H7 Engineering

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Turbines and water control, built as ranges.

Turbine families, frames and structures, water-control equipment and certification documents, for manufacturers, developers and owners. One parametric range, so a new site is a configuration.

BendBlade, flat pattern5 kW160 kWOne parametric range
One blade geometry, flattened for a press brake, scaled across a range.
Hydropower machines designed and validated
20+
Turbine range
5–160 kW
Countries, on four continents
7+

Where hydro projects lose money.

“Every turbine is a custom project from scratch.”

A standard range

One parametric turbine family with scaling rules per kW, so a new site is a configuration.

“The rotor and the structure eat the margin.”

Sheet metal and validated margins

Castings out, and weight out where the stress isn't: ~80% lower rotor cost and a ~32% lighter structure on Turbulent's turbines.

“Certification paperwork holds up handover.”

Documents built with the design

Manufacturing drawings and machine manuals for CE marking come out of the same models.

From one-off machines to a standard range.

Turbine ranges

One-off turbines into a standard range: structure, scaling rules and release packages per size.

Structural validation

Static, fatigue, buckling and modal checks, and sign-off before anything is fabricated.

Certification documents

Manufacturing drawings and machine manuals for CE marking, made from the same models.

Water control

Gates, weirs and trash racks designed for fabrication and validated for their loads.

Site scans to CAD

LiDAR scans of existing sites turned into CAD, so retrofit design starts from what is really there.

Fabrication set up

Shops and suppliers in Europe, the US and China, with quotes compared before you order.

Hydropower work.

Turbulent, BelgiumDesign-to-costVortex turbines

Cast impeller to press-brake sheet metal

Cast blades need moulds and machining, and they set the cost of the whole rotor.

The new blade geometry can be formed on a standard press brake: no special dies or moulds, one weld per blade, and bend angles that are easy to check. Redesign, FEA, flat patterns and fabrication drawings.

~80%lower rotor cost (impeller and bearings), efficiency within 6% of the cast design
Turbulent, BelgiumProductization2018–2024

From one-off turbines to a certified range

Six years on vortex turbines, the last four as Head of Structural Validation: structural sign-off before fabrication, a structure made ~32% lighter, and all the manufacturing drawings and machine manuals used for CE certification.

Projects included Doñihue (Chile), Otepää (Estonia), the Versailles water plant (France), Green School Bali (Indonesia) and a fish-friendly turbine approved by the UK government.

~32%lighter turbine structure, same structural margin

Machines on four continents.

United Kingdom

Fish-friendly turbine technology approved by the UK government (Turbulent).

France

Versailles water plant (Turbulent).

Chile

Doñihue (Turbulent), with work on site.

Estonia

Otepää (Turbulent).

Indonesia

Green School Bali (Turbulent).

Africa

Humanitarian community hydro projects.

On site in Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Chile. Full track record

Send us the product that costs too much to build, or the line you want to grow.

A photo, a drawing or a short description is enough to start. We reply with where the build loses time and money, and what would change it. NDA on request.