IPASJ International Journal of Mechanical Engineering (IIJME)

Web Site: http://www.ipasj.org/IIJME/IIJME.htm

Email: editoriijme@ipasj.org
ISSN 2321-6441

A Publisher for Research Motivation........

Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2016

PUMP AS A TURBINE IN MICRO

HYDROPOWER
Asawari Barde
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering,University of Mumbai

ABSTRACT
As the cost of electricity rises and the price of fuel goes up hydropower is the best solution for electricitygeneration in rural
industries and villages.Micro hydropower is the biggest and oldest source of renewable energy and it converts the energy of
flowing water into electricity.The only problem associated with micro hydropower is the high cost turbine. Therefore, the best
solution for this is to select a pump and convert it for use as a turbine.This paper represent the design and performance testing
of a hydraulic turbine unit suitable for use in rural micro hydro and energy recovery installation. It also focuses on the
research that have been carried put in this field.

Keywords: hydropower plant,Pump as a turbine, reversible pump efficiency

1. INTRODUCTION
Demand for electricity is rapidly increasing; hence, it is necessary to generate electricity.For this hydropower is used to
generate electricity, which is renewable, environmental friendly, and harness natural process. Only one problem
associated with the micro-hydro project is a high cost of turbine. To overcome this problem we use centrifugal pump in
reverse rotation mode and can be used as a conventional hydraulic turbine, called pump as turbine (PAT).
The main advantages of PAT are as follows:
i)Less maintenance
ii)Low friction loss in drive
iii)Easy installation
iv) Available in large no. of standards
v)Available for a wide range of head and flow
According to "Williams" due to the above advantages, PAT is drawing more attention in village scheme for lightning,
water pumping, electricity, for farms, battery charging. The main disadvantage of the PAT is that it requires fixed flow
rate and if the flow rate is increased then it is impossible to generate a more power by using only one single
pump.Installation of second pump will give additional cost and it may be even more costly than the conventional
turbine.

2. PUMP AS A TURBINE UNIT DESIGN PRINCIPLES

PAT is operates only at its BEP (Best efficiency point).BEP is a point at which the pump works more efficiently. A
good centrifugal pump operating at BEP may be expected to display good performance and reliable when the direction
of flow is reversed.For this, there is no need to change the design of pump to operate as a turbine.A following
relationship is used to approximate the turbine best efficiency, head, flow rate and efficiency based on the known
performance of the same unit operating as a pump, as can be seen in figure 1.

QPump ( BEP )
Pump ( BEP )
H
Pump ( BEP )
Pump ( BEP )

QTurbine( BEP )
H Turbine ( BEP )

Turbine ( BEP ) Pump ( BEP )

Where,

QTurbine ( BEP ) =Best efficiency flow rate as a turbine in GPM (Gallon per minute)
QPump( BEP ) = Best efficiency flow rate as a pump inGPM (Gallon per minute)
H Turbine ( BEP ) = Best efficiency head as turbine in feet
Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2016

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IPASJ International Journal of Mechanical Engineering (IIJME)

Web Site: http://www.ipasj.org/IIJME/IIJME.htm
Email: editoriijme@ipasj.org
ISSN 2321-6441

A Publisher for Research Motivation........

Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2016

H Pump( BEP ) =Best efficiency head as pump in feet

Turbine( BEP ) = Efficiency turbine (BEP)

Pump ( BEP )

=Best efficiency as a pump

Figure 1 Pump characteristics

Establishing the complete characteristic curve of PAT based on its BEP is very much important.The above relation
show that
that

QTurbine

the

QBEP

ratio of

H Turbine

QTurbine
H BEP

and

QBEP

H Turbine

H BEP

are equal.

But

experimental

results show

. Hence According to K.R.Sharma and Kirloskar Co. India giving powers to the

max max will improve the predictions.

