What is Pelton wheel?
[[File:Peltonturbine-1.jpg|thumb|Old pelton wheel from a [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] [[power station]] in [[Germany]].]] The '''pelton wheel''' is a kind of water [[turbine]]. It is used in [[Power station|power plants]], to convert a water flow into a movement of a wheel (and then into [[energy]]). [[Lester Alan Pelton]] invented it in the 1870s. In a regular wheel for example of a mill, the energy is obtained from the [[weight]] of the water. A pelton wheel uses the [[Impulse (physics)|impulse]] of the water to generate energy, not its weight. Pelton wheels are used in power plants where there's a big difference in [[height]], but where there is relatively little water. An example might be a [[Hydroelectric dam|dam]] or barrage in the [[mountain]]s. One of the drawbacks of a pelton wheel is the relatively hight level of wear: Unlike the [[Francis turbine]], a pelton wheel cannot be used to pump water. {{sci-stub}} [[Category:Engineering]]