The Dartford Mill Hydro Testing Facility is an artificial earth dam rebuilt specifically for hydro turbine and fluid dynamics research and development. It has been in use since 2010 and has played an important role in the development of new hydroelectric technologies and knowledge. The site is available for hydroelectric and fluid dynamics testing.
Testing
The facility has been and can be used for:
- Hydro turbine design
- Hydro turbine optimization
- Water-wheel optimization
- Fluid dynamics research
- Fluid flow simulation and modelling
Site Specifications
The facility is located less than 2 hours east of Toronto, Canada, in the small hamlet of Dartford, Ontario. Its key features:
- A 4-meter wide concrete main spillway
- A 1.1-meter wide concrete testing spillway
- Testing head can be adjusted from 0 to 3 meters
- Flow can be adjusted from 0 to 2 cubic meters per second
- Approximately 1 acre of land and a shed for staging
- Consistent year-round water flow
Results
Since 2010, the Dartford Mill Hydro Testing Facility has been involved in several successful research projects, which include:
- The development of a new low-head hydro turbine (internationally patented)
- The optimization of several low-head hydro turbine designs
- Waterwheel design, testing and optimization
- Fluid dynamics and turbine testing for academic research