2007 iREP Symposium- Bulk Power System Dynamics and Control - VII, Revitalizing Operational Reliability
August 19-24, 2007, Charleston, SC, USA
Multiple Purpose Micro Hydro Electric Power Station
Dan Basarab Guzun, Mircea Dimitrie Cazacu
Faculty of Power Engineering, Politehnica
University from Bucharest - PUB, ROMANIA-RO
Abstract
One presents the calculus of a micro hydro-electric power
station, long ago dreamed by our former famous professor
Dorin Pavel, from the Politehnica University in
Bucharest, PUB; we decided as a proper location for this
micro hydro power plant MHPP in discussion to be
arranged nearby the PUB, on the Ciurel Dam at the Lake
Morii site, located on the River Dambovita, crossing our
capital, the city of Bucharest. It results one and very
demonstrative application for practicing our students,
just in order to be well specialised on their hydro-electric
power engineering, future field of their activity. This
small river which cross the City of Bucharest, assures an
agreeable aquatic and atmospheric biodiversity, being at
the same time a proper place not only for our students’
practice, but also for power generation aim. For the
beginning, the ideas of general design are crucial. The
problem is the actual careful extension of the above
project just in order to cover its double ambitious aim:
continue power generation with local distribution and
proper place for skilful devoted students, students
preparing masters or their Ph D - to cope with full
management program onto a real scale power lab.
Keywords: Hydraulic turbine, Electric power
generator/motor, synchronous, asynchronous, power
stations, micro hydro-electric power plants - MHPP.
1. The Importance to Erect One Special
Designed Micro-Hydro Power Plant MHPP
It’s the real truth, that the plant is still in the advanced
design process, at this stage, now. But, how to conduct
this designing process and the initial concept - is of high
importance, having in mind this double aim: (1) -
delivering its amount of kWh as clean energy output, and
much more, intelligent locally distributed generation; (2) -
the overall management for this energy is versatile
conducted in the end, in order to maximize its scientific
aim: it will respond at the best within the delicate process
for teaching – learning for our students involved in the
branch of power engineering education. By the far
frankly
1-4244-1519-5/07/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE.
Nicolae Nistor Razvan Guzun
High School Student, Faculty of (Hydro)
Sebes- Alba, RO Power Engineering, PUB, RO.
we have to say, this second aim have nothing to do with
some loss regarding any real practical aspects.
By contrary, we do have to state the fact that is a very
complex and ambitious task to insert into the students’
mind the right amount of specific knowledge about their
future job into the branch of power engineering; we do
expect, after this short but dense dedicated training
around the above MHPP, the students will be easier able
to cope with their future job of enrollment into the real
power industry. In so doing, it results in cutting the
undesired period of well known transients regarding
accommodation when they will be involved at work into
one real power station, substation, network etc.
Going further on the same discussion, some research
problems coming from the Power Industry PI side – also
could be solved by the advanced students preparing their
master or Ph D stages etc. as reverse tidal wave of brain
storming coming now from the University’s side toward
the PI ! We do think this could be one world wide
problem of interest into the scientific, Universitary chain.
All these above, with only one condition: the initial
careful design of this small HPP to allow this large frame
of student’s education, becoming skillful in the end,
within the bounty phenomena commonly encountered
into the power industry; all this is to be seen as being
strongly reinforced by the educational actions conducted
by devoted teachers, well prepared at their turn and
recognized by the Power Industry PI, in order to control
at the best the entire educational process.
In the followings, we do discuss only the pertinent
technical aspects covering the above aim. So,
2. The Main Content for Overall Concept
It is really one very delicate and difficult task to make
clear from the beginning what is the content of the overall
concept before to build such a special MHPP, responding
at this double aimed as above described. If will succeed,
the merit of such a presentation, at this point and for this
IREP-Conference, is very high in our mind, both from
theoretical and practical point of view!
Training at the best isn’t an easy task, everywhere into the
Universities - around the world, without a practical, well
conceived tech base - even at small installed power, let
say - hundreds of kW, as we do point here. Such an
intelligent base created with a special architecture in
machinery, primary / secondary circuitry and revealing a
bounty of phenomena, have to be seen as real opportunity
to harden the preparation of our students. This is stated
here as the very subject we are dealing right now and try
to show you all these aspects at the IREP - Conference.
