CHAPTER 3

POWER AND ENERGY POTENTIAL STUDY

 INSTRUCTOR

Arshad Ansari
Email: ansariarshad0026@gmail.com
Contact No: +977-9816277377
M.Sc. In Water Resources Engineering
IOE, Pulchowk Campus
Features of PROR Plant
GROSS AND NET HEAD
Gross head : It is basically defined as the difference between the head
race level and tail race level
Net head : It is basically defined as the head available at the inlet of the
turbine. Net head is also simply called as effective head. 
When water will flow from head race to the turbine, there will be some losses of head
due to friction between water and penstock. There will also be other losses of head such
as loss of head due to bend, fitting, at entrance of penstock etc. We must note it here
that these losses will be very less and could be neglected when we compare with head
loss due to friction. 
Net head, H = Gross head (Hg) – head loss due to friction (hf)
 Power(P)

Design head: It is basically net head with turbine efficiency maximum.

Overall Efficiency
Hydraulic efficiency 
Hydraulic efficiency is basically defined as the ratio of power given by water to
the runner of turbine to the power supplied by the water at the inlet of the turbine.
Hydraulic efficiency will be indicated by ηh. 

Vanes or buckets fixed on the runner are not smooth and hence there will be
hydraulic losses when water will flow through these vanes of the turbine. Therefore,
power given by water to the runner of the turbine will be less than the power
supplied by the water at the inlet of the turbine. 
Mechanical Efficiency 
Mechanical efficiency is basically defined as the ratio of power available at the
shaft of the turbine to the power delivered to the runner of the turbine. Mechanical
efficiency will be indicated by ηm.  

Volumetric Efficiency 
The volume of the water striking the runner of a turbine will be slightly less
than the volume of the water supplied to the turbine as some amount of water
will be discharged to the tail race without striking the runner of the turbine. 
The long term monthly flow for a small stream is shown in table below

Draw the flow duration curve.

 Power Duration Curve
The curve obtained by plotting the power generated on Y-Axis and
the probability of exceedance of that power on X-Axis is called the
power duration curve. The power duration curve is similar to the
flow duration curve.
Firm and Secondary power
From the following data of flow at a given area for an average year, Compute and draw
power duration curve. Assume an average available net head of 10m and overall efficiency of
89%. Determine primary and secondary energy available during a year if the plant capacity is
fixed at power corresponding to flow available for 25% of time.
 Flow duration curve with and without storage

FDC with storage

FDC without storage

50% 100%

Percentage of time
Flow duration curve for Perennial and Intermittent Stream

Intermittent Stream

Perennial Stream

50% 100%

Percentage of time
 Daily and Monthly Flow duration curve

Monthly FDC
Daily FDC

50% 100%
Percentage of time
 Load Curve
• Graph of power requirement with respect to time.
• Can be daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly load curve
 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑
𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 =
𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑

𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑
𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦/𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 = 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑
𝑈𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛/𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 = 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

Question:
The load on a hydropower plant varies from a minimum of 10MW to 35MW. Two turbo
generator each of 22MW installed capacity have been installed. Calculate the load factor,
plant factor and utilization factor.
Ans: 0.64, 0.511 and 0.795
In a hydropower plant of installed capacity of 100MW, 42GWhr energy is
produced in one month. What is the capacity factor of that plant? If maximum
load on that plant during that period is 80MW, calculate the load factor.

Ans: 0.583, 0.729

 Diversity factor (DF)

𝑆𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑

𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 =
𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

A hydro station supplies the following loads to various consumers

Industrial consumers = 1500 KW
Commercial establishment = 750KW
Domestic power = 100 KW
Domestic light = 450 KW
IF the maximum demand on the station is 2500 KW and no. of Kwh generated per year
is 45*10^5. Determine i) Diversity factor ii) Annual load factor

Ans: 1.12, 0.205

 Determination of installed capacity by marginal cost and benefit approach

Steps:
1. For a given energy price, determine marginal benefit corresponding to X% of time.
2. Marginal cost is calculated as sum of Variable cost (Annual) and O&M cost
Where, variable cost includes cost of electromechanical installation while civil
cost being fixed is not included in marginal cost.
Similarly, O&M cost is taken as % of total electromechanical cost
3. Equate marginal cost and benefit to obtain the value of X and the power
corresponding to X% of time obtained from power duration curve gives you
installed capacity of the project.
 For the mean monthly flow for a Nepalese river, the power duration curve is calculated
which are shown below:

% time 8.33 16.67 25 33.33 41.67 50 58.33 66.67 75 83.33 91.67 100

Power 703 588 53 305 256 183 147 107 82 72 59 52

7
(MW)

Determine the best installed capacity of the plant with the following data:
Interest rate = 10%
Energy price = US$30/MWH
Fixed cost = US$2000/KW
Variable cost = US$600/KW (electromechanical)
O & M = 2% of variable cost
Economic life of plant = 40 yrs