, Kaplan, or Cross-flow
turbines)?
1-Simple Design
Firstly, the Pelton wheel consists of a series of buckets mounted on a
wheel, with no complex guide vanes or adjustable blades (unlike
Francis or Kaplan turbines). Unlike Francis or Kaplan turbines,
which lose efficiency at very high heads.
Why this matters: In remote locations, frequent repairs are costly
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and impractical. The Pelton turbine’s durability ensures long-life
living of reliable operation as it has fewer moving parts which will
give lower risk of mechanical failure
2-Environmental & Economic Advantages:
Lower civil construction costs.
Minimal ecological impact (no need for large dams; suitable for
run-of-river systems).
Why this matters: Governments and investors prefer low-impact,
cost-effective solutions. The Pelton turbine aligns with sustainable
hydropower development.
3-High-Head Efficiency
The Pelton turbine is specifically designed for high-head, low-flow
conditions (typically above 50 meters, but can exceed 1000 meters in
real life). Unlike Francis or Kaplan turbines, which lose efficiency
at very high heads. Why this matters: Many hydropower sites in
mountainous regions have high vertical drops but limited water
flow, which need something that works at high heads, and it is the
Pelton wheel turbine.

Joule’s Calculation:
The multimeter was utilized in this project to measure the voltage
and current intensity of the energy produced by the Pelton Wheel
turbine. To measure the number of joules produced to make sure
that our prototype meets the design requirements, we have used
multiple scientific laws: ∵ Power = Voltage × Intensity & Work =
Power × Time, ∴ Watts = Volts x ampere & Joules = Watts x time,
∴ Joules = Volts x ampere x time
The measured voltage was 12 Volts as represented in Table (1), and
the current Intensity was measured as 0.25 amperes as represented
in Table (1). Therefore, the result was 90 joules in 5 minutes. The
power produced 0.3 watts. Our results demonstrate that it matches
the design requirements. As illustrated in the results, the final
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prototype generates 90 joules in 5 minutes, which shows the high
efficiency of our prototype, not just meeting the design
requirements but exceeding them by producing 40 joules more than
the requirement.

Conclusion
One of the most important problems that Egypt faces is its
dependence on nonrenewable energy. this problem has a bad
impact on people, like air pollution. To solve this problem, we made
a good effort, and we used an alternative energy source like water.
Everyone knows that water covers about 71% of the Earth’s
surface. There are many things that make our project special.
Relying on a natural and renewable source that is always available
(the motion of water). The way to generate energy is safe without
being dangerous, like biogas or anything else. Reduce the usage of
fossil fuels. The test plan results demonstrated the effectiveness of
our prototype. Meeting the target of 40 joules in 5 minutes, and we
succeeded in adhering to the required size of the prototype, which is
less than 0.5 𝒎𝟑 and ours was 0.3 𝒎𝟑 . We depended in our
prototype on the Pelton Wheel Turbine (because it works with high
efficiency at low flow rates) and acrylic sheets to design the gear
system. Finally, scaling up this project could have significant,
consistent implications for Egypt’s economy nowadays that make
this project applicable in real life; it will help solve the energy
problem in Egypt.

Recommendation

When you plan to accomplish something, you must be keen to finish

this work perfectly and be keen on every step you take to do your
work. As there is no perfect person, there is no perfect project, so to
make our project near to perfect as possible and to help the people
he will complete working on the project, we recommend:
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❑ Expand the project on a large scale (waterfall), like Wadi El-
Rayan Waterfalls, which is located in Fayoum, Egypt. It is 20
meters high. And the water flow Rate is approximately 7.9
cubic meters per second. In this case, we can dispense with
pumps and depend on the renewable source of water
(waterfall). In areas without a renewable water source, such as
remote villages in Africa or Egypt, a limited amount of water
can be depended on, and by using pumps(which can use a little
bit of the resulting electricity to work more efficiently), it can
generate a renewable source of electricity that is reliable.
❑ Make a design for the project that allows for the addition
of other turbines and generators to increase the energy
that will be generated and used when needed.
❑ Use supercapacitors to store extra energy during high-flow
times to use it during low-flow times, or get a battery that is
higher in capacity to store energy during high-flow times
also. Supercapacitor: It is used to store electrical energy and
drive it quickly when needed, much faster than traditional
batteries

Figure (4): Supercapacitor

❑ Make an eco-friendly system that allows fish and marine
creatures to move without any danger.
❑ Add a pre-filtration system at the entrance of the turbine to
avoid impurities and small solid objects that may affect or
damage the turbine blades or generator.

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 Literature Cited
Serway, R. A., & Jewett, J. W. (2018). Physics for scientists and
engineers with modern physics (10th ed., Chapter 9, pp. 359–360).
Cengage Learning.
American Geological Institute. (2005). Chapter 7: Earth’s Natural
Resources (Sections on Renewable Energy Sources, Water Supplies,
and Using and Conserving Water). In EarthComm: Earth System
Science in the Community. It's About Time Publishing. Retrieved
April 1, 2025.
United Nations Egypt. (n.d.). Egypt and the UN: Foundations in a
deeply rooted past and a visionary insight for the future. Retrieved
February 20, 2025, from https://egypt.un.org/en/281883-egypt-and-
un-foundations-deeply-rooted-past-and-visionary-insight-future
Alternative Energy Promotion Centre. (n.d.). Mini/Micro Hydro.
Retrieved March 29, 2025, from
https://www.aepc.gov.np/pages/minimicro-
hydro#:~:text=Micro%2Dhydro%20has%20the%20potential,alter
native%20to%20the%20national%20grid.
Centre for Excellence in Computational Mechanics, Mohali. (n.d.).
Pelton turbine (Fluid machinery BTME 603) [PowerPoint slides].
Retrieved April 4, 2025, from
https://www.cecmohali.org/public/documents/me/material/notes/UN
IT%202%20Pelton%20Turbine%20(Fluid%20Machinery%20BT
ME%20603) % 20ppt-converted.pdf

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 Acknowledgements
First, we’d like to thank Allah for helping us with our project. And
we are very grateful to everyone who helped us, especially to our:
Capstone General Leader: Mr. Nasser Kamel,
Capstone Leader: Mr. Raafat Abdou
Capstone Teacher: Amro Abdelfattah
Capstone Teacher: Younan Gerges
FAB Lab Engineer: Eng. Ekramy Abdelazim
Our IT Teacher: Maalak William
Our Physics Teacher: Mrs. Nashwa
Our Physics Teacher: Marian Boutros
I will not forget the Grade 11 assistance and transferring their
experience and helping us.
For Further Information:
❑ Moamen Mohamed:
[email protected]
❑ Joseph Abdelmaseh: [email protected]
❑ Youssef Islam: [email protected]
❑ Ali Lotfy: [email protected]
❑ Ammar Ahmed: [email protected]

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