HYDROPOWER ENGINEERING

PRINCIPLES OF HYDROPOWER
ENGINEERING
By:-
ARKAN IBRAHIM
AZHEEN FATAH
HINDREEN NAZIF
Submitted to :-
Do.Dr.Ayta Gven
Content:-

What is Hydropower(Introduction)?
Hydropower potential
Classifications of Hydropower Plants
layouts of hydropower plants
 What is
Hydropower?
Introduction
 Water Cycle
Understanding the water cycle is important in order to understand
hydropower. The energy driving the water cycle comes from radiant
energy released by the sun that heats the water and causes it to
evaporate.
Gravitational Energy
Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Any moving
object has kinetic energy.
-Humans first learned to
harness the kinetic energy in
water by using waterwheels.

-Waterwheels convert the

kinetic energy of flowing water
to mechanical energy.
Harnessing Water Power
The necessary head can be created in different ways of
which two have been practically accepted These are:
1. Building a dam across a stream to hold back water and release it
through a channel, conduit or a tunnel:
 Dam Types
Arch
Gravity
Buttress
Embankment or Earth
Arch Dams
Concrete Gravity Dams
Buttress Dams
Embankment Dams
2. Divert a part of the stream by creating a low-head diversion
structure like barrage.
Hydropower potential
 Hydropower potential

WHAT IS HYDRO POWER?

The term hydro is the Greek word for water and
hydropower is the energy contained in water .

Hydropower is considered a renewable energy source.

Hydropower transforms the potential energy of a mass of

water flowing in a river or stream with a certain vertical fall
(termed the head).

The power output from the scheme is proportional to the

flow and to the head
Head = the height from which water falls
PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF
HYDROELECRIC SCHEME
FIRST ELEMENT :-

DAMS
2nd ELEMENT:-
INTAKE
3rd ELEMENT:-
PENSTOCK
4th ELEMENT

TURBINES
5TH ELEMENT
GENERATOR
 6TH ELEMENT:-

TRANSFORMERS
 7TH ELEMENT
OUTFLOW / TAILRACE:-
After passing through the turbine the water
returns to the river trough a short canal called a tailrace.
8TH ELEMENT
POWER HOUSE:-
 POWER HOUSE
PENSTOCK
RESEVOIR

DAM TURBINE GENERATOR

INTAKE
POWER LINE

TRANSFORMER
A
SIMPLE
OVER
VIEW
 How a Hydroelectric Power System Works
The mechanical energy produced by the turbine is converted into
electric energy using a turbine generator. Inside the generator, the
shaft of the turbine spins a magnet inside coils of copper wire. It is
a fact of nature that moving a magnet near a conductor causes an
electric current.
 In order to evaluate the power of flowing water, we may
assume a uniform steady flow between two cross-sections of
a river, with H (meters) of difference in water surface
elevation between two sections for a flow of Q (m3/s), the
power (P) can be expressed as :

where v1 and v2 are the mean velocities in the two

sections. Neglecting the usually slight difference in the
kinetic energy and assuming a value of as 9810N/m2,
one obtains the expression of power as:
Since an energy of 1000Nm/s can be represented as
1kW (1kilo-Watt), one may write the following
in order to evaluate the hydropower potential of a site ,
it is necessary to have knowledge of the hydrology or
stream flow of the site, since that would be varying
everyday.
Hence the following criteria are considered:
1. Minimum potential power is based on the smallest runoff
available in the stream at all times having duration of 100
percent.

2. Small potential power is calculated from the 95 percent

duration discharge .

3. Medium or average potential power is gained from the 50

percent duration discharge.

4. Mean potential power results by evaluating the annual

mean runoff.
 Worlds First Hydropower Plant

-In 1880, the Grand Rapids Electric Light and Power Company
used a water turbine to generate enough electricity to power 16
lights.

