Outline

Major Components of Hydroelectric Power Plants Financial Evaluation of Hydroelectric Power Plants

Major Components
Most conventional hydropower plants include the following major components:
Dam (reservoir) Penstock Turbine Generator Transformers Transmission Lines Spillway/gates Meter Power equipment Regulator Control equipment
2

Dam
A dam controls the flow of water and increases the

elevation to create the head. The reservoir that is formed is, in effect, stored energy Dams are classified according to: Material from which they are built Earth Rock Concrete Their configuration and the way in which they resist forces imposed on them: Gravity dams-Both earth and rock dams are special types of gravity dams
3

Penstock
The penstock is a pressurized water conductor that extends from the free water surface at the reservoir, canal, or surge tank to the powerhouse

Trash racks
A trash rack is required to protect the turbine runner from impinging objects. It is a structure made up of one or more panels, each generally fabricated of a series of evenly spaced parallel metal bars

Turbine
Hydraulic turbine is a rotating machine that converts the potential energy of the water to mechanical energy The two most types of turbines are Action/Impulse turbine: Pelton, Turgo and cross flow type Reaction turbine:- Francis turbine, Kaplan and Propeller

Types of impulse turbines

1. Pelton Turbine A Pelton turbine consists of a set of specially shaped buckets mounted on a periphery of a circular disc. It is turned by jets of water which are discharged from one or more nozzles and strike the buckets

Contd
2.Turgo Turbine The Turgo impulse wheel is an upgraded version of the Pelton. The Turgo can operate under low-flow conditions but requires a medium or high head (30 to 300 meter)

Contd
3. Cross flow Turbine A cross flow turbine comprises a drum shaped runner consisting of two parallel disc connected together near their firm by a series of curved blades

4. Jack Rabbit The Jack Rabbit is the drop-in-the-creek turbine that can generate power from a stream with as little as 30 cm of water and no head. Output from the Jack Rabbit is a maximum of 100W, so daily output averages from 1.5 to 2.4 kilowatt-hours, depending on the site
8

Contd
The most common types of reaction turbines include 1. Francis turbine In Francis turbine the flow exits the turbine blades in the radial direction. Water enters the turbine through a volute casing and is directed onto the blades by guide vanes Francis turbines are radial flow reaction turbines, with fixed runner blades and adjustable guide vanes, used for medium heads of large scale HEPP

Contd
2. Kaplan and Propeller turbines Kaplan and propeller turbines are axial-flow reaction turbines, generally used for low heads The Kaplan turbine has adjustable runner blades and may or may not have adjustable guide-vanes The Kaplan turbine is an overpressure turbine - the runner is placed in a turbine chamber and is totally surrounded by water

10

Turbine Selection Graph

11

Spillway
Spillway is nearly always required to pass flow by a dam The safe operation of spillways is the main objective in design Failure of the spillway to perform its design function can lead to failure of the dam with possible property damage and loss of life

12

Contd
Types of spillways The overflow type of spillway is the most common and is usually the most economical for passing large flows

Side channel spillways are used mainly with embankment dams. They are located just upstream and to the side of the dam

13

Canals
A power canal conveys water from the reservoir to the turbine intake structure. In some cases, the canal conveys water to a forebay upstream of the turbine intake

Tunnels
The layout of a hydroelectric plant sometimes requires carrying the water through mountains, requiring the use of tunnels
14

Surge tank
Surge tanks/Surge shaft:- Is an open standpipe or shaft connected to the penstock of HEPP Main functions of a surge tank are 1. It reduces the amplitudes of pressure fluctuation by reflecting the incoming pressure waves. 2. A surge tank improves the regulating characteristics of the hydraulic turbine 3. A surge tank act as a storage of excess water during load reduction in hydropower plant

Draft tube

A water conduit which carries water from a reaction turbine runner to the tailrace. It is designed to maximize head utilization by the turbine

15

Tailrace
The tailrace is channel or canal that carries water away from a draft tube. Also sometimes called an afterbay

16

Generator
The generator is connected to the turbine and rotates to produce the electrical energy

Transformers
Transformers convert electricity from the generator to usable voltage levels

Transmission Lines
Transmission lines conduct the electricity from the hydropower plant to the electric distribution system

17

Governor
For safe operation, the turbine speed should kept constant, which means the input water power has to be balanced with the output electrical power. This can be achieved by a flow and/or load control device called governor. A governor is provided to keep the speed of the turbo-generator at the synchronous speed The main component of a governor are a speed-sensing devices and a servomechanism for opening or closing the wicket gate of a valve Mechanical and electrical speed-sensing devices can be centrifugal ballhead in various configurations Taco generator The electrical speed sensing include ac generator with a permanent magnetic field, a permanent magnet alternator, feeding into a frequency sensitive device and a speed signal generator
18

