Intro to MicroHydro Power Gary Flomenhoft BSME MPP

Intro to Micro-Hydro Power Gary Flomenhoft, BSME, MPP, CEE Lecturer/Research Associate Community and International Development, CDAE Gund Institute, University of Vermont Project Director, Dominica Renewable Energy Workshop http: //www. uvm. edu/~gflomenh/Dominica/fieldwork. html

Hydro Currently 1/10 of electricity, US. n 20% World electricity n

Hydro-Electric Systems n Sizes- large, small, Micro n Types- Impoundment, Run-of-the River, diversion, n Turbines- reaction and impulse n Home-Hydro-Power pumped storage

Large Hydro-systems n Defined as greater than 30 megawatts by Department of Energy Hoover dam- (1300 MW) n Grand Coulee (6480 MW n n Largest: Venezuela (10 GW) n Itaipu-Brazil (12. 6 GW n China- 18. 6 GW (2009) n

Three Gorges Dam n Over one mile long n 575 feet tall. n 25 -75 billion dollars. 20 years of construction n 18, 600 MW n Completion in 2009 n

Small Hydro-systems n n n DOE 100 kw – 30 mw Industries, towns Thailand (9 mw) Winooski (5 MW) Essex (7 MW)

Micro-hydro system n DOE 0 -100 kw n Farm, home, village n Increasing in #’s Today

Impoundment Type or “Run-ofthe-River w/o impoundment

Diversion Type

Diversion (Brazil)

Pumped Storage Energy control- produce power on demand n 70 -80% efficency n Net electricity consumers n Can be PV and wind powered

Turbines: Reaction or Impulse Depends on: head, flow, and pressure n Impulse- similar to water wheel (cupped Blades) n Spins in the air n Reaction- used in large facilities n (Blades similar to boat propeller) Submerged in water

Turbines: Reaction or Impulse

Impulse-type Turbine-Pelton n High-head/low flow n (Vertical drop > 10 m) n High pressure (PSI)

Inside of Micro Turbine n 4 inch diameter impulse turbine n Creates 200 watts of power n Cost $1440

Harris DC Hydro systems

14 KW Canyon Industries Pelton

Impulse-type Turbine-Turgo: Medium head (>4 ft)

Impulse-type Turbine-Crossflow n Low-head situations (high flow/ low PSI)

Reaction-type Turbine-Francis n Low-head situations (high flow/ low PSI)

Reaction-type Turbine-Propellor n Low-head situations (high flow/ low PSI)

Reaction-type Turbine-Kaplan n Low-head situations (high flow/ low PSI)

Schematic Micro-Hydro

Home-Micro-Hydro n How to determine power? n Watts= head x GPM/10 (53% efficiency)

Dominica #1 High head/Low flow Head: 120 feet Flow: 80 -120 GPM Power: 1 KW

Schematic: Forbay tank

Intake Construction

Penstock: 4” SCH 40 PVC Painted for UV protection

Power. House:

Turbine:

Turbine Sahyadri Energy Systems PF-175

HYDRAULIC COMPONENTS OF TURBINE: -hydroelectric generator WATER DELIVERED TO TURBINE BY PVC PIPE: • Length is approx 480 ft. • 4 inch diameter • Approx cost $1600

Dominica #2 Low Head/High Flow Head: 10 feet Flow: 1000 GPM Power: 1 KW

Low-Head System Installation

Diversion

Pipe Installation

Trough Installation

Dominica #2 Turbine: LH-1000 $1895

Turbine: LH-1000

Hydropower – Pros & Cons n Current hydropower technology, while essentially emission-free, can have undesirable environmental effects, such as fish injury and mortality from passage through turbines, as well as detrimental effects on the quality of downstream water.

Cons n n n Disrupt natural flow patterns of the stream Fertilization of flood plain Fish migration Sediment and stratification Decommissioning and Dam removal Hydro licensing / re-licensing n Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Forest Service (FS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Bu. Rec), Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Fish Passage Fish populations can be impacted if fish cannot migrate upstream past impoundment dams to spawning grounds or if they cannot migrate downstream to the ocean. n Upstream fish passage n n Fish ladders or elevators trucks Downstream fish passage n aided by diverting fish from turbine intakes using screens or racks or even underwater lights and sounds, and by maintaining a minimum spill flow past the turbine.

Fish Ladder n

Water Quality and Flow n Hydropower plants can cause low dissolved oxygen levels in the water, a problem that is harmful to riparian habitats and is addressed using various aeration techniques. Maintaining minimum flows of water downstream of a hydropower installation is also critical for the survival of riparian habitats.

Environmentally Friendly Turbines n Environmentally friendly turbines, also called "fish friendly" turbines, aim to reduce fish mortality when passing through the turbine, while also increasing water quality by maintaining dissolved oxygen concentrations.

Pros n Control of floods and water flow n Generate electric cleanly and is renewable n Efficiency – Energy to Electricity at 90%

References n n n http: //www. ferc. gov/industries/hydropower/geninfo/water-power/wp-pump. asp http: //www. eere. energy. gov/windandhydro/hydro_pl ant_types. html http: //www. homepower. com/files/hp 44 -24. pdf http: //library. thinkquest. org/20331/types/hydro/type s. html Hinrichs, Kleinbach. ENERGY, Its use and the Environment, Tompson Learning, 2002.