About Hydraulic Power
From river-driven mill wheels to massive hydroelectric dams, humans have long harnessed water and other liquids as an energy source. Hydraulic power is a powerful alternative energy source, and has even been viewed as one of the solutions to the current fossil fuel crisis. There's no question that humans will continue to tap the potent energy of hydraulics for a long time to come.
Other People Are Reading
-
Identification
-
The science of hydraulic power is a subset of the larger study of fluid power, which considers the power-generating abilities of both liquid and gasses. The name "hydraulic" comes from the Greek word for water, "hydro," though the study of hydraulics also encompasses other liquids, like oils.
History
-
Humans have been harnessing hydraulic power for most of our recorded history. The waterwheel was one of the earliest ways humans used hydraulic power; such mechanisms, used to create mechanical force, have been in use throughout the world since ancient times. More recently, hydraulic power has been harnessed to generate electricity, and even to generate kinetic motion (as in a train piston).
-
Types
-
There are two ways to harness hydraulic power. The first is to simply tap the energy of flowing liquid, as is done in waterwheels and hydroelectric dams. The second is to place the liquid under pressure, thereby imparting force into the liquid and channeling it to where the force is required; this can be seen in large construction vehicles, which use hydraulic power for heavy lifting.
Hydropower Dams
-
A widespread and well-established use of hydraulic power is the hydropower dam, which uses specially designed drainage systems to trap, route and harness the energy of flowing water. There are more than 2,000 hydropower dams around the world, and the water flowing through them creates nearly a quarter of the world's electricity.
Controversy
-
The tapping of hydraulic power via hydropower dams has drawn some controversy, as the damming of waterways can lead to irreversible changes to the local environment, including habitat destruction and species extinction. There have been calls to stop dam construction and even to tear down existing dams.
-
