Hydropower Plant
Hydropower Plant
Hydropower Plant
kinetic energy of
energy of water energy at energy at
water at penstock
from dam the turbine generator
Hydro power plant
• Hydro power plant or hydroelectric power plant.
• It utilize the water to move/rotate the turbine which
turn the generator.
• Energy transformation on the hydro power plant
The main components of a conventional
hydropower plant are:
1. Dam: Most hydropower plants rely on a dam that
holds back water, creating a large water reservoir that can
be used as storage.
• There may also be a desilter to cope with sediment
build-up behind the dam.
2. Intake, penstock and surge chamber: Gates on the
dam open and gravity conducts the water through the
penstock (a cavity or pipeline) to the turbine.
• There is sometimes a head race before the penstock.
• A surge chamber or tank is used to reduce surges in
water pressure that could potentially damage or lead to
increased stresses on the turbine.
Cont.…
3.Turbine: The water strikes the turbine blades and
turns the turbine, which is attached to a generator by a
shaft. There is a range of configurations possible with
the generator above or next to the turbine.
The most common type of turbine for hydropower
plants in use today is the Francis Turbine, which allows
a side-by-side configuration with the generator.
4. Generators: As the turbine blades turn, the rotor
inside the generator also turns and electric current is
produced as magnets rotate inside the fixed-coil
generator to produce alternating current (AC).
Cont. ….
5.Transformer: The transformer inside the powerhouse
takes the AC voltage and converts it into higher-voltage
current for more efficient (lower losses) long-distance
transport.
6. Transmission lines: Send the electricity generated to a
grid-connection point, or to a large industrial consumer
directly, where the electricity is converted back to a lower
voltage current and fed into the distribution network
7. Outflow: Finally, the used water is carried out through
pipelines, called tailraces, and re-enters the river
downstream. The outflow system may also include
“spillways” which allow the water to bypass the
generation system and be “spilled” in times of flood or
very high inflows and reservoir levels.
Components of hydroelectric power plant
Turbines
• Turbines are devices that convert the energy from
falling water into rotating shaft power.
• There are two main turbine categories: “reactionary”
and “impulse”.
• Impulse turbines extract the energy from the
momentum of the flowing water, as opposed to the
weight of the water.
• Reaction turbines extract energy from the pressure of
the water head.
• Suitable and efficient turbine for a hydropower project
will depend on the site and hydropower scheme design,
with the key considerations being the head and flow
rate.
Cont. …
The Francis turbine is a reactionary turbine.
• The most widely used hydropower turbine in existence.
• it used for a wide range of head and flow rates and highly
efficient.
The Kaplan reactionary turbine was derived from the Francis
turbine but allows efficient hydropower production at heads
between 10 and 70 meters, much lower than for a Francis
turbine.
Impulse turbines such as Pelton, Turgo and cross-flow are also
available.
• The Pelton turbine is the most commonly used turbine with
high heads.
• Impulse turbines have lower efficiencies but are less dependent
on discharge and have lower maintenance requirements.