Hydroelectric Power Plant

What is Hydroelectric Power Plant?

• Hydropower plants capture the energy of moving water to generate
electricity.
• Hydroplants range in size from "micro-hydros" that power only a few
homes to giant dams like Hoover Dam
How does Hydroelectric Power Plant works?
• Reporter na lang po sir yung mag eelaborate ng details nung picture
 EQUIPMENTS/PARTS THAT
COMPOSES THE
HYDROELECTRIC POWERPLANT
Main Equipments/Parts of a Hydroelectric Plant

Dam is a barrier, which confines or raise water for storage.

Raises the water level of the river to create falling water. Also controls the flow
of water. The reservoir that is formed is, in effect, stored energy. Generally made of
concrete, rockfill or timber.
Turbine. The force of falling water pushing against the turbine's blades causes the
turbine to spin. A water turbine is much like a windmill, except the energy is provided by
falling water instead of wind. The turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into
mechanical energy.
Generator. Connected to the turbine by shafts and possibly gears so when the turbine
spins it causes the generator to spin also. Converts the mechanical energy from the
turbine into electric energy. Generators in hydropower plants work just like the
generators in other types of power plants.

Transmission lines. Conduct electricity from the hydropower plant to homes and
business.
a) Dam – is the concrete structure that encloses the reservoir

b) Reservoir – stores the water coming from the upper river or water falls

c) Head Water – is the water in the reservoir

d) Spillway – is a weir in the reservoir which discharges excess water so

that the head of the plant will be maintained.

e) Silt Sluice – is a chamber which collects the mud and through which
the mud is discharged.

f) Valve – is a device that opens or closes the entrance of the water into
the penstock

g) Trash rack – is a screen which prevents the leaves, branches and other
water contaminants to enter into the penstock
h) Penstock – is the channel that leads the water from the reservoir to the
turbine

i) Surge Chamber – is a standpipe connected to atmosphere and attached to

the penstock so that the water will be at atmospheric pressure.

j) Generator – is a device that converts the mechanical energy of the turbine

into electrical energy

k) Hydraulic Turbine – is a device that converts energy of water into mechanical

energy.

l) Tail race – is channel which leads the water from the turbine to the tail water.

m) Tail Water – is the water discharged from the turbine.

n) Draft Tube – is a device that connects the turbine outlet to the tail water so
the turbine can be set above the tail water level.
TYPES OF HYDROELECTRIC-
POWERPLANT
• Run-of-River hydro plants
• Storage hydro plants
• Pumped storage plants
Run-of-River hydro plants (Diversion)

• also called diversion type of plant. In this, portion of the water is

diverted into canals from the river. These types of plants may not
require dam for storage of water.
• reduces the need to construct large reservoirs for high head or surge
of water so the initial cost is reduced as compared to storage plants.
Storage hydro plants (Impoundment)

• The most common type of hydro plant that requires dam to store the
water in reservoir. Dam facilitates to increase the head as well as the
velocity of water.
Pumped storage plants

• reversible pump turbine and penstock

arrangement exchanges the water
between head (upper reservoir) and tail
reservoirs.
• In case of low electricity demand water is
pumped to tail pond to the head pond by
hydraulic machines.
Local Hydroelectric Power
Plants
Local Hydroelectric Power Plant with the
Highest Capacity
Kalayaan Pumped-Storage Power Plant San Roque
Kalayaan Pumped-Storage Power Plant
• Dam-type
• 4 units
• 720 MW
• Kalayaan, Laguna
• U1&2 – Aug-1982
• U3&4 – May-2004
Local Hydroelectric Power Plant with the
Highest Capacity in Mindanao
Pulangi 4 AGUS 6
Pulangi 4
• Run-of-the-river type
• 3 units, 85 MW each
• 255 MW
• Maramag, Bukidnon
• U1 – Dec-1985
• U2&3 – Jun-1986
Local Hydroelectric Power Plant Near You

Angat Magat
Angat
• Dam-type
• 4 units
• 200 MW
• Norzagaray, Bulacan
• Oct-1967
Capacity of Local Hydroelectric Power Plant
by Archipelago (On-Grid)

28%

Luzon (2497.2 MW)

