Surge tank in hydro power station

Surge Tanks Surge tanks are tanks connected to the water conductor system. It serves the purpose of
reducing water hammering in pipes, which can cause damage to pipes. The sudden surges of water in
penstock is taken by the surge tank, and when the water requirements increase, it supplies the collected
water thereby regulating water flow and pressure inside the penstock. Surge tank is an open tank which
is often used with the pressure conduit of considerable length. The main purpose of providing surge
tank is to reduce the distance between the free water surface and turbine thereby reducing the water-
hammer effect on penstock and also protect upstream tunnel from high pressure uses. It also serves as a
supply-tank to the turbine when the water in the pipe is accelerating during increased load conditions
and as a storage tank when the water is decelerating during reduced load conditions.

A simple surge tank is a veitical standpipe connected to the penstock as shown in Fig. If the overflow in
the surge tank is allowed, the pressure rise can be practically eliminated but overflow surge tank is
seldom satisfactory and usually not economical. Surge tanks are built high enough so that the water
cannot overflow even with a full load change on the turbine.

Location of the surge tank: A surge tank should be located as near to the power house as is feasible to
reduce the length of the penstock thereby reducing water hammer effect. The ideal place for the surge
tank is at the turbine inlet, but it is seldom possible in case of medium or high head plants because it will
have to be made very high. It is generally located at the junction of tunnel and penstock in order to
reduce its height.

Increase in the length of penstock will increase the intensity of water hammer while shortening will
reduce its intensity. The location of the surge tank away from the powerhouse should be fixed on the
basis of analysis done for the cost of tank against the cost of strengthening the pressure pipeline for the
water hammer and requirements of speed regulation.

Water Hammer: When the gates supplying the water to the turbines are suddenly closed owing to the
action of governor, when the load on the generator is suddenly reduced, there is sudden rise in pressure
in the upstream of the pipe supplying the water to the turbine. This sudden change of pressure and its
fluctuations in the pipeline during reduction of load on turbine is known as "Water Hammer". The
turbine gate suddenly opens because turbine needs more water due to increased demand on generator
and, therefore, during increased load conditions, water has to rush through the pipe (known as
penstock) and there is tendency to cause a vacuum in the pipe supplying the water.

The pipe supplying the water must withstand the high pressures caused by sudden closing of turbine
gate (known as positive water hammer) and there should not be any vacuum in the pipe line when the
gate opens suddenly. The water hammer is defined as (he change in pressure rapidly above or below
normal pressure caused by sudden changes in the fate of water flow through the pipe according to the
demand .of the prime mover. The water hammer occurs at all points in the penstock between the fore
bay or surge tank and the turbines because of sudden changes in the demand for water during load
fluctuations.