 The energy of water is utilized for hydro-power

generation.

 The energy of water may be kinetic or potential.

 Kinetic energy of water is its energy in motion and

is a function of mass and velocity.

 Potential energy is a function of the difference in

water in between two points.
 Life of hydropower plant is higher than thermal and
nuclear power plants.

 However capital cost for the construction and

commissioning is more than TPP and NPP.

 It requires less man-power and offers Less

pollution.

 Unit cost of production of energy is low, because

main fuel is water which is renewable.
 The hydraulic head is a value that measures the
amount of energy available in water in a river,
stream or even lake due to its position.

 The hydraulic head is equivalent to the water level

in a static (non-flowing) water body.

 In its simplest form hydraulic head is a

measurement of the height of a static water
column above an arbitrary point, usually expressed
in meters or feet.
 The higher the water level or hydraulic head, the
more energy that the water at a specific location
has.

 In a hydroelectric facility, the amount of energy

harnessed depends on the difference between the
headwater level in the reservoir upstream of the
dam and the tailwater level below the hydroelectric
dam.
 The energy used to generate electricity by moving
the turbines arises from the utilization of
gravitational potential energy of the reservoir water
as it moves down through the penstocks.

 Overall, hydraulic head is a way to represent the

energy of stored fluid - in this case water - per
unit weight.
 Hydraulic head difference represents the amount of
energy that can be transformed into electricity by
the turbines and generators.

 More detailed calculations show that not only the

difference in height of the water determines how
much energy can be harnessed, but there are a
variety of losses known as head losses.

 These head losses occur as a result of friction in

pipes.
 When head losses are accounted for, the actual
amount of energy that can be harnessed is
reduced.

 This reduced value for hydraulic head with the

losses accounted for is known as the effective
head.

 The water in the reservoir, which is at a higher

altitude has more gravitational potential
energy because it is at a higher vertical position
than the tail race.
 Head losses occur in all hydroelectric facilities, and are
classified as:

i. Major head losses

ii. minor head losses.

 Major head losses: Major head losses arise mainly from

friction in the pipes, and occur over long lengths of pipe,
such as in the penstock.

 Minor head losses: Minor head losses arise from any other
place besides friction in the pipes. Essentially, any place that
the pipe bends or the velocity of the water changes, minor
losses exist.
 These hydraulic head losses are measured, calculated, and
expressed in the same way hydraulic head in the equivalent
height of water in meters.
 In this case, you subtract the amount of power lost through
head losses from the overall gross power to get the actual net
power one can obtain.
The equation can be shown as:

 Despite the names, major head losses are not always greater
than minor head losses - it is simply the combination of both
minor and major head losses that are important in
determining what the net power of the hydroelectric power
plant is.
 The value for hydraulic head is used in the hydroelectric power equation to
determine the available power of a hydroelectric system.

 It is one of the main components in this equation, represented by

P=ρ.g.Q.Δh
where:
• P is the amount of power being calculated, measured kiloWatt (kW)

• Δh is the hydraulic head difference across the dam or turbine, expressed in

meters (m), ρ is the density of the fluid, measured in kilograms per
unit volume (kg/m3)
• Q is the volumetric hydroelectric discharge (the flow rate) of the fluid,
measured in volume per unit time (m3/s), g is acceleration due to gravity,
measured in meters per second square (m/s2)

 Note that the larger the head difference in the expression above, the more
potential mechanical energy the water in the reservoir has.
Hydro power plants are classified Based upon:

(1) Quantity of water available

(2) Available Head

(3) Nature of load

1. Run-off river plants without pondage

 It doesn’t store water.

 It uses water as it comes.

 It uses water only when available.

 Generating capacity primarily depending on the

rate of flow of water.
 During rainy season some quantity of water
wasted without using for the generation of
power.

 During low run-off periods due to low flow

rates , the generating capacity of plant is low.
2. Run-off river plants with pondage

 Usefulness of a run-off river plant is increased by

pondage.

 Pondage permits storage of water during the off-

peak periods and use of this water during peak
periods.

 It is cope up by the size of the pondage.

 This plant can be used on parts of the load curve
requirement, within certain limitations.

 It is more useful than a plant without pondage or

storage.
3. RESERVOIR PLANTS

 Majority of the plants are this type.

 It permit carrying over storage from wet season to

the next dry season.

 Water is stored behind the Dam and is available to

plant with proper control.

