HYDROELECTRIC

POWER:
HOW IT WORKS
SO JUST HOW DO WE GET ELECTRICITY FROM WATER?

HYDROELECTRIC
and coal-fired POWER
PLANTS produce
electricity in a similar way.
In both cases a power
source is used to turn a
propeller-like piece called
a TURBINE, which then
turns a metal shaft in an
electric generator, which
is the motor that produces
electricity.
 So just how do we get electricity from water?

The generator connected to the

The energy from hydropower
turbine rotates, changing the
changes as it flows through a
mechanical energy to electrical
hydroplant.
energy.
The falling water begins as
The transformers convert the
gravitational energy, and then
electricity to usable voltage levels.
converts to mechanical
The electricity is then sent through
energy as the force of the
the transmission lines to
water turns the turbine.
distribution stations.

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SO JUST HOW DO WE GET ELECTRICITY FROM WATER?

A COAL-FIRED
POWER PLANT
uses steam to turn
the turbine blades;
whereas a
hydroelectric plant
uses falling water to
turn the turbine.
The results are the
same.
 FALLING WATER PRODUCES HYDROELECTRIC POWER
The theory is to build a dam on a large river that has
a large drop in elevation

The dam stores lots of water behind it in the reservoir.

Near the bottom of the dam wall there is the water
intake.

Gravity causes it to fall through the penstock inside

the dam. At the end of the penstock there is a turbine
propeller, which is turned by the moving water.

The shaft from the turbine goes up into the generator,

which produces the power. Power lines are
connected to the generator that carry electricity to
your home and mine.

The water continues past the propeller through the

tailrace into the river past the dam.

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 A TURBINE AND GENERATOR PRODUCE THE ELECTRICITY

"A hydraulic turbine converts the energy of

flowing water into mechanical energy.
A hydroelectric generator converts this
mechanical energy into electricity.
The operation of a generator is based on the
principles discovered by Faraday. He found that
when a magnet is moved past a conductor, it
causes electricity to flow.
In a large generator, electromagnets are made by
circulating direct current through loops of wire
wound around stacks of magnetic steel
laminations.
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 A TURBINE AND GENERATOR PRODUCE THE ELECTRICITY

These are called field poles, and are

mounted on the perimeter of the rotor.
The rotor is attached to the turbine
shaft, and rotates at a fixed speed.
When the rotor turns, it causes the field
poles (the electromagnets) to move
past the conductors mounted in the
stator.
This, in turn, causes electricity to flow
and a voltage to develop at the
generator output terminals."

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 PUMPED STORAGE: REUSING WATER FOR PEAK
ELECTRICITY DEMAND
Pumped storage is a method of
keeping water in reserve for peak
period power demands by pumping
water that has already flowed through
the turbines back up a storage pool
above the power plant at a time when
customer demand for energy is low,
such as during the middle of the night.
The water is then allowed to flow back
through the turbine-generators at times
when demand is high and a heavy load
is placed on the system.

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HYDROPOWER PLANT
Types

Pros And Cons Of Hydroelectric

Power Generation
 of Hydroelectric Power Plants
DAM BASED

In this method, dams are built to harness the power of water.

The hydroelectric power plant is built as a part of the dam.
Water in the dam is released and directed towards the turbines,
which cause them to spin, thereby generating electricity.
Water may even be stored at the base of the dam in a reservoir.
This water can be pumped up into the dam, to meet high
demands in electricity.
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 of Hydroelectric Power Plants
RUN OF RIVER BASED

The electricity generating method remains the same.

The only difference in this method is that instead of
building the plant as a part of a dam, the hydroelectric
power plant is built close to a river.
A small portion of the river is redirected to spin the
turbines in the plant, and generate electricity.

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 OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER
GENERATION
DAM BASED

The dam method is excellent because it gives us greater

control over the generation process.
Water can be stored and released as needed, which means
demands for electricity can be met more efficiently.
On the other hand, building a dam is expensive.
Not to mention that building a dam changes the surrounding
environment and ecology as well.
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 OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER
GENERATION
DAM BASED

Also, the consequences of breakage or damage to the

dams are serious!
A dam breakage can cause large scale damage to its
surrounding flora and fauna.
These are all important factors to consider when
building a dam based hydroelectric plant.

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 OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER
GENERATION
RUN OF RIVER BASED

The run of the river method is more benign as far as

natural consequences are considered.
On the down side though, this method relies on the
natural availability of water, which could mean
fluctuations in electricity supply and reduced control over
the production of electricity.

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 OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER
GENERATION
✓Cost-competitive, it may be costly to build initially, but in the
long run, its maintaining cost is cheaper compared to other
types of power plants since it runs with the use of natural and
renewable resources;
✓Reliable, it is more reliable than other sources of energy, again
because it runs with an ever present source which is water;
✓Flood control, since dams collect water to one side, it mitigates
the possibilities of flood during heavy rains;
✓Water supply, hydroelectric power plants aside from being
sources of electricity can also supply water to the community.
 OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER
GENERATION
✓Disruption of wildlife, animals’ and plants’ natural habitat are
disrupted because of the construction of dams that block off the
natural flow of water. Fish that lay eggs in higher portions of the
rivers cannot reach their natural breeding grounds, beavers and
other animals that live in the banks of the river are also
disrupted. Plant life also become disrupted by the construction
of dams;
✓Disruption of riverside communities, there are communities
that live on the banks of the river that have been forced to move
out because of the construction of dams and because of the
disruption of the flow of the river;
 OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER
GENERATION

