Influence of Surge Tank and Relief Valve on Transient Flow Behaviour in Hydropower Stations

Author(s):  
Alireza Riasi ◽  
Ahmad Nourbakhsh

Unsteady flow analysis in water power stations is one of the most important issues in order to predict undesirable pressure variations in waterways and also probable changes in rotor speed for the power plants safe operation. Installation of surge tank and relief valve is the two main methods for controlling of hydraulic transient. The relief valve is used in several medium and small hydropower stations instead of the surge tank and mounted on the penstock near the powerhouse. The recent generation of relief valves are reliable and beneficial and consist of fully control system that directly conducted by governor. This paper presents a numerical method for transient flow in hydropower stations using surge tank and relief valve. For this purpose the governing equations of transient flow in closed conduit are solved using the method of characteristics (MOC) using unsteady friction. Hydraulic turbine, surge tank and relief valve are considered as internal boundary conditions. The influence of surge tank and also relief valve on the maximum pressure in spiral case and turbine over speed has been studied for a real case. The results show that the transient condition is considerably improved by using a relief valve and this device can be mounted in lieu of an expensive surge tank.

Author(s):  
Chen Sheng ◽  
Zhang Jian ◽  
Xiaodong Yu

This present study deals with a new mechanical device consisting of a set of safety membranes, which has been successfully applied in several middle and small hydropower stations in China instead of a surge tank. Safety membranes are installed on the penstock near the powerhouse as controlled weak points. When the pressure caused by load rejection rises to the preset explosive value, one or more membranes rupture, protecting the penstock and the unit from damage. The device is simple, reliable and economical. The method of characteristics is employed to establish numerical model of safety membranes to simulate their rupture behavior, which is then introduced to investigate how to determine the number and diameter of membranes from two aspects, large fluctuation and hydraulic disturbance. The results show that the diameter of the membranes depends on the negative pressure along pipeline under hydraulic disturbance while the number of the membrane depends on the maximum water hammer pressure under large fluctuation during load rejection of the unit. The conclusion of membrane selection can perfect the present theory of safety membranes, and provide the theoretical guidance and practical basis for membrane device design and safety operation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 607 ◽  
pp. 449-453
Author(s):  
Sheng Chen ◽  
Jian Zhang ◽  
Xiao Dong Yu

Safety membrane is a good mechanical device that can be applied in middle and small hydropower stations instead of a surge tank. This present study deals with the determination of three most important parameters of safety membrane, rupture pressure, diameter, and number. The mathematical model of transient process is established by introducing the method of characteristic, which is used for the simulation of the rupture behavior of safety membrane. Then the model is applied to a specific hydropower station that only can employ safety membrane as the regulating measurement, and it shows good performance. The achievements of the study can serve as a reference for similar projects.


Author(s):  
A. P. Shaikin ◽  
I. R. Galiev

The article analyzes the influence of chemical composition of hythane (a mixture of natural gas with hydrogen) on pressure in an engine combustion chamber. A review of the literature has showed the relevance of using hythane in transport energy industry, and also revealed a number of scientific papers devoted to studying the effect of hythane on environmental and traction-dynamic characteristics of the engine. We have studied a single-cylinder spark-ignited internal combustion engine. In the experiments, the varying factors are: engine speed (600 and 900 min-1), excess air ratio and hydrogen concentration in natural gas which are 29, 47 and 58% (volume).The article shows that at idling engine speed maximum pressure in combustion chamber depends on excess air ratio and proportion hydrogen in the air-fuel mixture – the poorer air-fuel mixture and greater addition of hydrogen is, the more intense pressure increases. The positive effect of hydrogen on pressure is explained by the fact that addition of hydrogen contributes to increase in heat of combustion fuel and rate propagation of the flame. As a result, during combustion, more heat is released, and the fuel itself burns in a smaller volume. Thus, the addition of hydrogen can ensure stable combustion of a lean air-fuel mixture without loss of engine power. Moreover, the article shows that, despite the change in engine speed, addition of hydrogen, excess air ratio, type of fuel (natural gas and gasoline), there is a power-law dependence of the maximum pressure in engine cylinder on combustion chamber volume. Processing and analysis of the results of the foreign and domestic researchers have showed that patterns we discovered are applicable to engines of different designs, operating at different speeds and using different hydrocarbon fuels. The results research presented allow us to reduce the time and material costs when creating new power plants using hythane and meeting modern requirements for power, economy and toxicity.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 266
Author(s):  
Md Rakibuzzaman ◽  
Sang-Ho Suh ◽  
Hyoung-Ho Kim ◽  
Youngtae Ryu ◽  
Kyung Yup Kim

Discharge water from fish farms is a clean, renewable, and abundant energy source that has been used to obtain renewable energy via small hydropower plants. Small hydropower plants may be installed at offshore fish farms where suitable water is obtained throughout the year. It is necessary to meet the challenges of developing small hydropower systems, including sustainability and turbine efficiency. The main objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of constructing a small hydropower plant and develop 100 kW class propeller-type turbines in a fish farm with a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). The turbine was optimized using a computer simulation, and an experiment was conducted to obtain performance data. Simulation results were then validated with experimental results. Results revealed that streamlining the designed shape of the guide vane reduced the flow separation and improved the efficiency of the turbine. Optimizing the shape of the runner vane decreased the flow rate, reducing the water power and increasing the efficiency by about 5.57%. Also, results revealed that tubular or cross-flow turbines could be suitable for use in fish farm power plants, and the generator used should be waterproofed to avoid exposure to seawater.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2389
Author(s):  
Samuel Matthew G. Dumlao ◽  
Keiichi N. Ishihara

