Kathmandu University

Department of Geomatics Engineering

Hydropower, its component and its types

Presenters: Presenters:
Jeshan Pokhrel(41) Abishek Shah(47)
Rabina Poudyal(42) Abhishek Sharma(48)
Sagar Rana(44) Anjali Singh(49)
Karan Sah(45) Urmila Subedi(50)
Sunil Sah(46) Mankumari Chaulagain(61)
Presenter
 2

Introduction
● Hydropower refers to conversion of energy from flowing water into
electricity.
● The amount of electrical energy generated depends primarily on
the distance the water has to fall,
the quantity of water flowing.

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Historical background
● In 1882, the first hydropower plant was built in Wisconsin, USA.
● In 1911, the first hydropower plant was established at Pharping (500 KW)
in Nepal.

In context of Nepal,
Despite having 83,000 MW of theoretical and about 42,000 Mw of
technical and economical potential, current annual hydropower
output barely exceeds 700 MW.

Kali Gandaki A hydropower is currently the largest power plant in Nepal with
an installed capacity of 144 MW.

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How a hydroelectric power system works?

● The water turbine changes

the kinetic energy of the
falling water into
mechanical energy at the
turbine shaft.
● Shaft of turbine is
coupled to generator
which converts supplied
mechanical energy into
electrical energy.

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Major Components

The major components of a hydroelectric plant are as follows.

1. Forebay
2. Intake structure
3. Penstock
4. Surge chamber
5. Hydraulic turbines
6. Power house
7. Draft tube
8. Tailrace

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1. Forebay
A forebay is a basin area of a
hydropower plant where water is
temporarily stored before going into the
intake chamber.
The reservoir acts as forebay when
penstock takes water directly from it.
Functions:
● To provide the turbines with the
necessary flow
● Equal distribution of delivered
water among penstocks

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2. Intake Structure
Intake structure is a structure which collects the water from the
forebay and directs it into the penstocks.
In front of the gates trash racks are provided to prevent debris, trees,
etc., from entering into the penstock.
Rakes and trolley arrangement are also provided to clean the trash
racks at intervals

In cold weather regions, there is chance of formation of ice in water,

to prevent the entrance of ice into the penstocks trash racks heated
with electricity and hence ice melts when it touches the trash racks.

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3. Penstocks
Penstocks are like large pipes laid with
some slope which carries water, with
some pressure, from the intake structure
or reservoir to the turbines.
The amount of water that flows inside the
penstock can be controlled using a gate,
called sluice.

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 4. Surge Chamber
A surge chamber or surge tank is a cylindrical tank which is
open at the top to control the pressure in penstock.

Functions:
● To control pressure variations due to water hammer.
● To regulate the flow of water to the turbines.

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5. Hydraulics Turbines
- Prime movers,
hydraulics energy - rotational mechanical -
electrical energy
- Consist of row of blades fixed on a rotating shaft or
plate,
- Shaft rotates water striking the blades impact
difference in velocity and pressure

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 Hydraulic Turbines

Shape and orientation

Direction of flow Pressure of Water of turbine

Reaction Impulse
Straflo Vertical

Axial Flow Radial Flow Mixed Flow Cross Flow

parallel to the axis perpendicular to the different from the direction at
diagonally or across the
of rotation of the axis of rotation of which the water leaves the
turbine blades
blades the blades such as turbine eg: Franscis Turbines water flow passes through the runners
Pelton turbines two times increasing the efficiency of
eg:Kaplan
the turbine
and propeller turbine
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Pressure of water

1. Impulse turbines

-when the water passes through the nozzle, energy in the

water is transformed into kinetic energy,

pressure of the water remains the same when

passing through the rotor.

- the high-speed jet then strikes the bucket shaped vanes

mounted on a rotating shaft and consequently

transforming the kinetic energy of the water to a

rotation movement through the runner.

Eg : Pelton turbine

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2. Reaction turbines
-High-pressure water flow enters the turbine
tangentially to the runner through the fixed
guide vanes ,
-Water pressure varies depending on the variation
of the flow path shape, which comprises fixed
guide vanes, adjustable guide vanes, and
rotating blades.
Eg: Franscis and Kalpar turbines

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Shape and Orientation of Turbine
Straflo (Straight flow)
- an axial turbine generator attached directly to perimeter of
turbine,
- to avoid the leakage a sealing is installed.
Eg: propeller type. Fig: Straflo

Vertical turbines
- vertical direction, and the generator is located above the water
current
Eg: Kaplan turbines

Fig: Vertical

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6. Power House
● Main power house structure:

Contain turbines and generators

● Erection Bay:

Used for assembly and disassembly of

generator and turbines

● Service Areas:

Includes offices, control rooms.

