1.

0 INTRODUCTION:

OBJECTIVE: To design a small hydro-electric turbine that will power University of Lagos
lagoon front’s street light.

For generations, water has been used as a source of energy by industries and by limited
number companies. In the world, most rivers and streams capable of producing huge amount
of power have been harnessed; however this does not preclude the possibilities of using small
hydro-turbine power as a source of energy of energy supply for homes, industries, schools or
lagoon fronts.

Harnessing a stream for hydro-electric power is a major undertaking. Careful designing is

necessary if a successful and economical power plant is to result. Precise field data and
calculation must be gathered to compare the amount of power that can be expected from a
hydro-electric installation to the electrical requirements of the home or farm. The detailed
designs that consider both construction and maintenance can be drawn up as will be seen in
this report.

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2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

Since the time of ancient Egypt and Greece, people have used the energy in flowing water to
operate machinery and grind grain and corn. Several works has been carried out to tap more
energy and increase efficiency of hydroelectric power plants as well as the best practices
possible. French hydraulic and military engineer Bernard Forest de Bélidor wrote
Architecture Hydraulique, a four – volume work describing vertical and horizontal axis
machines around mid 1770s.

In 1881, Niagara falls city street lamps powered by hydropower. World’s first hydroelectric
power plant began operation on the fox river in Appleton Wisconsin around 1882. Today,
between 7-10 percent of U.S electricity comes from hydropower, depending on the supply of
water. The U.S has about 80,000MW of conventional capacity and 18,000MW of pumped
storage capacity.

The future of hydropower includes both challenges and opportunities, and will continue to be
a major part of the part of the global mix for many years. As the nation and the world develop
strategies to deal with global climate change, hydropower will play a significant role by
producing clean, economical electricity without carbon dioxide emissions.

Advances in turbine design and other mitigation strategies will continue to reduce the impact
of conventional hydropower facilities on fish populations, water quality and the environment.
New facilities become more efficient and generate more electricity.

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3.0 METHODOLOGY

Hydroelectricity is electricity by hydropower, i.e. converts the energy in flowing water into
electricity. The quantity of electricity generated is determined by the volume of water flow
and the amount of "head" (the height from turbines in the power plant to the water surface)
created by the dam. The greater the flow and head, the more electricity produced.
Hydropower is a clean energy source. It is fuelled only by moving water, so it is doesn’t
produce emissions. Hydropower doesn’t increase the level of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere. Hydropower is a renewable energy source. It relies on the cycle, which is driven
by the sum. The total amount of water in a hydropower system doesn’t change; the moving
water is used to generate electricity and returned to the source from which it came.

Hydropower plants are dependent on water supply, when there is a drought, for example,
hydropower plants cannot produce as much electricity. A dam on a river can permanently
change the ecology of a large land area upstream and downstream, creating a different
environment. When a dam is built, the resultant reservoir floods a large area of land upstream
from the dam. The natural ecology of the river and adjacent land downstream is changed by a
reduction in soil deposition.

A typical hydropower plant includes a dam, reservoir, penstocks (pipes), a powerhouse and
an electrical power substation. The dam stores water and creates the head; penstocks carry
water from the reservoir to turbines inside the powerhouse; the water rotates the turbines,
which drive generators that produce electricity.

A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful
work. It is a mechanical device that converts potential energy in water to mechanical energy,
which is in turn used to produce electrical energy by the use of an alternator. There are
various types of turbines but for the purpose of our design, a Francis turbine is required
because it is used for very small heads as well as low power production. It has efficiency of
92%.

Hydro-turbine power plant that been designed, don’t rely on seasonal flows of water, as
people did historically with water wheels. It should be constructed inside dams, with the dam
being used to retain water so that the flow of water through the turbines can be controlled.

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The dam is made in such a way that in periods of peak energy demand, the dam is opened to
allow lots of water to flow generating a great deal of electricity, and in periods of low
demand, the dam is kept closed, saving the water from when it is needed. The dam even has
recovery and pumping systems, after it has flowed through the dam, allowing it to be used
again.

3.1 HYDRO-TURBINE POWER: HOW IT WORKS

So just how do we get electricity from water? A power source is used to turn a propeller-like
piece called a turbine, which then turns a metal shaft in an electric generator, which is the
motor that produces electricity. A hydroelectric plant uses falling water to turn the turbine.

