COOLING WATER SYSTEMS

IN
HYDRO POWER PLANTS
by

Amit Jha
Engineer(Mechanical)
E&M 1
 Requirement
• For Cooling the machines

•Why?
 Necessity of Cooling System
- Relative motion between two parts / mediums
generates heat due to frictional losses.
- Similarly electric current flowing in a
conducting medium/ material, generates heat
due to resistive (I2R) losses.
- Unless heat so generated is effectively removed
from the affected parts/ medium, temperature
of these parts/ medium may rise beyond
permissible limits.
- Hence the necessity of having proper cooling
arrangements which essentially involves
transfer of heat from the affected component
to a cooling medium which could be gaseous,
liquid or solid form.
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 Optimizing Cooling Requirements /
Arrangements

Cooling Process has to be tackled in following

three distinct stages:

 Minimization of Losses,
 Using Materials which can withstand higher
temperatures ‘
 Deploying effective and efficient cooling
arrangements.

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 Minimization of Losses
 Increase generation Voltage to reduce current (I).
 As current (I) is a constant parameter for a specified MW rating
and generation Voltage, Resistance (R) can be reduced to lessen
heat losses.
For this purpose, multiple conductors having very low specific
resistance per phase are used, to enhance the current carrying
capacity. Standards specify limiting Current Density (A/mm 2 ) for
conductors.
 Superconductivity is a phenomenon occurring in certain materials
at extremely low temperatures, characterized by exactly zero
electrical resistance and the exclusion of the interior magnetic
field. The use of such superconducting materials as conductors in
machines would result large savings in size of equipment, amount
of conductor use, heating losses and energy required for cooling.
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 The Iron Losses in the Generator Stator and Rotor Core
is reduced by selecting material with low reluctance.
The eddy currents formed by the changing magnetic flux
in the core is also minimized by fabricating the core with
stampings coated with insulating varnish etc.
One of the commonly used material for stampings is
Silicon Steel
 The Bearing Surface is made of Babbit, a lining with very
low coefficient of Friction (µ). Lower µ results in lower
frictional losses, and therefore requires less cooling.

 PTFE (Poly tetra flouro ethylene), commonly known as

teflon, has been selected in countries like China and
Russia for bearing surface.

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• Magnetic reluctance, or magnetic resistance, is a
concept used in the analysis of magnetic circuits. It
is analogous to resistance in an electrical circuit, but
rather than dissipating magnetic energy it stores
magnetic energy. In likeness to the way an electric
field causes an electric current to follow the path of
least resistance, a magnetic field causes magnetic
flux to follow the path of least magnetic reluctance.
It is a scalar, extensive quantity, akin to electrical
resistance.
 Selection of Right Materials

Insulating Material - Materials which withstand

higher temperatures are selected for insulation.
Class F insulation is normally used in the Stator
Windings.

Bearing Material - PTFE (Poly tetra flouro

ethylene), commonly known as teflon has been
selected in countries like China and Russia for
bearing surface.

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 Effective Cooling Arrangements

The heat is generated in the components even

after using optimized design, proper material
selection and manufacturing. The same is
required to be transferred effectively and
efficiently from the affected Components to the
Cooling medium to ensure safe operation of the
Plant.
For this purpose, various cooling arrangements
for such components have been adopted.

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 Principle of Operation of Cooling
Arrangements
- Work on the Principle of heat transfer by maintaining
appropriate temperature gradient between the affected
(hot) component and the cooling medium.

- In Hydro-Stations primary cooling medium could be air,

oil, water etc. As of now air and oil are primary cooling
medium which in turn are cooled by water.

- The arrangements for maintaining various components

within safe working temperatures constitute Cooling
Water System.

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 Cooling in Generators

Source of Heat Generation in Electric Generators are:

- Winding (Stator and Rotor)

- Bearings (Thrust and Guide)

- Iron Losses (Generator Transformer)

- Resistance to Air Flow in the Generator ( Windage

Losses)

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• The equipments which requires cooling water
flow in power house are ………..

?
 1.Generator Air Cooler
a) What is this ?
b) How it works?
c) Where it is installed?
d) What is its working principle?
Working of air cooler
FF-Fan
BB-Circular Guide
U- Top Bracket
C- Coolers
E-Stator Winding
S- Opening in Side Plates
A-Casing
M-Circular Plate
 Working principle
• It takes heat from generator Rotor & Transfer it to water
through pipes or fins sometimes.
• The pumping action of air is done through movement of rotor
which has inbuilt blades.
• This air is forced towards cooler where heat transfer goes on .
• The pumping of water is done through pump or some time
directly taken from penstock.
• The area of pipes is increased through fins.

• How?
Types of Water Cooling Schemes
COOLING
WATER
SCHEME

Open loop Closed loop

Scheme Scheme

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Open Loop Cooling Water Scheme

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Cooling water system in Sainj HEP

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Closed Loop Cooling Water Scheme

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Cooling water system in Malana II HEP

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Cooling water Pump in Malana II HEP

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2.Generator Thrust Bearing Cooler
a) What is this ?
b) How it works?
c) Where it is installed?
d) What is its working principle?
Bearing Cooler
 Working
• The working of cooler is same as that of air
cooler.
• Only Difference is that the two medium in air
cooler is water takes the heat to sink and air
which takes the heat from m/c & transfer it to
water through cooler pipes.
• Here the work of air is replaced by oil.
• The pumping of water is like cooler being
done through the same pump.
• The pumping of oil is being done either by
separate pump or by self pumping.

•SELF PUMPING ???

Malana II Complete Rotor
Upper Guide Bearing
Lower Guide Bearing
Malana II Thrust Bearing
 Cooling of bearings
• The pressure of water inside the tubes is of course higher
than that of the oil in the bearing pot so that any leak in the
tubes will permit water to flow into the oil.
• This addition of water to the oil may, if the amount is
appreciable, lead to rapid failure of the thrust bearing.
• This danger is avoided by a rather more expensive
arrangement. In this, a single heat exchanger is installed on
the machine pit floor and consists of a rectangular box,
containing a nest of tubes, through which cooling water is
circulated.
• Hot oil from the bearing pot is pumped through the nest of
tubes and then returned to the bearing pot. The pump is driven
by an AC motor supplied from the station bus bars and in case
of failure of the supply the pump drive is automatically
switched over to a DC motor, fed from the station battery.

• Since here the oil in the tubes is at a higher pressure than

that of the cooling water, a leak in the tubes would simply
result in oil being mixed with the cooling water with no
adverse results except a slow draining of oil from the
bearing pot which would be signalled by the oil level
indicator.

• The pumping action can be self pumping also.

 3.Generator Guide Bearing Cooler
4.Turbine Guide Bearing Cooler

a) What is this ?
b) How it works?
c) Where it is installed?
d) What is its working principle?
Turbine Guide Bearing
 Working Principle
• Same as in Thrust Bearing
 5.Transformer Cooler
a) What is this ?
b) How it works?
c) Where it is installed?
d) What is its working principle?
Transformer
 Instrumentation
1. Pressure Gauge/Transmitter/Switch
2. Flow Indicator/Transmitter/Switch
 Equipments
1. Pump
2. Cyclone Separator
3. Duplex strainer
4. Cyclone separator
5. Pressure Reducer
6. Motorised/manual valve
7. Level /float Switch
8. Non return valve
Submersible pump
Pressure Reducer