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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 48 (2015) 662–669

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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews


journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser

Comparison of cylindrical and conical basins with optimum position


of runner: Gravitational water vortex power plant$
Sagar Dhakal a,d,n, Ashesh B. Timilsina a, Rabin Dhakal a, Dinesh Fuyal a, Tri R. Bajracharya a,d,
Hari P. Pandit b, Nagendra Amatya c, Amrit M. Nakarmi a,d
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Central Campus, Institute of Engineering Tribhuvan University, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal
b
Department of Civil Engineering, Central Campus, Institute of Engineering Tribhuvan University, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal
c
Science and Humanities Department, Central Campus, Institute of Engineering Tribhuvan University, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal
d
Center for Energy Studies, Central Campus, Institute of Engineering Tribhuvan University, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal

art ic l e i nf o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Demand of energy is ever increasing, especially in developing countries. Renewable energy such as
Received 9 July 2014 hydropower has become one of the most demanded sources of energy for its clean generation. Low head
Received in revised form hydropower plant is demanded in area which cannot see grid extension due to difficult geographical
9 March 2015
terrain and other reasons. Gravitational water vortex power plant is one of such low head turbine in
Accepted 3 April 2015
Available online 29 April 2015
which the mechanical energy of free surface flowing water is converted to kinetic energy by tangentially
passing the water to a basin, which forms a water vortex. This study is the analysis of different basin
Keywords: structures which has ability to form a gravitational vortex stream from low head, low flow water streams
Basin with the optimum runner position in the basin to maximize the output power. The analysis was first
Gravitational vortex
carried out by development of the model using CAD software, SolidWorks and it was simulated in
Runner position
commercial CFD code ANSYS Fluent for the measurement of velocity. Secondly, the result so obtained
Velocity
Output power was experimentally verified by measuring the output power.
& 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662
2. Nepal and its perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663
3. Study of past researches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663
4. Model development and solution procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664
4.1. CFD model and mesh for two basins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665
4.2. Simulation result . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667
4.3. Analysis of simulation result . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667
5. Experimental setup and data collection: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667
6. Cost differential of basins and operational challenges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 668
7. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 668
Acknowledgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669

1. Introduction

Water energy being a clean, cheap and environment friendly


☆ source of power generation is of great importance for sustainable
You tube video of project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMSTpjDIF5M.
n
Corresponding author. future; being aware of this fact, still major of the hydro energy is
E-mail address: sgrdhkl64@gmail.com (S. Dhakal). under-utilized [8].There are mainly two approaches to harness

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.04.030
1364-0321/& 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
S. Dhakal et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 48 (2015) 662–669 663

