A Field Visit Report on Trishuli Hydropower

INTRODUCTION
Trishuli Hydro Power is located near Bidur in Nuwakot district, Bagmati zone, about 70
km North-West of Kathmandu constructed on Trishuli River. Location coordinates are: Latitude=
27.962887971882, Longitude= 85.170747041702. This is a Peaking Run-of-River Project with an
installed capacity of 24 MW and average annual generation of 122.233 GWh (061/62). This
power plant has catchment area of 2600 sq km and maximum flood discharge of about 50,000
cubic feet/sec. A balancing reservoir with a capacity of about 10 million cubic feet has been
constructed to meet the peak load demand.The power generated from the project is evacuated
through a 17 miles long 66 kV double circuit transmission line to Balaju in Kathmandu.

SALIENT FEATURES
Hydrology
Catchments area 2600 km2
Average annual flow 45.30 m3/s

Reservoir
Area 16 hactres (approx.)
Storage capacity 0.26 Million cubic meters (approx. 1000000 cft.)

Head regulator
Number 6
Width 3.3 m
Height 3m

Dam
Type of dam Combined concrete gravity and rockfill dam
Crest length of dam( in total) 139.6m
Height above foundation 19 m
Spillway gates 6 Nos. Radial gates WxH = 6.09 m * 3.05 m

Desanding Basins
Three gates instead of two gates at the inlet of desander were constructed and a tranqulizing
device was introduced to produce a more uniform velocity across the width of desander.

Escape weir
A 65 long free overflow side channel spillway adjacent to desander was constructed during
upgrading.(capacity 45.60 m3/s)

Canal length
The total length of the canal from head regulator to the end of forebay canal including twin
barrel, closed duct, desander, and reservoir is about 7 km.

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Aqueduct I
New
Length 176.30 m
Width 2.80 m
Height 3.60 m
Old
Length 181.6 m
Width 2.8 m
Height 3.6 m

Aqueduct II
New
Length 274 m
Width 2.80 m diameter (steel penstock)
Old
Length 280.4 m
Width 3.6 m diameter (concrete box)

Superpass
Length 15 m
Width 4m
Height 2.4 m

Penstock
Number 4
Diameter Penstock pipe no. 1,2,3 - Φ 2.3 m
Penstock pipe no. 4 – Φ 1.5 m
Length Pipe no. 1,2,3 – 71.66 m
Pipe no. 4 – 89 m

Powerhouse
Type Surface

GENERATING EQUIPMENTS

Turbines

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Type Francis (HLA 384-WJ-108)

No. of Units 7

Rated Output/unit 3.62 MW

Rated flow 7.8 m3/s

Gross Head 51.4 m

Rated Speed 500 rpm

Runaway Speed 950 rpm

Generators

Type 3-phase, star connected, synchronous (SWF 350 0-12/242)

No. of Units 7

Rated Output 3889 KVA

Rated Speed 500 rpm

Rated Voltage 6.6 KV

Rated Current 340.2 A

Rated frequency 50Hz

Power factor 0.9 lag

TRANSMISSION LINE

Type Double circuit, overhead

Length 17 miles

Route Trishuli-Devighat (4.56 km)

Trishuli-Balaju (29 km)
Chilime-Trishuli (38 km)
Nominal voltage 66 KV

Conductor used ACSR

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DESCRIPTION OF CIVIL STRUCTURES

Storage reservoir
The reservoir was made by constructing
dams and radial gates. The live storage volume
is 0.26 million cubic meters (approx.). The
surface area of reservoir at maximum operating
level is 16 hactres. During upgrading, approx
150,000 cubic metre of sediment was removed
from the reservoir to regain the live storage.

Fig: Reservoir

Dam with its control works

Dam is a structure erected on the suitable site to provide for the storage of water and to
create head. There was a 139.6 m long 27 m high combined concrete gravity and rock fill dam.
The elements of control works of dam are
 Gates
 Device for protection of gates and hydraulic machines (trash racks, debris cleaning
device)
The gate here used is radial gate.

