Engineering Solutions to the Greenhouse Gases Generated by Hydroelectric Plants

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaufui Vincent Wong
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Water Turbine ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants ◽  
The Right ◽  
Do The Right Thing

There is a controversy brewing for about 10 years that hydroelectric power plants are not a clean, renewable source of electricity. The current review indicates that the source of methane is not in the mechanics or mechanical design of the equipment used. The source of the methane is from nature, and man's failure to do the right thing. This methane may be reduced or completely eliminated. If this cannot be accomplished or if it is too expensive to retrofit the hydroelectric plant, then the deep water may be preprocessed (and the methane collected) before being used in the water turbine. Several methods have been introduced and discussed. Details have been omitted so that practicing engineers and other professionals can obtain funds to research and develop or invent the practical solutions suited to conditions local to the problem.

scholarly journals Availability Projections of Hydroelectric Power Plants through Monte Carlo Simulation

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8398
Author(s):  
Marcos Tadeu Barros de Oliveira ◽  
Patrícia de Sousa Oliveira Silva ◽  
Elisa Oliveira ◽  
André Luís Marques Marcato ◽  
Giovani Santiago Junqueira
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo Simulation ◽  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Maintenance Schedule ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants ◽  
The Impact

The present work proposes a Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) to obtain availability projections for Hydroelectric Power Plants (HPP), based mainly on regulatory aspects involving the Availability Factor (AFA). The main purpose of the simulation is to generate scenarios to obtain statistics for risk analysis and decision-making in relation to the HPP. The proposed methodology consists of two steps, firstly, the optimization of the maintenance schedule of the hydroelectric plant is carried out, in order to allocate the mandatory maintenance in the simulation horizon. Then, for the MCS, scenarios of forced shutdowns of the Generating Units (GU) will be generated, which directly influence the operation and, consequently, the availability of the HPP. The scenarios will be inserted into an operation optimization model, which considers the impact of forced shutdown samples on the MCS. The proposed modeling was applied using real data from the Santo Antônio HPP, which is one of the largest hydroelectric plants in Brazil.

scholarly journals Evaluation of small hydropower plant at Ribb irrigation dam in Amhara regional state, Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Addisu Worku Bezabih
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Hydropower Plant ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Small Hydropower ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Main Requirement ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants

Abstract Background Energy is the main requirement for economic growth in any country and supports the modern economy. The energy sector is considered a vital element in developing countries because it meets energy needs. This article addresses the production of electricity using small hydroelectric power plants for rural applications. The main objective of this study was to assess the potential of the Ribb dam for small hydroelectric plants. The flow is very important for the production of hydroelectricity as the height of a proposed site is constant and the available flow is very variable. Result The flow duration curve is constant and it will vary from 20 to 50% from the nominal flow. Further, it will decrease when the percentage of the nominal flow increases. The best size of a small hydroelectric plant producing a maximum of electricity in the context of future projected flows in the study region. Further, the Ribb dam concluded that the average flow of 14.6331 m3/s, the smooth head of 70.37 m, and the average nominal power of 5.53 MW. Conclusion Small hydro system (SHP) is a promising alternative for the production of cheap and renewable energy in rural or developing areas.

scholarly journals Spillage Forecast Models in Hydroelectric Power Plants Using Information from Telemetry Stations and Hydraulic Control

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 184
Author(s):  
Pedro H. M. Nascimento ◽  
Vinícius A. Cabral ◽  
Ivo C. Silva Junior ◽  
Frederico F. Panoeiro ◽  
Leonardo M. Honório ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plant ◽  
Supervised Machine Learning ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Hydraulic Control ◽  
Generation Planning ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Forecast Models