Contd

19

Hydraulic Transient in Hydroelectric Power Plants

In a HEPP, when the water is flowing through the penstock and started to stop suddenly (i.e. by opening the gate valve and closing ,during either load acceptance or load rejection ), pressure variation continuously occur in the penstock, and hydraulic transient arise In particular, during sudden valve closure, pressure suddenly rises above normal level and might cause the stressing of the penstock and the phenomena is known as WATER HAMMERING Unless precaution are taken and appropriate design measures are taken, the pressure rises might causes the penstock to burst 20

Causes of Hydraulic Transients in HEPPs

The following turbine operation produce transient state condition in the penstock of HEEP 1. Unit synchronization to interconnected system during a. Load acceptance b. Load reduction or total load rejection 2. Isolated unit a. Unit start-upload acceptance b. Load acceptance c. Load reduction or total load rejection

21

Powerhouses
The powerhouses contain the turbine, generator, control equipment, exciters, transformers and supporting auxiliary equipments Types of powerhouses: Integral intake powerhouse Conventional surface powerhouse Underground powerhouse

22

Financial Evaluation of Hydroelectric Power Plant

Almost all costs of hydroelectric power plants are met at the start of the project There is also an annual expenditure on operation and maintenance Some of the financial indicators of hydroelectric power plant are Unit energy cost Net present value Internal rate of return Pay-back

23

Contd

Initial Capital Cost

Feasibility study
1. Site investigation 2. Hydrologic assessment 3. Environmental assessment 4. Preliminary design 5. Report preparation 6. Project management 7. Travel and accommodation 8. Other costs of Feasibility study

Engineering
1. Design and tender documents 2. Contracting 3. Construction supervision 4. Other costs of Engineering

Energy Equipment
1. Turbines/generators, controls 2. Equipment installation 3. Transportation 4. Other - Energy equipment

Development
1. PPA negotiation 2. Permits and approvals 3. Land rights 4. Project financing 5. Legal and accounting 6. Project management 7. Travel and accommodation 8. Other costs of Development

Balance of Plant
1. Access road 2. Clearing 3. Earth excavation 4. Rock excavation 5. Concrete dam

24

Contd
6. Earthfill dam 7. Dewatering 8. Spillway 9. Canal 10. Intake 11. Tunnel 12. Pipeline/Penstock 13. Powerhouse civil work 14. Substation 15. Transmission line 16. Transportation 17. Other costs of Balance of Plant

Miscellaneous
1. Special equipment 2. Contractor's overhead 3. Training 4. Contingencies 5. Interest during construction 6. Other Miscellaneous costs

Annual O&M Costs

1. Land lease 2. Property taxes 3. Water rental 4. Insurance premium 5. O&M labor 6. Transmission line maintenance 7. Spare parts 8. Travel and accommodation 9. General and administrative 10. Other O&M costs

11. Contingencies

25

Unit Energy Cost

To evaluate the system, interest rate is taken in to consideration. The annual total cost and the unit energy cost per year can be calculated as follows
CA i1 i
n

Where: CA = Total Annual Cost CI = Capital Cost CO+M = Operation and Maintenance Cost i = Interest Rate n = life span of the project

1 i

C I Com

The unit energy cost is determined by dividing the total annual cost by the total energy consumed usefully per year
TotalAnnualCost EnergyConsumeduseful lyPerYear C annual C O M UnitEnergyCost Pinstalled 8760 PF UnitEnergyCost

26

Example
A 70 kW micro-hydro project is proposed which has an initial capital cost of $ 120000. Annual O+M expenses are expected to be 2% of the initial capital cost. The project is expected to have a fifteen year life, a discount rate of 12% and a plant factor of 0.5. Calculate: a) The total annual cost b) The unit energy cost

Solution
Given CI = $120000 CO+M = 2%*120000 = 0.02*120000 = $2400 i = 12% = 0.12 n = 15
27

Contd
a) First express the original capital cost in terms of a constant annual sum throughout the life of the project. The Annual Cost is A = i(1+i)n *CI (1+i)n - 1 A = 0.12(1+0.12)15 *120000 = $ 17,619 (1+0.12)15 1 The Total Annual Cost is there fore, CA = 17,619 + 2400 = $20,019 ANS b) The Unit Energy Cost
TotalAnnualCost EnergyConsumeduseful lyPerYear Cannual CO M UnitEnergyCost Pinstalled 8760 PF UnitEnergyCost

Unit Energy Cost = $20,019 = 0.065 $/kWh 70*8760*0.5

ANS
28

Reading Assignment
Prepare some notes and submit at least two pages on the following issues Net present value Internal rate of return Pay-back time

29