✓Dam failures, dams are not entirely wear-proof. There are

times that structures give way to time and to use and fail. This
can be catastrophic to people living near dams.
✓Greenhouse gases, although hydroelectric power plants make
use of water only in producing electricity, the construction of
dams can still introduce a lot of carbon dioxide to the
environment. Construction equipments produce these gases
during construction, also, the decaying plant life left on the
blocked side of the dam produce methane with also contribute
to the greenhouse effect.
 OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER
GENERATION

All things considered, hydroelectricity is still the most widely

used method of generating electricity all over the world, and
for good reason!
Hydroelectricity is a clean source of energy, as it does
not involve pollution and emissions in the process of
generating electricity.
It is also considered a renewable source of energy, because
the key ingredient, i.e. water is renewed in the water cycle.
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 COMPONENTS OF
HYDROPOWER PLANT
COMPONENTS OF A HYDROPOWER PLANT
Forebay
Intake structure
Penstock
Surge chamber
Hydraulic turbines
Power house
Draft tube
Tailrace
 FOREBAY

A forebay is a basin area of hydropower plant where water is

temporarily stored before going into intake chamber.
The storage of water in forebay is decided based on required
water demand in that area.
This is also used when the load requirement in intake is less.
We know that reservoirs are built across the rivers to store
the water, the water stored on upstream side of dam can be
carried by penstocks to the power house. In this case, the
reservoir itself acts as forebay.

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 Intake Structure
Intake structure is a structure which
collects the water from the forebay and
directs it into the penstocks.
There are different types of intake
structures are available and selection of
type of intake structure depends on
various local conditions.
Intake structure contain some important
components of which trash racks plays
vital role.
Trash racks are provided at the entrance
of penstock to trap the debris in the
water.
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 Intake Structure

If debris along with water flows into the penstock it will cause
severe damage to the wicket gates, turbine runners, nozzles of
turbines etc. these trash racks are made of steel in rod shape.
In cold weather regions, there is chance of formation of ice in water,
to prevent the entrance of ice into the penstocks trash racks heated
with electricity and hence ice melts when it touches the trash racks.
Other than trash racks, rakes and trolley arrangement which is used
to clean the trash racks and penstock closing gates are also
provided in intake structure.

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 Penstock

Penstocks are like large pipes

laid with some slope which
carries water from intake
structure or reservoir to the
turbines.
They run with some pressure
so, sudden closing or opening
of penstock gates can cause
water hammer effect to the
penstocks.

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 Surge Chamber

A surge chamber or surge tank

is a cylindrical tank which is
open at the top to control the
pressure in penstock.
It is connected to the penstock
and as close as possible to the
power house.
Whenever the power house
rejected the water load coming
from penstock the water level
in the surge tank rises and
control the pressure in
penstock.
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 Hydraulic Turbines

Hydraulic turbine, a device which

can convert the hydraulic energy
into the mechanical energy which
again converted into the
electrical energy by coupling the
shaft of turbine to the generator.
The mechanism in this case is,
whenever the water coming from
penstock strike the circular
blades or runner with high
pressure it will rotate the shaft
provided at the center and it
causes generator to produce
electrical power.
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 Power House

Power house is a building

provided to protect the
hydraulic and electrical
equipment.
Generally, the whole
equipment is supported by the
foundation or substructure laid
for the power house.
In case of reaction turbines
some machines like draft
tubes, scroll casing etc. are
fixed with in the foundation
while laying it.
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 Draft Tube
If reaction turbines are used,
then draft tube is a
necessary component which
connects turbine outlet to the
tailrace.
The draft tube contains
gradually increasing
diameter so that the water
discharged into the tailrace
with safe velocity.
At the end of draft tube,
outlet gates are provided
which can be closed during
repair works.
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 Tailrace
Tailrace is the flow of water
from turbines to the stream. It
is good if the power house is
located nearer to the stream.
But, if it is located far away
from the stream then it is
necessary to build a channel
for carrying water into the
stream.
Otherwise the water flow may
damage the plant in many
ways like lowering turbine
efficiency, cavitation, damage
to turbine blades etc.
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 – this is where the water is stored
behind the dam, located at a higher level to store
potential energy.
– it is a structure that holds back the water,
constructed over a water resource.
– this is where the produced electricity
is transported to substations and the community.
– this component converts the
produced electricity to a higher-voltage current.
– this component in the hydroelectric
power plant produces the electrical energy.
 – this component is made up of blades
that turn when water runs through it. This also
activates the component that generates electricity.
– this is the discharged water from the
dam.
– this is a long pipe that carries water
from the reservoir to the power generation unit.
– this component controls the
amount of water flowing through the penstock.
How is flowing water tapped as a source of
energy for human use?

Why is there a need for mankind to protect

and conserve hydroelectric power plants as
sources of energy?
 REFERENCES:

Energy, G. M. (Director). (2017). Renewable Energy 101: How

Does Hydroelectricity Work? [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEUzot8Zufo

Energy, S. (Director). (2015). Hydropower 101 [Motion Picture].

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8HmRLCgDAI

Hammad, B. K. (Director). (2017). Components of Hydropower

Plants [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN7y-09VGOw