Confining the paper’s ideas, it obviously does respond to
the main following main aspects, so:
(1) - how large could be the extension of the
primary scheme, so that the secondary attached
schemes is to color enough the real situations
currently encountered into one common power
house; additionally also designed to facilitate
special further testing: different more efficient
prime movers, power generators/motors of
asynchronous, standard synchronous or PMG
type, controlled by different classic or PLC
based protective relays, standard and advanced
digital adaptive regulators for speed and
voltage, based on PSS etc.;
(2) – how to draw maximum from these
educational efforts devoted to our students in
standard preparation at the power engineering
faculty, in order to better fit with their future
jobs at the power industry PI; for the advanced
student category involved in their master or Ph
D program, the problem is how to short their
program, but at highest possible quality level;
(3) – the last but not least, stands the aim for
distributed generation in order to locally
generate/absorb some significant kWh,
modeling from standard up to complex
operational regimes encountered for one
MHPP, e.g. with storage energy facilities.
Today, not only in our vision, but from many other
recognized specialists, the signals coming from the
today’s academic side are not encouraging, regarding the
students’ poor interest for theory; that’s because often is
missing one practical well designed support. “This
cultural lack of interest in engineering extends to the
young people…” is however, bitterly recognizing by one
experienced author, [9]. Our paper try to manage and to
convince the power engineering specialists with this very
aspects and giving the solution with one intelligent
design, even poured into one small MHPP - but with very
large consequences for changing the students’ attitude,
especially into this crucial important power engineering
branch - for all our society, considered as a forward line !
It will be one lucky opportunity to discuss at the present
IREP Conference all these delicate and pertinent aspects
for our future students’ education in the power-
engineering field of activity.
3. Some Hydro-mechanical Useful Details
3.1. Positioning the Power Station
Because there is no free space on the river bed to place
the new power station and also to eliminate the adiacent
power losses, we did decide to erect the whole building-
power house as a MHPP - let say one HPP of dam-type,
[3][4]; in other words, we have decided to locate the
power house closed to the existing dam’s ending part and
so to continue the in-feed water pipe of 1.4 m diameter,
now prolonged into this newly added power house.
The new building, made of steel reinforced concrete, is
sustained on adequate pillars, a little above the surface of
discharging water reservoir; this original design was
thought mainly in order to eliminate possible
interferences with the damping down river water blanket,
especially during the over-flooding periods with high
excedentary water flow discharged over the up-stream
dam (nearly up to ten times greater than the normal, rated
flow).
3.2. Some Original Theoretical Investigations
In the Table 1, we did calculate for different heads H, the
speed values V, of the water flow Q, into the pipe
assumed to be of 0.6 m in its cross section diameter D;
furthermore, following some original calculations for
axial hydro power turbines – as it was stated by the first
author in the references [5-7] - for maximum rotational
speeds n, avoiding the cavitation effect, it was pushed
further the MHPP’s overall efficiency by maximization
the extracted power P.
Special careful new design for the turbine’s blades, have
conducted in this way to far improved rapidity ns , as it
can be clearly seen below.
The new design consists in improving the overall
efficiency for one MHPP by adopting the maximal speeds
and eliminating damaging cavitation process,
simultaneously using one original method of blades’
design by maximizing the extracted power; the formulas
used, were as follow:
- for the definite, net head in turbine Hnet, by applying the
well known Bernoulli relation, we have
2
⎛ L ⎞V (1)
Hnet = Hbrut − ∑hr = Hbrut − ∑⎜ λ +ζ⎟ Turbine’s
stator
⎝ D ⎠ 2g ,
- from which, results the speed V and the flow Q of the
water through every diameter D of the pipe having the
cross section S, so
2g ( Hbrut − Hnet ) πD2
V= → Q= V = SV , (2) Turbine’s rotor
⎛ L ⎞ 4
∑⎜⎝ D ⎟⎠
λ +ζ

- the available power at turbine’s shaft and at the electric

generator’s terminals, of efficiencies ηturb, ηgen is

, (3) Fig. 1. Stator and rotor blades, the current lines in the absolute
movement and the speed triangles, inlet/outlet of the rotor.
- the turbine’s rapidity for the admited speeds ratio for
which, U / V ≅ 3,3 → n = 3,3×60 V/πD
Dorin Pavel, which offers at the small speeds of the
stream liquid, one very good, uncommon performance of
n Pturb n Q the maximum power coefficient Cp = 0,56 – as it is
ns = = 3,65 , (4) already presented into the figure 3.
