Weir and intake (dique ou aude)

Forebay tank
(cmara de carga)

Canal
(canal)

Penstock
(conduta forada)

Power house
(casa das
mquinas)

Small hydro site layout

Large hydro
10 MW

Small hydro
500 kW

Mini-hydro
100 kW
Micro-hydro

Note: there are other definitions.

Francis

Pelton

Kaplan

Rotors of hydraulic turbines with different specific speeds .

Reversible Francis pump-turbine

In times of reduced energy demand, excess
electrical capacity in the grid (e.g. from wind
turbines) may be used to pump water,
previously used to generate power, back into
an upper reservoir.
This water will then be used to generate
electricity when needed. This can be done by
a reversible pump-turbine and an electrical
generator-motor.

Kaplan turbine
Double control
Guide-vane
control

Rotor-blade
control

Propeller turbine (small power plants)

Simple control: rotor blades are fixed

THREE GORGES DAM The largest hydropower plant in the world

Yangtze River, China.

Construction: started in 1994; to
be completed in 2009.
Dam - length: 2309m; height:
185m

Reservoir length: 600km

About 1.5 million people had to
be relocated

Three Gorges Dam hydropower plant

Installed power: 22500 MW
34700 MW Francis turbines

Itaipu hydropower plant, Paran River, BrazilParaguay

Construction: 1984-91
Reservoir area: 1350 km2

Installed power: 12870 MW

Total dam length: 7235 m

18 Francis turbines of 715 MW

Dam height: 196 m