Despite coal being one of the major contributors of CO2, it remains a cheap and stable source of electricity. However, several countries have turned to solar energy in their goal to “green” their energy generation. Solar energy has the potential to displace coal with support from natural gas. In this study, an hourly power flow analysis was conducted to understand the potential, limitations, and implications of using solar energy as a driver for decommissioning coal power plants. To ensure the results’ robustness, the study presents a straightforward weather-driven scenario analysis that utilizes historical weather and electricity demand to generate representative scenarios. This approach was tested in Japan’s southernmost region, since it represents a regional grid with high PV penetration and a fleet of coal plants older than 40 years. The results revealed that solar power could decommission 3.5 GW of the 7 GW coal capacity in Kyushu. It was discovered that beyond 12 GW, solar power could not reduce the minimum coal capacity, but it could still reduce coal generation. By increasing the solar capacity from 10 GW to 20 GW and the LNG quota from 10 TWh to 28 TWh, solar and LNG electricty generation could reduce the emissions by 37%, but the cost will increase by 5.6%. Results also show various ways to reduce emissions, making the balance between cost and CO2 a policy decision. The results emphasized that investing in solar power alone will not be enough, and another source of energy is necessary, especially for summer and winter. The weather-driven approach highlighted the importance of weather in the analysis, as it affected the results to varying degrees. The approach, with minor changes, could easily be replicated in other nations or regions provided that historical hourly temperature, irradiance, and demand data are available.


1943 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. A183-A186
Author(s):  
A. M. Binnie

Abstract The existing methods of predicting the oscillations in a closed surge tank are very lengthy unless drastic simplifications are made. In this paper a new and quick procedure is explained for calculating the maximum pressure and expansion of the air, which result from a sudden shutdown of the plant. Friction is taken into account, both in the pipe and also in any arrangement placed between the pipe and the tank to damp the oscillations, but the compression and expansion of the air must be assumed isothermal. Small-scale experiments confirmed the expectation that the observed maximum pressures would be greater than the theoretical. The shutdown of a big plant is, however, not instantaneous, and the theory may be expected to yield results sufficiently accurate for the purpose in view.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiongxiao Wu ◽  
Jianjun Wang ◽  
Jingming Chen ◽  
Pengzheng Li

Abstract Based on the one-dimensional simulation model of lubricating oil system is established and analyzed by using FLOWMASTER software, this paper proposes a new method of optimizing lubricating oil system by PID technology. Ensure that the configuration requirements and control strategies of the relevant accessories of the simulation model are satisfied with the design requirements. Firstly, by simulating lubricating oil pressure fluctuation and lubricating oil flow distribution under Open/Close Valve in different opening and closing time, the optimal opening/closing time of Open/Close Valve is determined to be 0.2 s and 0.5 s respectively. Secondly, by writing the controller script file combined with a controller to realize automatic unloading relief valve simulation, determine the relief valve pressure regulating range of 0∼0.38 MPa, For precision of constant pressure valve of oil spill, the simulation results show that the average 10 m3/h flow caused by pressure changes of about 0.06 MPa. Under the flow sudden change signal of about 40 m3/h, the maximum pressure change is less than 0.1 MPa. Through the simulation results, it is found that most of the lubrication parts in the original design have the phenomenon of flow redundancy, which causes unnecessary pump power loss. The system is optimized by PID technology. By comparing the simulation results before and after optimization, it is found that the speed of constant displacement pump could be changed in time by PID controller, and the flow redundancy could be improved significantly, so the lubricating oil system could be lower consumption and achieve the purpose of optimization.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Taeseok Kim ◽  
Wonjun Choi ◽  
Joongoo Jeon ◽  
Nam Kyung Kim ◽  
Hoichul Jung ◽  
...  

During a hypothesized severe accident, a containment building is designed to act as a final barrier to prevent release of fission products to the environment in nuclear power plants. However, in a bypass scenario of steam generator tube rupture (SGTR), radioactive nuclides can be released to environment even if the containment is not ruptured. Thus, thorough mitigation strategies are needed to prevent such unfiltered release of the radioactive nuclides during SGTR accidents. To mitigate the consequence of the SGTR accident, this study was conducted to devise a conceptual approach of installing In-Containment Relief Valve (ICRV) from steam generator (SG) to the free space in the containment building and it was simulated by MELCOR code for numerical analysis. Simulation results show that the radioactive nuclides were not released to the environment in the ICRV case. However, the containment pressure increased more than the base case, which is a disadvantage of the ICRV. To minimize the negative effects of the ICRV, the ICRV linked to Reactor Drain Tank (RDT) and cavity flooding was performed. Because the overpressurization of containment is due to heat of ex-vessel corium, only cavity flooding was effective for depressurization. The conceptual design of the ICRV is effective in mitigating the SGTR accident.


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