Recent hydrological droughts in Brazil and their impacts on energy security

Brazil is heavily reliant on water resources. Hydroelectric plants generate about 64% of all electricity consumed. To increase yield capacity, a 2050 expansion is also planned. 78% of water used is for agriculture (irrigation and livestock), 9% for industry, and 9.1% for urban supply. However, the country has endured the worst droughts in recorded history over the last two decades, resulting in severe socioeconomic and environmental impacts. The purpose of this study was to determine the current state of knowledge regarding hydrological drought patterns, hydrometeorological factors, and their effects on the country’s hydroelectric power plants. Droughts have occurred in most of Brazil’s regions since 2014/15, causing severe impacts in many of the basins studied. Now that most hydroelectric power plants are operating at a fraction of their total capacity, the country’s hydroelectric generation is been impacted.

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Engineering Solutions to the Greenhouse Gases Generated by Hydroelectric Plants

Journal of Energy Resources Technology ◽

10.1115/1.4027260 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 136 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Kaufui Vincent Wong

Keyword(s):

Power Plants ◽

Mechanical Design ◽

Hydroelectric Plant ◽

Hydroelectric Power ◽

Current Review ◽

Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽

Water Turbine ◽

Hydroelectric Plants ◽

The Right ◽

Do The Right Thing

There is a controversy brewing for about 10 years that hydroelectric power plants are not a clean, renewable source of electricity. The current review indicates that the source of methane is not in the mechanics or mechanical design of the equipment used. The source of the methane is from nature, and man's failure to do the right thing. This methane may be reduced or completely eliminated. If this cannot be accomplished or if it is too expensive to retrofit the hydroelectric plant, then the deep water may be preprocessed (and the methane collected) before being used in the water turbine. Several methods have been introduced and discussed. Details have been omitted so that practicing engineers and other professionals can obtain funds to research and develop or invent the practical solutions suited to conditions local to the problem.

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Reconstruction and technical refitting of active hydroelectric power plants — Basic trend in preserving the serviceability of the hydroelectric plants of Russia for the future

Hydrotechnical Construction ◽

10.1007/bf02765196 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

V. M. Zotov ◽

V. I. Platov

Keyword(s):

Power Plants ◽

Basic Trend ◽

Hydroelectric Power ◽

Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽

The Future ◽

Hydroelectric Plants

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Availability Projections of Hydroelectric Power Plants through Monte Carlo Simulation

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14248398 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (24) ◽

pp. 8398

Author(s):

Marcos Tadeu Barros de Oliveira ◽

Patrícia de Sousa Oliveira Silva ◽

Elisa Oliveira ◽

André Luís Marques Marcato ◽

Giovani Santiago Junqueira

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo Simulation ◽

Monte Carlo ◽

Power Plants ◽

Hydroelectric Plant ◽

Real Data ◽

Hydroelectric Power ◽

Maintenance Schedule ◽

Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽

Hydroelectric Plants ◽

The Impact

The present work proposes a Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) to obtain availability projections for Hydroelectric Power Plants (HPP), based mainly on regulatory aspects involving the Availability Factor (AFA). The main purpose of the simulation is to generate scenarios to obtain statistics for risk analysis and decision-making in relation to the HPP. The proposed methodology consists of two steps, firstly, the optimization of the maintenance schedule of the hydroelectric plant is carried out, in order to allocate the mandatory maintenance in the simulation horizon. Then, for the MCS, scenarios of forced shutdowns of the Generating Units (GU) will be generated, which directly influence the operation and, consequently, the availability of the HPP. The scenarios will be inserted into an operation optimization model, which considers the impact of forced shutdown samples on the MCS. The proposed modeling was applied using real data from the Santo Antônio HPP, which is one of the largest hydroelectric plants in Brazil.

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Influence of Debris on Water Intake Gratings in Small Hydroelectric Plants: An Experimental Study on Hydraulic Parameters

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14113248 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (11) ◽

pp. 3248

Author(s):

Natalia Walczak ◽

Zbigniew Walczak ◽

Jakub Nieć

Keyword(s):

Power Plants ◽

Water Pressure ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Hydroelectric Power ◽

Plant Debris ◽

Mountainous Regions ◽

Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽

Hydroelectric Plants ◽

The Impact

Deposition of debris on the screens of hydroelectric power plants translates into measurable economic losses. Occurring plant debris, although it is an organic material, is characterised by different forms and structure. It is often leaves, branches, and grasses in lowland areas, while in mountainous regions, broken boughs and trees can be expected. On the trash racks of power plants, debris may be deposited in different forms, shapes, and places. This work aims to determine the impact of the degree of submergence of debris on the values of the force acting on the racks. This paper analyzes the influence of the rectangular shape of the debris deposited on the trash racks and its degree of submergence and weight on the obtained values of the force acting on the racks as a result of water pressure, which directly affects the hydraulic losses and productivity of hydroelectric power plants. Our research confirms the negative influence of the deposited plant debris on the value of forces recorded on the gratings. The increase in the recorded force, and thus the resistance on the grating, is obviously dependent on the degree of obstruction of the debris by the grating obtained by changing the degree of debris immersion and its weight. In the case of changing the degree of submergence, the increase in force recorded on the gratings varied during the experiment from about 25% recorded for the fully submerged debris compared to that of the partially submerged debris for the mass of 100 g; in comparison, an increase of about 31% was recorded for that of the mass of 200 g. However, comparing the values of the forces recorded on the obstructed grids to that of the forces recorded on the clean grids, the increase ranged from about 15–53%.

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Modern problems of state regulation of operation of a large hydroelectric plants dams area

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202016303011 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 163 ◽

pp. 03011

Author(s):

Natalia Mitina ◽

Maxim Vashchenko ◽

Elena Shumakova

Keyword(s):

Power Plants ◽

State Regulation ◽

Economic Consequences ◽

Hydroelectric Power ◽

Surrounding Area ◽

Safe Operation ◽

Dynamic Impact ◽

Large Power ◽

Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽

Hydroelectric Plants

The article is devoted to the problem of increasing the risk of accidents at the dam areas of a large power plant (HPP) and the surrounding area over time, and the need to take these risks into account during their operation. The purpose of the research is to introduce the concept of a dam area as an object of state regulation, to reveal the ways of development and legislative solution of the problem of safe operation of hydroelectric power plants and dam territories at the Federal level, and to develop recommendations for their state regulation. The paper shows the necessity and expediency of zoning the dam territory according to the degree of dynamic impact of the HPP on it in order to optimize the administrative and economic consequences of the operation of these objects.

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