MAPÚA UNIVERSITY

School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

EXPERIMENT NO. 4

HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT

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Inacay, John Nikko D. DATE OF PERFORMANCE: February 2, 2018

ME152L/A1 DATE OF SUBMISSION: February 14, 2018

Group No. 3

Engr. Teodulo A. Valle

INSTRUCTOR
 Table of Contents
A. OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................ 1
B. THEORY AND PRINCIPLES ..................................................................................... 1
C. LIST OF APPARATUSES ........................................................................................... 6
D. PROCEDURES ............................................................................................................ 6
E. SET UP OF APPARATUS ........................................................................................... 8
F. FINAL DATA SHEET ............................................................................................... 12
G. SAMPLE COMPUTATIONS .................................................................................... 14
H. TEST DATA ANALYSIS .......................................................................................... 16
I. QUESTION AND ANSWER ..................................................................................... 17
J. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 19
K. REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 20
L. PRELIMINARY DATA SHEET …………………………………………………21
A. OBJECTIVES

1. To be familiar with the hydraulic turbine which serves as hydro power plant
2. To determine the turbine efficiency when subjected to varying loads

B. THEORY AND PRINCIPLES

Hydroelectric system is considered one of the most important sources of electricity

in our country today. Using the energy available when water is allowed to flow from
a high level to a lower one generates the power. Normally water is stored behind a
dam to a given load, then allowed to run-off through culverts around the dam to water
turbines in a hydroelectric power plant at its foot. The vertical distance the water falls
from the surface to the turbine is the head. The higher the head, the greater the power
that can be generated and the larger the lake formed behind the dam, the greater the
energy available.

Gravitational energy available for the generation of electricity from water flowing
from a higher level to a lower level is manifested on the earth in essentially two forms:

1. Descending natural watercourses, created by precipitation of rain and snow

which flows from mountains, hills and plateau to sea level

2. Changes in levels of estuaries and other ocean-associated bodies of water

which occur as the result of actions of the tides.

The gravitational energy stored in water is converted into mechanical energy

(rotary motion) by hydraulic turbines that enable electric generators to produce
electrical energy. Hydraulic turbines derive energy from water under pressure with
the use of a runner connected to a shaft for producing prime motive power..
Generation may be on base load, peak or seasonal, depending on the availability of
water throughout the ear and the integration of the plant within an irrigation or water
control scheme.

From the basic installation, hydroelectric power plant uses the energy from water
to drive a turbine that could be coupled to an electric generator and produce electrical
power output. Potential energy of the elevated water is converted to kinetic energy
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as it falls down (due to velocity) the penstock and turns the turbine blades to produce
shaft work. In this experiment, a pump coupled to an electric motor provides the head
owing to the absence of an upper reservoir.

FORMULA:

• Determining the discharge flow through the weir

Q = 3.33 WH3/2

Where: W = width of the crest (ft)

H = height of water above the crest (ft)

Q = Discharge (cfs)

• Determining the effective head

He = + + Z

Where: V = =

g = gravity of acceleration

P = pressure of water in the suction

∂ = specific weight of water

Z = distance from gage center line to water level

= 3 – H (ft)

d = draft tube diameter

• Determining the Water Power

WP = Q x He x ∂ x S.G.

• Determining the Brake Power

B.P. = =

• Determining the Turbine Efficiency

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 Principe of Operation

Hydroelectric Power Plants use the principle of gravitational energy to develop

and harness energy. Energy from falling water descending from mountainous region
or from height differences on barrages are utilized to generate electricity from water.
Gravitational energy available for the generation of electricity is specifically from
water flowing from a higher level to a lower level is manifested on the earth in
essentially two forms:

1. Descending natural water courses created by precipitation of rain and snow

which flows from mountains, hills and plateau to sea level

2. Changes in levels of estuaries and other ocean-associated bodies of water

which occur as the result of actions of the tides.

The gravitational energy stored in water is converted into mechanical energy

(rotary motion) by hydraulic turbines that enable electric generators to produce
electrical energy. Hydraulic turbines derive energy from water under pressure with
the use of a runner connected to a shaft for producing prime motive power. The
turbines rotate slowly, 100 to 300 rpm and consequently have multi-pole alternators
to generate at system frequency. Generation may be on base load, peak or seasonal,
depending on the availability of water throughout the ear and the integration of the
plant within an irrigation or water control scheme.

From the basic installation, hydroelectric power plant uses the energy from
water to drive a turbine that could be coupled to an electric generator and produce
electrical power output. Potential energy of the elevated water is converted to kinetic
energy as it falls down (due to velocity) the penstock and turns the turbine blades to
produce shaft work.

Types of Hydroelectric Power Plant

There are many types of hydroelectric power plants. Their selection depends upon
the volume of water available and the flow of water. It also depends on the area which
is available to us and the money we want to spend. There are very large power plants
like micro hydro plants as well as small plants which can also be built near your home
as they do not cause much damage.

