H.

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT - LECTURE

1. Basic Elements in Hydro-Electric Power Plant.

1.1 Storage Reservoir or Reservoir

Reservoir used to store water during rainy days and supply the same during the dry season. Also stores the
water coming from the upper river or water falls.
1.2 Spillway
Spillway a weir in the reservoir which discharges excess water so that the head of the plant will be maintained.
1.3 Dam
Dam - the concrete structure that encloses the reservoir used for impounding the water for storage and for
creating head for the power plant.
1.4 Intake Structure or Equipment
Intake structure consists of racks or screens to prevent trash or entry of debris into the turbine runners.
1.4.1 Silt Sluice a chamber used to collect and discharge mud.
1.4.2 Trash rack a screen which prevents leaves, twigs, branches and other water contaminants to enter the
penstock.
1.5 Water way
1.5.1 Open channel
1.5.2 Penstock a pressure conduit which leads water from reservoir to turbine.
1.5.3 Tailrace a channel which leads water from turbine to tailwater.
1.6 Surge Tank or Chamber
1.6.1 Surge Tank - is used to reduce the water hammer during decrease in turbine load.
1.6.2 Surge Chamber a standpipe connected to the atmosphere and attached to the penstock so that the
water will be at atmospheric.

H. HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT - LECTURE

1.7 Powerhouse
Powerhouse consists of building structure of hydraulic and electrical equipment which includes the following:
a. Hydraulic turbines
b. Speed governors
c. Generators
d. Switchgears
e. Pressure relief valves
f. Isolation valves
g. Transformers
1.8 Draft Tube
Draft tube an integral part of reaction turbine used to recover energy head. It connects the turbine outlet to
the tailwater so that the turbine can be set above the tailwater level.
1.9 Forebay
1.10
Turbine converts the energy of the water into mechanical energy.
1.11
Generator converts the mechanical energy of the turbine into electric energy output.
1.12
Tailwater the water that is discharged from the turbine.
2. Types of Hydraulic Turbines
2.1 Impulse (Pelton) Turbine is also known as tangential wheel or Pelton wheel, it utilizes kinetic energy of high
velocity jet which acts upon a small part of the circumference at an instant.

2.2 Reaction turbine develops power from the combined action of pressure and velocity of the water that
completely fills the runner and water passages.
2.2.1 Francis Turbine low head and high efficiency.

2.2.2

Propeller-Type(Axial Flow) very low head and efficiency is lower than Francis
a. Fixed Blade
b. Adjustable blade or Kaplan
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H. HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT - LECTURE

3. Classification of Hydro-Electric Power Plants according to the:

3.1 Available head for power generation.
a. Low head 6 m to 30 m
b. Medium head 30 m to 150 m
c. High head 150 m and above
3.2 Nature of load or function.
a. Base-load plant
b. Peak-load plant
3.3 Quantity of water available for power generation.
a. Run-of-river plant without pondage
b. Run-of-river plant with pondage
c. Storage reservoir hydro plant (most common in RP)
d. Pumped storage hydro plant

4. Run-of-the River (Low Head) Hydro-Electric Power Plant

Pondage the water behind the dam of a run-of-the-river hydro-electric plant.

5. Pumped Storage Hydro-Electric Plant or Hydraulic Accumulator
Pumped storage plant is a hydro-electric plant which involves the use of off-peak energy to store water and to use
the stored water to generate extra energy to cope with the peak load.

H. HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT - LECTURE

6. Performance of Hydro-Electric Power Plant.

6.1 Gross head, hg
Gross head, hg is the difference between the head water and tailwater elevation.
6.2 Friction head loss, hf
hf f

L V2
- Darcy Equation
D 2g

where:
f = coefficient of friction.
L = total length of pipe, in meters
V = velocity, m/s
g =9.81 m/s2
D = inside diameter, meters
(Friction head loss is usually expressed as a percentage of the gross head).
6.3 Net head or effective head, h
h hg h f
6.4 Penstock efficiency or pipeline efficiency, ep
effective head on impulse turbine
ep
gross head on impulse turbine
ep

h
hg

6.5 General flow equation

Q AV
where:
Q = volume flow rate, m3/s
A = cross-sectional area, m2
V = velocity, m/s
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H. HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT - LECTURE

6.6 Water power, WP
WP Qh gQh kW
Where:
= specific weight of water = 9.81 kN/m3
= density of water = 1000 kg/m3
6.7 Turbine output, Wt
Wt Qht gQh t kW
Where:
t = turbine efficiency
6.8 Generator output, EP
EP Qhte gQh te kW
Where:
e = electrical or generator efficiency
6.9 Generator speed, N
120 f
N
p
where:
N = speed, rpm
f = frequency (usually 60 Hz)
p = number of poles (even number)
6.10

Utilized head
hw hh
where:
h = hydraulic efficiency

6.11

Head of Pelton (impulse) turbine

h

V2
2g

where:
V = velocity of jet
p = inlet gage pressure
g = 9.81 m/s2
6.12

Head of Reaction (Francis and Kaplan) turbine

h

VA2 VB2
2g

H. HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT - LECTURE

6.13

Peripheral coefficient (relative speed or speed ratio),

Peripheral Velocity DN

Velocity of Jet
2gh
where:
D = diameter of runner, meters
N = speed of runner, rev/sec
g = 9.81 m/s2
h = net head, meters

6.14

Specific speed, Ns
Specific speed defined as the number of revolutions per minute at which a given runner would revolve if it
were so reduced in proportions that it would develop 1 hp under one foot head; it serves to classify a
hydraulic turbine and to indicate its type.

N HP
H5 4
where:
N = turbine runner rotative speed, rpm
HP = horsepower output per runner
H = available head acting on turbine per stage in feet.
Ns

7. Identification of hydraulic turbine type based on available head and specific speed.
Hydraulic Turbine Type
Available Head, m
Impulse
800 and up
Reaction (Francis)
50 to 800
Reaction (Propeller Kaplan)
15 to 100
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End -

Specific Speed
5.5 to 80
22 to 80
85 to 170