B.

Operation/Basic Principle

Water is used to produce electricity using the kinetic energy created by flowing water
downstream in motion. The transformation from water energy into electrical energy is by
building a dam and using generator. Hydro turbine consist of blades mounted to a generator
made from stainless steel. When water strikes the turbine’s blade, it causes the turbine to
rotate and turn on the generator. That process changes the kinetic energy to rotational energy,
by moving a shaft which is connected to a generator, and thereby producing electrical energy
through electromagnetism. The water speed largely determines the amount of electricity
generated by a generator. The higher flowing water downstream speed, the electricity

generated is also higher.

Basic Principle:

1. As the flowing water hits the turbine, the rotor blade starts to turn. The turbine of the
blade is connected to a high-speed gearbox.
2. The gearbox will transform the rotation of from low to high speed. The high-speed
shaft at the gearbox combines with the rotor of the generator and runs at a higher
speed.

3. The use of exciter is to give the excitation for the magnetic coil at the generator field
system so it can generate the electricity.

4. The speed from the flowing water is out of control, to maintain the uniformity of the
output, excitation must be controlled according to the availability of the flowing water
power. Exciter current is controlled by a turbine controller which senses the speed.

5. Next, the output voltage is given to a rectifier to rectify the outputs to DC.

6. The rectified DC is passed to the line converter unit to stabilize it into an AC output.

7. The AC output is finally fed into the electrical transmission or transmission grid.

8. Other than that, the use of internal supply unit is used to supplies power for the
internal auxiliaries of the hydro turbine.
 Figure 1.1: The Working Principle of Hydro Power Generation

The biggest factor in generating the hydro power is mostly depends on the water
turbine. A larger blade allows the turbine to capture more kinetic energy of the water by
moving more water through the rotors. There are three types of hydro power generation
which is Impoundment, Diversion and Pumped Storage.

Impoundment is the the most common type of hydroelectric power plant at facility.
An impoundment facility, typically a large hydropower system, uses a dam to store river
water in a reservoir. Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it,
which in turn activates a generator to produce electricity. The water may be released to meet
changing electricity needs or other needs, such as flood control, recreation, fish passage, and
other environmental and water quality needs.

A diversion, sometimes called a “run-of-river” facility, channels a portion of a river

through a canal and/or a penstock to utilize the natural decline of the river bed elevation to
produce energy. A penstock is a closed conduit that channels the flow of water to turbines
with water flow regulated by gates, valves, and turbines. A diversion may not require the use
of a dam.

Another type of hydropower, called Pumped Storage hydropower, or PSH, works like

a giant battery. A PSH facility is able to store the electricity generated by other power
sources, like solar, wind, and nuclear, for later use. These facilities store energy by pumping
water from a reservoir at a lower elevation to a reservoir at a higher elevation. When the
demand for electricity is low, a PSH facility stores energy by pumping water from the lower
reservoir to an upper reservoir. During periods of high electrical demand, the water is
released back to the lower reservoir and turns a turbine, generating electricity.

Figure 1.2: IMPOUNDMENT

 Figure 1.3: DIVERSION

Figure 1.4: PUMPED STORAGE