-Soon after, in 1882, the worlds first hydroelectric power plant

began operation on the Fox River in Appleton,
it is not economically feasible to harness the entire runoff of a
river during flood (as that would require a huge storage)
a discharge-duration curve may be prepared (Figure below)
which plots the daily discharges at a location in the decreasing
order of magnitude starting from the largest daily discharge
observed during the year and going up to the minimum daily
discharge.
 Hydropower potential is commonly divided into
three categories:

THEORETICAL- The maximum potential that exists no losses.40,000

TWh

TECHNICAL- From technical point of view, extremely low heads (less

than around 0.5m), head losses in water ways, efficiency losses in
the hydraulic and electrical machines, are considered as infeasible.
20,000 TWh

ECONOMIC- Calculated after detailed environmental, geological,

and other economic(alternative sources of power like oil and coal)
constraints 9,800 TWh
Ten of the largest hydroelectric producers as at 2009. [44][46]

Top ten countries (in terms of capacity)

Annual hydroelectric Installed Capacity % of total

Country
production (TWh) capacity (GW) factor production

China 652.05 196.79 0.37 22.25

Canada 369.5 88.974 0.59 61.12

Brazil 363.8 69.080 0.56 85.56

United States 250.6 79.511 0.42 5.74

Russia 167.0 45.000 0.42 17.64

Norway 140.5 27.528 0.49 98.25

India 115.6 33.600 0.43 15.80

Venezuela 85.96 14.622 0.67 69.20

Japan 69.2 27.229 0.37 7.21

Sweden 65.5 16.209 0.46 44.34

Global Installed Capacity
Under Construction
Turkey's hydropower development
Hydroelectric power facilities were first developed in the region in
1935, and their development increased steadily until 1974.

Currently, 22.8% of all electricity generated in the country comes

from hydropower, (according to data from the International
Energy Agency).

Turkey has 478 installed hydropower plants located in 69

provinces, with a total installed capacity of 15.1 GW.

There are 534 plants currently being planned, with 160 of those
under construction at around 15 GW of capacity.
Examples of Largest stations in Turkey

Name Power Output in Megawatt

Ataturk Dam 2400 MW

Karakaya Dam 1800 MW

Ilisu Dam 1200 MW

Birecik Dam 852 MW

 CLASSIFICATION OF
HYDROPOWER PLANTS
CLASSIFICATION OF HYDROPOWER PLANTS
:
Classification of hydropower plants

According to According to
According to According to According to According to
hydrological transmission
Capacity head purpose facility types
relation system

Large Run-of-River
High Isolated
Single
Single purpose
Medium
Reservoirs
Medium Connected to
grid
Cascade
Small
Multi purpose In-stream

Mini Low
Pumped
storage

Micro
Tidal Plants

Pico
LARGE: >100 MW
MEDIUM: 25 100 MW
SMALL: 1-25 MW
MINI: 100 KW - 1MW
MICRO: 5 100 KW
PICO: < 5 KW
Large Scale Hydropower plant
Small Scale Hydropower Plant
Micro Hydropower Plant
 small hydro power definitions in different countries:-
COUNTRY NAME SHP (MW)
Mauritius 0.05
Italy 3
Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Macedonia 5
Marocco 8
Afghanistan, Burundi, Iran, Malaysia, Mali, Nepal, Norway, Sri Lanka, Tunisia,
Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Madagascar, Armenia, Austria, Croatia, Montenegro,
10
Nigeria, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Cambodia,
Philippines, Indonesia, Senegal
Georgia 13
Bangladesh, Laos, Lesotho, Thailand 15
El Salvador, Peru 20
Bhutan, India, Mozambique 25
Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Benin, United States 30
Canada, China, Pakistan, New Zealand 50
LOW HEAD:
Low head hydro power applications use river current or tidal flows of 30 meters or
less to produce energy.
These applications do not need to dam or retain water to create hydraulic head, the
head is only a few meters.
Using the current of a river or the naturally occurring tidal flow to create electricity
may provide a renewable energy source that will have a minimal impact on the
environment.

Figure-sectional view of low head hydropower plant

MEDIUM HEAD:
A power station operating under heads from 30m to 300m.

Figure- sectional view of medium head hydropower plant

HIGH HEAD:
A power station operating under heads above about 300m.
A head of 200m/250m is considered as the limit between medium
and high head power stations.

