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SMALL
HYDROPOW
ER:INNOV
ATIONISO
URBUSINE
SS
wi th suppor t f r om
EUROPEAN
SMALL HYDROPOWER
ASSOCIATION
Preserve environment
Ensure competitiveness
Improve reliability
Increase efficiency
SMALL HYDROPOWER:
INNOVATION IS OUR BUSINESS
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Cavitation
on a blade
Pelton runner
Francis
runner
Hydro-mechanical engineering:site-specific small hydropower plant
The main objective of hydro-mechanical engineers is todevelop turbines thatuse water resource optimally,by designing turbines that are specific to the sites.
Therefore the R&D on SHP has focused on very-low-
head and low-head turbines, as these sites make
up the important remaining potential in developed and
emerging countries. Notably, pico and micro hydro
turbines are developed to meet the demand for rural
electrification and small isolated network.
Optimal use of the water resources implies an improvement in the hydraulic design
that aims not only at higher efficiency, but also lower costs, a high reliability
and an optimal environmental integration (fish-friendly turbines). Such objectives
are achieved through CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) calculation, systemisation
and laboratory development, and specific small hydro products are to be designed,
rather than simply scaling down larger turbines.
Moreover the development of solutions for the equipment of existing infrastruc-
tures (such as irrigation channels, drinking water and sewage networks), by using
for example new materials to reduce cost, is another challenge the hydro-mechanical
engineers have to face.
8-blade
turbine for
low-head
site
CFD (Computational
Fluid Dynamics)
Axial turbine set
on a test bench
SMALL-HYDROPOWERENGINEERING
AWIDEAREAOFINNOVATIONS
FORGREENPOWERGENERATION
Nowadays engineers working in the small-hydropower (SHP)
field keep on developing techniques specific to small hydro-
power, in order to face up to the following challenges:
increase environmental integration
decrease cost
maximize electricity production
8-blade turbine for
low-head site
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SMALL
HYDROPOW
ER:INNOV
ATIONISO
URBUSINE
SS
Electrical engineering:for an easy and low-costintegration to the grid
A
vailable solutions for SHP electrical engineering range from
generators, grid connection over electric drives to the control
and management of the whole power plant.
New generator designs such as high pole synchronous ge-
nerators with permanent magnet excitation have been
introduced to the SHP market. Designed for direct grid connection
or in combination with a frequency converter for variable speed
operation, such generators allow to avoid speed increasers and
make very compact submersible turbine designs possible.
Moreover environment-friendlytransformers such as oil-free
cast resin ones can also be found on the market. Current digital
control systems offer site specific optimization methods in
order to adapt the overall control to any hydrological or other
condition. This can include identification of the optimum runner
and guide vane set points, the optimized water level control, the
improved operation of the trash rack cleaner and the automatic
identification of any malfunction.
State of the art industrial automation components and excellent
communication features ensure that an operator can identify
the status of the plant at any time and anywhere, using
computers, PDAs, cell phones or just a simple telephone and
allow to respond remotely on problems, where applicable.
New concepts such as scheduled production, prediction of
the energy output and condition monitoring are currently
under development also for SHP in order to improve the
grid integration, to increase reliability and to reducethe operation & maintenance cost.
Civil engineering:for the best compromisebetween technology,
economy and environment
A t present, most efforts concerning civil engineering aim atstandardizing design and technology, so as to reach anoptimal integration of an SHP plant with the local environment
while minimizing costs.
Such objectives are reached bysetting guidelines based on the latest
design technology, new materials and best practice examples.
The development in civil engineering is continuously expanding and
it is essential to integrate this development into the basic design
technology through the whole chain of the power plant design and
construction. Indeed the global objective is to reach an optimal solutionand a good environmental integration for every specific hydropower
plant, both for new projects and restoration of old plants.
Generator
Control & monitoring
Dam, intake and
settling basin
Overflow dam
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Fish bypass
system
Fish bypass
system equipped
with brushes
EUROPEAN SMALL
HYDROPOWER ASSOCIATION
Renewable Energy House
63-65 Rue dArlon
B-1040 Brussels Belgium
T: +32 2 546 1945
F: +32 2 546 1947
E: [email protected] I: www.esha.be
MHyLab - MINI HYDRAULICS
LABORATORY
CH-1354 Montcherand
Switzerland
T: + 41 24 442 87 87
F: + 41 24 441 36 54
I: www.mhylab.com
Environmental engineering:for protecting aquatic ecology
The significant increase in knowledge concerning the biological mechanismin rivers has consequently initiated the development ofenvironmentalengineering, focussing on minimizing and mitigation of negative environmental
impact. Well-known examples arefish-bypass systems, environmental
flow or river restructuring. The close cooperation with ecologists has led
to excellent compromises between environmental targets and economic and
technical restrictions.
Such engineering is in continuous evolution. For example, nowadays, it has
been found that contrary to a constant amount of environmental flow, thevariability according to natural discharge conditions brings about ecolo-
gical benefits at lower costs. Moreover, regarding fish-bypass systems, new technically optimised installations
such as the vertical slot pass or the Denil-pass guarantee the highest fish acceptance while reducing the amount of
bypass operation flow.
SHP-projects have often other functions besides the production of electricity. The removal of the trash picked up at the
screen at an SHP plant guarantees the cleaning of the river. The increase of flood protection or the adaptation as
recreation area are items of public interest and can be achieved by interdisciplinary and sustainable planning.
Finally, environmental engineering can include the management within the entire implementation process and the
participation of involved people is a typical topic.
This leaflet has been prepared within the Thematic Network on Small Hydropower(TNSHP) Project. The Thematic Network on Small Hydropower (TNSHP) is a Euro-pean Commission - DG TREN (Transport & Energy) and Swiss Government - fundedproject in the framework of the EUs FP5 (Fifth Framework Programme for Research,Technological Development and Demonstration - RD &D).
ESHA, the European Small Hydropower Association, is the European co-ordinatorof this project which includes ten additional partners: ADEME (France), EPFL-LCH
(Switzerland), ISET (Germany), IT Power (United Kingdom), K (Austria), LithuanianHydropower Association (Lithuania), MHyLab (Switzerland), SCPTH (France), SERO(Sweden) and Studio Frosio (Italy).
This leaflet is built on the RD&D Strategy document prepared by the engineering group of the
TNSHP, coordinated by MHyLab, which presents the priorities for SHP short-term research.
If you would like to know more about this SHP RD&D Strategy document, pleasecontact ESHA or MHyLab.
Basin created by a weir
Illustrationsources:MHyLab,VATECH,Elmotech,IngegneriMaggiaSA,Commu
nedeSavise(CH),ISET,StudioFrosio,SERO,EPFL-LCH,Walcher,Sassos.r.l.
Design:ACGBrussels
Fish bypass system