Proposed Question for RET exam.

1. A hydropower plant is going to be installed in Nepal. The power plant has the following
characteristic:

Gross Head (H) = 25 m

Design flow (Q) = 0.7 m3/s
The length of the penstock pipe (L) is 500 m long.

Find out the following in these two cases If (a) the penstock pipe is Mild steel penstock with the manning
roughness coefficient "n" = 0.012 (b) The penstock pipe with Glass Reinforced Pipe (GRP) with the manning
roughness coefficient "n" = 0.009

I. Diameter (D) of the penstock pipes, assuming that the allowable velocity in the penstock pipe is 2
m/s (3)

Diameter of the penstock pipe

4∗𝑄𝑄 0.5
𝐷𝐷 = � � … eq. 1
𝜋𝜋∗𝑉𝑉
• Where Q= Design discharge= 0.7 m3/s
• V= 2m /s
• Using above equation 1

• D= 0.667 m

II. Find out the Net head in both the cases. Assume the summation of other head losses (viz. bend,
trash rack and expansion/contraction) is about 4% of the pipe friction loss. (4)
Helad loss = ⟨10.29∗𝑛𝑛2∗𝑄𝑄^2│𝐷𝐷^5.333 ⟩*L
Where
n is manning cofficient (0.012 for MS pipe)
Q is design discharge = 0.7 m3/s
D is the diameter of penstock = 0.667
L is the length of penstock= 500 m
Therefore Hloss pipe = 3.129 m and total loss =3.254m
Head gross (Hgross)= 25 m
Thus Net head is H gross-H loss = (25-3.254) m = 21.7 m
 For Glass Reinforced Pipe (GRP) with the manning roughness coefficient "n" = 0.009
Therefore Hloss pipe = 1.76 m and total loss =1.83m
Thus Net head is H gross-H loss = (25-1.76) m = 23.169 m

III. Electrical Power output from the project in the above two cases. If the efficiency of the turbine is
89%, generator efficiency is 94%? (3)
Power=124.5 KW (Mild steel)
Power= 133.1 KW (GRP pipe)

2. It has been found that for a given hydropower site, both Pelton and Cross flow turbine were
technically feasible to install. If you need to make decision on the choice of the turbine in such case,
which turbine will you choose and why? Assume that the hydropower plant is designed at 45 percent
flow exceedance and the plant is connected to the grid. Explain your choice on the basis of efficiency
and their performance on the partial flow. (5)

Pelton turbine is selected because of its high efficiency compare to cross flow turbine.
Also as mentioned in the question project has been designed at 45% flow exceedance which means
55% times of the year the turbine runs at part flow. So, we need to select a turbine which have high
efficiency even in the part load. Since the part load efficiency of pelton turbine is better than the cross
flow, peton turbine is selected.