Requirements of Hydro-Electric plants

                                          Requirements of Hydro-Electric plants

The following are the main requirements of be considered, for construction of hydro-electric plants, namely.

1.     Catchment area

2.     Reservoir

3.     Dam

4.     Fore bay

5.     Water ways

6.     Draft tube

7.     Surge tank

8.     Spill way

9.     Trash tracks

10. Power house and equipment.

1.    Catchment area: The area behind the dam, which collects the rain water, drains in to a stream (or) river is called “Catchment area “.

2.     Reservoir: The place in which the water is stored in a dam is called Reservoir. A reservoir may be natural (or) article. A natural reservoir is a lake in high mountains and artificial reservoir is made by constructing a dam across the river.

3.     Dam : A dam is a structure of masonry (or) same other material built at a suitable location across a river.

i)   To provides the following functions, namely

ii)  To create storage (or) pond age.

4.     Fore bay: Water carried by the power canals is distributed to various penstocks leading to the turbine, through the fore bays. Fore bays are mainly used to store the water temporarily when the load is increased. Hence, the fore bays will acts as a short of regulating reservoir.

5.     Water way: A water way is used to carry the water from reservoir of the dam to the power house.

6.     Draft Tube: Draft tube connects the runner exit to tail race. Draft tube is a metallic pipe (or) concrete tunnel having gradually increasing cross sectional are towards outlet to the tail race.

7.     Surge tank: A surge tank is a small reservoir (or) tank in which the water level rises (or) falls to reduce the water hammerings inside the conduit (penstock). The main function of surge tank is to provide space for holding water during load rejection by the turbine and also supplies an additional water when the load on the turbine increases. It also relieves the water hammer pressures within the penstock under sudden changes in water flow.

8.     Spill ways: The spill ways provides discharge of surplus water (or) flood water from storage reservoir in the downstream side of the dam and it also serves as a safety value for the dam.

9.     Trash tracks: These are mainly used to prevent the entry of debris to the intakes from the dam.

10.  Power house and equipment:power house consists of the main building of hydro electric development and in which the conversion of water energy to electric energy takes place.

Some important equipment provided in the power house are as follows.

a)     Turbine

b)     Generators

c)      Governors

d)     Relief valves for penstock fittings.

e)     Gate valves

f)       Flow measurement equipment

g)     Air ducts

h)     Water circulating pumps.

i)        Transformers

j)        Battery room

k)      Reactors.

l)        Low tension and high tension bus bars

m)   Oil circuit breakers

n)     cranes

o)     Shop and offices