Figure- high head hydropower plant

SINGLE STAGE- When the
run off from a single
hydropower plant is diverted
back into river or for any other
purpose other than power
generation, the setup is known
as Single Stage

CASCADE SYSTEM-
When two or more hydropower
plants are used in series such
that the runoff discharge of
one hydro power plant is used
as the is a intake discharge of
the second hydro power plant
such a system is known as
Figure-(a) single stage hydropower development scheme
CASCADE hydropower plant. (b) cascade or multistage hydropower system
SINGLE PURPOSE: When the whole soul purpose of a project is
to produce electricity then such a project is known as a Single
Purpose Hydro Power Project.

MULTIPURPOSE : When the water used in hydropower project

is to be used for other purposes like irrigation, flood control or
fisheries then such a project is known as Multi Purpose Hydro
Power Project.
RUN-OF-RIVER TYPE
These are hydro power plants that utilize the stream flow as it
comes , without any storage being provided.

Figure-Run-of-River hydropower plant

 STORAGE (RESERVOIR) TYPE
Hydropower plants with storage are supplied with water from large storage
reservoir that have been
developed by constructing dams across rivers.
Assured flow for hydro power generation is more certain for the storage
schemes than the run-of-river schemes.

Figure-pumped storage hydropower plant

PUMPED STORAGE TYPE
Pumped storage type hydropower plants are those which utilize the flow of water from a
reservoir at higher potential to one at lower potential.
During off-peak hours, the reversible units are supplied with the excess electricity
available in the power grid which then pumps part of the water of the tail-water pond back
into the head-water pond.

Figure-pumped storage hydropower plant

IN-STREAM

When the velocity of water

i.e. kinetic energy flowing
in the stream is used for
conversion into electrical
power, then the system is
known as In-stream.

Photograph of In-stream hydro power system

 Tidal Plants
another form of water energy that is used for hydropower
development: the variation of the ocean water with time due to the
moons pull, which is termed as the Tide.

The water rises and falls during the day. The advantage of this rise
and fall is taken in a tidal plant.
Tidal Plants
Tidal Plants
THE RANCE
TIDAL POWER
PLANT

IN FRANCE
Tidal Plants
ISOLATED: Whenever a hydropower plant is set up in
a remote area in order to meet the local demands then
such a hydropower plant is known as Isolated System.

CONNECTED TO GRID: Whenever the hydropower

plant is set up to meet the demands of areas which are at a
fair distance from the plant, then the transmission of
power takes through the grid system. Such a setup is
referred to as Connected to grid.
working principle of hydroelectric power plant is depends on:

1- Height of water.

2- Volume of water flowing per unit time.

3- Efficiency of turbine.
 Head & Losses

Tailrace :The channel that carries water away from the

powerhouse.
Tailwater: The downstream water of the powerhouse.

Frictional head losses : are losses due to shear

stress on the pipe walls
Minor head losses : are losses due to sudden changes
in pipes such as elbows, valves, inlets, etc .
hL= hf + hm
Hydroelectric Power and Energy

P Q Hg e
E Q H g e t

P= Power (KW)
E=Energy (KWh)
Q= Discharge (m3/sec)
Hg= Gross head (m)
e =overall unit efficiency (%)
e = e(hydraulic) x e(turbine) x e(generator)
 Approve unit of Power

P = .. . P = . . . .

w = 1000 Kg/3

3
P= 10003
2

5 2
10003 3 = 1000 kg x 3

2
Where kg x =
3

2
SO, 1000kg x 3 = 1000 = 1
Example about hydroelectric power
In a hydroelectric power plant, the water surface on the crest of the dam is at elevation
75.3 m while the water surface just at the outlet of the head gate is at elevation 74.4 m.
The head gate has 5 gates of 0.91 m x 0.91 m leading to the penstock and are fully opened.
Assume 61% as coefficient of discharge, determine :

i) The quantity of water that enters the hydraulic turbine in m3/sec

ii) The KW power that the turbine will developed, assuming 90% efficiency and the turbine
is 122 m below the entrance of the penstock . ( by using Hg )

iii) determine the power that the turbine will developed assuming 85% efficiency under
the same conditions as b. (by using Hn)
Solution :

i)

0.91
h = (75.3-74.4) + ( ) = 1.355 m
2

v - theoretical velocity just at the outlet of the head gate

v = 2gh

v = 2x9.81x1.355

v = 5.156 m/sec

Q = 5(0.91 x 0.91)(5.156) = 21.35 m3/sec

ii)

Q' = 0.61(21.35) = 13.02 m3/sec (actual flow)

P = . . . .

