HYDROPOWER GENERATION THROUGH RESERVOIR

sUBMITTED BY :MOHIT AGARWAL MOHIT BANSAL MANISH MUNDRA MANGAL CHAND

Principle of Hydropower Generation

Hydropower is generated from the water flowing in the river or oceans. There are two water cycles involved in the generation of electricity. One water cycle is the natural cycle and the other is inside the hydropower station.

Water cycle in nature:

In our natural environment there are number of oceans and rivers and then there is sun above them all. Due to solar energy the surface of the rivers and oceans get heated due to which the water on the surface evaporates. The evaporated water vapors move towards the upper layers of the atmosphere where they form the clouds. Upon precipitation of clouds rain occurs. Due to heavy rains large quantities of water flows through various parts of the earth in the forms of streams, channels and rivers. All the water from rivers is collected back to the oceans, where evaporation of water occurs again.

Water cycle in the hydraulic power plant

The water in rivers posses two types of energies: kinetic energy and potential energy. The energy of water due to its motion is called as kinetic energy The energy of water due to its high level is called as potential energy. Depending on the type of hydraulic power plants kinetic and/or potential energy of water is used to generate electricity.

 The most commonly used method of production of electricity from hydropower is by dams, which are constructed across the large rivers. The large quantities of water from river are diverted by pipelines also called as penstock, towards the main plant where large turbines are located. The water from penstock is allowed to fall on the large turbine blades that start rotating. The shaft of the turbine rotates in the electric generators where electricity is generated. This electricity is then passed to the transformers from where it is connected to the main national grid.

 The water leaving the turbine flows back to the river at the lower levels. In almost all the plants where water is used to generate electricity, the motion of water is used to rotate the turbine which generates the electricity in the generators and the water flows back to the river or ocean.

Working Principle of Hydroelectric Power Plant

The water flowing in the river possesses two type of energy: the kinetic energy due to flow of water and potential energy due to the height of water. In hydroelectric power plants or dams potential energy of water is utilized to generate electricity.

 The formula for total power that can be generated from water in hydroelectric power plant due to its height is given by P = rhg Where: P is the total power that can be produced in watts r- is the flow rate of water measured in cubic meters per second. h- is called height of water measured in meters. It is also head of water. It is difference in height between the source of water (from where water is taken) and the waters outflow (where the water is used to generate electricity, it is the place near the turbines). g- is the gravity constant 9.81 m/second square

 The formula clearly shows that the total power that can be generated from the hydroelectric power plants depends on two major factors: the flow rate of water or volume of flow of water and height or head of water. More the volume of water and more the head of water more is the power produced in the hydroelectric power plant. To obtain the high head of water the reservoir of water should as high as possible and power generation unit should be as low as possible

Various Components of Hydroelectric Power Plants and their Working

There are eight important components of the hydroelectric power plant. All these components and their working have been described below:

1) DAM
The dam is the most important component of hydroelectric power plant. In fact the name dam is considered to be synonymous to the hydroelectric power plant. The dam is built on a large river that has abundant quantity of water throughout the year. The dam is built at location where the height of the river is sufficiently high so as to get maximum possible potential energy from water.

2) Water reservoir
Water reservoir is the place behind the dam where water is stored. The water in the reservoir is located at the height above the rest of the dam structure. The height of water in the reservoir decides how much potential energy water possesses. Higher the height of water more is its potential energy. The high position of water in the reservoir also enables it to move downwards effortlessly due to gravity.

3) Intake or control gates

These are the gates built on the inside of the dam. The water from reservoir is released and controlled through these gates. When the control gates are opened the water flows due to gravity through the penstock and towards the turbines. The water flowing through the gates possesses potential as well as kinetic energy.

4) The penstock
The penstock is the long pipe or the shaft that carries the water flowing from the reservoir towards the power generation unit that comprises of the turbines and generator. The water in penstock possesses kinetic energy due to its motion and potential energy due to its height. The amount of water flowing through the penstock is controlled by the control gates.

5) Water turbines
When water falls on the blades of the turbine the kinetic and potential energy of water is converted into the rotational motion of the blades of the turbine. Due to rotation of blades the shaft of the turbine also rotates. The turbine shaft is enclosed inside the generator. There is large difference in height between the level of turbine and level of water in the water reservoir. This difference in height, also called as head of water, decides the total amount of power that can be generated in the hydroelectric power plant. The type of turbine used in the hydroelectric power plant depends on the height of the reservoir, quantity of water and the total power generation capacity.

6) Generators
It is in the generator where the electricity is produced. The shaft of the water turbine rotates in the generator, which produces alternating current in the coils of the generator. It is the rotation of the shaft inside the generator that produces magnetic field which is converted into electricity by electromagnetic field induction. Hence the rotation of the shaft of the turbine is crucial for the production of electricity and this is achieved by the kinetic and potential energy of water. Thus in hydroelectricity power plants potential energy of water is converted into electricity.

