Powering the Water Industry

Powering the Water Industry

• The need to reduce the cost of energy used in the treatment of

water and wastewater has grown as one of the major concern of
the water industry over the last few years and it is expected to
become more important in the near future.
• In water treatment process, most of the energy used is for lifting
water from one place to another which can involve pumping water
from long distance to the treatment plant and to the distribution
reservoir after treatment.
• In the wastewater treatment, the removal of contaminants are
energy intensive ; a typical activated sludge treatment process
accounts for about 30 to 80 percent of the total plant electricity
demand (Pakenas ,1995).
• Conventional
Approach
HYDROPOWER THEORY
• By connecting a hydroturbine's rotating shaft to a
generator, the mechanical energy of flowing water can be
converted into electrical energy.
• In the water industry this could be used on site or exported
to generate revenue, offsetting the high costs associated
with pumping.
THE VARIABLES

P= ηρgQH
where
P = output power (W)
η = overall efficiency
ρ = density of the fluid (water) (kg/m3)
g = acceleration due to gravity (m/s2)
Q = volume flow rate (m3/s)
H = effective head (m)
HYDROPOWER CLASSIFICATION

ACCORDING TO SIZE ACCORDING TO HEAD

• PICO (<5 kW) • Low (<10m)
• MICRO (>5 kW but <100 kW)
• Medium (>10m; <100m)
• SMALL (>100 kW but <5 MW)
• High (>100m)
• MEDIUM (>5 MW but <100 MW)
• LARGE (>100 MW)
SEWAGE TREATMENT OUTFALL

• Instead of discharging treated sewage effluent directly into the

receiving water body, it can be diverted through a penstock under
pressure into a turbine to generate electricity (Pakenas, 1995).
Three gorges project in china
largest hydropower scheme, completed in July 2012 with an installed capacity of
22 500 MW.
Time to build: 17 years
Cost to build: $22 billion
 TURBINES
• There are two types of turbine: reaction and impulse.
• The rotating part through which the fluid passes in a turbine is called a runner; in
reaction turbines the runner is completely enclosed and full of the working fluid,
whereas impulse turbines are not fully submerged and would be better described
as constant pressure (Massey, 2006).
• Reaction types include Propeller, Kaplan and Francis turbines and impulse types
include Pelton, Turgo, Crossflow and Archimedes turbines, plus the water wheel.
Different turbines

PELTON TURBINE RUNNER FRANCIS TURBINE RUNNER

CROSSFLOW TURBINE KAPLAN TURBINE RUNNER
DIFFERENT TURBINES

LAXEY WHEEL ARCHIMEDES SCREW

TURBINES
EXAMPLES OF CONVENTIONAL SCHEMES IN UK

• In UK the water industry has a long association with hydropower

and many water companies own, operate or lease schemes;
hydro is a core business for Scottish Water who have seven
sites that have been generating for over 40 years.
EXAMPLES OF CONVENTIONAL SCHEMES IN UK

Mary Tavy hydropower station (Devon, UK)

EXAMPLES OF CONVENTIONAL SCHEMES IN UK
Elan Valley water supply and hydropower scheme (Powys, UK)
MICRO AND SMALL HYDROS
According to The UK Renewable Energy Strategy (2009) Command 7686:

• Hydropower is a reliable and generally predictable source of renewable

electricity and one of the few that is not intermittent. Although the UK hydro
sector is a mature sector, there remain good opportunities to exploit
hydropower resources, for micro and small-scale hydro development.
• Microhydropower, a resource that is readily available at the door step of the
water companies has been identified as the solution to a sustainable energ
y option for the industry. Nonetheless, there are no detailed options in
the available literature of hydropower application to the water industry.
EXAMPLES OF NOVEL SCHEMES:
YORKSHIRE WATER – ESHOLT
Installed in 2009 by Spaans Babcock, two Archimedes screw turbines with a capacity of 180
kW generate electricity using flow from the inlet works.
EXAMPLES OF NOVEL SCHEMES:
ANGLIAN WATER – COTTON VALLEY
A WKV crossflow turbine installed in 2006 generates 15 kW on the outlet from the works.
ADVANTAGES OF NOVEL SCHEMES:

• Environmental regulation is not necessary.

• Treatment works are generally grid-connected.

 ENERGY RECOVERY

• It could be reasoned that as water companies do not pump water (or

sewage) for generation but to transfer it for treatment or use, it should
not be included as input electricity.
• Generating electricity from pre-pumped flows may not be renewable,
but energy recovery could help with carbon reduction and many
opportunities exist at treatment works and pressure-reducing valves.
COMPENSATION FLOW FROM RESERVOIRS

• Water companies abstracting raw water for treatment from impounded

reservoirs and runoff rivers are required by the UK law to release a certain
amount of flow into the river course, termed “residual flow” or “compensation
flow”, to sustain the water quality and protect the river ecology.
• If water is delivered directly from the reservoir to the treatment works,
arrangements are usually made to maintain the compensation flow in the
river downstream. This may involve creating an additional outlet from the
reservoir to redirect the flow downstream to meet the residual flow
requirement.
CONCLUSION
• Hydropower is a proven and generally predictable source of renewable energy
and is one of the few that is not intermittent.
• Although the UK water industry currently exploit other renewable energy sources,
there exist varied opportunities to exploit hydropower resources, for micro-
hydro development.
• Apart from noises from the turbine powerhouse which can be minimised by
adequate acoustic insulation, other detrimental environmental effects often
associated with hydro schemes, such as the effects on migratory fish passage
and the fear of flooding the environment do not apply when implemented and
operated within the water industry.
• The institutional framework often required in other hydro projects such as abstraction
licence and flood defence approval requirements is not needed.
• The viability of investment in hydropower by the water industry depends on the
availability of incentives from the government.