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Fig: Dam

Fig: Dam

Desanding Basin
It is an essential feature of Nepalese power plants. Water is allowed to flow at slow
speed. The settling of the sand progresses with the decrease in velocity. This power plant has
underground desander in caverns. Three gates instead of two gates at the inlet of desander
were constructed and a tranquilizing device was introduced to produce a more uniform velocity
across the width of desander.

Fig: Desanding basin

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Forebay

A fore bay is a human-made pool of water in front of a larger body of water. The larger body of
water may be natural or engineered. Fore bays serve a number of functions in a variety of settings, and
they can be found in many regions of the world. While constructing a fore bay can add to the initial
costs of water control and containment, it reduces maintenance costs in the long term, making it a cost
effective move in many settings.

One major function of a fore bay is to act as a buffer zone during flooding and storm
surges. The small pool traps the excess water, releasing it in a controlled fashion into the larger
body of water. This can increase safety and help with flood control and abatement measures.
Fore bays designed for this purpose may be deliberately kept shallow so that there is lots of
room to accommodate a sudden surge of water.

Power house
Power house is a building to house the turbines, generators and other accessories for
operating the machine. The power house of Trishuli hydro power plant is situated in Bidur in
Nuwakot District.
Here, the power house is of surface type. It houses 7 units of turbine-generator set each
having the capacity of 3889 KVA.

Major Electro - Mechanical Components

of Power house
TURBINE
The Francis turbine is an inward
flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. It is the most common
water turbine in use today. They operate in a head range of 10 meters to several hundred
meters.

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Fig: Sectional view of Francis Turbine

Fig: Turbine-Generator set

Theory of operation
The Francis turbine is a reaction turbine which means that the working fluid changes
pressure as it moves through the turbine, giving up its energy. A casement is needed to contain
the water flow. The turbine is located between the high
pressure water source and the low pressure water exit.
The inlet is spiral shaped. Guide vanes direct the
water tangentially to the turbine wheel, known as a
runner. This radial flow acts on the runner's vanes,
causing the runner to spin. The guide vanes (or wicket
gate) may be adjustable to allow efficient turbine
operation for a range of water flow conditions. At the
exit, water acts on cup shaped runner features, leaving
with no swirl and very little kinetic or potential energy.
The turbine's exit tube is shaped to help decelerate the
water flow and recover the pressure.

GENERATOR

From a system perspective, hydropower

generating stations, due to their excellent regulation properties, also play an important role in
keeping an entire AC power system at a stable point of operation. The power fed into and taken
out of an AC power grid should at all times be equal; otherwise the operating frequency will
change. Since the amount of power generated in hydropower stations can be altered quickly
and easily, hydropower stations are as a rule the first generating units where regulatory actions
are performed to keep the system frequency constant.

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In recent days most of the hydraulic turbine-driven generators used are synchronous
alternating-current machines, which produce electrical energy by the transformation of
hydraulic energy.
The electrical and mechanical design of each generator must conform to the electrical
requirements of the power distribution system to which it will be connected, and also to the
hydraulic requirements of its specific plant. The electrical characteristic of the generator
depend on following factors:
a) Capacity and power factor
b) Generator power output rating
c) Generator voltage
d) Insulation
e) Short-circuit ratio
f) Line charging and condensing capacities
g) Power factor
h) Reactance
i) Efficiency

S.No. Specification Rating

1. Capacity 3889 KVA
2. Power factor 0.9 lag
3. Generator voltage 6.6 KV
4. Insulation F/F

EXCITATION SYSTEM
Excitation systems have a powerful impact on generator dynamic performance and
availability. It ensures quality of generator voltage and reactive power, i.e. quality of delivered
energy to consumers. Excitation system used in this power plant is “static excitation system”
feeding rotor directly from thyristor bridges via brushes.
The main functions of excitation system are to provide variable DC current with short
time overload capability, controlling terminal voltage with suitable accuracy, ensure stable
operation with network and/ or other machines. Excitation systems provide high performance
control of all kinds of synchronous machine.
Basic components of this excitation system are:
- Excitation transformer
- Thyristor power converter
- Automatic voltage regulator
- Field discharge equipment

Type of Excitation transformer Dry type

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Rated capacity of Excitation transformer 80 KVA

Transformation ratio 6600 V/174 V
Excitation PT Ratio 6000 V/100 V
Excitation CT Ratio 400 A/5 A
Rated excitation voltage 77.2 V
Rated excitation current 304.2 A
No load excitation voltage 35 V
No load excitation current 157 A
Ceiling factor 1.8
Ceiling time >=20 s

Fig: Static excitation system

TRANSFORMERS
Main Transformer
Single phase power transformers are used to step up the generation voltage.