1. Impoundment

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 The most common type of hydroelectric power plant is an impoundment
facility. An impoundment facility, typically a large hydropower system, uses a dam
to store river water in a reservoir. Water released from the reservoir flows through a
turbine, spinning it, which in turn activates a generator to produce electricity. The
water may be released either to meet changing electricity needs or to maintain a
constant reservoir level.

2. Pumped-storage Hydroelectricity

This system actually works on the demand for electricity. It uses different
elevations between two reservoirs for water pumping, depending on the requirement.
When the requirement for electricity is less; then the excess of generation power
pumps the water into a slightly higher basin. In case of higher demand the turbines
releases back water into a low reservoir through it. The pumped-storage is
commercially the most important form of storage energy and it also enhances the
daily capability factor of the system.

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 3. Underground Hydroelectricity

This system works on the basis of large natural height difference which can
be generated by the use of two waterways which can be waterfall or a mountain lake.
The underground tunnel is built for the flow of water from the higher sink to the
generation site and a horizontal tailrace which takes the water to the lower sink.

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C. LIST OF APPARATUSES

1. Hydraulic Turbine – Turbine used in Hydroelectric Power Plants.

2. AC Generator – Machine used to generate electricity from mechanical

energy.

3. Centrifugal Pump – used to pump water in the hydroelectric power plant.

4. Electric Motor – used to drive the pump.

5. Pressure Gage – used to measure the pressure in the pipelines.

6. Weir - is designed to alter the river flow characteristics.

7. Steel tape – used to measure height or length.

8. Stopwatch – used to time the experiment.

9. Hook Gage – Used to measure the water elevation in the dam.

10. Incandescent bulbs – produces light when the generator is able to produce
power.

D. PROCEDURES

1. Start the centrifugal pump

2. Open the main gate valve and maintain the line voltage at 220 volts by adjusting
the rheostat or the butterfly valve as the needs arise

3. Mark the depth gage so that the initial level of water above the crest can be noted

4. For trial 1, switch on one 200W incandescent bulb

5. Record the voltage drop caused by the loading

6. Adjust the rheostat or the butterfly valve to set again the line voltage to 220 V

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7. Start the timer and let the unit operates for four minutes

8. Before the trial ends, adjust the tip of the hook gage to the new water level flowing
through the weir and measure the final height of water above the crest

i. TIP: Move the hook gradually until its point just pierces the surface of
the water. This can be identified when a v-shaped ripple is observed.

9. Note down the reading in the pressure gage before the start of the next trial.

10. For next trials, increase the load by an increment of 200W and repeat the above
procedure

11. Determine all pertinent data needed to compute the efficiency

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E. SET UP OF APPARATUS

Figure 1. Hook Gauge as being used to measure the water elevation.

Figure 2. Meter stcik as being used to measure the water elevation.

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Figure 3. Opening the valve to allow water flow.

Figure 4. Pressure gauge reading

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Figure 5. Name plate of the electric generator/motor

Figure 6. Generator set.

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Figure 7. Light bulbs used in the experiment.

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F. FINAL DATA SHEET

Inacay, John Nikko D. February 14, 2018

ME152L/ A1

Group 3, Seat No. 19

Experiment No. 4

Hydroelectric Power Plant

Trial Load Pressure Height Discharge Brake Head Water Efficiency

(W) (psi) (ft) (gpm) Power (ft) Power (%)
(hp) (hp)

1 200 24 0.279 511.63 0.279 58.33 7.54 3.71

2 400 23 0.295 558.831 0.564 56.03 7.91 7.13

3 600 21 0.312 606.948 0.838 51.43 7.88 10.63

4 800 19 0.320 631.33 1.12 46.78 7.47 15.00

5 1000 17 0.385 844.35 1.40 42.33 9.07 15.04

 gen  96% , width  28in , Diamter  8in

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 Load-Efficiency Curve
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y = 0.0153x + 1.143
16

14

12

10
Efficiency (%)

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
LOAD (Watts)

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G. SAMPLE COMPUTATIONS

For Trial #4:

Q  3.33WH 3/2
1 ft 1 ft 3/2
Q  3.33(28in * )(3.84in * )
12in 12in
ft 3 7.481gal 60s
Q  1.407 * *
s ft 3 1min
Q  631.33gpm

Q
v
A
ft 3
1.407
v s
 1 ft 2
(8in * )
4 12in
ft
v  4.03
s

P v2
HE   z
 2g
144in 2 ft
19 psi * 2 (4.03 ) 2
HE 
ft
 s  (3 ft  3.84in * 1 ft )
lb ft 12in
62.4 3 2(32.2 2 )
ft s
H E  46.78 ft

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 WP  Q H E
 ft 3   lb 
 1.407   62.4 3   46.78 ft 
s  ft 
WP  
 lb 
 ft  
s
 550 
 hp 

