ME-416 Renewable Energy Resources

Hydropower
By
AP Tanveer Ahmed

Spring Semester - 2013

 Hydropower
World Primary Energy Consumption in 2010

Coal
30%

Nuclear Energy
5%
Natural Gas
24% Hydro
6%
Renew- ables
1%

12002.4 MTOE
Oil
34%

Source: BP Statistical Review, 2010

 Hydropower
Current Installed Capacity, By Region
 Hydropower is currently being utilized in some 150 countries around
27,000 generating units
 Global installed capacity estimates from different sources range from
860GW to 950GW
 Hydropower
Current Installed Capacity, By Region
 Europe has the highest installed capacity (~260GW)
 Eastern Asia, lead by China, is rapidly developing its hydro resources
and is expected to become the region with the greatest level of
deployment within the coming years
 South America, lead by Brazil, is also developing rapidly
 Africa remains the region with the poorest ratio of deployment to
potential
 Hydropower
Hydro Under Construction, By Region
 Hydropower
World Largest Hydro Power Projects
Rated Capacity
Rank Name Country
(MW)
1 Three Gorges Dam  China 20,300
 Brazil
2 Itaipu Dam 14,000
 Paraguay
3 Guri Dam  Venezuela 10,200
4 Tucurui Dam  Brazil 8,370
5 Grand Coulee Dam  United States 6,809
 Hydropower
Three Gorges Dam - China

The turbines are 35 feet in diameter

(11m) and 17 feet high (5m) 50-700MW
 Hydropower
Itaipu Dam - Brazil
 Hydropower
Itaipu Dam - Brazil
 Hydropower
Utilization of Hydropower in Pakistan
 The total hydroelectric potential in the country has not been fully
investigated, but conservatively estimated to be 45,000 MW
 Pakistan has an installed hydroelectric capacity of 5,928 MW of large
(>250 MW)
 437 MW of medium (>50 MW and <250 MW)
 And 253 MW of small to micro (<50 MW) plants, mostly in the
northern parts of the country
 This amounts to 6,608 MW of total capacity, or less than 15% of the
identified potential
 Hydropower
Utilization of Hydropower in Pakistan
Tarbela Dam
Height 143.26 m
Turbines 10 x 175 MW, 4 x 432 MW
Installed capacity 3,478 MW
Mangla Dam
Height 138 m (453 ft)
Turbines 10 x 100 MW
Installed capacity 1,000 MW
Ghazi Barotha
Type of dam Run-of-the-river
Turbines 5 × 290 MW
Installed capacity 1,450 MW
Diamer-Bhasha Dam
Height 272 m
Turbines 12 x 375 MW
Installed capacity 4,500 MW
 Hydropower
Neelum Jhelum Hydroelectric Project
 Hydropower
Utilization Factor
 The Utilization Factor indicates the amount of energy utilized against
the total available energy (energy consumed versus installed capacity)
 The Utilization Factor of hydel energy is usually lower compared to
thermal or nuclear energy
 This is because hydel capacity/ potential is dependent on the water
head in the reservoir and can not be influenced
 It is not necessary that higher energy may be available at the time of
peak load vis-à-vis excess hydel power can not be stored when the
requirement is low
 Utilization Factor also changes form year to year depending upon the
national needs, variation in needs and available water head in the
reservoir during the whole year
 The utilization factor of Terbela and Mangla dam was 42% and 32 %
respectively for the year 2008
 Hydropower
Hydro Power

 Hydropower (hydro meaning water):

 The fall and movement of water is part
of a continuous natural cycle called the
water cycle
 Hydropower (hydro meaning water) is
energy that comes from the force of
moving water in which potential energy
is being converted to K.E
 Hydropower
Hydro Power
 Flowing water creates energy that can be captured and turned into
electricity. This is called hydropower
 Hydropower is currently the largest source of renewable power,
generating nearly 19% of the electricity used in the World
 The most common type of hydropower plant uses a dam on a river to
store water in a reservoir
 Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it,
which, in turn activates a generator to produce electricity
 But hydropower doesn't necessarily require a large dam. Some
hydropower plants just use a small canal to channel the river water
through a turbine
 Hydropower
Hydro Power to Electric Power