 It has better capacity and can be used through out

year.
 It can be used as a base-load plant or peak load
plant as required.

 It can also be used on any portion of the load curve

as required
1. LOW HEAD PLANTS
 Small dam is built across the river to provide the
necessary head (2 to 30m).

 The excess water is allowed to flow over the dam

itself.

 Used turbines: Francis, Propeller or Kaplan turbine.

 No surge tank is required

2. MEDIUM HEAD PLANTS
 Forebay is provided at the beginning of penstock.

 Forebay serves as water reservoir for such plants.

 The range of operating head of plant is 30 to 100m.

 Generally in these plants water carried in open canals from

main reservoir to the forebay and then to the power house
through penstock.

 The forebay it selfs works as a surge tank.

 Prime mover or Turbines: Francis, Propeller and Kaplan

3. HIGH HEAD PLANTS

 All water is carried from the main reservoir by a

tunnel up to the surge tank and then from surge tank
to the power house through pen stock.
 The operating head of the plant is greater than 100m.

 Heads more than 300m Pelton-wheel turbine is

preferred.
1. BASE LOAD PLANTS
 Such loads can take up the load on base portion of the
load curve.

 In this type plant load is almost constant.

 Load factor is high.

 Run-off power plants without pondage can be used as

base load plant.

 Similarly the plants which has storage also work as base

load plants.
2. PEAK-LOAD PLANTS

 Plants used to supply the peak load of the system

corresponding to the load at the top portion of the
load curve are known as peak-load plants.

 Run-off river plants with pondage can be used as

peak- load plants.

 Reservoir plants with water storage back side dam

may be used as either base-load plant or peak load
plant as required.
3. PUMPED STORAGE PLANTS
 They are built for peak-load.

 Water after passing through the turbine stores in tail-

race pond.

 It may fed back to the head water pond.

 Water is fed back from tail-race pond to Head water

pond during off-peak period.

 During peak load period water passes from Head water

pond to the penstock to operate the turbines.
 It can recover 70% of the power by using pumping
water.

 By using reversible-turbine-pump unit a turbine can

generate power and a pump while pumping water to
storage.

 The generator is worked as a motor during reverse

operation so that efficiency is high. The cost of
reversible-turbine-pump sets increases.

 It meets peak loads.

