Sapkotaggopal051@gmail.

com Hydropower plant layour

Layout & Components of Typical ROR Type Hydropower Plant

Source: Vivek Dhakal, https://www.dhakalvivek.com.np/2023/06/layout-of-typical-

ROR-type-hydropower-plant.html
Components of Typical ROR Type Hydropower Plant

The general layout and components of hydropower plants may differ based on
the types of hydroelectric project. A general layout of typical ROR type hydropower
plants constructed in Nepal is shown in figure above in schematic form. The name
of each components is listed below:

10/30/2023 11:26 AM 1|Page

Sapkotaggopal051@gmail.com Hydropower plant layour

1. Headworks Components
The diversion headwork is constructed in a hydro power plant so as to divert
necessary amount of sediment free water into a waterway. A diversion headwork
may consist of following components:
 Weir / Spillway
 Undersluice / Scouring sluice
 Divide wall
 Flood wall
 Side Intake
 Bed Sluice
 Gravel Trap
 Gravel Trap Side Spillway
 Approach Culvert / Approach Canal
 Settling Basin
 Head Pond
2. Headrace Waterway
It is a long watercourse or passage that conveys water from headworks component
to the a surge chamber or a forebay. The flow in the waterway may be either open
channel or pipe flow. The structure in waterway may be one of the following types:
 Headrace Tunnel
 Headrace Canal
 Headrace Pipe
3. Surge Tank / Surge Chamber
The chamber provided in between headrace pressure conduit and steeply sloping
penstock pipes with a purpose to minimize the effect of water hammer is called surge
tank. If the the waterway in headrace is of open channel type instead of pressurized
system, forebay is installed in place of surge tank.
4. Penstock
It is a steel pipe that supplies water from surge chamber to the turbines placed inside
powerhouse. Penstock pipe operates under very high water pressure.
5. Anchor Block and Saddle Support

10/30/2023 11:26 AM 2|Page

Sapkotaggopal051@gmail.com Hydropower plant layour

These are the structures that provide supports to the penstock pipe. Anchor
blocks are provided at the bends where as saddle supports are provided in between
the anchor blocks at regular spacing.
6. Powerhouse
It is a building which consists of different hydromechanical and electromechanical
equipment in which hydraulic energy is converted into mechanical energy by
turbines and the generators convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.
7. Tailrace Culvert / Tailrace Canal
Tailrace is a water channel constructed in the downstream of hydroelectric
powerhouse in order to discharge water back to the river or other water bodies safely.

DETAILED NOTES on ROR Plant BY:

Civil Works Guidelines for MICRO-HYDROPOWER IN NEPAL, BPC
Hydroconsult
Components of micro-hydro schemes Although no two micro-hydro sites are
similar, all of them require specific common components of different dimensions to
convey the stream water to the power generation units and back into the stream.
These components are shown in Figure 1.1. The civil components are briefly
discussed below:
1. HEADWORKS Structures at the start of the scheme are collectively called the
headworks. In micro-hydro schemes, the headworks always include the diversion
weir, intake and gravel trap. A spillway and a settling basin are also usually at the
headworks.
2. DIVERSION WEIR A diversion weir is a low structure (small dam) placed
across the river which diverts some of the river flow into the hydropower scheme.
The weir can be of permanent, semi permanent or temporary nature.

