Hydro Electric

Power Plants
Hydroelectric Power Plants
• Hydroelectric Power is power obtained by converting potential energy in height of water
which is further converted to kinetic energy of turbine and then synchronous machines are
used to convert this energy to electrical energy.
Factors before constructing a plant
• Capital cost of plant
• Capital cost of erecting and maintaining TL
• Energy generation cost comparison.
Elements of
hydroelectric
plants
Elements of hydroelectric plants
Storage Reservoir :
Stores water during excess
flow periods (i.e. rainy season)
and supply same during lean
flow periods and thus it helps
in supplying water to turbines.
Dam :
The function of dam is not
only to create artificial head by
raising water surface of
stream but also to provide
pondage, storage or facility of
diversion into conduits.
Elements of hydroelectric plants
Fore bay :
It serves as regulator reservoir
storing water temporality
during light load period and
providing the same for initial
increase on account of
increasing load during which
water in canal is being
accelerated.
Spillway :
It acts as safety valve. It
discharges overflow water in
down stream side when
reservoir is full during flood
period.
Elements of hydroelectric plants
Intake :
The intake includes the head
works which are structures at
the intake of conduits, tunnels
and fumes.
These structures includes
booms, screens or trash racks,
sluices to prevent entry of
debris & ice into the turbines.
Valves and gates:
In low head plants, gates at
entrance of turbine caring can
shut off flow and provide
unwatering of turbine for
inspection.
Elements of hydroelectric plants
Trash racks : Tail race:
They prevent ingress of • The water after doing
floating and other material to useful work in turbine is
the turbine. discharged to tailrace which
may lead it to same stream
or to another one.
Elements of hydroelectric plants
Draft tubes:
An airtight pipe of suitable diameter
attached to runner outlet and
conducting water down from the wheel
and discharging it under the surface of
water in tail race is known as draft
tube.
Elements of hydroelectric plants

Prime Mover or Water

Turbines:
In hydroelectric power plants
water turbines are used as
prime movers and their
function is to convert kinetic
energy of water into
mechanical energy which
alternator converts to electrical
energy.
Surge Tank:

A reduction in load on generator causes the Governor to close

the turbine gates and thus creates increased pressure in
penstock. This results in water hammer phenomenon which will
require pipe of extraordinary strength to withstand otherwise
penstock may burst.
This can be avoided by providing a small storage reservoir or
tank for receiving the rejected flow and thus relieving the conduit
pipe of excessive water hammer pressure.
This storage reservoir called as surge tank.
• It is located as close to plant as possible
Decrease in load demand causes water level in surge tank to
rise. This produces retarding head and reduces velocity of water
in penstock to bring it to desired level.
• Increase in load demand causes Governor to open turbine
gates to allow more water flow through penstock to supply
increased load.

This creates a vacuum or negative pressure in penstock and it

provides necessary accelerating force.
Penstock

It is a closed conduit which connects forebay or surge

tank to the scroll case of turbine.
• In medium head plants, each unit is provided with its
own penstock.
• In high head plants, a single penstock is used.
• The thickness of penstock must be adequate to with
stand both the normal hydrostatic pressure and
sudden surges due to fluctuations in load.
Classification
according to
extent of water
flow regulation.
Run – off river plants
without pondage

Some hydro plants are so located that

water is taken from river directly and no
pondage or storage is possible.
• Such plants are called run off river
plants without pondage.
• They cannot be used as & when
desired but only when water is
available.
• At such places the water is mainly
used for irrigation & power
generation is only incidental.
Run – off river plants
with pondage

• Pondage refers to storage at the

plant which makes it possible to
cope, hour to hour with fluctuations
of load through a week or some
longer period depending on size of
pondage.
• They can serve as base load or
peak load plant depending on flow of
stream.
Reservoir Power plants

