Part B2: Hydropower

B2.2 Hydropower system design

B2.2

Hydropower system design

Topics: System design
Entry arrangements
Forbays, penstock inlets

Penstocks and surge control

Size of the penstock, pressure forces, anchoring
the penstock, water hammer and its control

Exit arrangements
draft tubes

Turbine selection
Force triangles, Turbine types, specific speed,
cavitation and its prevention

Electronics and control

Types of generator, Turbine control, transmission
2

B2.2.1 Hydropower system design

Entry arrangements: Anatomy of a
forebay

B2.2.1 Hydropower system design

Entry arrangements: Anatomy of a
forebay

B2.2.1 Hydropower system design

Entry arrangements: Trash rack losses

t
ht K t
b

43

v2
sin
2g

Values for Kt
5

B2.2.1 Hydropower system design

Entry arrangements: trash racks

B2.2.1 Hydropower system design

Entry arrangements: Alternatives to trash
racks

B2.2.1 Hydropower system design

Entry arrangements: Velocity into the
penstock
v1
p1

ht

Energy line

v2

v1 v2 2 ght

p2
v3
p3

Typical values for penstock velocities 2-5 m/s

8

B2.2.1 Hydropower system design

Entry arrangements: Entry losses into the
penstock

B2.2.1 Hydropower system design

Entry arrangements: Entry losses into the
penstock
v2
he K e
2g
Type

Ke

Hooded

1.0

Projecting

0.8

Sharp corner

0.5

Slightly rounded

0.2

Bell mouth (r>0.14D)

0
10

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Comparison of penstock
materials

Material

Friction
loss

Weight

Corrosion
resistance

Cost

Ease of
Jointing

Pressure
resist

Ductile iron
Asbestos cement
Concrete
Wood staves
GRP
uPVC
Mild steel
HDPE
MDPE
Poor

Excellent
11

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Installation

12

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Friction losses in penstocks
Darcys formula
2
L v
hf f
D 2 g

See B2.1.1
B2.1.1 Fundamentals of Hydro power
The energy equation: Implications:
Flow in pipes: Friction: Moody diagram

B2.1.1 Fundamentals of Hydro power

The energy equation: Implications:
Flow in pipes: Friction: Nomogram

B2.1.1 Fundamentals of Hydro power

The energy equation: Implications:
Flow in pipes: Friction: Equations
Blasius equation
For hydraulically smooth pipe
(Re 4,000 100,000)

0.3164
Re0.25

Swamee-Jain equation
10-6 < k/D < 0.01
(5,000 3x108)

0.25

5.74
k
log10 3.7 D Re0.9

Typical penstock losses are 5-10%

13

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Multiple penstocks

14

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Losses in bends

15

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Losses in bends

v2
hb Kb
2g
r/D

Kb
r
D

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

For 45 use K x 0.75

For 2 use K x 0.5
16

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Other Losses
Contractions
D1/d2

Kc

1.5

0.25

0.35

2.5

0.40

0.50

Valves
Type
Spherical

Kv
0

Gate

0.1

Butterfly

0.3
17

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Energy lines

18

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Anatomy of a penstock

19

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Slide blocks

20

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Thermal expansion
Fe
Fe

Fe Ce T E Dt

Fe
Ce

E
D
t

=
=
=
=
=
=

Force due to extension

Coefficient of extension
Change in temperature
Youngs modulus
Penstock diameter
Wall thickness

21

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Expansion joints

22

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Forces on bends
F

Hydrostatic

Fh 2 gh A sin

Velocity

Fv 2Q v sin

g
h
A
Q
v

=
=
=
=
=
=

fluid density
gravity
total head
penstock area
discharge
velocity

23

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Bends

24

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Forces on bends: Thrust
blocks

25

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Anatomy of a penstock

26

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Water hammer

27

B2.2.3 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Water hammer

2L
Tc
cp
cw

cp

cp
g

GD
E t

Tc

= critical time (s)

= pipe length (m)

Cp

= speed of sound in the pipe

Cw

= speed of sound in water

(1420m s-1)

= bulk density of water

(2GPa)

= Youngs modulus

= diameter of the pipe (m)

= wall thickness (m)

= additional pressure due to

water hammer (m of water)

= gravity

= Change in flow velocity (m s-1)

28

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Water hammer: Dealing with it

29

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Water hammer: Dealing with it:
Surge tanks

30

B2.2.2 Hydropower system design

Penstocks: Getting it wrong

31

B2.2.3 Hydropower system design

Draft tubes
Parallel sided

Allows turbine to be set

above water level but
uses vacuum pressure on
underside to increase
effective head

Tapered

Recovers part of the

velocity head by
diffusion action

Limited by the vapour pressure of water

32

B2.2.3 Hydropower system design

Draft tubes: Exercise
Using Bernoulli's equation and mass
continuity, show how a tapered turbine
regains velocity head and converts it to
pressure reduction at the turbine

p 1 v1

p 2 v2

33

B2.2.3 Hydropower system design

Draft tubes: configurations

34

B2.2.3 Hydropower system design

Draft tubes

35

B2.2.3 Hydropower system design

Draft tubes

36

Nextturbines

37