Type D7-5000 / 66/√3

Standard IEC-76
Number 6
Rated capacity 5 MVA
Rated voltage 6.6 / 66/√3 KV
Type of cooling ONAN

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Vector group YNd1

Fig: Main Transformers

Local Transformer

A three-phase transformer is provided for the power supply to local demands.

The transformer is rated as follows:
Rated Output: 5 MVA
Primary side: 6.6 KV
Secondary side: 11 KV
This transformer steps up the
station supply i.e. 6.6 KV to 11KV
which is distributed to the local supply.

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Fig: Local transformer

Station Service Transformers
Two sets of three-phase, dry epoxy resin-mounded, indoor type transformers are
provided for the purpose of station service.
Capacity: 200 KVA
Primary voltage: 6.6 KV
Secondary voltage: 400 V

CIRCUIT BREAKERS
Small Oil-Volume circuit breakers and SF6 circuit breakers are used in medium and high
voltage system respectively.

Small Oil-Volume Circuit Breaker

Type SW2-72.5
Rated voltage 72.5 KV
Rated current 1600 A
Rated short circuit breaking current 31.5 KA
Rated operating sequence O-3s-CO-180s-CO

SF6 Circuit Breaker

SF6 circuit breakers are used after the step up of the generation voltage to 66 KV i.e.
high voltage systems.

Type FA1-72.5
Breaking medium SF6 gas
Rated voltage 66 KV
Rated Normal Current 250 A
Rated Short Circuit Breaking Current 20 KA
Operating Sequence O-0.3s-CO-180s-O

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Fig: SF6 circuit breaker

GOVERNER
Governor is the equipment used to regulate the frequency of the generated power. It
controls the movement of the wicket gate, thereby controlling the amount of the water striking
the runner of the turbine. It also controls the operation of the bypass and the inlet valve using
the hydraulic oil. When the oil pressure is not sufficient to operate the valves, nitrogen gas is
used for providing the pressure required to operate the valves.
In Trishuli hydro power plant, the governor used is of electro-mechanical type.
Type: PBT 3000f
Power Supply: DC 110 V, AC 24 V, 50 Hz

FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM

Each generator is provided with an automatically operated, CO2 fire extinguishing
system.

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Maintenance work (Electrical)

Maintenance work is integral part of any system and hydro power plant is no exception.
The system may suffer from various kinds of problems from mechanical damage to electrical
faults and even small to large damage in civil structures. The staffs of the plant do the daily,
weekly and monthly routine maintenance works and clear the faults.

Maintenance Schedule
Maintenance work may roughly be divided into several categories, according to its
intervals: daily maintenance, weekly maintenance, monthly maintenance, quarterly
maintenance and long periodical maintenance, and occasional maintenance.

 Daily Maintenance
The purpose of daily maintenance is to inspect operating equipments and to check their
condition in order to prevent any possible troubles beforehand finding out any premonitory
symptoms immediately by the organic sense of an inspector (hearing, sight, smell, taste and
touch) as well as from reading of panel meters, gauges and indicators, and the comparison of
these reading values to usual ones.

 Weekly maintenance
The purpose of weekly maintenance is almost the same as that of daily maintenance. The
manner of the inspection becomes more specific, including simple checking and the cleaning of
equipments and their environmental spaces, utilizing a chance of stoppage of machines as the
case may be.

