Hydroelectric Power

Overview:
Hydropower has been used by humans to assist with daily tasks since ancient times. Two thousand
years ago, Greeks used hydropower to grind wheat into flour with water wheels. Much later, in the
1800s, factories began using the energy of water to power their machines. This led to the
development of the first hydroelectric power plant, built at Niagara Falls in 1895, that used the force
of falling water to generate electricity.
Hydroelectric power plants harness the natural energy of falling water to generate electricity. This
process uses the potential energy of dammed water to drive a water turbine which, in turn, drives a
generator. When in motion, the generator converts the mechanical energy of the spin into
electricity, which is either stored, when demand is low, or delivered to homes or mines.
The Hydropower process has five steps,
shown in figure 1. The process starts at a
water reservoir behind a dam. The water is
then allowed to flow down the penstock, step
2, to the awaiting water turbine. Once the
water reaches the water turbine, it induces
torque and forces the turbine to spin, step 3.
Connected to the turbine is a generator that,
when spun, converts mechanical spin into
electricity via the magnetic field. Once this is
complete the electricity is delivered via power
lines.
Reservoir:
To facilitate this hydropower process, a water source
must be obtained. Dams, shown in Figure 2, are
usually built on large rivers in areas that have a large
drop in elevation. The dam blocks the flow of the river
and stores a great amount of water behind it in a
reservoir. The dam is built with a water intake near the
bottom of the dam wall, allowing water to fall through
the penstock to reach the turbine. This elevation drop
is what produces the electricity.

Figure 2: The Srisailam Dam, in India
Figure 1: An inside view of a dam showing the steps of the hydro-
power process
Turbine:
The water rushing through the penstock hits the blades of the turbine creating the torque necessary
to spin the blades. The turbine begins to spin and the mechanical energy is transferred to the
generator by a shaft connecting the two. After the water hits the turbine it continues through to the
tailrace where it is expelled into the lower part of the river. There are a variety of turbine designs
used in hydropower generation.
Francis (shown in Figure 3) the most common turbine design
used in hydropower plants. Water enters the turbine area and
strikes the edge of the runner, pushes the blades, and flows toward
the axis of the turbine where it can exit through a tube located on
the underside. This turbine can also act as a pump, which is very
valuable for plants that want to re-fill a reservoir after the electricity
has been generated.

Kaplan (shown in Figure 4) the Kaplan turbine is another common
turbine design used in hydropower plants. The turbine is equipped with
adjustable blades whose position can be set according to the available flow.
Kaplan turbines are used in low flow plants but are especially suited for
high flow conditions. Kaplan turbines can operate at high efficiencies,
some operating at over 90%.

Propeller used at very high rotation speeds, propeller turbines
are most effective in water of a significantly lower head (water
pressure) than other plants use, like run-of-the-river hydropower
plants. Using a smaller reservoir, the water supplied to these plants
is of much lower water pressure rendering Francis and Kaplan
turbines useless in terms of efficiency.

Pelton instead of using blades to transfer the energy of the moving
water, the Pelton turbine design used cup-shaped buckets. This design
captures nearly all of the kinetic energy of the incoming water jet,
forcing almost all of the energy in the water to be transferred to the
turbine and generator. However, this design is only efficient when the
water is entering at an extremely high velocity.


Figure 4: Kaplan Turbine
Figure 3: Francis Turbine
Figure 5: Propeller Turbine
Figure 6: Pelton Wheel
Generator:
The generator is connected to the turbine via a strong shaft that
transfers spin from the turbine to the generator. The generator
consists of coils of electric conductors wound tightly and mounted
on the shaft connecting to the generator. As the coil spins, it passes
by an array of magnets that are creating a magnetic field (seen in
Figure 5). The magnetic field interacts with the electrons in the
conductor, inducing a flow of electric current through the wire. The
wire then connects to power lines that either deliver the electricity or
store it. Since the turbine is able to spin at such high speeds, the
conductor can spin at a very high velocity through the magnetic
field, producing a very powerful flow of electricity.
Conclusion:
Hydropower is one of the purest forms of renewable energy. Utilizing the flow of water without
impeding it is what makes this energy source so beneficial. Unlike fossil fuels, the source of the
energy is not used up, it survives the process. Hydropower is eco-friendly, transmitting no pollution
to the environment except during the initial construction period and the production of electricity
can be adjusted. When power consumption is low, the water flow can be reduced and the electricity
can be conserved for when power consumption is high. However, there are a few disadvantages to
hydropower that distract from its benefits. The plants themselves are very expensive to build,
deterring some from being built. However, hydropower plants do not require many workers and
maintenance costs are usually low. Droughts also weaken effectiveness of hydropower plants. When
there is less of the resource to use, less electricity is generated which can lead to problems. Apart
from this, hydropower continues to be one of the most promising and purely renewable sources of
energy.
Figure 7: An inside look at a simple
electric generator
References:
Information not already known was summarized from the following articles:
[1] http://www.edu.pe.ca/kish/Grassroots/Elect/Hydro4.htm
[2] http://water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_turbine
[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx6UfiEU3Q0
[5] http://www.hydroquebec.com/learning/hydroelectricite/types-turbines.html
[6] http://www.sommersgen.com/basics/about-generators.php

Images:
Images were borrowed from the following websites:
[1] http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Hydroelectric_dam.svg/575px-
Hydroelectric_dam.svg.png
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srisailam_Dam#mediaviewer/File:SrisailamDam01-India.jpg
[3] http://www.mpoweruk.com/hydro_power.htm
[4] http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kaplan-Turbine-2007.jpg
[5] http://www.kentuckylake.com/history/kylake/kentuckydam.shtml
[6] http://www.neromylos.com/grobritannien-
uk/wasserkraft/turbinenbau/peltonturbinen/index.html
[7] http://www.sommersgen.com/basics/about-generators.php