energy from water, namely, hydrostatic and hydrokinetic methods. establishing the country as second richest in water resources in
Hydrostatic approach is the conventional way of producing elec- the world after Brazil [2]. About 6000 rivers with total length of
tricity by storing water in reservoirs to create a pressure head and around 45,000 km and an annual discharge of 174 billion cubic
extracting the potential energy of water through suitable turbo- meters are available in the nation [18].Nepal has about 83,000 MW
machinery [11]. In hydrokinetic approach, the kinetic energy of economically exploitable resources, but only 650 MW have been
inside the flowing water is directly converted into electricity by developed so far; about 63% of Nepalese households lack access to
relatively small scale turbines without impoundment and with electricity and depend on oil-based or renewable energy alter-
almost no head [10]. natives; the disparity in access is stark, with almost 90% of the
Gravitational water vortex turbine is an ultra-low head turbine urban population connected, but less than 30% of the rural
which can operate in as low head range of 0.7–2 m with similar yield population [3].
as conventional hydroelectric turbines used for production of renew- The majority of Nepal's rural populations have been meeting
able energy characterized with positive environmental yield [24]. their energy needs (mainly for cooking and heating) by burning
Austrian Engineer Franz Zotloterer invented this power plant while he various forms of biomass (forest wood, crop residues and dried
was looking for an efficient way to aerate water. The gravitational animal dung) in open hearths or in traditional stoves. In Nepal, the
vortex is a milestone in hydrodynamic development because in the campaign of rural electrification started more than 40 years ago;
past we needed energy to aerate water, but now this technique uses a however, the provision of electricity to remote, rural communities
water aeration process to produce electrical energy [21]. is unrealistic and challenging [12]. The marginal cost of grid
The water passes through a large, straight inlet through the extension is greatly increased in rural areas by physical isolation,
channel and then passes tangentially into a round basin, which lower electricity loads, high upfront equipment costs, higher costs
forms a powerful vortex; an exit hole is made at the bottom of the of supply and maintenance and low population density with
basin through which the vortex finds its outlet [14]. The turbine scattered low-income consumers which results linking of rural
does not work on pressure differential but on the dynamic force of areas to national electricity grid difficult and implausible [1,4,15].
the vortex; not only does this power plant produce a useful output Development and implications of low head turbines thus may be a
of electricity, it also aerates the water in a gentle way [19]. Said good alternative to light up such areas.
aim is achieved by as hydroelectric power plant which supports
the formation of a stable gravitational vortex which tends to be
formed also in the upper reaches directly in front of the turbine 3. Study of past researches
inlet of conventional river stations as a lost vortex and is therefore
prevented as much as possible there. The inventive hydroelectric Mulligan and Casserly did their research project on “Design and
plant, however, ensures that the necessary current-related condi- optimization of a water vortex hydropower plant” carried out at
tions are fulfilled for reinforcing the rotational movement of the the Institute of Technology, Sligo in Civil Engineering [13]. This
water, which is created when the water flows off, in an unimpeded research concludes that optimum vortex strength occurs within
manner into a stable gravitational vortex without using pressure the range of orifice diameter to tank diameter ratios (d/D) of 14–
lines and directing devices. A turbine that rotates in a coaxial 18% for low and high head sites, respectively. Thus, for cylindrical
manner within the gravitational vortex and is impinged upon basin, to maximize the power output, the range of orifice diameter
along the entire circumference thereof withdraws rotational to basin diameter ratios lies within 14–18%.
energy from the gravitational vortex, which is converted into Bajracharya and Chaulagai focused on developing innovative
electric power in a generator[24]. low head water turbine for free flowing streams suitable for
In addition, gravitational vortex power plant is found to be micro-hydropower in Terai region of Nepal [5]. In this study, water
advantageous due to the following properties of water vortex: vortex was created by flowing water through an open channel to a
cylindrical structure having a bottom whole outlet. The research
a. Increases the water surface area. concluded that for a fixed discharge condition, the height of basin,
b. Maximizes the velocity of flow on the water surface area. diameter and bottom exit hole are fixed, i.e., the basin geometry
c. Disseminates homogenously contaminants in the water. depends on the discharge supplied. This study suggests that, in
d. Increases the contact surface of the disseminate contaminants sufficient flow condition, vortex minimum diameter is at bottom
for microorganisms and water plants. level and is always smaller the exit hole.
e. Aerates the water naturally, because of the high velocity of the Wanchat and Suntivarakorn studied the effect of basin struc-
flow on the water surface area. ture in formation of water vortex stream [21,22]. Their study
f. Increase the heat of evaporation so water can reduce the indicates the important parameters which can determine the
temperature itself at rising temperatures in summer. water free vortex kinetic energy and vortex configuration and
g. Concentrates dense water (water at 40C) in the ring shaped they include the height of water, the orifice diameter, conditions at
center to ensure the survival of microorganisms as long as the inlet and the basin configuration. It was found that a
possible [24]. cylindrical tank with an orifice at the bottom center with the
h. The BOD removal efficiency of aerobic biological treatment incoming flow guided by a plate is the most suitable configuration
processes depends on a number of factors including (but not to create the kinetic energy water vortex.
limited to): influent BOD loading, F:M ratio, temperature, The power production varies along with head and flow. There-
nutrient levels, and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations fore, for a given head and flow the different geometrical para-
[17]. Through the creation of vortex dissolved oxygen concen- meters that can be varied of conical basin for gravitational water
tration can be improved. vortex power plant are: (i) basin opening, (ii) basin diameter (iii)
notch length (iv) Canal Height and (v) Cone Angle and among
these parameters for a given basin diameter, all other parameters
has significant contribution for the change in velocity except notch
2. Nepal and its perspective angle [9]. Although the objective of study with Panditet al. is
different with similar principle, their study also suggests that the
Nepal boasts snowy mountains (Himalayan range) in the North geometry of hydrocyclones is very sensitive to its hydraulic and
which acts as a perennial source for many free flowing rivers particle removal capability [16].
664 S. Dhakal et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 48 (2015) 662–669