 Monthly maintenance
The purpose of monthly maintenance is mainly to inspect equipments to give a minor
scale of cleaning, checking with measuring devices and replace their components, if necessary,
so as to restore their normal function, utilizing an opportunity of unit stoppage, if the case may
be.
Monthly maintenance work is usually required to be performed taking into account the
limited time, and its plans shall be performed taking into account the operation schedule of the
power station.

 Quarterly Maintenance
The purpose of quarterly maintenance is almost the same as that of monthly
maintenance. The work items listed in the schedule for quarterly maintenance differs from
those summarized in monthly maintenance schedules in point of inspection intervals.

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 Long periodical and occasional maintenance:

The purpose of long periodical and occasional maintenance is mainly to inspect the
equipments in full details and to do a periodical clearing and a replacement of their
components according to their operating life time and condition and to restore their functions
capabilities originally provided with the equipments as their performances. Lift time of
equipments is subject to wear and degeneration etc.

Major maintenance works are:

 Inspection of Synchronizing Circuit Breaker
 Inspection & Maintenance of Excitation Transformer Cubicle
 Maintenance in the Slip Ring Compartment, Carbon Brush Length Measurement
 Checking the condition of water cooling system
 Inspection of protection system
 Inspection of condition of breaking medium of circuit breaker
 Maintenance of switchyards
 Inspection of the power transformer etc.
PROTECTION SYSTEM
Protection schemes are necessary for protecting the power plant equipments from
various faults. Necessary protection system against various faults and troubles in the generating
equipment and 66 KV transmission lines are provided in Trishuli hydro power station. This
power plant is the second hydropower plant of Nepal so traditional protection system is used in
this plant. The power plant protection system comprises of protective relays each of which has
a function corresponding to the nature degree of a fault or a trouble.
There are roughly two categories for the faults and troubles, one is referred to as
“heavy fault”, which bring the units to a standstill, or cause relay trip of the circuit breaker on
the 66 KV or 11 KV circuits. The other is referred to as “light fault”, which are the faults or
troubles other than heavy fault. A bell alarm and a buzzer alarm follow the heavy fault and light
fault respectively, and in whichever case, an indication of more is/are presented on either the
recording panel in the powerhouse or the main control switchboard in the control house.

Generator protection
 Circulating Current Biased Generator Differential Protection (87G)
 System Phase Fault Backup Protection (Voltage Restrained Over Current Relay) (51V)
 Backup Impedance Protection for System Generator Zone Phase Fault (21)
 Generator neutral over-voltage protection (95% stator earth fault) (59GN)
 100% Stator Earth fault protection (51I)
 Negative Phase Sequence Protection (46)
 Reverse Power Protection (32P)
 Loss of Excitation Protection (40)

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 Rotor Earth fault Protection (64F)

 Stator Inter-turn Fault Protection (61)(Above 100 MW)
 Loss of Synchronism / Out of Step Protection (78)
 Voltage Balance Relay (60)
 Over Voltage Protection (59) / Under Voltage Relay (27)
 Over Frequency and Under Frequency Protection (81)
 Stator Thermal Protection (49)

Transformer protection
 Differential relay
 Restricted E/F relay
 Over current relay
 Non-directional over current (earth fault) relay
 Over flux relay (Volts/Hz relay)
 Thermal relay
 Oil temperature gauges
 Pressure Relief Device
 Buchholz relay

Line protection
 Over current protection
 Directional protection
 Earth fault protection
 Distance protection
 Pilot wire differential protection
 Carrier current protection

SYNCHRONIZATION OF GENERATORS
The necessary conditions for synchronization of two generators are:
 The voltage level must be same.
 The frequency must be same.
 The phase sequence must be same.
The essential conditions for synchronizing operation are:
 The synchronoscope is available.
 Automatic or manual voltage control is available.
 The speed adjuster is controllable.
 The generating unit is being operated by remote control.

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When the all necessary conditions for synchronization are fulfilled, the vacuum circuit
breaker is automatically closed to supply the transformer.
Manual synchronization of the generators is available in this power plant.