H net H net H net H net
Table 1
with which occasion we do realise the high value of the H V Q P n ns
turbine’s rapidity ns, and also the fact of being (m (m/s) (m3/s) (kW) (r.p.m.)
independent as regard the available head H. )
According with the figure 1 the rotational speed 2 5,49 1,55 16,7 577 1591
component obtained by the directory blades system, is 4 7,77 2,20 47,3 817 1591
gH net 6 9,52 2,69 86,9 1000 1591
Cu1 = , (5)
U j ( Rj ) 8 10,99 3,11 133,8 1155 1591
10 12,29 3,47 186,9 1291 1591
with the rotational speed for the tronson of the blade 12 13,46 3,80 245,7 1414 1591
π D jn
U j = , (6) The generous diameter at the cross-dam pipe D = 1,4 m
60
is suitable for the triple derivation 3d = 3× 0,4 m diameter
and the meridian component for the absolute fluid speed for each power turbine unit (e.g. of special rapid turbine
will be type, vertical position – until other pertinent researching
4Q / π efforts are done).
Cm1 = , (7)
D − d butuc
2 2
cond In fact, the MHPP in question is thought mainly as a real
training lab and related testing place for the best solutions
where C denotes the number of channels for the whole in the field.
water flow considered here into the calculation.
These new solutions are regarding as the best electro-
Figure 1 shows the profiles of the stator and rotor blades hydro-mechanic energy conversion techniques, with
with their speed triangles. Figure 2 shows the rotor machineries of advanced, may be world wide of complete
prototype of an axial turbine which was tested onto the new designed type, as we can show below, for power
glass channel model from the Hydropower lab Professor turbines / pumps, following these above relations (1-7),
as mathematical support.
 Fig. 2. The aspect of the hydraulic turbine rotor
Power coefficient Cp
0,6
0,4
Cp (V)
(V)
0,2
0
0 0,5 1
Liquid current velocity V (m/s)
Fig. 3. Power coefficient variation versus the liquid current
for the turbine rotor type shown in the figure 1
In the case of reversible turbine-pump, we did adopt for
the blades’ construction, some original simetric profiles,
having the maximum thickness at the middle of the blade
and using the well known Coanda’s effect against the take
off phenomena for the fluid, as leaving the profile’
surface.
3.3. The Water Deaeration Problem – One Necessary
Condition For Conservation The Aquatic Biodiversity
One special care has to be taken for the permanent water
deaeration all along the River Dambovita crossing the
Romanian Capital, City of Bucharest, and prevented with
some steps; In these places, we did prevent one series of
small electric submersible generators with permanent
magnets, direct coupled with rotors prevented with radial
blades in order to split the deversant water stream into
sufficient small drops, just in order to deaerate the
deversant water-jets.
In this way, we do think to improve the deaeration
capacity in paralel with some electric power generation –
useful for some auxilliaries, as: illuminating system of the
dam and the related street, commercial advertising
pannels, heating cabines to shelter the workers during the
winter time, some part from the near-by students’ hostels
etc. as incorporated into the newly modern concept of DG
or direct generation
Fig. 4. The photo taken on the actual Ciurel-dam near-by the Polytech
University of Bucharest PUB, ready to admit on the left side, the closed
coupled micro hydro-electric power plant MHPP in question, rated
velocity, 3•100 kW, as installed power.
4. Some Electric Useful Details
On the primary side, the management for the complex
power machinery part is quite the same as in reality; even
the output ranges around 100 kW, the care and the
operational complex regimes is the same as for the HPP
with MW output; besides, changing the regimes from
generator / motor – turbine / pump, synchronous /
asynchronous type at fixed or variable frequency;
So, we do cover all significant and so maximized
possibilities to teach at the best our students not only here
but standing as an example, everywhere in the world of
tech universities, where really does exist the desire for
one quality teaching process.
Advanced rapid turbine/pumps are also in our mind as a
patented-newness in progress, in order to minimize the
overall dimension at sensible raised efficiency; on the
same line of discussion, we do exercise here the new
concepts of distributed generated energy, having nearby
the consumers as the internal services of the MHPP, the
illuminating system on the dam / street, or the nearby
students’ hostels, even partially.
The general power electric scheme for the main types of
generators is presented into the next figure 5.
