The Application of Safety Membranes in Hydropower Plant

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):  
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.


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.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 2419
Author(s):  
Vidosava Vilotijević ◽  
Uroš Karadžić ◽  
Radoje Vujadinović ◽  
Vuko Kovijanić ◽  
Ivan Božić

Designing a small hydropower plant (SHPP) necessitates fulfillment of energy and ecological constraints, so a well-defined design flow is of the utmost significance. The main parameters of each SHPP are determined by appropriate techno-economic studies, whereas an improved approach to defining more precise SHPP installed parameter is presented in this paper. The SHPP installed parameter is the ratio of the design flow and averaged perennial flow obtained from the flow duration curve at the planned water intake location. Previous experiences in the design of SHPPs have shown that the SHPP installed parameter has a value in a wide range without the existence of an unambiguous equation for its determination. Therefore, with this aim, the thirty-eight (38) small watercources in the territory of Montenegro, denominated for the construction of SHPPs, have been investigated. SHPPs are divided into two groups depending on the installed capacity and the method of calculating the purchase price of electricity. For both groups, the range of SHPP installed parameter is determined according to the technical and economic criteria: the highest electricity production, the highest income, net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period (PB).


Author(s):  
Olexandr Pavlenko ◽  
Serhii Dun ◽  
Maksym Skliar

In any economy there is a need for the bulky goods transportation which cannot be divided into smaller parts. Such cargoes include building structures, elements of industrial equipment, tracked or wheeled construction and agricultural machinery, heavy armored military vehicles. In any case, tractor-semitrailer should provide fast delivery of goods with minimal fuel consumption. In order to guarantee the goods delivery, tractor-semitrailers must be able to overcome the existing roads broken grade and be capable to tow a semi-trailer in off-road conditions. These properties are especially important for military equipment transportation. The important factor that determines a tractor-semitrailer mobility is its gradeability. The purpose of this work is to improve a tractor-semitrailer mobility with tractor units manufactured at PJSC “AutoKrAZ” by increasing the tractor-semitrailer gradeability. The customer requirements for a new tractor are determined by the maximizing the grade to 18°. The analysis of the characteristics of modern tractor-semitrailers for heavy haulage has shown that the highest rate of this grade is 16.7°. The factors determining the limiting gradeability value were analyzed, based on the tractor-semitrailer with a KrAZ-6510TE tractor and a semi-trailer with a full weight of 80 t. It has been developed a mathematical model to investigate the tractor and semi-trailer axles vertical reactions distribution on the tractor-semitrailer friction performances. The mathematical model has allowed to calculate the gradeability value that the tractor-semitrailer can overcome in case of wheels and road surface friction value and the tractive force magnitude from the engine. The mathematical model adequacy was confirmed by comparing the calculations results with the data of factory tests. The analysis showed that on a dry road the KrAZ-6510TE tractor with a 80 t gross weight semitrailer is capable to climb a gradient of 14,35 ° with its coupling mass full use condition. The engine's maximum torque allows the tractor-semitrailer to overcome a gradient of 10.45° It has been determined the ways to improve the design of the KrAZ-6510TE tractor to increase its gradeability. Keywords: tractor, tractor-semitrailer vehicle mobility, tractor-semitrailer vehicle gradeability.


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.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1041
Author(s):  
Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda ◽  
Juan Francisco Fuentes-Pérez ◽  
Ana García-Vega ◽  
Francisco Javier Bravo-Córdoba

Fish need to move upstream and downstream through rivers to complete their life cycles. Despite the fact that fishways are the most commonly applied solution to recover longitudinal connectivity, they are not considered viable for downstream migration. Therefore, alternative facilities are recommended to facilitate downstream migration. However, a few recent studies have disagreed with this general assumption, showing the potential for bidirectional movements. This study advances our understanding of the potential of fishways for downstream migration by studying their efficiency in a run-of-the-river hydropower plant in the Duero River (Spain). To achieve this, downstream movements of the Iberian barbel (n = 299) were monitored in a stepped fishway for two years with passive integrated transponder (PIT)-tag technology, considering the effect of fish origin and release zone. The results showed that 24.9% of barbels descended through the fishway, with the origin and release zone affecting the fishway location. In addition, downstream movements were observed throughout the whole year, except in winter. The study concludes that, under specific scenarios, fishways could act as safe alternative routes for downstream migration.


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