FEB 47114 ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEM AND

MAINTENANCE

PARAMETERS CALCULATION FOR PELTON

TURBINE DESIGN OF SMALL-SCALE
HYDROPOWER SYSTEM

Submitted by
AFNAN FADLAN (50219117096.)

Submitted to
DR. SAMIZEE BIN ABDULLAH

University Kuala Lumpur Malaysia France Institute 2020

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1
TABLE OF FIGURES 1
1.0 INTRODUCTION 2
2.0 SMALL SCALE HYDROPOWER SYSTEM (SHP) 4
2.1 Head and Water Flow 5
2.2 Power Calculation 5
2.3 Hydraulic Turbine and Generator 5
2.4 Turbine Selection 5
2.5 Advantages and Disadvantages 5
3.0 CASE STUDY – PELTON TURBINE DESIGN 1
4.0 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS 1

TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1 6

Figure 2 8

Figure 3 9

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Hydropower is a non-polluting process that uses high head of flowing water for
electricity generation. The turbines are the machines making Hydropower. The power of
moving water rotates specially designed blades known as vanes or seals which drives a
connected shaft into a centrifugal generator. There are various types of turbines that
can be selected based on the magnitude of the available head and some other
conditions attached to the water for power generation. The hydroelectric power plants
are classified in different ways, such as the total water head available in the reservoir,
water storage capacity in a dam, the power generated, the total water head in the
reservoir, the nature of the electrical load on the power station. One of the most widely
known power plant classifications is depending on the total of power generated and
according to different standard organizations and authors there are different versions.
Firstly, large hydropower plants. These plants can generate more than 30MW of power.
Secondly, medium hydropower plants. These plants can generate between 1MW and
30MW. Lastly, small hydropower plants. It can further break this class into 3 class. Mini
Hydropower Plants (100-1000kW), Micro Hydropower Plants (5-100kW), Pico
Hydropower Plants (less than 5kW).

A Pelton wheel nozzle is a guide component used at the ideal bearings to control the
flux of water. A spear needle located in an axial direction inside the nozzle to direct
water flow through the nozzle. When the spear needle slides into the nozzle, the water
quantity is reduced and the water quantity passing through the stream and vice visa is
reduced if the spear is slid backwards. Spear control can be done through programmed
pneumatic system. The nozzle is channeled towards one side in a pressurized pipeline,
with a tight nozzle. With pressure in a stream striking the double measured buckets
joined to a wheel, the water gushes out of the nozzle. The Pelton wheel runner is a
circular disc with a horizontal shaft passing through the center, and buckets are fixed at
an equidistance on the peripheral of the disc.

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The bucket is a hemispheric cup with a divider at the center known as a splitter that
tends to split the water jet into two equal parts. Usually the buckets are bolted to the
runner disc but sometimes a cast is found as a single unit. It is expected that the inner
surface of the buckets will be as smooth as possible to aid the jet splitting and thus an
efficient drive on the runner. For ease of replacement it is advisable to have the buckets
bolted to the runner disc. This is a nozzle arrangement provided that directs the jet of
water on the back of the buckets which tends to drive the runner in the opposite
direction and thus acts as a brake to either reduce the runner 's speed or bring him to
rest in a short time. The Casing can be given around the Pelton wheel as a metal or
Plastic sheet covering. The casing is to serve practically as a shield which does not
execute any hydraulic capacity. It minimizes mechanical losses that may occur through
any form of environmental disruptions. The casing can be fabricated or cast.

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2.0 SMALL SCALE HYDROPOWER SYSTEM (SHP)

Small hydropower (SHP) system is one of the renewable energy technologies for
generating electricity and mechanical power. SHP system is categorized as being
“small” depending on the capacity of the installed electricity. There is no international
agreement on the limit of “small”, but most European and other countries accept 10 MW
as the upper limit. Within the SHP category, the systems are further categorized into
Pico, micro, mini, and small systems. Most of the countries and organizations recognize
Pico as a system that generates less than 10 kW, micro (more than 10 kW but less than
100 kW), mini (more than 100 kW but less than 1 MW), and small (above 1 MW but less
than 10 MW). With such type of installed capacities, SHP is more robust than a PV
system. SHP installed systems therefore are better placed to support diverse energy
requirements for institutional, community, and small-scale industries in remote locations,
then either solar PV and wind power. The SHP can be of a reservoir or run-of-river type:
run-of-river types have no water storage for power generation, but, instead, water for
power generation is diverted from the main river via a weir. For small capacities of SHP,
run-of-river types are ideal because, with absence of a reservoir, investment cost per
kW of installed electricity is reduced (for small SHP systems, the main emphasis is on
reducing investment cost). A typical run-of-river SHP system for electricity generation is
composed of the following basic components: water intake structure (e.g., weir and
settling tank), penstock, turbine, mechanical power transmission system to generator,
generator, electricity transmission system to load centres, and control system. Some of
these basic components are shown.