7) Transformer
The electricity generated inside the generator is not of sufficient voltage. The transformer converts the alternating current produced from within the generator to the high voltage current. The transformer comprises of two coils: the supply coil and the outlet coil. Current is supplied to the supply coil, from where it passes to the outlet coil. The number of turns in the outlet coil decides the voltage of output electricity from the transformer. If the numbers of turns in outlet coil are double of supply coil, the voltage produced is also double.

8) Tailrace
The water that has been used to rotate the turbine blades and turbines shaft leaves the power generation unit entering the pipeline called as the tailrace. From here the water flows into the main river. The height of water in the tailrace is much below the height of water in the water reservoir behind the dam. The potential energy of water in the tailrace has been used to generate electricity. The water flowing out from the tail race joins the natural flow of water.

Advantages of Hydroelectric Power Plants

No fuel required : This is the biggest advantage of hydroelectric power plants. They utilises the renewable energy of water for producing power. Cost of electricty is constant : As these hydroelectric power plants dont utilize fuel like coal, oil, natural gas whose cost goes on fluctuate in international market so the cost of electricity produce by them is more or less constant. Moreover the country doesnt have to import these fuels thus saving lots of local currency.

 No air pollution created : As discuss above no fuel consumption for generating electricity directly implies that no air pollution will be created in power generation. Long life : They possess a longer life than thermal power plants. There were some hydropower plants that were built about more than 50-100 year ago and are still running.

 Low operating cost : For the working of power plant very less labour is required since most of the operations are automated, thus have low operating cost. Further , as power plant become older cost of generating electricity become cheaper since initial cost invested in plant is recovered over long period of operation. Can easily work during high peak daily loads : The daily demand of power is not constant throughout the day. There will be peak demand of power during night. It is very difficult to start and stop the thermal or nuclear power plant on daily basis. The hydroelectric power plants can esily be started and stopped without consuming much time.

 Irrigation of farms : Water from dams are also used for irrigation of farm lands and produce good yield of crops in the area where there is scarcity of water or where there is no rainfall. Water sports and gardens : Public recreation activity can be held in the vicinity of reservoir by developing water parks for water sports and gardens. Prevent floods : The dams also help to prevent floods in the area adjoining the large rivers.

Drawbacks & Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Power Plants

Disrupts the aquatic ecosystems : The dams leads to large scale destruction of aquatic life. There are chances that fishes and other aquatic animal may enter the penstock and reach to the turbines where they can be crashed. Disruption in the surrounding areas : The plants and animal life around the rivers thrives due to fresh continous flow of river water. But due to construction of dam across the river many areas have to be cleared which ultimately leads to distruction of aquatic life. In many cases a lots of trees have to be cut which not only destroy plants life but also the animals dependent on them. Even changing the course of flow of water will lead to large scale distruction of plant and animal life.

 Requires large areas : The construction of dam, power generating unit, transformer and their connection to natural grid require large areas of forest. The larger the area acquired by dam more will be the destruction of natural ecosystem in surrounding forest. Large scale human displacement : During the running of the project the main issue that comes is the shifting and resettlement of the human beings in the nearby area of construction site. People are snatched away from their shelter as well as source of income but are not getting the proper remuneration and land for resettlement which will lead to large scale revolt and opposition against construction of dams.

 Very high capital cost or investment : Construction of hydroelectric power plants require high initial cost. It also take long time for constructing a hydropower plant. Lots of planning, designing, and testing goes on during construction. Each dam is unique in itself so the designs cannot be standardized. Construction of dams require lots of steel, iron, cement which make the hydroelectric power plant very expansive. . Overall, lots of time, money and human efforts are invested in the construction of hydroelectric power plants.

 High quality construction : The quality of material require for construction should be very high since any breakage in the dam lead to large scale destruction of human, plant, and animal lives. Site specific : The construction of dams can not be done at any location. It will only be constructed in area where abundant quantity of water is available at sufficient height and throughout the year. A number of others safety parameters are also have to be considered. Construction of dam at inappropiate locations can cause human casualties.

 Affects on environment : Although hydropower plants dont emit greenhouse directly but yes they pollute the environment indirectly. . Over several years, a number of vehicles coming to the construction site for loading and unloading materials also emit greenhouse gases that directly affect the sensitive plants and animal life found in forests. Safety of dams : The safety of dam is very crucial as it affects the lives of millions of people. In these days when terrorists attack are increasing there are greater concerns for the safety of large dams.

A case study of Hydroelectric Project

 Objective of the project: Subansiri Lower project is located in Dhemaji and Lower Subansiri districts in the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Project is proposed to harness hydro potential of lower reaches of river Subansiri. The project envisages harnessing 2000 MW of power utilizing 100m of maximum gross head by construction of 133m high concrete gravity dam. Water is led to Powerhouse through 8 no 9.5m diameter headrace tunnel. The powerhouse is proposed to house eight units of 250 MW each. The design energy works out to be 7421.59 MU. The same shall increase to 7722.90 MU considering regulated releases from Subansiri upper and Subansiri Middle projects.