Fig. 5.The general electric lay-out diagram for distributed generation proposed scheme for the present MHC
On the secondary side, also lies the most complex part of
this application, being in line with IREP theme and we do
intend to sustain there: all the necessary measuring hydro-
electric instrumentation, as flow, pressure, levels,
temperatures etc. and the related electric measurements
departing from the measuring transformers CTs & PTs as
currents, voltages, powers, energies flowing between the
network and this small hydro power station. In this
respect, we can see that the MHPP operates on bounty of
regimes and transient phenomena as coupled to the
external rigid grid or at an isolated island; different
complex system of protective relays SPR are prevented
on the generator/motor part, outgoing power cables, bus
bars etc. in order to find out which could be the
intelligent combination to respond at the best within the
careful selected operational power regimes. In the same
line, the advanced digital automatic control means
different types of AVRs and different speed governors,
ready for testing on site and drawing the right, pertinent
observations.
In so doing the complex design for this new MHPP leads
to the combined idea to prepare at the best our regular
students or some students preparing their master-doctoral
stages; to consider also the MHPP as a training useful
field to deeply experiment for the power industry PI new
protective relays architecture and new automatic
regulating loops, especially devoted for speed and voltage
at fixed or variable frequency. In the same time, we do
continue to release the kWh output into the neighbouring
network ! The pertinent advantage is the fact that we
could select the indicated regime and to experiment new
devices, without the current risk of loosing MWs as could
be happened into a real HPP; So, the MHPP stands as a
real training and researching polygon – which have to be
seen as its high value - in the benefit of the PI; also, for
quality training place for students, finally needed to be
delivered in a “warm state” to this power industry PI,
well already prepared to fit with their future field of
activity.
Following this multiple purposes aspect we have had
foreseen not only a completely new hydraulic turbine type
and a turbine-pump type to build any energy-storage by
pumping manoeuvres, but also one synchronous electric
generator/motor; so, the first unit more simple is thought
to be a reversible asynchronous electric machine motor-
generator. On the same line we did study the wide
possibilities for automatic control on the working
mechanical and electrical parameters.
We intend to install at least two hydro-electric units of
good efficiency: one as an axial turbine and other one as a
turbine-pump reversible machine, to make more familiar
the mass of students with the common manoeuvres for
one pumping, energy - storage power station. We have to
state also that the micro-hydro power plant consists of
two types of electric machines, synchronous /
asynchronous generator; besides, at least one power unit
is of reversible type, electric generator-motor, coupled
with the related turbine - pump. Besides, only one power
synchronous unit is of simplified PMG type, the other one
has excitation system and therefore will be subjected to
actions directed by the automatic voltage regulator AVR.
a. In the same time we think to be in line with the
European Program of Distributed Generation in
Associated States – DIGENAS, initiated one year before,
by Italy, which means to experiment the direct distributed
clean energy, on isolate consumers, let say here onto the
dam’s auxiliaries or onto the student hostels near-by
located (the associated states are gathered from the
regional European Community, as Rmania, Bulgaria,
Greece, being coordinated in this project by Italy,
Politecnico di Torino - PoliTO, Dept. of Electrical
Engineering, professor Gianfranco CHICCO, [8]). The
following main considerations are below listed. So,
b. Considerations on the power electric side. The final
general requirements, as we do hope, are to be gathered
the main investment into: the electro-hydraulic
machinery, the envelope building for the machines’ room,
is also the class room prevented at the power house (or
better at the first floor), also some demo facilities for
wind - combined with solar - power generation,
accommodated onto the roof, as superior level, if finally
will be approved.
The machines’ room will be suspended over the waters,
located into the space now left free, between the dam and
the bridge, of maximum span, 7•25 m. The scope is a
double one: distributed electric power generation, for
isolate consumers, so implicitly sustaining the students’
quality formation directly at work, as far as the
University’s Hydro-Electric Power Lab’s frame within
this genuine MHPP in its ambitious aim.
c. Commercial aspect. The main power units, rated 2¤100
kW, connected to the local grid 0.4 kV, 50 Hz, via the
compact distribloc cubicles, will cover firstly the dam’s
ancillary consumers, then excedentary power, injected
into the medium voltage m.v power grid 6/20/110 kV; as
far as the water flow is relatively constant, average 2-3
m3/s, one single simpler unit of asynchronous type HG-
As1 – capacitive compensated, will running the majority
of time, at the basement of the load curve; during its
failure periods, the synchronous HG-S2 unit of PMG type
will be coupled to the grid, producing its kW and also its
implicitly kvars, as the reactive task is usually of local
interest and necessary.
d. Educational aspects. One quality teaching process,
tech. University level could be sustained for common
students, masters and graduated students preparing their
Ph D works. So, in order not to complicate the first
priority which remains the commercial task, we do
recommend here the 3rd unit, HG-S3 especially devoted
for training purposes, high level equipped power unit
with different system excitations, automatic regulators
and digital protective relay, variable inertia constant (2H)
etc.