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 Figure 1
Small hydropower plants are long-term investments, and since they are installed in
locations where the operators and consumers are relatively less informed technically, it
is important to design the systems so that they are most of the times operated in
unattended mode and also that safety issues are incorporated to protect both the user
and the plant. Electromechanical components such as turbine, generators, controllers,
and switch board need to be secured in a powerhouse that is specifically constructed for
such a purpose. In the powerhouse, rotating components such as shafts and belts
should be guided properly to prevent accidents. Civil components such as intakes,
power canals, and penstocks need to be secured properly. For PVC pipe penstocks, it
is recommended to bury them to protect them against being trampled on by livestock
(for example). It is also recommended to bury PVC pipe penstocks to minimize their rate
of thermal degradation because of heat from solar radiation. For a well-installed SHP
system, the lifecycle of the system can be more than 50 years (as already stated), and
to achieve this, it is important to develop (at country level) installation and safety
procedures to ensure the structural integrity of the installation and its optimal
performance as well as safety. For SHP electricity system supplying electricity to a
community via minigrid, it is recommended that national standards/procedures
regarding decentralized electricity installation and safety should be applied. In the
absence of such standards/procedures, development of SHP can face a stumbling
block from negative publicity emanating from poor installations which are major causes
of system malfunctioning and accidents.

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2.1 Head and Water Flow
Head, H is water pressure, which is created by the difference in elevation between the
water intake and the turbine. Head can be expressed as vertical distance (feet or
meters), or as pressure, such as pounds per square inch (psi) or pascal (Pa). Net head
is the pressure available at the turbine when water is flowing, which will always be less
than the pressure when the water is turned off (static head), due to the friction between
the water and the pipe. Pipeline diameter influences net head.

Water Flow, Q is water quantity, and is expressed as “volume per time,” such as cubic
meters per second (m3/s), cubic feet per second (ft/s), or liters per minute (l/m). Design
flow is the maximum flow for which your hydro system is designed. It will likely be less
than the maximum flow of your stream (especially during the rainy season), more than
your minimum flow, and a compromise between potential electrical output and system
cost.

Before an SHP system is installed on a site, the information on flow rate and head at the
site as well as other site conditions are important in the design of the whole SHP
system. It is important to first undertake a desk study hydropower resource assessment
using hydrological and topographical graphs/maps as well as geographic information
system (GIS) and flow duration curve before undertaking a comprehensive feasibility
study of the site. The desk study provides a variety of site information important such as
slope, power canal length, availability of access roads, distance to load centers, area of
the catchment, head available for power generation, flow rate, and firm power to be
generated. The design flow rate is obtained from the annual flow duration curve of the
river at the site and head is determined from the topographical map (as well as GIS).
Determination of design flow rate and other hydrological characteristics is quite a
challenge task unlike head.

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2.2 Power Calculation

Basically, the power exploited from hydropower at a particular site is proportional to the
product of flow rate and head as given in the following:

𝑃=𝜂𝜌𝑔𝑄𝐻

ρ is the water density, assumed to be 1000kg/m3.

g is the gravitational acceleration at 9.81m/s2.

Q is the available flow rate in m3/s.

H is net head in m.

ɳ is the turbine-generator efficiency.

where 𝜌 is a density, 𝑔 (m/s2) is the acceleration due to gravity, Q (m3/s) is the flow rate,

and H (m) is the net head available at the inlet to the turbine and 𝜂 is the overall energy
conversion efficiency (hydraulic to shaft power). The values for overall efficiencies are
higher in large-scale hydropower than SHP projects because, for large scale, the
systems are designed with relatively high levels of precision and accuracy. The overall
efficiency (hydraulic power to electricity) for SHP electricity generation system is lower
(less than 80%) than for mechanical power supply system because of generator losses
in the former. The energy potential at a site is fixed by flow rate and head. Thus, there is
a limit at which hydropower can be exploited at a particular site and once this is
reached, further power expansion is not possible.

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2.3 Hydraulic Turbine and Generator
From Figure 1, one of the most important components of the SHP system is a turbine; in
fact, some of the SHP systems are named after the type of the turbine. The turbine is a
mechanical device that converts hydraulic power in the water into mechanical power—
known as shaft power and is usually placed in the powerhouse. This shaft power is
converted into electricity by the generator; thus, the turbine determines the electricity
capacity of the SHP installation. The most common types of turbines for SHP
application are Francis, Kaplan, Pelton Wheel, Crossflow, and Centrifugal pumps
operated in turbine mode. Different turbine types have different efficiency profiles with
respect to discharge as can be seen in Figure 2. As can be seen from the figure, the
hydraulic performance of the Propeller turbines is more sensitive to flow variations than
Francis, Kaplan, Pelton, and Crossflow turbines. Pelton Turbine is not only one of the
most efficient turbines (around 90%) but it can also sustain the optimum efficiency for a
variable range of flows. Crossflow turbine has relatively inferior efficiency levels (around
80%), but the turbine can sustain optimum efficiency levels for a range of flows.

