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

Natalia Walczak,Jakub Nieć,Zbigniew Walczak

doi:10.3390/en14113248

Abstract

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%.

Highlights

IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
The rationale locating at the top of the grids a laborafor tory the Kruskal–Wallis test was assumed as follows: study by Xiang et al [63], which aimed to evaluate the efficiency of plant debris capture by the grids
The rationale for locating debris at the top of the grids was supported by a laboratory study by Xiang et al [63], which aimed to evaluate the efficiency of plant debris capture by the grids

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. White carbon (or water) was traditionally used for energy generation. This involves the construction of a hydroelectric power plant, for which constraints related to terrain, hydrological and geological conditions, and economics are important factors related to energy production. It is important to identify the hydrological regime’s characteristics at the investment project stage, especially in terms of outflow stability. This is due to the variability of climatic conditions and the significant human impact on the water cycle

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