Take a look at this diagram of a hydroelectric power plant to see the details:

Fig. 3.1

The theory is to build a dam on lagoon front’s river that has a small drop in elevation. The
dam stores lots of water behind it in the reservoir. Near the bottom of the dam wall there is
the water intake. Gravity causes it to fall through the penstock inside the dam. At the end of
the penstock there is a turbine propeller, which is turned by the moving water. The shaft from

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the turbine goes up into the generator, which produces the power. Power lines are connected
to the generator that carries electricity to your home and mine. The water continues past the
propeller through the tailrace into the river past the dam.

3.2 THE ALTERNATOR’S (GENERATOR) WORK

A hydraulic turbine converts the energy of flowing water into mechanical energy. A
hydroelectric generator converts this mechanical energy into electricity. The operation of a
generator is based on the principles discovered by Faraday. He found that when a magnet is
moved past a conductor, it causes electricity to flow. In a large generator, electromagnets are
made by circulating direct current through loops of wire wound around stacks of magnetic
steel laminations. These are called field poles, and are mounted on the perimeter of the rotor.
The rotor is attached to the turbine shaft, and rotates at a fixed speed. When the rotor turns, it
causes the field poles (the electromagnets) to move past the conductors mounted in the stator.
This, in turn, causes electricity to flow and a voltage to develop at the generator output
terminals.

Fig. 3.2 Turbine- Generator Diagram

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3.3 PUMPED STORAGE: REUSING WATER FOR PEAK ELECTRICITY DEMAND
Demand for electricity is not "flat" and constant. Demand goes up and down during the night,
there is no need for electricity in the day for powering the street lights. For example, here in
university of Lagos at 6:30 PM darkness comes in and there will be demand for electricity to
run the street light till next day at 7:00 AM. Hydroelectric plants are more efficient at
providing for peak power demands during short periods than are fossil-fuel and nuclear
power plants, and one way of doing that is by using "pumped storage", which reuses the same
water more than once. Pumped storage is a method of keeping water in reserve for peak
period power demands by pumping water that has already flowed through the turbines back
up a storage pool above the power plant at a time when customer demand for energy is low,
such as during the day. The water is then allowed to flow back through the turbine-generators
at times when demand is high and load is placed on the system.

The reservoir acts much like a battery, storing power in the form of water when demands are
low and producing maximum power during daily and seasonal peak periods. An advantage of
pumped storage is that hydroelectric generating units are able to start up quickly and make
rapid adjustments in output. They operate efficiently when used for one hour or several hours.
Because pumped storage reservoirs are relatively small, construction costs are generally low
compared with conventional hydropower facilities.

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Fig. 3.3

3.4 DESIGN CALCULATION

3.4.1 CALCULATION FOR POWER NEEDED

From our survey of the lagoon front’s street lights, the following deductions were made;

Number of poles = 25

Number of bulbs on each pole = 2

∴ Total number of bulbs = 25 × 2 = 50

The rate power of each bulb = 250w

∴Total power rating = 50 × 250 = 12500w = 12.5kw

In conclusion, we need a power of at least 12.5kw.

3.4.2 DESIGN OF ALTERNATOR

In order to design the hydroelectric power plant for 12.5kw supply, we need to design an
alternator whose power output will meet the demand.

The efficiency of our proposed alternator is 75%.

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Other parameters are calculated as follows;

2 πNs 75
Power, P = T × × ----- (1)
60 100

Where T = Torque

Ns = Speed of the electric field

Since we are dealing with power of 12.5kw i.e P = 12500w,

2 πNs 75
∴ 12500 = T × × ---- (2)
60 100

But when a 2-pole, 50HZ alternator is used,

120 f
Ns = ---- (3)
p

120× 50
∴Ns = = 3000 rpm
2

Then using equation (2),

2× 3.142× 3000 75
12500 = T × ×
60 100

12500 = T × 235.65

12500
T= = 53.04 Nm
235.65

Torque, T = 53.04 Nm is required from the turbine

3.4.3 DESIGN OF TURBINE

The blade area and rotating radius of the turbine are to be calculated.