10/30/2023 11:26 AM 3|Page

Sapkotaggopal051@gmail.com Hydropower plant layour

3. INTAKE This is at the riverbank upstream from the diversion weir where water
is initially drawn into a conduit (canal or a pipe). Usually a flow control structure
and a coarse trashrack are incorporated at the intake
4. INTAKE CANAL Generally the gravel trap is sited away from the intake at some
downstream location to protect it from flood and to provide sufficient flushing head.
If such an arrangement is made in the project layout, then an intake canal will convey
the flow that enters in the intake to the gravel trap. Whenever possible, provision for
a spillway should be made immediately downstream of the intake so that excess flow
during the flood season can be spilt back into the river. This will improve the settling
efficiency of the gravel trap as only the desired flow reaches this structure. However,
care should be taken to site the spillway such that flood flow will not re-enter to the
waterways system via the spill way instead of spilling the excess water. Though the
intake canal is steeper than the headrace canal, sometimes both types of canals are
referred to as "headrace canal."
5. GRAVEL TRAP This is a basin (pond) close to the intake where gravel and other
coarse materials are trapped and then removed. In the absence of this structure gravel
can settle along the gentler section of the headrace or in the settling basin.
6. SETTLING BASIN This is also a basin where sand and other fine suspended
particles present in the river water are settled and then removed. If allowed to enter
the penstock, such particles would abrade the penstock pipe and the turbine and
hence shorten their operational lives.
7. HEADRACE This is a canal or a pipe that conveys the water from the headworks
to the forebay structure. The headrace alignment is usually on even to gently sloping
ground; a headrace pipe is generally not subject to significant hydraulic pressure.
Sometimes the canal stretch from the intake structure to the gravel trap is also
referred to as the ‘Intake Canal”. This section of the canal is generally steeper than
the headrace canal downstream as it needs to convey the gravels along with
discharge from the intake to the gravel trap. Similarly, the canal stretch from the
gravel trap to the settling basin is also referred to as the “Approach Canal”. This
section of the canal is also steeper than the headrace downstream as it needs to
convey sediments along with the discharge. However, the slope of the approach
canal can be lower than that of the intake canal, i.e., a less sloped area is required to
convey suspended sediments than gravels. In these guidelines, the entire canal (or
pipe) stretch from the intake to the forebay is referred to as the headrace.

10/30/2023 11:26 AM 4|Page

Sapkotaggopal051@gmail.com Hydropower plant layour

8. FOREBAY This is a tank at the entrance to the penstock pipe. The forebay tank
allows for flow transition from open channel to pressure flow, maintains
submergence depth for the penstock pipe to avoid vortex formation and provides
storage when there are flow fluctuations in the turbine. It can also serve as a final
settling basin. In fact, sometimes the settling basin and the forebay structures are
combined together. An overflow spillway should always be provided in the forebay
structure to allow spilling of the entire flow in case of emergency plant closure and
excess flow in case of excessive load fluctuations.
9. SPILLWAYS AND ESCAPES Spillways are openings in headrace canals that
divert excess flow and only allow the design flow downstream. Note that some
literature may use the terms spill weir or overflow to refer to the spillway. Escapes
are similar in structure but their function is to divert flows from the headrace canals
in case the downstream sections get blocked (in case of a landslide).
10. CROSSINGS These are structures that convey the flow over streams, gullies or
across unstable terrain subject to landslides and erosion. Aqueducts, super passage,
culverts and suspended crossings are examples of such structures.
11. PENSTOCK This is a pipe that conveys water under pressure from the forebay
to the turbine. The penstock pipe usually starts where the ground profile is steep.
Some times a long penstock could be laid from headwork to the power house if the
topography is suitable (e.g., alignment is suitable for a penstock alignment right from
the intake). In such project layout a forebay is constructed at the headworks area and
is combined with the settling basin.
12. ANCHOR BLOCK An anchor block (thrust block) is an encasement of a
penstock designed to constrain the pipe movement in all direction. Anchor blocks
are placed at all sharp horizontal and vertical bends, since there are forces at such
bends that will tend to move the pipe out of alignment. Anchor blocks are also
required to resist axial forces in long straight sections of penstock.
13. SUPPORT PIER Support piers (also called slide blocks or saddles) are
structures that are used along straight runs of exposed penstock pipe (between anchor
blocks), to prevent the pipe from sagging and becoming overstressed. They need to
resist all vertical forces such as the weight of the penstock pipe and water. However,
they should allow movement parallel to the penstock alignment which occurs during
thermal expansion and contraction processes.

10/30/2023 11:26 AM 5|Page

Sapkotaggopal051@gmail.com Hydropower plant layour

14. POWERHOUSE This is a building that accommodates and protects the electro
mechanical equipment such as the turbine, generator and may include agro-
processing units. The electro-mechanical equipment in the powerhouse converts the
potential and kinetic energy of water into electrical energy.
15. TAILRACE This is a channel or a pipe that conveys water from the turbine
(after power generation) back into the stream; generally the same stream from which
water was initially withdrawn.

10/30/2023 11:26 AM 6|Page

Sapkotaggopal051@gmail.com Hydropower plant layour

10/30/2023 11:26 AM 7|Page