HE 7023: Hydropower Engineering

Assignment 1
All the questions are to be done in a group of 2 to 3 students. Please hand in your solution by the final exam
date. Attempt each of the following problems and write down your solutions with all the necessary steps as
neatly as possible. Please note that unreadable answers may not be corrected.

1. Draw the flow and power duration curve for the data shown in the following table
Month Flow (m3/s) Head(m) Efficiency
January 65 83.5 0.87
February 50 83.5 0.83
March 42 83.5 0.75
April 40 83.5 0.70
May 40 83.5 0.60
June 115 83.5 0.50
July 400 80 0.88
August 340 81.6 0.89
September 270 83 0.90
October 155 83.5 0.90
November 115 83.5 0.88
December 85 83.5 0.87
2. In an electrical district the following are some of the different kinds of demand:
• Domestic - 3 MW • Industries - ? Lp
• Irrigation - 5 MW • Offices - 2 MW
• Water supply – 2 MW • Public utilities - 4 MW
Calculate the required installed capacity of the power station. Assume 15 % as loss, and 25 % of
capacity as reserve. Assume diversity factor of 1.5.
3. When a run-of-river plant operates as a peak load station with a weekly load factor of 20%, all its
capacity is firm capacity.
a. What will be the minimum flow in the river so that the station may serve as the base load
station? It is given that
• Rated installed capacity of generator = 10 MW
• Operating head = 15 m
• Plant efficiency = 80%
b. Estimate the daily load factor of the plant if the stream flow is 15 m3/s.
4. The available flow for 97% of the time (i.e., in a year) in a river is 30 m3/s. A run-of-river plant is
proposed on this river to operate for 6 days in a week round the clock. The plant supplies power to a
variable load whose variation is given below:
 Head = 16 m
 Maximum allowable fluctuation of pond level = 1 m
 Plant efficiency = 80%
 Pondage to cover inflow fluctuation = 20% of average daily flow
 Pondage to cover wastage and spillage= 10%
Period (hr) Load during Period to 24 hr
from to average ratio
0 6 0.6
6 12 1.4
12 18 1.5
18 24 0.5
 Determine
a. The average load that can be developed
b. Daily load factor
c. Plant capacity
d. Weekly energy output
e. Pondage required

5. Average daily flows in a river in a typical low water week are given below. A run-of-river hydropower
plant is proposed on this river to operate 6 days in a week round the clock. The full pond effective head
on turbines is 20 m and the plant efficiency is 80%. Maximum allowable fluctuation of pond level is 1
m. Determine:
a. The capacity of the pond required to give a maximum uniform output;
b. The weekly energy output (kWh) from the plant.
Day Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat
Flow (m3/s) 26 35 40 50 45 40 30

6. For the figure below the following information are given:

• Elevation of the head water level at intake: 1800 m above mean sea level
• Elevation of the tail water level: 1600 m
• Length of the power canal: 5000 m
• The power canal traverses in high seepage geological setting.
• Steel Penstock Length = 200 m;
• Coefficient of friction f for the penstock = 0.02.
• The maximum discharge to be diverted from the head water for 14 hour power production is 30 m3/s.
• Overall efficiency (ɳt): 80%
• Generator: frequency = 60 Hz; Number of poles = 24.
• Turbine type to be used: reaction turbine.
• Unit weight of water = 9.81 KN/m3
• Barometric head = 10.3 m
• Assume any other value if necessary.
 1600
1700
1800
1900

i. Design the power canal

ii. The Forebay storage capacity (if needed)
iii. Decide on the number of Penstocks, diameter and thickness
iv. Determine the maximum power output from the installation
v. Decide on the type and number of reaction turbine.
vi. Design a scroll casing for the turbine.
vii. Determine the safe turbine setting relative to the tail water level
viii. If a simple surge chamber 5 m in diameter is provided at 50 m from the Forebay (in case you have a
forebay or at the beginning of the penstock in case you don’t have forebay) determine the maximum up
surge and down surge in the surge chamber for sudden rejection by the turbine.
ix. Comment on using the Forebay as a surge chamber or vice versa