• When water is stored in a big

reservoir behind a dam, it is possible
to control flow of water.
• It can be used as base load or peak
load plant as per requirement.
Classification
according to water
head
Low head hydro power plants
• It consists of a dam across the
stream to back up the river and
create a fall, the water flowing
through.
• It is created near the dam so no
surge tank is required.
• In low head plants, Francis,
Propeller or Kaplan turbines are
employed.
• Since for given output, large
quantity of water is required and
head is low so pipes of larger
diameter and short length are
used.
Medium head hydro power plant
• River is usually tapped off to a
forebay on one bank of the river
as in low head plant.
• Form Forebay water is led to
turbines via penstock.
• Forebay also acts as water
reservoir and surge tank.
• Horizontal shaft Francis, Propeller
or Kaplan turbines are used.
High head hydro electric power plants
• If high head is available, a steep
lateral valley can be dammed and a
reservoir for storage of water is
formed.
• Surge tank is built just before valve
house so that severity of water
hammer effect can be reduced.
• Surge tank can also act as
temporary reservoir to meet
sudden increase in demand.
Classification
according to type
of load
Base load plants
• The plants that can take load on the base
portion of load curve of power system.
• Such plants are of usually large capacity.
• Since, these plants work on nearly constant
load so they operate at high load factor.
• Run – off river plants without pondage and
reservoir, are used as base load plants.
• The unit cost of energy generated by plant
should be low.
Peak load plants
• Plants used to supply the peak load of the
system corresponding to top portion of
load curve are called as peak load plants.
• Run-off river plants with pondage can be
employed as peak load plants.
• Reservoir plants can be used as peak load
plants.
• Load factor of such plants is low.
Classification
of Water
Turbines
Water Turbines
(Based on type of flow)

Axial flow turbines Tangential or peripheral flow

turbines
01 Water flow along the shaft
axis. 03 Water flow is along the
tangential directions.

Inward radial flow turbines Mixed flow

Radial inlet and axial outlet
02 Water flows along the
radius. 04
Water Turbines
(Based on action of water )

Impulse Type Reaction Type

01 If entire pressure of water

is converted into kinetic
energy in a nozzle and
02 When water pressure
combined with its velocity
work on running the
the jet thus formed turbine.
drives the wheel.
Pelton wheel
• Impulse turbine suitable for high head and
low flow.
• It has a rotor equipped with elliptical
buckets along periphery of turbine.
• Majority of the Pelton Turbines are
Horizontal Shaft Type.
• Impulse Turbines have long penstocks due
to high heads.
• This turbine is not suitable for water head
below 200 m.
Francis Turbine
• It is an inward mixed flow type of reaction
turbine and is suitable for medium head &
medium flow plants.
• They develop power partly due to velocity
of water and partly due to difference in
pressure acting on front and back of
runner buckets.
• Full load efficiency of this type of turbine is
about 92%.
• Francis type turbines can be constructed
in horizontal and vertical forms.
• The alternator is mounted above turbine &
thus is free from flooding.
• This can be designed for higher speed
than Pelton wheel.
Kaplan Turbine
• It is also a reaction type turbine and has
gate and governing mechanism similar to
that of Francis Turbine.
• In Kaplan turbine water strikes the turbine
axially.
• Due to high specific speeds, it is suitable
for low head & large flow plants.
• Kaplan Turbine gives high speed than
ordinary Francis turbine resulting in lower
cost of runner and alternator.
• Its efficiency is about 90% at all loads.
• Its runner is capable of reverse operation
as a pump.
Propeller Turbine
• It is an axial flow reaction type turbine &
has got no provision for changing runner
blade while turbine is in motion.
• Its efficiency is 92% at full load.
Selection of site for Hydroelectric plants

1. Availability of water
2. Water storage
3. Water head

a. Depends on topography of area

b. High head reduces storage requirement

4. Distance from load center

5. Accessibility of site

a. Effective transportation

6. Water pollution can cause corrosion of plant

7. Large catchment area: large reservoir area
8. Land availability
Merits of Hydro Power Plant
1. No Fuel is required
2. High reliability and cheapest in
operation
3. Plant can be run up and
synchronized faster
4. The load can be varied quickly
and rapidly, changing load
demand can be met.
5. Accurate governing, f = constant
6. No stand-by losses
7. Plants are robust & have longer
life.
8. Efficiency is not a function of
age.
9. Neat and clean (no smoke or
ash)
10. Such plants also serve irrigation.
Demerits of Hydro Power Plant
1. Larger area
2. Construction cost is high
3. Long TL are required as plants
are required in hilly areas.
4. Long dry season may affect
power supply
5. Firm capacity is low.
Q1
MN1

Q2
MN2

Q3
The power output from a hydro-electric power plant depends on three parameters........

A. Head, type and dam of discharge

B. Head, discharge and efficiency of the system
C. Efficiency of the system, type of draft tube and type of turbine used
D. Type of dam, discharge and type of catchment area
MN3

Q4
MN4

Q5
A hydro-electric power plant with 150-meter head and 8*109 kg of water will
generate how much energy if overall efficiency is 82%

A. 3.82 * 1013 kWh

B. 4.98 * 1013 kWh

C. 9.65 * 1013 kWh

D. 9.98 * 1013 kWh