Abstract
There are two strategies to lower overall project costs to an extent that will make many potential sustainable hydropower sites economically viable: (1) design standardized/modular components; (2) use advanced tools to reduce environmental evaluation costs. In this study an autonomous sensor device (Sensor Fish) was used to study a Francis turbine retrofitted with a modular guide vane. The median nadir pressures measured were 74.7, 66.6, and 56.6 kPaA for 90-, 190-, and 380-kW operating conditions respectively. These nadir pressures were compared to other Francis turbines studied using Sensor Fish and were found to be within the same range. The proportion of Sensor Fish releases with severe acceleration events (acceleration ≥ 95G) was also investigated. The proportion ranged from 73 to 80% (runner region), 50 to 64% (guide vane region), and 9 to 28% (draft tube region), which was within the range of the other turbines used for comparison. The Sensor Fish testing that was conducted at Hurley Dam demonstrates that the modular guide vane that was retrofitted to the existing Francis turbine is potentially a suitable replacement that can provide biological performance similar to the guide vane used with other existing Francis turbines, but with the benefit of reduced fabrication costs.
Highlights
Hydropower is the largest renewable energy source in the world, with 1,114 GW of installed capacity at the end of 2017, which accounts for over 50% of the world’s renewable energy [1]
The median nadir pressures measured were 74.7, 66.6, and 56.6 kPaA for 90, 190, and 380-kW operating conditions respectively. These nadir pressures were compared to other Francis turbines studied using Sensor Fish and were found to be within the same range
The objective of this study was to use Sensor Fish to evaluate the hydraulic characteristics that can impact the biological performance of a Francis turbine in North Carolina, USA that was retrofitted with the modular guide vane that is utilized by the modular PROPEL-Turbine
Summary
Hydropower is the largest renewable energy source in the world, with 1,114 GW of installed capacity at the end of 2017, which accounts for over 50% of the world’s renewable energy [1]. In Europe, conventional hydropower accounts for about 59% of renewable energy [2] and in the United States (US) it accounts for over 50% of the renewable energy, with a total capacity of 79.6 GW installed at the end of 2014 [3]. Of the remaining 30%, most of the new hydropower projects involved adding power generation capabilities to non-powered dams or conduits, with only 5 of the 118 new hydropower plants involving new stream-reach development (NSD) of primarily small hydropower plants (SHP).
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