Project Features
Dam concrete, Power House Intake structures HRT Turbines/Generators Power Generation Installed Capacity Energy Generation : : 2000 MW 7421.59 MU In 90% Dependable Year : : : : : 133M high dam, 25 L Cum 285M x 61M x 64M, Foundation at 35m below river level, 2 x 4 units at 30 m c/c, 8 nos of tunnels of 9.5m dia , 8 x 250 MW,

Special Features Benching for UG excavation done by high capacity ripper/Dozer. All aggregate source from River Bed Material. Soft rock tunneling for HRT/Surge tunnel. UG excavation is carried out by special equipmentRoad Header. Dam concreting is carried out by Special system-Rotec-USA

 The various structures under construction are: 1) HRT INTAKE STRUCTURE It consists of 2 intakes each having 4 units at 30m c/c. A shaft is present in front of the gates It has 150mm dia. perforations @ 1.2m c/c. This arrangement maintains equal water pressure on both the sides of the front wall. There are 2 gates i.e. Bulk Head and Service Gate. In the upstream side there is a DPT (differential pressure tube) which measures the pressure difference between the reservoir head and the pressure head in the tunnel. In the downstream side there is another pipe to record the water level. In addition to this, there is also a air vent pipe between the gates to remove any trapped air between gates.

2)Head Race Tunnel (HRT) Nos Size & shape Lengths Total Length Design Discharge

: : : : :

08 9.5M dia, Horse Shoe Shape 608.00 to 1168.82m 7128 Rm 322.4Cumecs

The tunnels are at a slope of 1 in 250 and 1 in 100.The excavated dia of the tunnel is 11 m. To Stabilize the rock in upper part of the structure Shotcrete of 150mm thick, Rock Anchor/rock bolt of 32mm dia 5m length @ 1.5m staggered ,Rib Support of ISMB250 @ 1m Spacing are provided. In the finished structure 600mm of high performance RCC lining is provided (M25,A 40)/(M60,A20).Lining of the upper curved part is termed as OVERT and lower part is termed as INVERT. A Steel structure(Steel Shutter) termed as GANTRY is used as Formwork for Concrete Lining.

ROCK BOLT: Drilling is done by Tamrock/Robolt of desired length and then resin is inserted into the drilled holes. Anchor rod is inserted giving a slow rotational movement. This punctures the resin capsule and the part of anchor rod dipped in resin gets fixed in rock mass. This part is known as fixed length. In the free zone, there are two PVC pipes, one reaches almost to the fixed part and another in the end part of it. The reinforced element is stressed immediately after installation by providing torque or jacking. After stressing the free length, it is grouted through the longer PVC pipe until it comes out from the other pipe.

3) Pressure Shafts Number : 08 Shape : Circular Diameter : 9.5 / 8 / 7 m Lengths : 220 M to 266 m (Including Steel Lined Portion of 220m) Length (Upper Part) : 472.15m Length (Vertical Part) : 383.20m Length (Lower Part : 967.57m HRT is followed by UHPS (Upper horizontal pressure shaft), vertical dip of 48m in VPS (Vertical pressure shaft) and LHPS (Lower horizontal pressure shaft). The pressure shafts have Ferrule lining of 25mm.The width of the steel liner varies from 2 to 3m. They are joined by welding and ultrasound test is done to check any air trapping, sludge deposition has taken place at the joint.The diameter of these pressure shafts goes on reducing as water reaches the turbine.

5) SURGE TUNNEL

ADITS >> Nos Size & shape Total Length

: 03 : 9M D-Shaped : 1562.386

Surge Tunnels Nos Size & shape Lengths Total Length

Surge Shafts Nos Size & shape Length Total Length

>>
: 08 : 9.5M dia, Horse Shoe Shape : 390 to 450m : 3395.00m >> : 08 : 9.5M dia, Circular : 9.6 to 11.6m : 81.3m

The concept of surge tunnel is introduced so as to absorb the surge created due to water hammer pressure in the HRT.

There are 8 number of tunnels of 11m dia.(Excavation dia) and 9.5m(Finished dia) at a slope of 1:10.The length of tunnel varies from 390m in ST-8 to 450m in ST-1. The total length of the adit is 1.5 km which provides access to 8 tunnels. The excavation is done using the same machineries as in HRT .Surge tunnels are meant for absorbing the huge pressure generated in the main tunnel at the time of the sudden closure of the inlet gate at the power house site.
6) TAIL RACE CHANNEL Length : 206M Width : 35M Tail race channel has been proposed to be built up at the downstream side of the Subansiri River in the Power House. These tunnels will take the water from the power house to the river at the downstream side and are built at EL 76.