Figure 2

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2.4 Turbine Selection

Design charts have been developed by turbine manufacturers to help in selecting the
appropriate turbine for the development of SHP site according to the head and power
requirements. An example is the turbine application range chart shown in Figure 5. As
can be seen from the chart, Kaplan and Propeller turbines can effectively be applied in
low and medium head sites with power requirements of more than 1 kW, Crossflow
turbines can be applied in all head ranges with power requirements of more than 5 kW,
and Pelton turbines can be applied only for high head with power requirements of more
than 50 kW. This chart agrees with the rule of thumb that Pelton turbine is for high head
while Kaplan and Propeller turbines are for low head applications.

Figure 3

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2.5 Advantages and Disadvantages

The advantages of Pelton turbine are It has simple construction. Pelton wheels need
to connect to a shaft. When wheel moves this shaft rotates. It means energy of water
gets converted into mechanical energy of turbine. Next, it is east to maintain. If the
bucket is broken, we can just replace the bucket with the new one. Also, Intake and
exhaust of water takes place at atmospheric pressure hence no draft tube is required,
and it does not have cavitation problem. Because of the low-loss design of the
spear-jet, the overall efficiency can be high. One of the good things about the
turbine, it can be both axial and radial flow and can work on low discharge.

The disadvantages of Pelton turbine are it requires high head for operation since it is
not used at lower heads because their rotational speeds become very slow and the
runner required is very large and unwieldy. The turbine size is generally large because
the water reservoir located at some height above the Pelton turbine will cause the water
moving quickly (high velocity). Even the efficiency is higher, its decreases quickly with
time. Even Pelton turbine need high head of water, it is very difficult to control variations
in operating head.

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3.0 CASE STUDY – PELTON TURBINE DESIGN

Maximum Flow Rate, Q max: 375 l/s = 0.375 m3/s

Mean Flow Rate, Q mean: 315 l/s = 0.315 m3/s

Gross Head, Hg: 150 m

Liter to mete cubic, (m3 ) is divided by 1000

P=ηρQH - equation 1
η=ηt x ηg - equation 2

Assumed head loss = 5%

Therefore, net head, H = 150 x 95% = 142.5m

Assumed turbine eff. = 85%

Assumed generator eff. =95%

From equation 2, η = 0.85 x 0.95 = 0.8075

From equation 1, P=ηρQH

Pmean = 0.8075 x 1000 x 0.315 x 142.5

= 36.246 kw

Pmax = 0.8075 x 1000 x 0.375 x 142.5

= 43.15 kw

Pmean
So, the capacity factor, CF = x 100
Pmax

36.246 kw
CF =
43.15 kw
x 100 = 84%

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 8760 x Pmax x CF
Annual Energy, Ea=
100

8760 x 43.15 k x 84
Ea= = 317. 51496 MWh/yr
100

The velocity of jet, V (m/s)

v=cv √ 2 gH

Assume the value of velocity coefficient, Cv= 0.98

Gravitational acceleration, g= 9.81 m/s

Net head, H= 142.5 m

v=0.98 √ 2 ( 9.81 ) (142.5)

= 51.818 m/s

The velocity of vane / blade, µ (m/s)

μ=∅ √ 2 gH

Assume the speed ratio, µ = 0.45

μ=0.45 √2 ( 9.81 ) (142.5)

= 23.794 m/s

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 d 2
Jet diameter, d (m) [Q=V × Π × ()
2
]

2
d
0.315 = 51.818 x Π x ()
2

d = 0.088 m ≈ 8.8 cm

Pelton wheel diameter, D

πDN
µ=
60

Assume speed, N = 450 rpm

π × D × 450
23.794=
60

D = 1.009 m

D
Jet ratio, m = * must be between 11-14
d

1.009
m= = 11.466
0.088

Number of buckets, z

D
Z=15+
2d
1.009
z= 15 + =20.733 ≈ 20 blades
2(0.088)

N ×√ P
Specific speed, Ns=
H 5/ 4

450× √ 36.246 k
Ns= = 174.01
142.55 / 4

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4.0 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION

As the conclusion, we have learned on how to calculate the parameters involve

designing the Pelton turbine. Firstly, parameters of head and water flow. These two
parameters are frequently used in calculation of Pelton turbine. To get the value of
power produced by hydropower, turbine efficiency, net head, gravitational acceleration,
flow rate and water density are important parameters needed. After complete doing
case study, we also gained new information that one of the highest efficiency of turbines
are Pelton turbine. For selection of Pelton turbine, it can used for high head with power
requirements up to 50 kW. Lastly, after complete doing assignment, we already learned
that Pelton turbine also have many advantages that will cause people continue to use
this turbine in hydro system. Even this turbine needs high head for operation, it easy
overcome this problem since in our country there are many mountains that height
enough to produce high head.

As the recommendation, the operating head of the Pelton turbine is high causing the
flow rate to appear to be low. This is not a concern, however, since the terrain needed
to reach the heads must be hilly or even mountainous and these are usually high-up in
a catchment of a river so that the catchment area and hence the flow rate is minimal.
The power generated by Pelton turbines is efficient because the flow rates of the
associated pipework are relatively low. Because of that, a penstock pipe needs a high-
pressure water supply from Pelton turbines. Pelton turbines spin at very high speeds, so
they can also be built in such a way that the optimal running speed of the turbine and
the generator is the same, so that they can be connected directly.

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