HIGH HEAD SMALL HYDRO

SPONSORED BY

NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA

IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE

INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY

by

Jim Gordon, P. Eng.

DISCUSSION SUBJECTS (1)

High Head Small Hydro - DEFINITION

ACCESS ROADS
BED-LOAD AND SEDIMENT
DIVERSION WEIR
INTAKE
CONDUIT OPTIMIZATION
CANAL PIPELINE & TUNNEL
2

DISCUSSION SUBJECTS (2)

PEAKING STORAGE
SURGE TANK
PENSTOCK
POWERHOUSE
EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT SELECTION PROGRAM
CONCLUSIONS
3

High Head Small Hydro

DEFINITION
PLANT CAPACITY < 50MW
FLOW < 20 m3/s.

Zongo storage dam, Bolivia. FSL = 4,634m.

Harca Development. 25MW, 346m head, flow = 8.2m3/s.

Equipment - Two 2-jet Pelton units with horizontal axis.

2,000m

Schematic profile.

500m
6

ACCESS ROADS
Very expensive in mountainous terrain.
Require ample construction time.
A site with 600m of head, will require at
least 10km of road to reach intake from
powerhouse at average grade of 6%.

Zongo valley, Bolivia. Very

difficult access road
construction terrain.

BED LOAD AND SEDIMENT

Must be excluded from intake.
Volume of sediment a function of average
river grade.
Size of sediment a function of average river
grade.
Severe sand erosion
on impulse needle
cones. Head 398m.
Caon del Pato,
Peru.
9

Sand and gravel in river bed.

Logs in river.

10

Severe erosion
and cavitation
in a small
Pelton runner.

11

DIVERSION WEIR

Should not restrict passage of sediment.

Weir crest at river bed level.
Rubber dam for crest level control.
Intake channel at right angles to flow.
Low level sluice downstream of entrance to
intake channel.
Gravel and/or sand trap in intake channel.
12

Chururaqui weir on Zongo River, Bolivia.

13

View looking upstream

from gravel trap area at
stoplogs placed parallel
to flow. Stoplogs set at
just below water surface
to skim off cleaner water.
Stoplogs adjusted daily
during flood season.
Chururaqui intake, Zongo
valley, Bolivia.

14

Maggotty weir and gathering tube intake, Jamaica.

15

Section through
Gathering Tube Intake

Maggotty Weir in Jamaica.

16

Rubber dam spillway at the

Soo River development.
13.5MW, 104m head.

17

INTAKE
Close trashrack spacing required.
Bar spacing is wider with Pelton units.
Francis and Turgo units require more
narrow bar spacing.
Clogging with twigs and leafs likely.
Where floating debris a problem, consider
using a gathering tube intake design.
18

Andekaleka dam and intake, Madagascar.

56MW, 214m head. 2 Francis units.
Section through
sluices.

Section through
gathering tube intake.

19

< --Caon del Pato

close spaced racks,
opening about 35mm.
Severely eroded
needle ------------------->

Severely eroded
needle casing ---------------->

20

CONDUIT OPTIMIZATION
Conduit from intake to powerhouse usually
most expensive project component.
For pre-feasibility sizing use 4% to 6% head loss in energy plants.
6% to 8% head loss in peaking plants.
Head loss/m in penstock = 2 x head loss/m
in conduit upstream of penstock.
21

CANAL, PIPELINE & TUNNEL

Where the side slope is steep Avoid using canals.
Pipelines should be buried.
Tunnels are preferred - but minimum tunnel
size about 2.5m wide,
2.5m high.

22

Zongo Dam.
Crest
EL 4,634m.
|||
V

Small side-hill canal

Side hill canal captures glacial melt-waters

23

Above - Spray side-hill canal,

Bow valley, Canada.

Right - Harca side-hill canal,

Zongo valley, Bolivia. Note tunnel
entrance in center.
24

Harca canal. Note danger from falling rocks on right.

25

Pingston Creek
tunnel, British Columbia.
2.3m wide by 2.3m high
Minimum size for
excavation with rail
equipment.

26

Doran-Taylor
buried penstock.
0.61m diameter
steel pipe.
Length, 1893m.
British Columbia.
Head = 652m.
Capacity = 5.3MW.

27

Corani penstock, Bolivia

H = 585m. L = 1,158m.

Chururaqui penstock, Bolivia

28
d = 1.14m. H = 369m.