Electrical
Potential Energy
Energy
Electricity

Kinetic
Energy

Mechanical
Energy
 Hydropower
Advantages of Hydro power
 Continuous renewable water resource is used for generating
electricity, which can save thermal power and nuclear power
consumption of coal, oil and uranium, and other valuable non-
renewable mineral resources
 Hydropower is a clean energy source; it does not emit any harmful
gases, dust or ash. It has no nuclear radiation pollution
 Low cost of production. There is no need to purchase, transport and
storage the fuel. It just needs less operators, higher labor productivity,
simple operation, and higher operational reliability
 Hydropower
Advantages of Hydro power
 Hydropower station can be applied in comprehensive utilization, such
as flood control, irrigation, shipping, urban rural life and mining
production supply water, aquaculture, tourism and other tasks in
order to receive optimal benefits in the development of economy and
society
 Hydropower
Storing Energy
 One of the biggest advantages of a hydropower plant is its
ability to store energy
 The water in a reservoir is, after all, stored energy. Water can be
stored in a reservoir and released when needed for electricity
production
 During the day when people use more electricity, water can
flow through a plant to generate electricity. Then, during the
night when people use less electricity, water can be held back in the
reservoir
 Storage also makes it possible to save water from winter rains
for generating power during the summer or to save water from wet
years for generating electricity during dry years
 Hydropower
Hydro Power Energy Conversion
 Hydroelectricity is effectively a four-step energy conversion:
 The river's original potential energy (which it has because it starts
from high ground) is turned into kinetic energy when the water
falls through a height
 The kinetic energy in the moving water is converted into
mechanical energy by a water turbine
 The spinning water turbine drives a generator mechanical energy
 The generator that turns the mechanical energy into electrical
energy
 Different kind of water turbines are used depending on the geography
of the area, how much water is available (the flow) and the distance
over which it can be made to fall (the head)
 The type of turbine is chosen carefully to extract the maximum amount
of energy from the water.
 Hydropower
Water Turbines
 The two primary classifications of water turbines are:
 Reaction turbines
 Impulse turbines
 Power
 The power available in a stream of water is:
 where:
power (J/s or watts)
turbine efficiency
density of water (kg/m³)
acceleration of gravity (9.81 m/s²)
head (m) - For still water (difference in height between the
inlet and outlet surfaces), for moving water, an additional
component added to account for the kinetic energy of the flow (pressure
head plus velocity head)
= flow rate (m³/s)
 Hydropower
Water Turbines
 Reaction turbines:
 Reaction turbines, where the turbine is totally embedded in the
fluid and powered from the pressure drop across the device, or
 The water pressure can apply a force on the face of the runner
blades, which decreases as it proceeds through the turbine
 Hydropower
Reaction Turbines
 Reaction turbines are primarily designed to operate efficiently under
conditions which supply water at a high flow rate combined with a
low head
 The runner is placed directly in the water stream flowing over the
blades rather than striking each individually
 Hydropower
Water Turbines
 Impulse turbines
 Impulse turbines, where the flow hits the turbine as a jet in an
open environment, with the power deriving from the kinetic energy
of the flow, or
 The water pressure is converted into kinetic energy before
entering the runner. The kinetic energy is in the form of a high-
speed jet that strikes the buckets, mounted on the periphery of the
runner
 Hydropower
Impulse Turbines
 In impulse turbine the potential energy, or the head of water, is first
converted into kinetic energy by discharging water through a carefully
shaped nozzle
 The jet, discharged into air, is directed onto curved buckets fixed on
the periphery of the runner to extract the water energy and convert it
to useful work

Impulse turbines are most often used in very high (>300m/984 ft) head
applications
 Hydropower
Water Turbines
High head Medium head Low head
Impulse turbines Pelton Cross-flow Cross-flow
Turgo Multi-jet Pelton
Turgo
Reaction turbines ------------------ Francis Propeller
Kaplan
 The low head hydroelectric power plants are the ones in which the
available water head is less than 30 meters
 The hydroelectric power plants in which the working head of water is
more than 30 meters but less than 300 meters are called medium head
hydroelectric power plants
 In the high head hydroelectric power plants the head of water
available for producing electricity is more than 300 meters and it can
extend even up to 1000 meters
 Hydropower
Water Turbines

Three Gorges Dam Francis turbine A 100 Watt Pico Turbine

 Hydropower
Classification of Hydro Electric Plants
 According to Quantity of water available
i. Run-off river plants without pondage
ii. Run-off river plants with pondage
iii. Reservoir Plants
 According to Available head
i. Low-Head (less than 30 meters) Hydro electric plants
ii. Medium-head (30 meters - 300 meters) hydro electric plants
iii. High-head hydro electric plants
 According to power generation
Pico, Mini, Micro, small and large hydro power plants
 Hydropower
Types of Hydroelectric Stations According to Power Generation
 Based on the installed capacity, hydroelectric stations can be divided
into micro hydro, mini hydro, small hydro and large hydro systems
 There are no common definitions for micro, mini, small or large
hydro. It varies from country to country
 The definitions according to the International Energy Association are
as follows:

Pico up to 5 kW
Micro Up to 100 kW
Mini 100-1000 kW
Small 10 -30 MW
Large +30MW-Gigawatts
 Hydropower
Types of Hydroelectric Stations According to Power Generation