Wanchat et al. studied the analysis and design of basin


structure which has ability to form a gravitational vortex stream.
Their study investigated the suitable outlet diameter at the bottom
center of the vortex basin. In the case of 1 m diameter cylindrical
vortex basin, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experiment
using the model indicate that the suitable outlet diameter was in
range of 0.2–0.3 m. The operating head of the free vortex was in
the range of 0.3–0.4 m. The maximum power output was 60 W at
0.2 m outlet diameter and the head of the free vortex was at 0.4 m.
The total efficiency of the model system was 30% [22].
Till now all the researches have focused on the different
geometrical conditions of the cylindrical basin and conical basins
but there is no any study to compare these two different basin
structure [6,14,22]. Our previous study was also focused on conical
basin [9]. However, there is no any researches carried out with the
Fig. 1. Boundary condition for cylindrical basin.
basin structure along with numerical simulation and practical
verification. Although the power output has been studied in
different basins, but the suitable position of the runner in the
basin has not been studied and this study aims to study the
efficient runner position in the basins of the plant. Moreover, this
study focuses for the comparison of two different basin structure
with the help of ANSYS simulation followed by practical verifica-
tion. And for the simulation, RNG k-ε model is more suitable than
standard k-ε model to the rapidly strained and great curving
streamline flows [7].

4. Model development and solution procedure

Computational Fluid Dynamics can be defined as the field that


uses computer resources to simulate flow related problems. To
simulate a flow problem you have to use mathematical physical Fig. 2. Boundary conditions for conical basins.
and programming tools to solve the problem then data is gener-
ated and analyzed. In order to provide easy access to their solving
power all commercial CFD packages include sophisticated user
interfaces to input problem parameters and to examine the results.
Hence all codes contain three main elements: (i) a pre-processor,
(ii) a solver and (iii) a post processor [20].
In nearly all the previous researches, the air–core vortex was
considered based on the assumption of steady, axisymmetric and
incompressible flow. The continuity equation and the Navier–
Stokes equations in cylindrical coordinates are described as
follows:

∂V r ∂V z V r
þ þ ¼0 ð1Þ
∂r ∂z r

 2 
∂V θ ∂V VrVθ ∂ V θ ∂V θ V θ ∂2 V θ
Vr þVz θ  ¼v þ  þ ð2Þ
∂r ∂z r ∂r 2 r∂r r 2 ∂z2

Fig. 3. Design parameters for cylindrical basin.


 2 
∂V r ∂V r V θ ∂ρ
2
∂ V r ∂V r V r ∂2 V r
Vr þVz  þ ¼v þ  þ ð3Þ
∂r ∂z r ρ∂r ∂r 2 r∂r r 2 ∂z2 simulation has been carried out for flow visualization in the basins
and velocity distribution in the plane where the turbine has
 2  extracted more power with finite volume method. For the purpose
∂V z ∂V z ∂ρ ∂ V z ∂V z ∂2 V r
Vr þVz þ ¼ g þv þ þ 2 ð4Þ of simulation the fluid flow domain was modeled as shown in figure
∂r ∂z ρ∂z ∂r 2 r∂r ∂z
using CAD software, Solid Works. The model was then imported in a
where, Vθ, Vr and Vz are tangential, radial and axial velocity commercial CFD code ANSYS Fluent and was simulated.
components, respectively, ρ is fluid density, g is gravitational The modeling and meshing of the proposed model is done
acceleration and ν is kinematic viscosity. Due to the complexity using software ICEM CFD for fluid analysis. First, denser mesh was
of the equations, it is extremely difficult to get an analytical taken near wall and at air core region but later the grid was refined
solution directly [23]. and uniformly dense mesh was generated. This was done because
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have become a cost effec- the vortex velocity was found to be maximum in region between
tive tool for predicting the performance of Fluid machines and also the air core and wall. As this velocity was subject of concern for
the fluid flow through a region of interest. In the present study, the basin optimization the CFD model was re-meshed. The canal and
S. Dhakal et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 48 (2015) 662–669 665