PEAKING STORAGE
Consider using nearby gully.
For tunnels, tunnel itself and side chambers
are an alternative.
For a headpond, divide in two, with small
pond at intake, connected to large pond
through one-way flap gate in an overflow
weir between ponds.
29

SURGE TANK
Required in isolated developments and
where Francis unit in powerplant.
No surge tank = long governor times.
Program for surge tank sizing included in
software.
61

59

Black Bear Lake frequency chart

Isolated mini-hydro plant with no

surge tank. Electronic load control.
<----1 minute---->

30

Small hydro surge tank

Surge tank on hillside

31

Virginia Falls.
Flood level at dam, meters.
=
457.00 Low supply level at dam, meters =
Turbine rated head, m.
=
140 Elevation at surge tank tee, meters =
Design full load flow, m3/s.
=
20.24 Upstream conduit length, meters. =
Upstream conduit diameter, meters. =
3 Average Manning friction coefficient=
Conduit velocity m/s.
=
2.86 Tank diameter, meters.
=
Elevation top of tank, meters.
=
470.79 Elevation bottom of tank, meters. =
Tank height, top to bottom, meters. =
27.67 Tank volume, cubic meters.
=
Steel weight in tank and legs, tonnes=
58.917 Total height of tank, tee to roof, m. =
Cost of steel tank, millions of US$ =
0.339 If in rock, total tank/ris. volume, m3 =
Rock excavation volume, allowing for a full concrete lining of tank and riser, m3.
=
Concrete lining volume, m3.
=
351 Curved formwork area, m2.
=

454.00
432.00
2100.00
0.011
6.41
443.12
892
38.79
971
1323
662

Surge tank size & cost program - insert data in blue cells.
Calculates tank diameter, top and bottom elevation, rock
excavation and concrete quantities if in rock, steel weight
if above ground.
32

PENSTOCK
Preference for a buried hyperstatic (normal)
design, with shut-off valve at upper end.
Isostatic design has every
second bend free ----------->
- difficult to design.
- no cost saving.
- governing condition = earthquake +
waterhammer + bend miter (with stress
33
intensification) stresses at junction.

Pingston Creek
penstock. Cans being
placed in trench ready
for welding and bury.
Diameter = 1.2m.
Length = 620m.

30 MW in two units.
Head = 553m.
Flow = 6.4m3/s.
Horizontal axis, 2-jet
Pelton units.

34

POWERHOUSE
Preference for surface powerplants.
Tailrace to discharge directly into conduit
for next downsteam powerplant.
Locate about 100m. downstream of
penstock cut, to avoid damage from - water on penstock rupture.
- boulders and debris rolling down
penstock excavation.
35

Chururaqui powerhouse, Bolivia. Impulse units set well above

36
flood water level.

EQUIPMENT
Preference for horizontal axis units due to
easier access to turbine runner.
Preference for impulse units due to very flat
efficiency curve.
4 - jet pelton efficiency - flow
0.92

1
2
3
4

Efficiency

0.91

0.90

0.89

jet
jet
jet
jet

0.88

0.87

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6
Flow ratio

0.8

1.0

37

2-jet Pelton turbine

Doran-Taylor

38

Section through Harca powerhouse.

Horizontal shaft, 2-jet Pelton turbine, 12.5MW, 346m head.
39

13.5MW.
104m head

40

Soo River. Two horizontal axis, high head Francis turbines.

EQUIPMENT SELECTION
PROGRAM - INPUT DATA

Total powerplant flow.

Desired number of units.
Normal forebay elevation.
Total conduit head loss.
Normal and max. tailrace elev.
System frequency.
Generator power factor.
41

Turbine selection program. Enter data in blue cells. Output 1. W/W cost.
2. Plant MW.
3. Peak turbine efficiency.
4. Statement on applicability of unit for horizontal axis 2-jet
Pelton, horiz. axis 1-jet Turgo and H or V axis Francis.
Virginia Falls
Total powerplant flow, (max = 20) m3/s.
=
Desired number of units in powerplant.
=
Normal forebay elevation for head rating, EL. (m). =
Total conduit losses at rated flow, m.
=
Normal minimum tailwater elevation, m
=
Maximum flood tailwater elevation, m
=
System frequency, Hz.
=
Generator power factor. (Range 0.9 to 1.0)
=

Turbine axis, jet and runner configuration.

Horizontal axis, 2 jet, 1 runner impulse turbine
Combination of capacity, head and flow is suitable for
Horizontal axis, 1 jet, 1 turgo runner impulse turbine
Combination of capacity, head and flow is suitable for
Horizontal axis Francis turbine
Combination of capacity, head and flow is suitable for

7.50
3
550.00
15.00
278.80
283.50
50
0.95

Comment
Comment
Comment
Comment
Comment
Comment

Total W/W
Total generator
Cost $ US m.
capacity, MW
Comment
Comment
4.276
15.917
this type of turbine.
3.268
15.703
this type of turbine.
2.593
16.669
this type of turbine.

