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Generating Electrictiy From Water

Hydro power works by harnessing the kinetic energy of moving water to generate electricity. Water flowing from a higher elevation to a lower one carries potential energy that can be converted to electrical energy using a turbine connected to a generator. The amount of power generated depends on the water flow rate and the vertical distance or "head" between the intake and turbine. Proper measurement of the head and flow is important for accurately estimating a site's potential power output and determining the appropriate hydroelectric system design. Small hydro systems below 10 MW are classified based on their power output as mini, micro, pico or family hydro.

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محمد علي صايل مخلف D
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28 views11 pages

Generating Electrictiy From Water

Hydro power works by harnessing the kinetic energy of moving water to generate electricity. Water flowing from a higher elevation to a lower one carries potential energy that can be converted to electrical energy using a turbine connected to a generator. The amount of power generated depends on the water flow rate and the vertical distance or "head" between the intake and turbine. Proper measurement of the head and flow is important for accurately estimating a site's potential power output and determining the appropriate hydroelectric system design. Small hydro systems below 10 MW are classified based on their power output as mini, micro, pico or family hydro.

Uploaded by

محمد علي صايل مخلف D
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Generating electricity from water
Hydro Power Basics

Presented by : Mohammed Ali Sael 


Third stage / D
Definition

A mass of water moving down a height difference contains energy


which can be harvested using some waterwheel or turbine. The
moving water drives the waterwheel and this rotation either drives
machinery directly (e.g. mill, pump, hammer, thresher, ...) or is
coupled with a generator which produces electric power.
Principle of Hydro Power

Hydro power is probably the first form of automated power


production which is not human / animal driven. Moving a grind
stone for milling first, developed into the driving of an electrical
generator. Next to steam it was for long the main power source
for electricity.Its continual availability does not require any
power storage (unlike wind / solar power). It is mainly
mechanical hardware. This makes it relative easy to understand
and repair-/maintainable. In smaller units its environmental
impact becomes neglect-able (see: environmental impact
assessment and pros and cons of micro hydropower).

Mechanical Power used for Hydro Electricity


Head & Flow
In order to create electricity from hydropower, two parameters are critical:

Flow; or the minimum amount of water that is constantly available throughout the
entire year

Head; the difference in height

These specific conditions limit generalising and standardisation of "how to install


hydropower plants". Choosing the right location and planning requires some
specific knowledge. With knowledge of water flow and height difference the
potential power can be estimated.
Measuring Head & Flow

The first step to judge a sites hydropower potential is to measure/estimate head and flow.

Head (the vertical distance between the intake and turbine)


Flow (how much water comes down the stream)

Head is very often exaggerated as is the flow rate, which varies over the year.

Wrong data occurs frequently. Confirmation of existing data is highly recommended.

Head and flow are the two most important facts of a hydro site. This will determine everything about
the hydro system - volume of civil constructions, pipeline size, turbine type and power
output. Inaccurate measurements result in low efficiency, high cost and scarcity of power.
Methods of Head and Flow Measurement without
Sophisticated Tools

Estimation of height can be done easiest if there is a steep slope (waterfall) by rope.

By measuring total height step by step, it's crucial to do the bearing strictly horizontally. Ensure
that by using a level or a water filled hose. Widely available are hoses and pressure gauges which
allow the easiest method of height measurement. As longer the hose as less steps have to be taken
to measure the total head.
Head Measurement Methods
Flow Measurement

Estimation of flow is very difficult without measurement.

A quick and easy way to measure is the floating method:

First, measure the waters speed at an steady flowing part of the river. Therefore drop
some item and stop the time it needs for a certain distance to float.

Second, do a sketch of the rivers cross section by measuring its depth every 20-50 cm so
you come up with a grid showing the rivers profile from side to side. With this data its
cross sections area can be calculated easily.

Finally the flow volume results from (water) speed x (section) area.


Flow Measurement
Example:

A ball drifts 10 m in 12 s => speed = 10m/12s = 0.12 m/s.


Cross section => A1= 25 cm * 40 cm (0.25 m * 0.4 m) = 0.1 m2 ; A1+A2+ ... = A = 0.5 m2
Flow volume = 0.12 m/s * 0.5 m2 = 0.06 m3/s => 60 l/s
•To estimate a sites potential cost its necessary to know additionally:

•Pipeline (penstock) length


•Electrical transmission line length (from turbine to consumer). As smaller the sites power output as higher the power
lines cost share
•Number of potential customers
Classification of Hydro Power by Size
Hydropower installations can be classified by size of power output, although the power output is only an
approximate diversion between different classes. There is no international consensus for setting the size
threshold between small and large hydropower.

For the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the European Small Hydropower
Association (ESHA) and the International Association for Small Hydro (IASH) a capacity of up to 10 MW
total is becoming the generally accepted norm for small hydropower plants (SHP). In China, it can refer to
capacities of up to 25 MW, in India up to 15 MW and in Sweden small means up to 1.5 MW, in Canada
'small' can refer to upper limit capacities of between 20 and 25 MW, and in the United States 'small' can
mean 30 MW.

The German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety mentioned that a
SHP is <1 MW, everything above is a large hydro electric plant and usually comes along with a large dam.
The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) defines a large dam as a dam with a height of 15 m
or more from the foundation. If dams are between 5-15 m high and have a reservoir volume of more than 3
million m3, they are also classified as large dams. Using this definition, there are over 45 000 large dams
around the world.
Small hydro can be further subdivided into mini, micro and pico:

•Mini (MH)
< 1 MW grid connected special know how required
partially grid con.
•Micro < 100 kW professional know how required
small series units produced locally;
•Pico (PH) < 10 kW island grids
professional equipment available
often locally handmade solutions;
•Family (FH) < ~1 kW single households/clusters
professional equipment available

There is no binding definition how mini hydro power output is to be classified. Rules for
communication avoiding misunderstandings: Generally the terms can be used "downwards
compatible". Pico- is also Mini- but not visa versa. Specific terms (Pico, Family) should be
used only if they are required to indicate specifics. The spectrum needs higher diversification
as smaller it becomes as there are certain differences in technique, usage, applicability and the
grade of of ability to replicate them.

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