Hydropower Assessment
Hydropower Assessment
Hydropower Assessment
• Daily (weekly or monthly) flow over a period of years, the longer the
better. If a storage project is under consideration, the records should
include one or more dry periods of years.
The above three data may be available for a long period, but if not long
enough to give extreme flow, these must be estimated in some indirect
manner.
FLOW DURATION CURVE
Plot of stream flow (daily, weekly or monthly) in the order of magnitude with
percentage of time of their occurrence.
Arrange the average monthly flow values of each year in ascending order. Then calculate the average of flow
values of driest, second driest and so on for twelve months and use these 12 values to plot flow duration curve.
Arrange entire data in ascending order and plot the flow duration curve.
• Flow values of daily average flow is more than flow values of monthly average flow for low percentage of time.
However, daily average flow is less than flow values of monthly average flow for high percentage of time.
%age of time
Effect of storage on flow-duration curve
Storage raise the dry weather portion of the curve and lower the high flow
portions. Thus it tends to equalize the flow at different times of the year.
Without storage
%age of time
Extrapolation of Flow Duration Data to Ungaged Sites
• Useful in regions where stream flow does not vary directly with the area of the catchments.
• For homogeneous drainage basin
Method 1.
1. Make flow-duration curves for all gaged streams within a rather homogeneous drainage basin.
Gage-4
Gage-3
Gage-2
Flow
Gage-1
%age of time
2. Develop a family of parametric duration curves in which flow Q is plotted
against the average annual discharge at the respective gages for several
exceedence % age.
10% 30% 80%
50%
90%
Flow
Method 2.
The values of flow for each flow duration for a given exceedence point are
divided by the average annual discharge Qavg. These are then plotted
against the particular exceedence interval on logarithmic probability
paper to give dimensionless flow duration curve.
From the above developed curve, one can easily develop flow duration
curve for a given average annual discharge.
Dimensionless flow duration curve
Q/Qavg
100 1
% age of time
Available Head
Reservoir level is almost constant but water level in tail race varies with
discharge in the stream. More discharge in tail race results in rise in water
level and less available head.
The probable tail race level at different river stages may be determined in
advance by installing a gage at this point and rating it by current meter.
For the fixed crest of spillway, the level in the reservoir may be calculated by
Q = CLH3/2
for different discharges. By plotting curves of water surface elevation (a)
above the crest of spillway and (b) at tail race site, to the same datum, the
gross head would be difference of the two curves.
Head race
Discharge
Effect of draft from pondage on available head: The decrease of head due to
draft of pond must be allowed for while estimating available head.
25 1-2
50 1.5-3
100 2-5
200 4-8
500 10-20
1000 20-40
With a flow duration curve available at the proposed site and the net
available head ascertained, the available power may be estimated for
any given wheel capacity by planimetering under the flow duration curve
upto the line of wheel-discharge capacity.
Secondary Power
surplus or non- firm power
less valuable.
available intermitantly at unpredictable times.
useful in an inter-connected system of power plants.
to meet fluctuating demand.
Efficiency
Q (m3/s)
Flow duration curve
Power
% of time
Head
Efficiency
Power (kW)
Efficiency
Losses
2
V /2g
H
h
2
vf /2g
Vf
Shaft Power P
Overall efficiency, 0
Water power at input gQh
H = Gross head
h = Net available head
h = H –hf
(a) Frictional and turbulent loss of energy in the turbine passages leading
to the runner + loss of energy due to friction as water follow over the runner
+ loss of energy in draft tube + exit losses
Overall efficiency 0 m h q