incompressible fluid with density of 998.2 kg/m3 and viscosity of


0.001003 kg/m-s. The RNG k-ε turbulent model was used to
investigate the flow pattern of the system.
The Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation was run with
no-slip conditions at the wall and pressure outlet condition at the
outlet. The inlet was velocity inlet with initial inlet velocity of fluid
(water) flow is set to be 0.1 m/s. The upper surface was subjected
to atmospheric pressure. The no. of elements in the final computa-
tional domain used for the simulation was 308,851 and minimum
and maximum element sizes were 3  10  5 m, 6  10  2 m,
respectively.
The initial inlet velocity of fluid (water) flow is set to be 0.1 m/s
and the outlet was pressure outlet with wall of the fluid flow

0.3
0.25

Velocity
0.2 Velocity
0.15
Fig. 4. Design parameters for conical basin.
0.1 Poly.
0.05 (Velocity)
0

5633
7582
15796
32783
68943
84165
No. of Nodes
Fig. 7. Grid convergence for cylindrical basin.

0.35
0.3
Velocity(m/s)

0.25
0.2 Velocity
0.15
Fig. 5. Computational domain of cylindrical basin. 0.1 Log.
0.05 (Velocity)
0
2192
3211
7502
11252
18877
122772
No. of Nodes
Fig. 8. Grid convergence for conical basin.

Fig. 6. Computational domain of conical basin.

outlet region was modeled with Cut cell mesh and Tetrahedron
was used for basin modeling. The boundary condition and design
parameters for both basins are shown in Figs. 1–4.

4.1. CFD model and mesh for two basins

The computational domain used is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and


the Mesh independency is shown in Figs. 7 and 8.
The simulation has been done for a steady flow to investigate
the performance of different basin geometry on vortex velocity
distribution. The main assumptions include a steady flow, no slip
conditions. The working fluid, water is assumed as an Fig. 9. Flow simulation of cylindrical basin.
666 S. Dhakal et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 48 (2015) 662–669

domain stationary. As it does not have any drastic change on


vortex structure whether the canal was open or closed; so, we
have simulated the cylindrical basin by considering it as closed
channel flow. We have considered the fluid was flowing through
the area having hydraulic diameter of 0.2667 m.
The governing equations are discretized by the finite volume
method (FVM) using the commercial CFD package ANSYS FLUENT
14.5. FVM is used to discretize the governing equations with
suitable discretization schemes for each governing equation. To
solve the discretization equation, steady pressure based segre-
gated solver with double precision and implicit scheme is used.
The second order method is used for the steady terms.
A SIMPLE method was used to solve the discretized equations.
The second order up-winding method is used for the discretization
of the momentum equation and other equations. This method
provides a proper view of the physics of flow. The convergence
criterion for all the equations is 10  4.
Fig. 8 shows the velocity distribution in confined vortex
chamber. The velocity contours obtained seems to agree with
these plots.
Fig. 12. Contour of velocity for conical basin.

Table 1
Velocity result for cylindrical and conical basin.

Position in the basin (from top surface) Maximum velocity (m/s)

Cylindrical Conical

0.425 0.2125 0.3


0.625 0.225 0.325
0.775 0.25 0.325
0.875 0.525 0.6

0.48
R² = 0.9362
0.46
Velocity(m/s)

0.44

0.42
Fig. 10. Flow simulation of conical basin.
0.4

0.38
0 5 10 15 20 25
Cone Angle ( degree )

Fig. 13. Cone angle vs. velocity.

