Republic of the Philippines

Laguna State Polytechnic University

Province of Laguna

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Mini Hydro Power Plant

ME 5125L

Submitted by:
Anda, Jane
Aranilla, Kris Laurenz
Bacalzo, Maybellyn
Bautista, John Vincent.
Cabrera, Jan Marvin

Submitted to:
Engr. Mark David Opelinia

September 04, 2018

Introduction

Demand for power has been increasing due to the rising population, growing economy, and
changing lifestyles.

Mini-hydro power is a type of Hydro electric power that typically produces 500 kW to 2000
kW of electricity using the natural flow of water. This type of power plant can provide power to an
isolated home or a small community. Mini-hydro system complements solar energy because in many
areas in winter the water flow is maximum and solar energy is minimum. In such areas mini-hydro
power is used along with photo voltaic solar
energy.

The size of a power plant

Macro power plant : >100 MW
Small power plant: > 5 MW to 25 MW
Mini power plant: 500 kW to 2MW
Micro power plant: 50 kW to 200 kW
Pico power plant: <30 kW

Mini Hydro Power Plant Work components

Weir and intake

A hydro system must extract water from the river in a reliable and controllable way. The
water flowing in the channel must be regulated during high river flow and low flow
conditions. A weir can be used to raise the water level and ensure a constant supply to the
intake. Sometimes it is possible to avoid building a weir by using natural features of the
river. A permanent pool in the river may provide the same function as a weir.

Channels

The channel conducts the water from the intake to the forebay tank. The length of a
channel can be considerably. In Nepal channels exist with a length of a few kilometres to
create a head of 10 to 30 metres.

The length of the channel depends on local conditions. In one case a long channel combined
with a short penstock can be cheaper or necessary, while in other cases a combination of
short channel with long penstock suits better.
Most channels are excavated, while sometimes structures like aqueducts are necessary. To
reduce friction and prevent leakages channels are often sealed with cement, clay or
polythene sheet.

Incorporated in the channel are the following elements, which will be discussed here:

 settling basin,
 spillways and
 forebay tank.

Settling basin

The water drawn from the river and fed to the turbine will usually carry a suspension of
small particles. This sediment will be composed of hard abrasive materials such as sand
which can cause expensive damage and rapid wear to turbine runners. To remove this
material the water flow must be slowed down in settling basins so that the silt particles will
settle on the basin floor. The deposit formed is then periodically flushed away.

From the size of the smallest particle allowed into the penstock the maximum speed of the
water in the settling basin can be calculated as the slower the water flows the lower the
carrying capacity of the water for particles. The water speed in the settling basin can be
slowed down by increasing the cross section area of the channel. For each maximum size of
the particles the optimum size of the settling tank can be calculated.

Spillways

Spillways are designed to permit controlled overflow at certain points along the channel.
Flood flows through the intake can be twice the normal channel flow, so the spillway must
be large enough for diverting this excess flow.

The spillway is a flow regulator for the channel. In addition it can be combined with control
gates to provide a means of emptying the channel.

The spill flow must be fed back to the river in a controlled way so that it does not damage
the foundations of the channel.

Forebay tank

The forebay tank forms the connection between the channel and the penstock. The main
purpose is to allow the last particles to settle down before the water enters the penstock.
Depending on its size it can also serve as a reservoir to store water.
A sluice will make it possible to close the entrance to the penstock. In front of the penstock
a trashrack need to be installed to prevent large particles to enter the penstock.

A spillway completes the forebay tank.

Penstock

The penstock is the pipe which conveys water under pressure from the forebay tank
to the turbine. The penstock often constitutes a major expense in the total micro hydro
budget, as much as 40 % is not uncommon in high head installations, and it is therefore
worthwhile optimising the design. The trade-off is between head loss and capital cost. Head
loss due to friction in the pipe decrease dramatically with increasing pipe diameter.
Conversely, pipe costs increase steeply with diameter. Therefore a compromise between
cost and performance is required.

The design philosophy is first to identify available pipe options, then to select a target head
loss, 5 % of the gross head being a good starting point. The details of the pipes with losses
close to this target are then tabulated and compared for cost effectiveness. A smaller
penstock may save on capital costs, but the extra head loss may account for lost revenue
from generated electricity each year.

Turbine
Turbines convert the flow and pressure energy into mechanical energy. Turbines are
basically of two types i.e. Reaction & Impulse and Depending upon the head of the available water
further divide in three categories i.e. High, Medium & Low head. According to site specification (i.e.
head and flow) we choose the turbine to use in mini-hydro power plant.

Turbine type: Flow: Head:

Pelton wheel Low High ( > 70 feet)
Turgo Medium Medium (25-75 feet)
Cross Flow High Low (<25 feet)

The standard generators used in mini hydro power projects are the synchronous generator
and the induction motor used as a generator.

Water turbines vary in speed as load is applied. This speed variation will seriously affect both
frequency and voltage output from a generator. To overcome this problem electronic load controller
is used in mini-hydro power plant.
Electric Load Controller

The ELC prevents speed variations by continuously

adding or subtracting an artificial load, so that the generator is
working permanently under full load. A further benefit is that the
ELC has no moving parts, it is very reliable and maintenance free

weir

intake

open
channel

settling
basin

forebay

penstock

turbine

generator

controlling unit

transmission lines
Advantage and Disadvantage

Advantages:
Economic energy source.
No reservoir required.
Utilize natural flow of water.
No harmful effect on surrounding.
No costly equipment used.

Disadvantages:
Low power generation during summer months.
Suitable site characteristics required.
Efficiency is low.

Future of mini hydropower plant

New computerized control systems and improved turbines may allow more electricity to be
generated from existing facilities in the future. Small scale and low head hydro capacity will probably
increase in the future. Low head turbines, and standardized turbine production, lowers the costs of
hydro-electric power at sites with low heads.

Conclusion
Micro-hydro power plant is an important part of world’s electricity supply. Especially in
remote areas it is providing reliable and economic source of electricity. As no fossil fuel required in
hydro power plant, it can help to save other source of energy.