Visayas (15.2 MW)
1% 71%
Mindanao (990.9 MW)
Efficiency issues, problems
encountered and solution
Efficiency
• There are no inefficient intermediate thermodynamic or chemical
processes and no heat losses.
• The conversion efficiency of a hydroelectric power plant depends
mainly on the type of water turbine employed and can be as high as
95% for large installations. Smaller plants with output powers less
than 5 MW may have efficiencies between 80 and 85 %.
• Large, high-head dams can produce more power at lower costs than
low-head dams, but construction of large dams may be limited by lack
of suitable sites, by environmental considerations, or by economic
conditions. In contrast, there are many existing small dams and drops
in elevation along canals where small generating plants could be
installed. New low-head dams could be built to increase output as
well. The key to the usefulness of such units is their ability to generate
power near where it is needed, reducing the power inevitably lost
during transmission.
Problems encountered
• Impact on the Fishes
• Quality of Water
• Drought in Reserve dams
Solutions
Quality of water
• Minimize nutrient level of water flowing into the dam
• Manipulate the concentration or cycling of nutrients within the dam
water. Encourage diluting and flushing during wetter months.
• Minimize sun-light load on the dam.
• Minimize temperature of dam water.
• Encourage gentle mixing of dam water to avoid stratification of water
into discrete temperature layers
Impact on the Fishes
HYDRO POWER PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Preventive Maintenance is planned/routine or scheduled maintenance.

The intent of preventive maintenance is to “prevent” problems or
failures before they take place by following routine and comprehensive
maintenance procedures.
 Drawbacks

o It is time consuming and resource intensive.

o It does not consider actual equipment condition when scheduling or
performing the maintenance.
o It can cause problems in equipment in addition to solving them, e.g.,
damaging seals, stripping threads.
 Advantages
o It is predictable making budgeting, planning, and resource leveling
possible.
o When properly practiced, it generally prevents major problems, thus,
reducing forced outages, “reactive maintenance” and maintenance
costs in general.
o It assures managers that equipment is being maintained.
o It is easily understood and justified.
MAINTENANCE
 Water intake, power water system and
associated equipment

o Water storage (reservoir) and the water conductor system— intake,

headrace tunnel, surge shaft, emergency valves and pressure shafts,
penstock, and main inlet valves—comprise the vital organs of a
hydropower plant. As a result, conduit isolation equipment, i.e., intake
gates, butterfly valves, excess flow devices, surge equipment, should
be tested regularly
 Turbine and its auxiliaries

Cavitations and/or erosion may lead to turbine wheel damage, which

undermines performance and efficiency.
o Conduct regular inspections of turbine runners and maintain records.
As necessary, carry out in-situ welding repairs on turbine runners to
fill cavitations or to repair cracks on the runner blades.
 Generator and its auxiliaries
The main generator parts include the stator and rotor winding, bearings
and excitation system.
oConduct regular impedance tests (voltage drop test across each pole)
to assess rotor-winding condition.
o Maintain cooling system to limit rise in stator winding temperatures
to extend life of stator winding.
o Inspect stator winding to verify its firmness in stator core slots,
because loose stator core, inter lamination, or core insulation directly
affect winding heating due to eddycurrent loss.
The following works also need to be carried
out periodically:
o Check foundations and tighten bolts.
o Clean or replace generator air coolers and bearing oil coolers to
improve generator performance.
o Conduct primary and secondary testing of protection system for
correct operation.
o Inspect current transformers, potential transformers and bus bars for
overheating, or temperature rise.
o Inspect circuits for protection and control circuits; conduct mock trials
of fire-fighting system and evacuation system.
 Transformer and switchyard

o Continuously monitor oil and winding temperature.

o Periodically filter oil.
o Conduct various oil tests and dissolved gas analysis.
o Check tandelta and insulation resistance, etc. as per schedule.
o Clean and replace oil cooler.
o Test protection system for correct functioning.
o Conduct mock trials: check, maintain and inspect firefighting system,
CO2 and mulsifire.
o Test breaker operation time.
o Operate and test isolator opening and closing.
o Check control circuit and breaker operating system function.
o Periodically clean transformer bushings and insulator strings.
 Emergency diesel generator set

oRegular maintenance of the emergency set.

o Check control and protection system.
o Run DG set at regular intervals.
 Other powerhouse equipment

o Periodically maintain unit auxiliary, station auxiliary and station

service transformer.
o Check station batteries and battery chargers.
o Regularly inspect cable ducts for proper ventilation/heat dissipation.
Mechanical Engineer’s
role in Power Plant’s
design and operation
• Planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and
other mechanically functioning equipment
• Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair
of equipment such as centralized heat, gas, water and
steam systems
• Designing turbine upgrades
• Checking structural elements, improving them, repairing
them
• Monitor the following:
• Mechanical efficiency of the moving components
• Constant and adequate lubrication where needed to
reduce wear and tear
• Work with electrical engineers
• Ensure proper cycle of machines to allow for continuous
operation and maintain even use for all machines while
allowing maintenance teams to examine and repair any
possible parts of the machines.
• Ensure structural integrity of all pressure vessels and
structural components
• Ensure even pressure distribution at the appropriate
pressure in different direction location