Fig. 11. Contour of velocity for cylindrical basin. Fig. 14. Design modification in the outlet tube.
S. Dhakal et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 48 (2015) 662–669 667

4.2. Simulation result

The basins were modeled and flow simulation was done in each. It
was seen that for same inlet conditions, the maximum velocity
measured was 0.525 m/s for cylindrical basin and 0.6 m/s for conical
basin with all the similar inlet conditions (Table 1). From the flow
simulation we can see that the average velocity in conical basin is
more than cylindrical basin for nearly similar conditions of head and
discharge (Figs. 9 and 10). This can be explained as with decrease in
flow area in conical basin, velocity increases thereby maintaining a
constant flow rate. Also the gradient of velocity is less in case of
cylindrical basin. From these results it one can expect that same
turbine should extract much power from conical basin than in
cylindrical basin. Thus computational study suggests us that conical
basin is much better than cylindrical basin for the given head and
discharge (Figs. 11 and12; Table 1).
Fig. 17. Runner used for power extraction.

4.3. Analysis of simulation result attached to the outlet tube so that there is no disturbance in the
smooth flow of vortex through the outlet (Fig. 14).
From this simulation result, we came to know that the conical
basin is better than cylindrical basin. As we change the basin design
from cylindrical to conical, velocity gets increased accordingly with
increase in cone angle which will result in more power production 5. Experimental setup and data collection:
(Fig. 13). For maximum cone angle, the side walls should be directly
The preliminary design of basin was carried out using general
laws of Fluid mechanics like Continuity equation and Bernoulli
equation [5,6]. Series of test runs were done by varying various
parameters that effect vortex formation in the basin with the help
of CFD. The best found basin design along with the robust runner
was fabricated and tested. The purpose of the research was to
extract maximum energy form thus formed vortex.
The inlet velocity was measured by using a simple methodol-
ogy, i.e., a float method as no other devices for measuring inlet
velocity was available. In this method an object was dropped in
the canal. The time taken by the float to cover 1 m distance was
measured for several times and average was calculated. Then the
average velocity of top surface of water was approximated as
reciprocal of the average time taken. Later the correction factor of
0.85 was chosen as wall of flow channel are smooth. Thus, the
mean velocity was approximated to be 0.1 m/s.
We have done experiment in the laboratory setup of cylindrical
and conical basin having diameter of 600 mm and height of
850 mm with all similar inlet conditions. Runner having 6 numbers
Fig. 15. Design of lab setup. of blades with diameter of 420 mm was used and tested in those
basins for the measurement of output power through torque setup
(Figs. 15–17).
The output power in case of cylindrical and conical basins was
found to be maximum at the runner position of 65–75% of total height
of basin from top position. Greater flexibility in runner position of
conical basin could not be achieved due to the geometrical constraints.
In case of conical basin the power output increased with the increase
in runner position but in case of cylindrical basin it started to decrease
from a certain height. The output power at the bottom position of
cylindrical basin was decreased due to the weak vortex formation in
opposite direction to that of the dominant vortex formation. However,
the same effect was seen less in case of conical basin. As the diameter
of the vortex gets decreased along the converging cone with increase
in vortex strength and decrease in turbulence created by interaction
with runner, there is increase in power production (Tables 2 and 3).
Fig. 18 shows various power outputs of runner in two different
basins. It can be seen that, the power harnessed by the runner in
conical basin increases along with the increase in runner position,
which is measured from top of the basin. But in case of cylindrical
basin, the power harnessed by the runner decreases after some
Fig. 16. Fabricated lab setup. height from the upper bearing.
668 S. Dhakal et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 48 (2015) 662–669

Table 2
Experimental reading for runner in conical basin.

Torque measurement Power output Power input Efficiency (n%) Runner position

W1 (kg) W2 (kg) Torque W (rpm) Pout (Watt) Head (h) Flow rate (Q) Pin (Watt)

3.0 1.5 0.882 130 12 0.85 0.01 101.73 11.97 0.325


4.38 1.16 1.89 143 28.32 0.85 0.01 101.73 27.83 0.4
5 1.5 2.058 174 37.48 0.85 0.01 101.73 36.84 0.605

Table 3
Experimental reading for runner in cylindrical basin.