 
WP  7.47 hp

Pin
BP 
 gen
800W  1hp 
BP  * 
(0.96)  746W 
BP  1.12hp

BP
total 
WP
1.12hp
total  *100%
7.47 hp
total  14.998%

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H. TEST DATA ANALYSIS

This experiment let us know and analyze how a hydroelectric power plant works.
Since the MIT has no enough space to accommodate a sufficient height for the suction
head of the hydraulic turbine, a centrifugal pump was used to substitute for the height
of a suction head. The discharge head of the centrifugal pump serves as the available
or suction head for the turbine. Hydroelectric power plants capture the energy
released by water falling through a vertical distance, and transform this energy into
useful electricity. In general, falling water is channeled through a turbine, which
converts the water's energy into mechanical power. The rotation of the water turbines
is transferred to a generator, which produces electricity. The amount of electricity,
which can be generated at a hydroelectric plant, is dependent upon two factors. These
factors are, first the vertical distance through which the water falls, called the "head",
and second the flow rate, measured as volume per unit time. The electricity produced
is proportional to the product of the head and the rate of flow.

In this experiment, we varied the load or the power consumption. When the
load is varied, the turbine efficiency is also changing. As we observed, as the load
increases, the turbine efficiency also increases. There is significant increase in
efficiency per increase in power consumption based from the data gathered. Hence,
the turbine must be operated at its higher possible load in order to attain higher
efficiency. When we increased the load, the power extraction on the turbine has to
be increased. In other words, the increased in discharge capacity, head, and water
power is due to a higher energy requirement in our case the electric bulbs. However,
the discharge pressure reading decreases, as the load increases. The height of water
as it passes through the weir also increases because the volumetric flow rate of the
system is also increases.

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I. QUESTION AND ANSWER

1. A fuel pump is delivering 10 gallons per minute of oil with a specific gravity of
0.83. The total head is 9.14m, find how much energy does the pump consumes
in kJ per hour.

Solution:
P   QH
where :
kN
  9.81* 0.83  8.14
m3
gal 3.785Li 1m3 60 min m3
Q  10 * * *  2.27
min 1gal 1000 Li 1hr hr
then;
P  8.14(2.27)(9.14)
kJ
P  168.89
hr

2. A pump operating at 1750 rpm delivering 500 gal/min against a total head of
150 ft. Changes in the piping system have increased the total head to 360 ft. At
what rpm should the pump be operated to achieve this new head at the same
efficiency?

Solution:
2
H1  N1 
 
H 2  N2 
2
150 ft  1750rpm 
 
360 ft  N 2 
thus;
N 2  2711.09rpm

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3. What is pump cavitation?

ANS.

Any decrease in external pressure or rise in operating temperature can induce

vaporization. The vapor pressure occurs right at the impeller inlet where a sharp
pressure drop occurs. The impeller rapidly builds up the pressure, which collapses
vapors bubbles causing cavitation and damage the pump internals. This is avoided
by maintaining sufficient NPSH. (Cavitation implies cavities or holes in the fluid
we are pumping. These holes can also be described as bubbles, so cavitation is really
about the formation of bubbles and their collapse. Bubbles form whenever liquid
boils. It can be avoided by providing sufficient NPSH.)

4. Which pumps are used in the upstream oil and gas industry?
ANS.

Both of these types of pumps, the centrifugal and positive displacement

pumps are essential components in the oil and gas industry. They are commonly
used as part of tri-phase or multiphase pumping applications in which two or more
types of pumps are used to accommodate all fluids, a process that offers reduced
equipment costs, simpler installation, improved production, and a smaller
footprint.
5. What is the purpose of putting pumps in a series connection?
Pumps in series are used to overcome larger system head loss than one pump
can handle alone. The secondary pump is normally called a booster pump.

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J. CONCLUSION

In this experiment, we were able to familiarize ourselves with the operation, basic
characteristics and performance of a hydroelectric power plant. We were able to
compute for the efficiency of the MIT hydraulic turbine when subjected to varying
loads. Hydroelectric power plants capture the energy released by water falling
through a vertical distance, and transform this energy into useful electricity. In
general, falling water is channeled through a turbine, which converts the water's
energy into mechanical power. I learned that an artificial head must be provided by
the pump since there is no enough elevation head from which the water will get its
energy. The rotation of the water turbines is transferred to a generator, which
produces electricity. The plant output is dependent on two factors, one of which is the
vertical distance of the reservoir to the turbine. The second one is the flow rate. The
electricity produced is proportional to the product of the head and the rate of flow.
With the data gathered we were able to solve for parameters needed to understand
hydroelectric power plants better, by making relationships with the parameters.

By looking at our computed efficiencies, we can say that as the load

requirement of the plant increases, there is a decrease in the voltage supply. In order
to compensate the voltage drop, we should increase the water flowing to the turbine
in order to generate more power. Second, the head decreases while the power and
efficiency increases with the increase in the capacity.

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K. REFERENCES

 https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_pump
 http://www.pumpschool.com/intro/comparisons.asp
 http://www.pumpschool.com/intro/pdtree.asp

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