The efficiency of the proposed turbine is 92%.

Torque, T = Fr × 92% ---- (4)

Since we need a Torque of 53.04 Nm from the turbine,

∴ 53.04=Fr ×92 % ---- (5)

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The parameters needed for the small turbine needed are as follows

Radius, r = 0.3m

Length of blade = 0.2m

Width of blade = 0.08m

Also, Pressure, P = ρgh ---- (6)

We have to design a penstock to be inclined at angle θ=30° to the horizontal

ρgh
There, pressure parallel to penstock = ---- (7)
sin 30°

Pressure

Penstock

30° Fig. 3.4

Where ρ=¿density of water (1000 kg/m3)

g = acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s2)

h = head (height)

Using equations (5) and (7),

ρgh
53.04 = × Area of blade × r × 92%
sin 30°

Area of blade = length of blade × width of blade

= 0.2 × 0.08

= 0.016 m2

Tsin 30
∴ h=
0.92 × ρgA × r

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 53.04 ×0.5
=
0.92× 1000× 9.81 ×0.016 ×0. 3

= 1.224m

= 122.4cm

3.4.4 DESIGN OF DAM

A small dam in which the height of the top level of the reservoir to the mouth of the penstock
equals 1.224m is required to generate the power needed. This height is what gives the water
the required head needed to drive the turbine. It has recovery and pumping systems, so that
during the day whereby the power generated is not used to give light, the pumping system
uses the power to pump water back into the reservoir after it has flowed through the dam,
allowing it to be used again. The reservoir will be 2.0m in length and 1.5m in width in order
to accommodate the turbine and generate the power needed.

4.0 CONCLUSION

In this project, we have been able to design a hydro-electric turbine and plant which can
generate enough power for the lagoon front’s street lights. In this project, despite the small
scale, we have been able to harness hydropower to our advantage. The hydro-turbine is
designed alongside with the dam and reservoir which provide it with the required head and an
alternator (generator) which converts the mechanical torque produced to electrical power.

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4.1 RECOMMENDATIONS

Although hydro-electric power technology has grown over the ages, researchers are still
working in order to make it better and new inputs are been brought in. Fluctuating regional
water resources, growing obligations, and market pressures on water uses (need for flood
controls, environmental issues, and recreation) are just a few constraints that may limit the
growth of hydroelectric production. A research project can help to examine whether wind and
hydropower technologies can work together to provide a stable supply of electricity to an
interconnected grid. Hydropower facilities may be able to act as a “battery” for wind power
by storing water during high-wind periods and increasing output during low- or no-wind
periods. Similarly, periods of low water resources or policy pressures on water use can be
mitigated by using wind to generate power normally generated by the hydropower systems.

Degradation of water quality that results from a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water is one
of the most serious environmental impacts facing the hydropower industry. The lack of
oxygen is usually the result of water that stagnates in the reservoir behind the dam. To solve
this problem, researchers should conduct a diverse array of environmental studies that include
structural, operational, and regulatory measures.

For our street lights, we also should look into using light emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of
the halogen lights that are mostly used. This is because the work of a 40-watts LED can be
compared to a 250-watts halogen light. This as we can see will help save power for other use.

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5.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Our special thanks go to engr. A.B. Ajayi, of the Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Lagos for him deeming it fit for us to go through this kind of thorough learning
and research work and his guidance in lecturing us in detail towards writing excellent reports.

We also gratefully acknowledge the help, comments and suggestions offered by our
colleagues especially Oguntoye Olamide and Owoh Ukemeobong.

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6.0 REFERENCES

 Gilbert Gedeon, P.E. (1995). “Planning and Design of Hydro-Electric Power Plants.”

Continuing Education and Development, Inc.

 U.S. Department of Energy - Energy efficiency and Renewable Energy.(2003)

“Modern Advances in Hydropower Technology.

 Micro – Hydropower Sourcebook : A Practical Guide to Design and Implementation

in Developing Countries.

 “Hydroelectric Power - Water power - micro hydro systems.” Online Posting: URL:

http://www.green-trust.org/hydro.htm. Accessed December 23, 2010.

 “Hydroelectric power: How it works.” Online Posting: URL:

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html. Accessed December 23, 2010.

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