Torque measurement Power output Power input Efficiency (n%) Runner position (m)

W1 (kg) W2 (kg) Torque (N-m) W (rpm) Pout (Watt) Head (h) Flow rate (Q) Pin (Watt)

2.3 1.6 0.41 136 5.85 0.85 0.01 101.73 5.72 0.37
5.2 2.5 1.587 170 28.24 0.85 0.01 101.73 27.75 0.58
3.5 1.2 1.3524 162 22.93 0.85 0.01 101.73 22.54 0.68
3.8 1.8 1.176 170 20.92 0.85 0.01 101.73 20.56 0.78
3.4 1.5 1.1172 165 21.31 0.85 0.01 101.73 20.94 0.825

45 this plant. Since the GWVPP does not constitute of any mechanical
40 parts to create the water vortex, the sediments have virtually no
R² = 1
Power Output(watt)

35
Conical Basin
effect on the turbine performance unlike conventional hydro
30 powers. In addition, a filtering mechanism is incorporated in the
25 Cylindrical Basin design to prevent undesirable particles to reach the fields. To
20 R² = 0.8982 counteract the fluctuating water levels in a river or a canal, GWVPP
15 Poly. (Conical Basin ) incorporates a water overflow mechanism where the turbine is
10 fixed. Flooding could provide a threat to the turbine pump when it
5
Poly. (Cylindrical is put in a river. The turbine is designed with selected materials
Basin) and it is easily portable so that communities can easily take the
0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 turbine out of and into the river. As a result, the turbine can be
Runner Position (m) moved easily in case of a flood prediction to save it from
damaging. Electrical interconnection also presents both challenges
Fig. 18. Runner position vs. power output for cylindrical and conical basin.
and opportunities. Ideal hydropower sites – like ideal wind or
photovoltaic sites – are those with ready access to electrical
6. Cost differential of basins and operational challenges service. Pulling new electrical service over any distance is often
cost‐prohibitive for small renewable systems.
According to the Ruby Iron, Patan Industrial Estate, Patan, Most irrigation system sites are quite small. Permitting costs do
Nepal, the cost estimation for the installation of 7 KW of conical not scale well to small sites, creating disproportionally high up‐
basin at our proposed site of installation at Bagmati river, front costs that often kill economic viability or dissuade potential
Gokarna-1, Kathmandu is NRs. 922232 for only metal parts investors from seriously considering small hydropower projects.
including that of runner, basin, canal and all metal support, However, this plant can be successfully installed in the low head
excluding that of transmission lines. If we replace this conical water resources areas where the power grid expansion cost is
basin with cylindrical basin then the cost estimation would be high, geographical disturbances counts a lot, local demand is low.
NRs. 940246. Therefore there was no substantial cost difference in Hence the successful implementation would decrease the small
the installation of two different basins. However, the conical basin distributive local demand and help to mitigate the national energy
is significantly cheaper for mass production in industries. crisis.
There are many challenges related to successfully implement-
ing a hydroelectric facility in different irrigation canals and small
rivers and rivulets. Although the supportive structure of Dam for
irrigation purposes can help to reduce the cost for installation at 7. Conclusion
different irrigation canal, it is not available in all the canals. We
have to construct a separate pathway for rivers which may Low head turbine can be the most suitable option for rural
increase the cost of installation. Moreover, the seasonality of electrification. Gravitational Water Vortex Power Plant ( GWVPP)
irrigation diversions, seniority of water rights, locations remote is a new and emerging technique in context of low head hydro
from power service, and the variable nature of the flow and power. The numerical and experimental study on this plant
reservoir releases are also the major problems associated with it. asserted that output power and efficiency is maximum in conical
There are also opportunities afforded by the existing, engineered basin compared to that of cylindrical basin for all similar inlet and
infrastructure of irrigation systems. Similar to our proposed site of outlet condition with maximum power extraction at runner
installation at Bagmati river, Gokarna-1, Kathmandu, Nepal there is position of 65–75% of total height of basin from top position.
a lot of irrigation canals and pipelines and drop structures already Although there are some operational challenges, GWVPP is an
in place and many are not in operation; in these places this plant excellent choice for power generation in the remote villages where
can be successfully installed with low cost. grid line supply is tough and developing countries like Nepal can
Sediments in water source, fluctuating water level and flooding address the scattered low income consumers fulfilling their low
are some of the major environmental challenges associated with demand, which results in the improvement of the rural electricity.
S. Dhakal et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 48 (2015) 662–669 669

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