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7. Draft Tube
● Diverging tube fitted at the exit of runner
of turbine.
● If reaction turbines are used, then draft
tube is a necessary component which
connects the turbine outlet to the tailrace.
● Contains gradually increasing diameter so
that the water discharges into the tailrace
with safe velocity.
● Used to utilize the K.E. available with
water.
● At the end of the draft tube, outlet gates
are provided

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8. Tailrace

● Channel that carries water away from

hydroelectric plant
● It is good if the power house is
located nearer to the stream.
● Otherwise the water flow may
damage the plant in many ways like
lowering turbine efficiency,
cavitation, damage to turbine blades
etc.

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Types of Hydropower
➢ Run-of-River Hydropower
➢ Storage Hydropower
➢ Pumped Storage Hydropower
➢ Offshore Hydropower

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 Run-Of-River Hydropower

- Uses Water flowing from a river through a canal to spin a turbine.

- Generally, these have little or no storage facility.
- Built on a river with consistent and steady flow.
- Output from a run of river hydropower varies seasonally.

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Working Mechanism
1. Water is guided through the
channel or penstock.
2. Diverted water is brought to the
Hydropower plant house.
3. Drives or spin the turbine.
4. Converts hydraulic energy into
mechanical energy and then into
electrical energy.
5.Finally, water is fed to the river
downstream.

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Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:
Cleaner power
Less Flooding.
Disadvantages:
Unfirm power

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Storage Hydropower
● System that uses a dam to store water in a reservoir,
● Electricity is produced by releasing water from the reservoir through a turbine, which
activates a generator,
● Storage hydropower provides base load as well as the ability to be shut down,
● Started up at short notice according the demands of the system (peak load)
● It can offer enough storage capacity to operate independently of the hydrological
inflow for many weeks or even months.

Kulekhani dam
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Advantages and disadvantages
Advantage:
1.Long life(more than 50 years)
2.Running cost is less
3.Use for irritation
4.For fishing.

Disadvantages:
1.Initial cost is high
2.Large area is required for dam
3.Take a long time for construction
4.Difficult to operate the hydropower station during
summer season

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Pumped Storage Hydropower

1. It is a configuration of two water reservoirs

at different elevations that can generate
power as water moves down from
one(upper) to the other(lower) passing
through a turbine.
2. The system also requires power as it pumps
water back into the upper reservoir
(recharge).
Fig:-power generation
3. It acts similarly to a giant battery, because it
can store power and then release it when
needed.
4. It has long service life, low losses of energy
and relatively high efficiency.
5. It requires high initial capital cost and may
require power from other sources to pump
water from lower reservoir to upper
reservoir.
Fig:-power consumption

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Offshore Hydropower
Less established but growing group of technologies that use tidal currents or the

power of waves to generate electricity from seawater.

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Offshore Hydropower

● Utilize hydroelectric power to tap the oceans enormous energy

reserve.
● Based on tapping energy potential created by head differences
to generate electricity.
● Power is exported via a submarine cable.
● Huge demand for this technology as it provides unlimited
quantities of renewable energy close to centers of population
and industry.
● Excellent opportunity for mitigation of greenhouse gas
emissions and reduction in global warming.

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Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
● No fuel required
● Less pollution
● Beneficial for irrigation and flood control purposes
● Low operating and maintenance cost
Disadvantages:
● Initial cost is high
● Possible destruction and displacement of human
habitat
● Disrupts the aquatic ecosystem
● Requires large areas

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Conclusion
Hydropower is the use of fast running water to produce
electricity .
It is the major source of energy for every nation and many
hydropower plants are being inaugurated for its potential
use.
Nearly 16% of total power used by world is represent by
hydropower.

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References

1. (The Constructor, 2017)

https://theconstructor.org/structures/hydropower-plant-components-
functions/19705/#:~:text=1.-,Forebay,requirement%20in%20intake%20is%20less.

2. (Department of Energy, n.d.)

https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/glossary-hydropower-terms

3. (Wikipedia, n.d.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_Nepal

4. (Department of Energy, n.d.)

https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/types-hydropower-
plants#:~:text=There%20are%20three%20types%20of,renewable%20energy%20to%20t
he%20grid.

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