SMTS/2002/2
Print pages 1, 2.

Peak turbine
efficiency
Comment
0.905
0.897

42

0.920

EQUIPMENT SELECTION
PROGRAM - OUTPUT DATA - 1
Powerplant output, MW.
Peak turbine efficiency.
Water to wire cost for - 2 - jet Pelton units.
- 1 - jet Turgo units.
- Francis units.
Statement on applicability of unit.

Discarded Turgo
turbine runner.
22 buckets.

43

Program output. 1. Runner speed. 2. Runner & jet diameter.

3. Shaft elevation. 4. Statement on shaft alignment - vertical or
horizontal - for Francis unit.
Horizontal axis, 2 jet, 1 runner Pelton impulse
Calculated synchronous rotational speed ( rpm )
Calculated outside runner diameter ( m )
Calculated minimum shaft centerline elevation, m
Calculated peak efficiency, all jets operating
Calculated turbine full load output ( MW )
Calculated water to wire cost excluding subs.

turbine
=
=
=
=
=
=

Horizontal axis Francis turbine

Calculated runner submergence "S" meters
=
Calculated number of runner blades
=
Calculated runner throat diameter, ( d ) meters.
=
Calculated peak efficiency. ( % )
=
Calculated distributor or shaft CL. elevation, meters =
Calc. turbine output at rated head & flow ( MW ) =
Estimated water to wire cost, excluding subst.
=

428.6 Rated head, m.=

1.844 Jet diam (m) =
285.34
0.905 Peak eff. Q/jet=
5.492 Generator MW =
4.276 Million $ US.

Comment
-2.50
15
0.595
92.03
281.15
5.748
2.593

249.00
0.153
0.938
5.306
Comment

Comment
256.20
Rated head, m.=
Speed, rpm. =
1000.0
Peak eff. Q =
2.359
Comment
Horizontal shaft
5.556
Generator MW=
Million $ US.
Comment
44
Page 1.

EQUIPMENT SELECTION
PROGRAM - OUTPUT DATA - 2
Synchronous speed.
Impulse unit runner and jet diameters and
shaft centerline elevation.
Francis unit runner throat diameter and
number of blades, statement on whether
horizontal or vertical unit, and shaft CL
elev. if horizontal, or distributor casing CL
elevation if vertical.
45

EQUIPMENT SELECTION
PROGRAM - OUTPUT DATA - 3
Efficiency versus power charts for all three
types of units. (one chart per unit)
One efficiency versus flow chart showing
comparison of efficiency for all three units.
ALSTOM turbine
application chart ----------->
46

3 charts, efficiency/power for 2-jet Pelton, 1-jet Turgo and one

runner Francis units. 1 chart efficiency/flow for all three units.
Horizontal axis, 1 - jet turgo efficiency - power

Horizontal axis, 1 runner 2 - jet Pelton turbine efficiency - power

0.92

0.91
0.90

0.90

0.89
0.88
0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

Efficiency

Efficiency

0.92

0.88

Turgo

Power ratio
1 jet

2 jet

0.86

2-jet Pelton.

0.84
0.0

0.2

0.4

Pow er ratio

0.6

0.8

1.0

Efficiency comparison

Francis turbine efficiency versus power

1.0

96

92

88

80
40

50

60

70

80

90

1 00

Efficiency

0.8
84

0.6

All 3 units.

T u r bi ne po w e r r a t i o t o r a t e d po we r %

Francis turbine.

0.4
0.2

0.4

0.6

Flow ratio

Pelton 1 jet.
Pelton 2 jet.
Turgo
0.8 47
Francis

1.0

CONCLUSIONS 1

Roads - allow sufficient time and money.

Sediment - include sand traps.
Diversion weir - no obstruction to flow.
Intake - provide generous rack area.
Conduit optimization - loss/m in penstock =
2 x loss/m upstream conduit.
Low pressure conduit - tunnel preferred.
48

CONCLUSIONS 2
Peaking storage - in tunnel? In chambers?
Surge tank - required for Francis unit and
for isolated developments.
Penstock - buried pipe preferred.
Powerhouse - locate downstream of
penstock cut.
Equipment - prefer horizontal shaft units.
49

Corani Powerhouse, Bolivia.

Coscapa side hill canal, intake

and penstock, Bolivia.

THE END
THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
50