QTurbine

QBEP

0.8
max

And H Turbine

H BEP

1.2
max

We can use the above formula only when the speed do not change.However, in case of a speed is changing, according to
Affinity laws (Q N and H N2).
We use the below formula

N
Q

QTurbine Turbine BEP 0.8 And

N

max
Pump
2

H Turbine

Turbine H BEP 1.2

N

max
Pump

It is also necessary to predict the power output at the available flow and head.Expected power output of turbine is given
by,

POut Turbine H Turbine QTurbine 9.81

3. OPERATION OF PUMP AS A TURBINE
Once the PAT has been selected for particular sites, head, flow and power output are fixed with a close limit.The head
and flow must be close to a design head and flow and there should be less drop in efficiency.For this consider the four
conditions:
Table 1:

Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2016

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IPASJ International Journal of Mechanical Engineering (IIJME)

Web Site: http://www.ipasj.org/IIJME/IIJME.htm
Email: editoriijme@ipasj.org
ISSN 2321-6441

A Publisher for Research Motivation........

Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2016

PAT Label

Pd

85

96

104

94

Qd

74

101

124

94

98

96

99

97

In case of A, PAT flow rate is much lower than other hence power output will be less.In case of B, flow rate is close to a
desire value but there is a drop of efficiency.In case of C, flow rate is large hence the power output is also large and the
most suitable case is D, the head and the flow rate is close to a desire head and flow and also there is a less drop of
efficiency. The efficiency of a PAT at 80% of the BEP flow will normally down the 120% of BEP flow, as seen in

Figure 2Typical pump as a turbine curve

4. ESTIMATING PUMP PERFORMANCE FROM PHYSICAL MEASUREMENT

Professor Z.Samani of New Mexico State formulated equation for estimate the pump performance.The flow rate at BEP
is given by
2
Q BEP 8.6 N Pump DImp eller DOut

Where,
Dout = Internal diameter of pump outlet in meter(m)
DImpeller = Outside diameter of a pump impeller(m)
NP = Pump speed in revolution per min(rpm)
The max efficiency of the pump can be estimated from the flow rate is given by,

max 0.9 13.2 QBEP 0.32

Head at BEP is given by

H BEP

92 PM Max
QBEP

Where,

Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2016

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IPASJ International Journal of Mechanical Engineering (IIJME)

A Publisher for Research Motivation........

Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2016

Web Site: http://www.ipasj.org/IIJME/IIJME.htm

Email: editoriijme@ipasj.org
ISSN 2321-6441

PMCONCLUSION
= Motor power in
5.
From the above paper it is concluded that,PAT is the best solution for the micro hydropower. Selecting the proper PAT
for a small hydro site is in demand. A PAT works in higher head and flow rate than those of the pump mode at the
same rotational speed.
Efficiencies are almost the same in both pump and turbine modes. Centrifugal pump can operate as turbine with
various heads and flow rates without any mechanical problem.
Still its performance which is based upon theoretical and numerical studies cannot be predicted accurately. Hence there
is need for future research and development in its performance.

Acknowledgement
I am greatly indebted to my collegeBharatiVidyapeeth college of Engineering Navi Mumbai that has provided healthy
environment to drive me to do this project and thankful to my management for their guidance.

References
[1.] Williams, A.A., Pumps As Turbines for Low Cost Micro Hydro Power, WREC; pp. 1227-1234, 1996
[2.] Natanasabapathi SR., and Kshirsagar JT., Pump as turbinean experience with CFX- 5.6, Corporate Research
and Eng. Division, Kirloskar Bros. Ltd.; 2004
[3.] Buse F., Using Centrifugal Pumps as Hydraulic Turbines- Pumps as Turbines Experience Profile, Acc. 02, IDO10109, EG & G Idaho Inc., pp. C-1-1 to C-1-5, September1982
[4.] Rawal S., and Kshirsagar JT., Numerical simulation on a pump operating in a turbine mode, Kirloskar Brothers
India Limited, In: Proceedings of the 23rd International Pump Users Symposium; 2007
[5.] Thoma D, Kittredge CP. Centrifugal pumps operated under abnormal conditions, Power 1931.
[6.] Sharma KR. Small hydroelectric projects e use of centrifugal pumps as turbines, Bangalore, India: Kirloskar
Electric Co; 1985.
[7.] Derakhshan S, Nourbakhsh A. Experimental study of characteristic curves ofcentrifugal pumps working as
turbines in different specific speeds.ExpThermFluidSci 2008.
[8.] Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources, Govt. of India, <www.mnes.nic.in>
[9.] Ramos H, Covas D, Araujo L, Mello M. Available energy assessment in water supply systems. Proceedings of the
CongressInternational Association for Hydraulic Research 2005.

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