WATER POWER ENGINEERING

TYPES OF WATER POWER DEVELOPMENT

1.
2.
3.

A water power development is essentially to utilize the available

power in the fall of a river or a canal, through a portion of its course,
by means of hydraulic turbines.
A water power development scheme is known as hydroelectric scheme
or Hydel-scheme.
Classification of hydel plants according to their function as follows:Run-off-river plants
Storage plants
Pumped storage plants

Run-off-river plant These plants utilize the river flow having no pondage at its upstream.
A weir or a barrage is constructed across the river to raise the water level
slightly.
Such a scheme is a low head scheme & is adopted in the case of a perennial
river.
Run-off-river plants are of two typesA. Those that utilize the varying flow
B. Those that operate on minimum available discharge & work throughout the
year
2. Storage plants Such a plant has a storage reservoir at upstream end.
A dam is constructed across the river and water is stored during the periods
of excess supply.
In India, most of the major plants are of this category.
1.

3.

Pumped storage plants-

Such plants stores power in the form of potential energy of water. The scheme
consists of a storage reservoir at higher level, and a turbine-cum-pump installation.

This scheme is used to generate the power only during peak hours of demand.

During peak demand , water flows from the reservoir to the turbine & power is
generated. During off-peak hours, excess power is available from the thermal power
plant or from other hydro-plant.

This power is utilized in pumping the water from low reservoir back to the storage
reservoir at the higher elevation and water is thus stored. This water is utilized again
during hours of peak demand , so no water is wasted.

 CLASSIFICATION OF HYDRO ELECTRIC SCHEME

Depending upon the available head

Hydroelectric
scheme
Low head scheme

Medium head scheme

High head scheme

Head is between 15 to 60
meters

Head is more than 60

meters

Weir or barrage is constructed

to raise the water level in the
river

Dam is constructed to
store the water

Dam of sufficient height is

constructed

Power house may be

constructed

It has features mid-way

between low & high head
scheme

High head scheme using heads

upto about 1800 meters has been
developed

Head less the 15 meters

The high head needed for high head schemes can be obtained by one of the
following methods-

1.

Construction of high dam

2.

Utilization of natural fall

3.

Conveying water to a lower valley

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF HYDROELECTRIC SCHEME-

A hydroelectric work comprises of the following componentsForebay

Intake structure
Surge tank
Penstocks
Power-house
Turbines and governors
Generators
Transformers
Transmission lines

1.

FOREBAY

2.

Forebay is an enlarged body of water just in front of the intake.

3.

The main function of forebay is to store, temporarily, the water rejected by the
plant when the load is reduced and to meet the instantaneous increased demand
when the load is instantaneously increased.

4.

When a canal leads water to turbine, the canal itself serves as a forebay and whwn
the penstocks directly take the water from the reservoir, the reservoir acts as the
forebay

2.

a)
b)
c)
d)
3.

INTAKE STRUCTUREThe water is conveyed from the forebay to the penstocks through the intake
structure.
Following are the accessories of an intake structureTrash rack:- There rack prevents the debris getting into penstocks.
Rakes to clear the trash rack.
Ice removal equipment.
Penstock closing gates with hoists.
PENSTOCKSPenstocks are the pipes of large diameter which carry water under pressure from the
storage reservoir to the turbine.
Penstock may be subjected to water hammer pressure so short length of penstocks
are designed , and in the case of long penstocks surge tank is provided to reduce
water hammer.
The intake of the penstock at the forebay must be at a level low enough to provide
an adequate water seal under all conditions to prevent the entry of air

4.

SURGE TANK

When the load on the turbine is reduced, the governor automatically close the inlet
gates partially, to reduce the inflow to the turbines. This retards the water flowing in
the penstocks, leading to water hammer in the penstocks.
Surge tank is provided to reduce the water hammer.

The functions of surge tank are as follows:-

a)
b)
c)
d)

It furnished a reservoir surface very near to the discharge end of the penstock to
dampen the water hammer pressure.
It temporarily stores water when load is reduced until such time that the velocity
has fallen to the steady value.
It temporarily supplies more water when the load is increased until such time that
the velocity has increased to a fresh steady value.
It calms down effectively and rapidly the surging in the water level.

5.

TURBINES

Hydraulic turbines are the machines which convert hydraulic energy into mechanical
energy. The mechanical energy is used to in running an electric generator which
develop electric power (hydro-electric power)

Hydraulic turbines may be classified under two heads:-

A.

Impulse or velocity turbines

B.

Reaction or pressure turbines

A. Impulse or velocity turbines

All the available potential energy or head is converted into kinetic energy or velocity
head by passing it through a contracting nozzle or by guide vanes before it strikes
the buckets of the turbine.

An impulse turbine has the following characteristic feature-

i.

The wheel passages are not completely filled

ii.

The water acting on the wheel vanes is under atmospheric pressure

iii.

The water is supplied at a few points at the periphery of the wheel

iv.

Energy applied to the wheel is wholly kinetic

B.

Reaction or pressure turbines

In this only a part of available potentially energy is converted into velocity head.

The pressure at the inlet to the turbine is much higher then the pressure at outlet.

A reaction turbine has the following characteristic feature-

i.

The wheel passages are completely filled with water

ii.

The water action on the wheel vanes is under pressure greater than atmospheric.

iii.

The water enters all around the periphery of the wheel.

iv.

Energy in the form of both pressure and kinetic is utilized by the wheel.

The turbines may be classified according to the direction of flow of water in the
runner

I.

Tangential flow turbine

II.

Radial flow turbine

III.

Axial flow turbine

IV.

Mixed flow turbine

1.
2.
3.

SPECIFIC SPEED
Turbines may also classified according to their specific speed-

Selection of suitable type of turbineOn the basis of available headLow head turbine - head less than 30m & use large quantity of water
Medium head turbine - head between 30m to 150m
High head turbine head from 150m to over 1000m

6.

THE POWER HOUSE

A power house of a hydel scheme serves as a protective covering for the hydraulic
and electrical equipment.

The following items of equipment should be provided for the layout of the powerhouse-

1.

2.

Hydraulic equipmenta)

Turbines

b)

Gates

c)

Relief valves for penstock setting

d)

Governors

e)

Flow measurement equipment

Electrical equipmenta)

Generators: air ducts

b)

Exciters

c)

Transformers

d)

Switching equipments

e)

High tension system

f)

auxiliaries

3.

Miscellaneous equipmenta)

Crane

b)

Shop

c)

Office rooms

d)

Lavatory

SCROLL CASING

o. Scroll

casing surrounds the turbine runner and the guide mechanism. The water from
the penstock is delivered to the scroll casing.
o. The main purpose of the scroll casing is to maintain nearly uniform velocity at the
entry to the guide vanes.

DRAFT TUBE

o. A

draft tube is a pipe or passage of gradually increasing cross-sectional area, which

connects the runner exit to the tail race.

o
1.

2.

Draft tube serve following purposesIt permit a negative or suction head to be established at the runner exit, thus
making it possible the placing of wheel and connecting machinery at a level above
that of water in the tail race under high-water flow conditions of river, without loss
of head.
It reduces the high velocity of the water discharged by the turbine by gradually
enlarging the cross section and thus converts the kinetic energy of the water
leaving the runner , into mechanical energy of the wheel.


o
o
o
o

TAIL RACE
Tail race is a channel into which the draft tube is discharges.
Where the power house is close to the river , the tail race may be the river itself .
The design velocity is usually 0.8 to 1.5 m/s .
The tail race channel should be maintained properly so that excessive aggradation
and degradation is avoided.

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