Manual Synchronization

For the manual synchronizing operation, following steps are followed:

 Adjust the generator terminal voltage to 6.6 KV bus voltages by supervising the
voltmeter on the synchronizing panel.
 Adjust the generator speed by the speed adjuster so that the frequency of the 6.6 KV
bus gets equal to that of the generator terminal by supervising the synchronoscope.
 Close VCB, when the pointer of the synchronoscope crosses its 0 point in a SLOW speed.
 Confirm the indication “PARALLEL” lights up and all other indications go out.

Start and Stop Sequence

A) Starting sequences
 Water ->Turbine->Gen-> Governor Ready
 Gov Oil PP in Continuous OP
 Cooling water system ON
 Shaft Seal Water System ON
 HP Oil PP ON
 Emergency Shut Down Gate OPEN
 Inlet Valve OPEN
 Bypass Valve Close
 Governor Start
 Excitation ON
 Synchronization ON bearing

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B) Stopping sequences
 Reactive Power Unloading
 Active Power Unloading
 Governor Stop
 Gen CB Open
 Excitation OFF
 Emergency Shut Down Gate
LOCKED
 Inlet Valve close
 HP Oil PP ON
 Generator Brake ON
 Governor Oil PP in Standby By
OP
 Cooling water system OFF
 Shaft Seal Water System OFF
 HP Oil PP OFF
SPECIAL STUDY OF HV
SWITCHYARD
Components of HV Switchyard
 Current transformer
 Potential transformer
 Disconnecting switch
 Lightening arrestors
 SF6 circuit breaker
 HV bus bar
 Bushing and insulators
 Earthing switch

Fig: HV switchyard of Trishuli hydropower

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Current Transformer (C.T)

A current transformer has a primary winding, a magnetic core, and a

secondary winding. The alternating current flowing in the primary
produces a magnetic field in the core, which then induces current flow
in the secondary winding circuit. The primary objective of C.T design is
to ensure that the primary and secondary circuits are efficiently

Number Type Current ratio

1LH LR-72.5-B 200/5
2LH LRD-72.5-B 200/5
3LH LRD-72.5-B 200/5
4LH LRD-35-B 50/5
5LH LRD-35-B 50/5
coupled, so that the secondary current bears an accurate relationship to the primary current.

Potential transformer (P.T)

Potential Transformer (PT) steps down voltage of a circuit to a low
value that can be effectively and safely used for operation of instruments
such as ammeters, voltmeters, watt meters, and relays used for various
protective purposes.
Three (3) sets of single phase, oil-immersed, outdoor type capacitance
potential devices are provided on the 66 KV bus.

Fig:
Potential Transformer

Lightning Arrester

A lightning arrester is a device used on electrical power systems to protect the insulation on
the system from the damaging effect of lightning. The typical lightning arrester also known as
surge arrester has a high voltage terminal and a ground terminal. When a lightning surge or
switching surge travels down the power system to the arrester, the current from the surge is
diverted around the protected insulation in most cases to earth.

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Fig:
Lightning Arrester

HV BUS BAR

Single bus bar scheme with two sections has been used in Trishuli
hydropower plant.

Bushing and Insulators

Bushing is the insulators for protection from live parts.

Transformer bushing is the input and output part of the transformers. Output side of
bushing is covered with porcelain insulation corner. These bushing can be dividing in to two
parts.

Fig: Bushing

1. HT Bushings

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Normally input side of the transformer windings are known as HT bushing. Those
bushing are periodically checked and clean the bushing remove the dust on porcelain part may
reduce creeping part.

2. LT Bushings
Normally output side of the transformer endings are known as LT Bussing.

CONCLUSION

Trishuli Hydropower Plant is a peaking run-off river type hydro power plant with an installed
capacity of 24MW. It has 7 units. The generated power is connected to the national grid
through double circuit 66 KV transmission line.
The visit to power plant was prolific, in the sense that it provided us with the knowledge of
various equipments in a power plant. Similarly, we were familiar with the operational
procedures of the power plant. In short the practical knowledge about power plant equipments
was enhanced by this visit.

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The visit to Trishuli hydro power station is found to be fruitful to us in many ways:
1) A detailed study about a hydro power plant.
2) A practical approach to learning.
3) Clear observation about power plant parts, their structure and functionality.

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