Water Wheel Pitchback

The pitchback water wheel harnesses both the potential energy of water and the kinetic energy of the flowing water below it to help rotate the wheel. This design uses a low head infeed system, where water is delivered near the top of the wheel from a pentrough positioned above it. Pitchback water wheels are ideal for locations with a small stream and a height difference of more than two meters, and they are well-suited for streams that experience significant seasonal variations in flow. One of the key advantages of the pitchback water wheel is its high efficiency, which exceeds 80% of the water's energy. This is due to the combined effects of the weight of the incoming water and the pressure of the water directed into the buckets from above, as well as the energy from the flowing water below. Essentially, the pitchback wheel uses the water's energy twice. The weight of the water in the buckets causes the wheel to rotate, but in the opposite direction to the flow of water above the wheel. As the wheel rotates and approaches the bottom, the water inside the buckets is emptied out below, allowing the buckets to continue around the wheel’s rotation and complete the cycle.