 RUN-OF-RIVER SYSTEM
 Run-of-river hydroelectric projects use
natural water flows and gravity to generate
electricity.
 A portion of a river is diverted downward
through a pipeline, tunnel or canal to power
turbines and generate electricity.
 These projects produce reliable and
sustainable energy and have minimal impacts
on the surrounding environment.
 Run-of-River system is usually a low head
scheme and is located on a perennial river in
which adequate discharge is available
throughout the year.
 A weir or barrage is usually constructed
across the river to ensure required water level
and the head for the power plant.
 This system has a small pondage on the
upstream to store some water during offpeak
hours, which is utilized later on peak hours.
 In case of high head run-of-river system the water is
taken by the power canal to the power house located
quite away and much lower level.
 In this type of development head is created by utilizing
differences b/w the gradient of river valley and power
canal.
 In Ghazi Brotha Hydro Power Project,76m drop is
attained through 63km length canal.
The scheme in which water is supplied to power
house by a run-off-river system has the following
components.
Main Parts:
1. Head Work
2. Intake Structure
3. Head Race (Canal)
4. Forebay
5. Head Pond
6. Penstock
7. Power House
8. Tail Race
1. Diversion Tunnel System:
 This type of development shall be considered
at favorable dam sites with long bend
downstream, where a short cut can be
established by drilling a tunnel. Geological
conditions will be prevailing for this.
 Tunnel is used if there is mountain or high
hill between the diversion structure and the
power house.
 The tunnel may run under pressure or may
have open channel flow.
 The cross section of the tunnel may be
rectangular, circular or Horse-shoe.
 Tunneling through disintegrated or soft rock
with high water table is quite difficult and
should be avoided as far as possible.
 The roof of the tunnel is arched to prevent
the caving in and to reduce the effect of
external loads.
 Lining is usually provided unless the tunnel is
in solid rock.
 In concrete lined tunnel, a velocity of 4 to 5
m/sec is usually permitted.
 In steel-lined tunnel, the velocity may be as
high as 9 m/sec.
 However, high velocities sometimes create
cavitation problems.
 Tunnels are absolutely essential for
underground power houses.
Main Components:-
1. Weir
2. Intake Structure
3. Head Race (Pressure Tunnel)
4. Surge Tank
5. Penstock/ Pressure Shaft
6. External or Underground Power house
7. Tail Race
2. Dam Station Hydropower System:
 If Power House is located close to or even
within high dam structure, the development
is called dam station development or
concentrated fall development.
 The maximum head of power station
approaches the height of dam.
2. Dam Station Hydropower System Contd.
 A large reservoir is created to permit carry
over storage from the rainy season to the dry
season.
 Such development is generally located on
non-perennial rivers.
 This system is designed for constant flow
much greater than the minimum natural flow.
1. Weir and Intake:
 The weir and intake structure is used to divert a
portion of a river’s flow into a penstock (pipeline
or tunnel or both).
 The structure typically is composed of a low
concrete weir that create a small head pond and
diversion channel that allows the facility to direct
water into the penstock.
 The use of high head weir in this case is not
justified because head created by storing water
behind it cannot be utilized to increase the
operating head.
The weirs which can be used as head work
for the diversion canal development are:-
1. Fixed crest gravity weir
2. Gravity weir with moveable gates
3. Tyrolean weir
i. Gravity Weir
When weight of the weir (Body Floor) balances the
uplift pressure caused by the head of water is called
gravity weir.
 If weir floor and piers together keep the
structure safe against uplift pressure is
called non-gravity weir.
ii. Gravity Weir with Moveable Gates:
In this weir, the fixed crest is additionally
provided with the gates to achieve
additional storage.
iii. Tyrolean Weir
The Tyrolean Weir was developed as a
water-intake from mountain torrents and is
a submerged weir with horizontal or
inclined trash rack.
The weir has to be made lower in order to
restrict the discharge cross section as
minimal as possible.
 A Tyrolean weir is a water inlet structure in
which water is abstracted from the main flow
through a screen over a gutter. From the
gutter, water enters a pipeline, which drains
into a sedimentation tank and then flows by
gravity into the rest of the system.
 Tyrolean intakes are used in small permanent
rivers and streams where the sediment
content and bed load transport are low.
2. Forebay:
 Forebay is an enlarged body of water in front of
intake. The reservoir acts as forebay when
penstock takes water directly from it.
 A forebay is required in the case of run-of river
plants at the upstream of diversion work.
 When canal leads water to the turbines the
section of the canal in front of turbines is
enlarged to create forebay.
 The forebay temporarily stores water for
supplying the same to the turbines.
3. Head Race
 Head Race carries water to the turbines from
the reservoir. The choice of open channel or a
pressure conduit (Penstock) depends upon
site conditions.
 The pressure conduit may be a long conduit
of steel or concrete or sometimes a tunnel
extending for few kilometers between the
reservoir and the power house
 The velocity of water in the power conduit is
also higher than in the open channel. Up to
about 60 m head the velocity may range
between 2.5 to 3 0 m/sec.
 The head race canal may lead water to the
turbines or to the penstocks and is usually
adopted in low-head installations where head
losses are relatively important. The advantage
of an open channel is that it could be used
for irrigation or navigation purposes.
4. Penstock
penstock The penstock is typically a pipeline or
tunnel that transports the diverted water
downhill from the intake to the powerhouse.
The elevation drop and amount of water
diverted determines the amount of energy
generated from the facility
5. Surge Tank
 A surge tank is a storage reservoir provided
near the downstream end of the long
penstock to receive the rejected flow when
the pipe line is suddenly closed by a valve
fitted at its steep end.
 A surge tank, therefore, relieves the pipe line
of excessive pressure produced due to its
closing, thus eliminating the positive water
hammer effect.
6. Powerhouse:
 The powerhouse is a building that houses the
turbines used to generate electricity.
 Water from the penstock enters the
powerhouse, where it is fed into the turbines.
The water spins the turbines, which are
connected to a generator, to create
electricity.
7. Tailrace
Once the water passes through the turbines,
the tailrace returns the water from the
powerhouse to the natural watercourse.
7. Turbines:
 Turbine converts hydraulic energy into
mechanical energy. The mechanical energy
developed by a turbine is used in running an
electric generator. It is directly coupled to the
shaft of the turbine.
 The generator develops electric power. A turbine
consists of a wheel called runner.
 The runner is provided with specially designed
blades or buckets. The water possessing large
hydraulic energy strikes the blades and the
runner rotates.
Thanks