Micro Hydropower Plant

 Hydropower
Types of Hydroelectric Stations According to Power Generation
 Hydropower
Run-of-the-River Hydroelectricity
 Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity (ROR) is a type of hydroelectric
generation whereby little or no water storage is provided
 Run-of-the-river power plants may either have no storage at all or a
limited amount of storage. For this reason they are less disruptive to
the natural state of a river
 Run of Water hydro projects use the natural downward flow of rivers
and turbine generators to capture the kinetic energy carried by water
 Typically water is taken from the river at a high point and gravity fed
down a pipe to a lower point where it emerges through a turbine
generator and re-enters the river
 Installation of such a system is relatively cheap and has very little
environmental impact
 Hydropower
Run-of-the-River Hydroelectricity
 Hydropower
Run-of-the-River Hydroelectricity
 Run-of-the-River power is considered an “unfirm” source of power: a
run-of-the-river project has little or no capacity for energy storage
and hence can't co-ordinate the output of electricity generation to
match consumer demand
 It thus generates much more power during times when seasonal river
flows are high (i.e, spring freshet),and much less during drier summer
months
 Hydropower
Reservoir Hydro Power Plants
 A reservoir plant is that which has a reservoir of such size as to
permit carrying over storage from wet season to the next dry season
 Water is stored behind the dam and is available to the plant with
control as required
 Such a plant has better capacity and can be used efficiently
throughout the year
 Its firm capacity can be increased and can be used either as a base
load plant or as a peak load plant as required
 Majority of the hydroelectric plants are of this type
 Hydropower
Reservoir Hydro Power Plants
 Hydropower
The Classification According to Nature of Load
 Base load plants:
 A base load power plant is one that provides a steady flow of
power regardless of total power demand by the grid
 These plants run at all times through the year except in the case of
repairs or scheduled maintenance
 Power plants are designated base load based on their low cost
generation, efficiency and safety at set outputs
 Base load power plants do not change production to match power
consumption demands since it is always cheaper to run them
rather than running high cost combined cycle plants or
combustion turbines
 Typically these plants are large enough to provide a majority of
the power used by a grid
 Hydropower
The classification according to nature of load
 Peak load plants (Pumped-storage hydroelectricity):
 Pumped storage hydroelectricity is a method of storing and
producing electricity to supply high peak demands by pumping
water to a reservoir at a higher elevation during off-peak periods
and producing electricity using flowing water during on-peak
periods
 Unlike most other types of power station hydroelectric power
plants can be brought online almost immediately, making them
eminently suitable for dealing instantly with quite large
fluctuations in grid demand
 Hydropower
The classification according to nature of load
 Peak load plants (Pumped-storage hydroelectricity):
 Hydropower
The Classification According to Availability of Water Head
 Low-Head (less than 30 meters)
 Low head" hydro-electric plants are power plants which generally
utilize heads of only a few meters or less
 Power plants of this type may utilize a low dam or weir to channel
water or no dam and simply use the "run of the river“
 Run of the river generating stations cannot store water thus their
electric output varies with seasonal flows of water in a river
 Hydro-electric facilities with a capacity of less than about 25 MW
are generally referred to as small hydro
 Medium-head (30 meters - 300 meters)
 These plants consist of a large dam in a mountainous area which
creates a huge reservoir
 Dams are also used for flood control, irrigation, recreation and
often are the main source of potable water for many communities
 Hydropower
The Classification According to Availability of Water Head
 High-head (more than 300 meters)
 High head" power plants are the most common and generally
utilize a dam to store water at an increased elevation
 The use of a dam to impound water also provides the capability of
storing water during rainy periods and releasing it during dry
periods
 This results in the consistent and reliable production of
electricity, able to meet demand
 Heads for this type of power plant may be greater than 1000 m
 Most large hydro-electric facilities are of the high head variety
 High head plants with storage are very valuable to electric
utilities because they can be quickly adjusted to meet the electrical
demand on a distribution system
 Hydropower
Different Components of Hydro Power Plant
 The Reservoir:
 Water from a natural water body like a river is stored in the
reservoir. This reservoir is built at a level higher than the turbine
 The dam:
 The flow of water stored in the reservoir is obstructed by huge
walls of the dam
 This prevents the water from flowing and helps us harness the
energy present in it
 The dam consists of gates present at its bottom, which can be
lifted to allow the flow of water through them
 Hydropower
Different Components of Hydro Power Plant
 Hydropower
Different Components of Hydro Power Plant
 The penstock:
 This connects the reservoir with the turbine propeller and runs in
a downward inclined manner
 When the gates of dam are lifted, force of gravity makes the water
flow down the penstock and reach the blades of the turbine
 As the water flows through the penstock, the potential energy of
water stored in the dam is converted into kinetic energy
 Spillway:
 A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of
flows from a dam into a downstream area, typically being the river
that was dammed and is not directed to the powerhouse to
generate electricity
 Hydropower
Different Components of Hydro Power Plant
 Hydropower
Barrage and Dam
 Key difference between a dam and a barrage according to World
Commission on Dams is that while a barrage is built for diverting
water
 A dam is built for storing water in a reservoir to raise the level of
water considerably
 A barrage is usually built where the surface is flat across meandering
rivers. It raises the water level only by a few feet
 Hydropower
Calculations
Reservoir Potential Energy
 Hydropower
Calculations
Reservoir Potential Energy
 Hydropower
The Elements for Determining Electrical Output
 Potential energy in the reservoir
 Penstock
 Potential energy of water entering the penstock
 Kinetic energy of water leaving the penstock (ηp=KE/PE)
 Mechanical power of water leaving the penstock, Pw
 Turbine
 Kinetic energy captured by the turbine
 Mechanical power of the water striking the turbine, Pt
 Hydroelectric conversion efficiency, Cp  losses
 Mechanical output of the turbine Pm = CpPt
 Generator efficiency ηg
Hydropower
Losses