Fluid Power = 1000 x (9.81) x Q x (1.355+122) x (0.90) = 14,180 KW

iii)

13.02
v=
5(0.91 x 0.91)

v = 3.14 m/sec (actual velocity at each gate)

2
= 0.504 m
2

he = entrance loss
2
he = ke (2)

ke = 0.5

he = 5(0.5)(0.504) = 1.25m (minor head loss for 5 gates)

H = (1.355 + 122) - 1.25 = 122.105 m

Fluid Power = 1000 x (9.81)(13.02)(122.105)(0.85) = 13,257 KW

classifies hydropower plants according to their operating
functions as follows:

1. Base load power plant : are power stations which can consistently generate the
electrical power needed to satisfy minimum demand. That demand is called the
base load requirement, it is the minimum level of demand on an electrical grid over
24 hours.

2. Peaking power plant : are power plants that generally run only when there is a
high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity Because they supply power
only occasionally (sometimes), the power supplied commands a much higher price
per kilowatt hour than base load power.
 Base load electricity vs. Peak Load

Notice that throughout the middle of the night, the electricity demand is roughly
10GW. Throughout the day it ramps past 15GW. Base load electricity in this case is
10GW. It is the minimum amount of electricity needed at any point. All power
plants that provide base load electricity will run 24 hours a day. Base load power
plants need to be very reliable so they dont shut down unexpectedly.

Peak electricity is whatever is above base load. In the above figure, it is the all the
extra stuff from 10GW to 15GW.
Layouts of hydropower plants
 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

1. hydroelectric power plant required a water reservoir so this plant are constructed
through Dam.
 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

1. hydroelectric power plant required a water reservoir so this plant are constructed
through Dam.
 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

2. Water Stored dam has potential energy the water under pressure is carried by penstock
(pipe) due to the control gate and change potential to kinetic energy due to movement of
water .
 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

3. Penstock is a pipeline that supply water to the turbine.

 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

4. surge tank : produces the excess water force on the penstock

 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

5.trash rack : prevent the debris ( piece of rock ) from getting enter into the power
house
 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

6. due to the force of water the turbine will start rotating and due to it the
mechanical energy is produced .
 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

7. the shaft due to turbine is connected to the generator , As the turbine blades turn,
so do a series of magnets inside the generator and producing (AC) by moving electrons
and therefore produce electrical energy .
 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

8. the voltage of this electricity Is create by converting (AC) to higher voltage then
release it by using transformer and then transform by distribution lines(power line)
to the city .
 Hydropower plant scheme layout and it is Working

9. and also we have draft tube after running the turbine the water is passed to the
downstream water level by draft tube .
 Advantage and disadvantage of hydroelectricity power plant

Advantages
1. the most important advantage is that it keeps the environment clean .
2. when electricity is not needed then the sluice gate is closed to stop the generation
of electricity .

Disadvantage
1. Constructing hydroelectric power plants and dams is very expensive and it is
required large area .
2. planning a hydroelectric plant and reservoir may lead to the disruption of the lives
of people as they have to relocate to another area.
 High and medium head development
Usually, there could be two types of power scheme layout:
Concentrated fall schemes
Diversion schemes

In the concentrated fall type projects, the powerhouse would be built at the
toe of a concrete gravity dam, shown as in the figure bellow :
In the diversion type of layout, the diversion could be using a canal and a penstock
(Figure 11) or a tunnel and a penstock (Figure 12). The former is usually called the
Open-Flow Diversion System and the latter Pressure Diversion System.

