Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 1

Hydroelectric Power Plant

In hydroelectric power plants the energy of water is utilized to
drive the turbine which, in turn, runs the generator to produce
electricity. Rain falling upon the earth’s surface has potential
energy relative to the ocean towards which it follows. This
energy is converted to shaft work by hydraulic prime mover
where the water falls through an appreciable vertical distance.
The hydraulic power is thus a naturally available renewable
energy source.
P = ρg Q H
P = hydraulic power, W
ρ = water density, kg/m3
g = 9.81 m/s2
Q = water flow rate, m3/s
H = water head, m
Generation of power depends on the quantity of water
available and head. The available head depends on the
selection of the site for hydraulic power plant. The quantity of
water available at the selected site depends on the
hydrological cycle of nature. The quantity of water available
can be determined from the study of rainfall and run-off in
that area. As the availability of water depends on the natural
phenomenon of rain, the maximum capacity of hydraulic
power generating plant is usually fixed on the basis of
minimum quantity of water available.
Precipitation: This is the total condensation of moisture that
reaches earth in any form, e.g. rainfall, snow, hail, etc.
Evaporation: This is total portion of rainfall that evaporates
back to the atmosphere.

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 2

Run-off: total precipitation – total evaporation

Advantages of water power

1. Water source is perennially available.
2. The running costs of hydropower installations are very
low as compared to thermal or nuclear power stations.
3. There is no problem with regards to the disposal of ash
as in a thermal station. The problem of emission of
polluting gases and particulates to the atmosphere also
does not exist.
4. The hydraulic turbine can be switched on and off in a
very short time.
5. Modern hydropower equipment has a greater life
expectancy and can easily last 50 years or more.

Disadvantages of water power

1. High capital investment.
2. Power generation is dependent on the quantity of water
available, which may vary from season to season.

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 3

3. Hydroelectric power plants are often far away from the

load center and require long transmission lines to deliver
power.
4. Large hydro-plants disturb the ecology of the area, by
way of deforestation, destroying vegetation and
uprooting people.

Essential elements of a hydroelectric power plant

1. Catchment area
2. Reservoir
3. Dam
4. Spillway
5. Conduit / penstock
6. Surge tank
7. Draft tube
8. Power house

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 4

Catchment area: The whole area behind the dam draining

water into the reservior.

Reservoir

Fig.: Kaptai dam

Reservoir: It is the basic requirement of a hydroelectric
power plant. Water reservoirDam
is used to store water which may
be utilized to run the turbines to produce electric power.
Reservoir may be natural such as lake or artificial reservoir
can be built erecting a dam across the river.
Dam: A dam is structure of masonry or some other material
built at a suitable location across a river. It develops a
reservoir of the desired capacity to store water and builds up a
head for power generation.

Fig.: Dam (Hoover Dam, Colorado)

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam
Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 5

Reservoir

Dam

Fig.: Hoover Dam (Courtesy: Jabed Anwar)

Spill way: When the water level in the reservoir basin rises,
the stability of the dam structure is endangered. To relieve the
reservoir of this excess water, a structure is provided in the
body of a dam or close to it. This safeguarding structure is
called a spill way.

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 6

Fig.: Spill ways

Conduits: Conduits may be open or closed. A penstock is a
closed conduit for supplying water under pressure from the
head pond or the forebay to the turbines.
Forebay acts as a regulating reservoir temporarily. Water is
temporarily stored in the forebay in the event of rejection of
load by the turbine and there is withdrawal of water from
forebay when load is increased.

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 7

(a) (b)

Fig: Penstocks and power station

(a: Okuwa power plant, Japan; b: Hoover dam, USA)

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 8

Surge tank: A surge tank is a small reservoir in which the

water level rises or falls to reduce the pressure swings so that
they are not transmitted to the closed conduits.

Fig: Surge tank

Draft tube: Draft tube is a metallic pipe or concrete tunnel
having gradually increasing cross-sectional area towards
outlet to ensure that little energy is possibly left in water as it
discharges into the tail race. Draft tube provides a negative
suction head at the runner outlet by which it becomes

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 9

possible to install the turbine above the tail race level without
any loss of head. By passing water through the draft tube, the
outlet velocity of water is reduced considerably and gain in
useful pressure head is achieved, that is the net working head
of the turbine increases and thus output of the turbine also
increases.

Fig: Draft tube

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 10

Power house: A power house should have a stable structure

and its layout should be such that adequate space is provided
around the equipment for convenient dismantling and repair.
The main equipment provided in the power house includes the
following:
(i) Turbines
(ii) Generators
(iii) Governors
(iv) Gate valves
(v) Relief valves
(vi) Switch board and instruments
(vii) Cranes

Fig: Power house

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 11

Classification of hydroelectric power plant according to the

availability of head:
(i) High head power plants: head ≥ 100 m
Pelton wheel
(ii) Medium head power plants: 100 m ≥ head ≥ 30 m
Francis turbine
(iii) Low head power plants: Francis or Kaplan turbine.
Hydraulic turbines:
(i) Impulse turbines: Pelton wheel
(ii) Reaction turbines: Francis, Kaplan turbines.
Pelton wheel
Used for high head installations. The runner consists of a
large circular disc on the periphery of which a number of two-
lobe buckets are evenly mounted. The nozzle directs the flow
on the wheel. It also governs the quantity of flow with the
help of a spear valve controlled by the governor action.
Tangential flow.

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 12

Fig: Pelton wheel

Francis turbine
Reaction turbines. During energy transfer from water to the
runner there is a drop in static pressure as well as drop in
velocity head. Unlike the Pelton wheel where the water
strikes only a few of the runner buckets at a time, in Francis
turbine the runner is always full of water. After doing its work
the water is discharged to the tailrace through the closed tube
of gradually enlarging section, the draft tube, which does not
allow water to fall freely to tailrace as in the Pelton wheel.
The free end of the draft tube is submerged deep into the tail
water to make the entire water passage from the head race to
the tail race totally enclosed. Mixed flow.

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 13

Draft tube

Fig: Francis turbine

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam

Department of Mechanical Engineering, CUET 14

Kaplan turbine
Axial flow

Fig: Kaplan turbine

Hydroelectric power plant in Bangladesh
Location NameUnit Installed Commissioning
Capacity
(MW)
Kaptai Karnafuli Hydro 2 40×2 1962
3 50×3 1982, 1988(2)

Power Plant Engineering (Hydroelectric Power Plant) Dr. Bodius Salam