Types of Energy Technologies

Hydro-Electric Power Plant

 Introduction

•One of the most widely used renewable source of energy

for generating electricity on large scale basis is
hydropower
•The power obtained from river or ocean water is called
hydropower
•Hydropower is the renewable source of energy since
water is available in large quantities from rain, rivers, and
oceans and this will be available for unlimited time to
come
•30% of total power of the world is met by hydro-electric
power
•Total hydro-potential of the world is 5000 GW.
Layout of Hydro Electric Power Plant
Essential features of Hydro-Electric
Power Plant
The essential features of a water power plant are as below:
1. Catchment area
2. Reservoir
3. Dam and intake house
4. Water way
5. Power house
6. Tail race or outlet water way

1.Catchment Area
•The catchment area of a hydro plant is the whole area
behind the dam, draining into a stream or river across
which the dam has been built at a suitable place.
2. Water reservoir
•In a reservoir the water collected from the catchment area
is stored behind a dam.
•Catchment area gets its water from rain and streams.
•The level of water surface in the reservoir is called Head
water level.
Note: Continuous availability of water is a basic necessity for
a hydro-electric power plant.

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3. Dam
• The purpose of the dam is to store the water and to
regulate the out going flow of water.
• The dam helps to store all the incoming water
• It also helps to increase the head of the water
• In order to generate a required quantity of power, it
is necessary that a sufficient head is available.
Types of Dams
Masonry Dams
• The masonry dams are of three major classes:
• Gravity dam.
• Buttress dam.
• Arched dam.

Gravity Dam
• Resist the pressure of water by its weight.
• Construction of material used for this dam, is solid
masonry or concrete.
Arch Dam
•It resists the pressure of water partly due to its weight and
partly due to arch action

Buttress Dam
•Buttress supporting a flat slab
•When cost of reinforced concrete is high such type of dam is
selected.
4. Water Ways
• Water ways are the passages, through which the
water is conveyed to the turbines from the dam
• These may include tunnels, canals, flumes, forebays
and penstocks and also surge tanks.
• A forebay is an enlarged passage for drawing the
water from the reservoir or the river and giving it to
the pipe lines or canals.
• The thickness of penstock depend on water head
and hoop stress allowed in the material

• Where t = penstock thickness

d = diameter of penstock
f = permissible stress
p = pressure due to water including
water hammer
= Penstock efficiency
Number of Penstock
` A hydro Power Plant uses a number of turbine which
are to be supplied water through penstock.
 To use a single penstock for the whole plant
 To use one penstock for each turbine separately
 To provide multiple penstocks but each penstock supplying
water to at least two turbines
Factors for Selecting number of penstocks
 Economy.
 Operational safety.
 Transportation facilities.
5. Power House

• The power house is a building in which the turbines,

alternators and the auxiliary plant are housed. Some important
items of equipment provided in the power house are as follows:
 Turbines
 Generators
 Governors
 Relief valve for penstock setting
 Gate valve
 Switch board equipment and instruments
 Circuit breakers
 Storage batteries
 Outgoing connections
 Cranes
 Offices
6. Tail water level or Tail race
• Tail water level is the water level after the discharge
from the turbine. The discharged water is sent to the
river, thus the level of the river is the tail water level
Classification of Hydro-Electric Power Plant
The classification of hydro electric power plant depend on the following
factors:
1) Quantity of water
It is the following types.
i. Run of river plant – where little or no water storage is provided. It operates as an
intermittent energy source
ii. Storage plant – has a dam or reservoir to impound water and released later
when needed
iii. Pumped storage – stores energy in the form of water in an upper reservoir,
pumped from another reservoir from a lower elevation. During periods of high
demand of electricity, power is generated by releasing the stored water through
the turbines in the same manner as a conventional hydropower station

2) Availability of Head of Water

a) Low head plant. Operating head < 15m.
b) Medium head plant. Operating head 15 to 50m.
c) High head plants Operating head > 50m.
a) Low Head Plant
• Operating head is less than 15m.
• Vertical shaft Francis turbine or Kaplan turbine.
• Small dam is required.
b) Medium Head Plant
• Operating head is less than 15 to 50m.
• Francis turbines.
• Forebay is provided at the beginning of the penstock.
c) High Head Plant
• Operating head exceed 50m.
e.g. Pelton turbines: surge tank is attached to the
penstock to reduce water hammer effect on the
penstock.
Advantages of Hydro Power Plant
• Water is a renewable energy source.
• Maintenance and operation charges are very low.
• The efficiency of the plant does not change with age.
• In addition to power generation, hydro-electric power
plants are also useful for flood control, irrigation
purposes, fishery and recreation.
• Have a longer life (100 to 125 years) as they operate at
atmospheric temperature.
• Water stored in the hydro-electric power plants can also
be used for domestic water supply.
• Since hydro-electric power plants run at low
speeds(300 to 400 rpm) there is no requirement of
special alloy steel construction materials or specialized
Disadvantages of Hydro Power Plant
• The initial cost of the plant is very high.
• Since they are located far away from the load centre, cost
of transmission lines and transmission losses will be
more.
• During drought season the power production may be
reduced or even stopped due to insufficient water in the
reservoir.
• Water in the reservoir is lost by evaporation.
END