So, the final complete formula for the above discussed
MHPP is 3•100 kW as rated installed power.
e. Operational regimes. 1-(HG/M)As, operates continue
at the base, like induction generator or asynchronous
motor for storage energy purposes; 2-(HG/M)S prevented
also as one PMG rotor, stands to model the pumping
stations’ operational regimes at fix or variable speed,
interconnected to the grid or at islanding conditions on its
ancillary consumers or supplying some part for the
student hostels; 3-(HG/M)S is well equipped with
standard and modern regulators, digital protections, it is
at the professor’s disposal to conduct lab’s works at
different complexity level, from standard to scientific
research together with the regular students, or involved in
master program, graduated students preparing their Ph D
etc.
The list of works can be carefully conceived, suitable for
common students and for graduated students, following
our acquired experience with generations of students.
f. However, this bounty or operational regimes will serve
as real base for the Power Industry PI to test its most
recent products as regards the digital system protective
relay SPR and standard automations, especially advanced
types of regulators – as for speed governors and for
terminal voltage – AVRs.
This may be an answer to reach the correct way just in
order to diminish the amount of future mistakes however
done by our power engineers in their early stages of the
pragmatic activity, involved in the power plants and
network dispatching centers. If it so, the efforts presented
here with our real scale modeling, even over one MHPP,
but carefully designed - are surely worthy.

This stands as the main idea underlined by the second
author of the present paper: the educational high leveled
university purposes, entirely sustained by the commercial
one, [7-9].
5. Instead of Conclusions
We spoke about one small hydro-power plant MHPP
prevented from ther initial design with its maximum
versatile features: to generate electric energy and to
educate at the best the young generation of students.
So, the final aim is double - firstly, to inject some modest
power, even demonstrative – in/out from the network;
secondly, in parallel to reduce the probable rate for next
mistakes, however done by our future power engineers
working into the real scaled, bulky power systems.
Besides, into (or over !) the machines’ room we hope to
manage one classroom for students; over this, onto the
roof, we do hope to accommodate one demo-park for
wind and solar reliable energy converters.
We could add the third aim, which stands for quality
scientific research devoted to our students etc., and also
for the power industry PI itself, in order to test the new
regulators prevented with adaptive PSS, digital protective
relays, working into specific dynamic regimes for
different external reactance and power units’ mechanical
inertia constant etc.
One turbo unit is asynchronous type, the other one could
be of synchronous type with permanent magnets as
generator/motor – PMG, very reliable and devoted to
kW+kvar production; however, the third one have to be
one pure synchronous classic generator/motor, but up-to-
date prevented with different system excitation and
automatic voltage and speed regulators, at different
complexity and devoted to experiments, researching
studies.
All the scientific worthy efforts done at the level of this
small but intelligent designed MHPP are to be further
disseminated into one responsible bulky power systems,
ready to proceed it, just in order to obtain one desired
revitalized at higher reliability for the main operational
regimes, both generation or motoring – the last one for
storing energy purposes.
The fully completed MHPP will include practical
schemes and operational regimes describing both the
turbines of new design and electric machines at work,
regarding the new design concepts – so, double aim
responding: electric energy locally generated/absorbed in
parallel with one high quality teaching – learning process,
mainly devoted to the students involved into the power
engineering field.
References
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About the Authors
Dr. Eng. Basarab Dan GUZUN, - is professor at the Dept.
of Power Generation and Use, Faculty of Power Engg.,
Politehnica University from Bucharest, Splaiul Indep.
313, 060042 Bucharest,sector 6, P.O. 16, Romania ,
guzunbasarab@yahoo.com;
Ph D Eng. Mircea Dimitrie CAZACU, is a senior
consultant Professor, onorific researcher at the Romanian
Academy of Science, member of the AGIR, SPERIN
Associations, Romanian Society-Mathematical Sciences,
Dept. of Power Hydraulics, Faculty of Power Engg.,
Politehnica University from Bucharest - PUB,
Splaiul Independ. Str. 313, 060042 Bucharest, RO,
cazacumircea@yahoo.com, cazacu@hydrop.pub.ro;
Nicolae NISTOR is with the High School College
„Lucian Blaga” Sebes-Alba County, professor of applied
physics.
Razvan Guzun, student, in his final stage - finishing the
Faculty of Power Engineering, Power Hydraulics Dept.,
Politehnica University from Bucharest PUB, RO,
guzunr@yahoo.com.