1. Dam
2. Intake diversion conduit
3. Head pond
4. Spillway
5. Power house
6. Tailrace
7. Penstocks
8. Reservoir

Figure 11
 1. Watercourse
2. Dam
3. Intake structures
4. Diversion tunnel
5. Surge tank
6. Penstock fork house
7. Penstocks
8. Penstocks support
9. Power house
10. Power line

Figure 12
 Power Channel
It is the channel through which water is being carried to the forebay tank for
feeding to penstock. The various types of power channels are listed below :

OPEN CHANNEL

Rectangular
Trapezoidal
Triangular

CLOSED CONDUIT

Reinforced concrete pipe

PVC pipes
Steel pipes
 Low head development
Here too, two types of layouts may be possible:
In-stream scheme
Diversion scheme
In the in-stream type of project, the
powerhouse would be built as a part of the
diversion structure, as shown in Figure 2(a)
or a general detailed view in Figure 6
 In the diversion type of scheme, there has to be a diversion structure as well as
a diversion canal, as shown in Figure 2(b). The power house may be located at
some convenient point of the canal, that is, at its upstream end, middle, or at
the downstream end.
 Position of power houses
As might have been noticed from the layouts, there could be a variety of position for the
power house with respect to natural ground level.
the following types of power stations, which may be constructed as per site conditions:

1. Surface power station or over ground power station: A power station which is
constructed over the ground with necessary open excavation for foundations.
 2. Underground power station: A power station located in a cavity in the ground
with no part of the structure exposed to outside.

3. Semi Underground powerhouse: Some components of the power house are

underground, while others are on surface. The advantages of both surface & underground
are clubbed together in a semi-underground powerhouse, provided topography and
geology so permit.
 Electrical terms associated with hydropower engineering

Load factor: It is the ratio of the average load during a certain period to the
maximum or peak load during that period, and we have daily load factor, weekly
load factor, monthly load factor and yearly load factor depending upon the time
period.

Load factor is usually expressed as a percentage.

.
= =

installed capacity: The maximum power which can be developed by the

generators.
Utilization factor or Plant use factor: It is the ratio of peak load developed during
a certain period to the installed capacity of the plant.

The Firm Power: The firm power (or primary power) is the amount of power which a
plant can deliver throughout the year (or 100% of time). It is the power which will be
available when the flow in the river is minimum for a run-off river plant.

Surplus (secondary) power: The secondary power (or surplus power) is the amount
of power which is in the excess of the firm power. In a run-off river plant, the secondary
power is available when the discharge in the river is greater than the minimum
discharge.
Example:
Two Turbo Generators each of capacity 25000 KW have been installed at a hydel. power
plant. During certain period the load on the hydel. plant varies from 15000 KW to 40000
KW. Calculate as follows:
a. The total installed capacity.
b. The load factor.
c. The utilization factor.

Solution:

a) the total installed capacity = 2*25000 = 50000 KW

b) The Load factor LF =average load/peak load= 27500/40000 = .6875 = 68.75%

c)Utilization factor = Peak load/installed capacity = 40000/50000 =0.80 = 80.00%

Example:
A power station supplies the following loads to the consumer as given below;
1. Draw the load curve.
2.find the load factor for the plant .

Time(hr) 0-6 6-10 10-12 12-16 16-20 20-22 22-24

Load(Mw) 30 70 90 60 100 80 60

Solution:
1.
 Time(hr) 0-6 6-10 10-12 12-16 16-20 20-22 22-24
Load(Mw) 30 70 90 60 100 80 60

2. For Load factor calculation

Average load = (30*6+70*4+90*2+60*4+100*4+80*2+60*2)/24 = 1560/24

Load Factor (LF) = Average Load/Peak Load = 1560/(100*24) = 0.65 = 65.0%

References

Www.Eai.In
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES: COST ANALYSIS SERIES
volume 1: power sector ,issue 3/5, JUNE 2012
http://www.Irena.Org/menu/index.Aspx?Mnu=subcat&primenuid=36&ca
tid=141&subcatid=232
NPTEL Module CE IIT Kharaghpur Chapter:5 Version 2.
Http://www.eai.in/ref/ae/hyd/hyd.html#sthash.pvmI3H9c.dpuf
Mosonyi, Emil (1991) Water power development, Akademia Budapest.
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