Hydroelectric power plants’ operational decisions are associated with several factors, such as generation planning, water availability and dam safety. One major challenge is to control the water spillage from the reservoir. Although this action represents a loss of energy production, it is a powerful strategy to regulate the reservoir level, ensuring the dam’s safety. The decision to use this strategy must be made in advance based on level and demand predictions. The present work applies supervised machine learning techniques to predict the operating condition of spillage in a hydroelectric plant for 5 h ahead. The use of this method, in real time, aims to assist the operator so that he can make more assertive and safer decisions, avoiding waste of energy resources and increasing the safety of dams. The Random Forest and Multilayer Perceptron methods were used to define the architecture compared to the forecasting capacity. The proposed methodology was applied to a 902.5 MW Hydroelectric Power Plant located on the Tocantins River, Brazil. The results demonstrate effective assistance to operators in the decision-making, presenting accuracy of up to 99.15% for the spill decision.

scholarly journals Semi-Rigid Erosion Control Techniques with Geotextiles Applied to Reservoir Margins in Hydroelectric Power Plants, Brazil

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 500
Author(s):  
Maria Alejandra Aparicio Ardila ◽  
Ricardo D. dos Santos Junior ◽  
Marcelo Kobelnik ◽  
Clever Aparecido Valentin ◽  
Marlon Silva Schliewe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Thermal Analyses ◽  
Erosion Control ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Performance Variables ◽  
Control Techniques ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Plant Operations ◽  
Qualitative Performance

In Brazil, hydroelectricity represents close to 70% of the energy consumed in the country. However, hydroelectric plant operations may be affected by the deposit of sediments for erosive processes on reservoir margins. This study presents the results of implementing two semi-rigid erosion control techniques installed on reservoir margins of two Brazilian Hydroelectric Power Plants (HPPs). These techniques were the gabion and gabion mattress used as a mixed technique and geogrid mattress technique. This paper highlights the importance of implementing geotextiles in the construction process of these erosion control techniques, taking advantage of their separation properties. The performance of the techniques was evaluated using qualitative performance variables and by differential bathymetry studies performed in 2016 and 2020 in the experimental units installed in each HPP. Moreover, the degradation of the geotextiles in each installation was evaluated through thermal analysis. The erosion control techniques that showed the best results were gabion and gabion mattress. Regarding the exhumed geotextiles, thermal analyses have shown that the commercial geotextiles that were used can withstand temperatures of up to 200 °C leading to no changes to their structure.

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

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3248
Author(s):  
Natalia Walczak ◽  
Zbigniew Walczak ◽  
Jakub Nieć
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Plant Debris ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants ◽  
The Impact

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%.

scholarly journals Modern problems of state regulation of operation of a large hydroelectric plants dams area

2020 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 03011
Author(s):  
Natalia Mitina ◽  
Maxim Vashchenko ◽  
Elena Shumakova
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Surrounding Area ◽  
Safe Operation ◽  
Dynamic Impact ◽  
Large Power ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants

The article is devoted to the problem of increasing the risk of accidents at the dam areas of a large power plant (HPP) and the surrounding area over time, and the need to take these risks into account during their operation. The purpose of the research is to introduce the concept of a dam area as an object of state regulation, to reveal the ways of development and legislative solution of the problem of safe operation of hydroelectric power plants and dam territories at the Federal level, and to develop recommendations for their state regulation. The paper shows the necessity and expediency of zoning the dam territory according to the degree of dynamic impact of the HPP on it in order to optimize the administrative and economic consequences of the operation of these objects.

scholarly journals Migratory passage structures at hydropower plants as potential physiological and behavioural selective agents

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 190989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tormod Haraldstad ◽  
Thrond Oddvar Haugen ◽  
Frode Kroglund ◽  
Esben Moland Olsen ◽  
Erik Höglund
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Strong Selection ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Pass Through

Anthropogenic activities affect fish populations worldwide. River dams have profound impacts on ecosystems by changing habitats and hindering migration. In an effort to counteract such effects, a range of mitigation measures have been installed at hydroelectric power plants. However, not all individuals in a population use these measures, potentially creating strong selection processes at hydroelectric power plants. This may be especially true during migration; fish can get heavily delayed or pass through a hydropower turbine, thus facing increased mortality compared with those using a safe bypass route. In this study, we quantify migration route choices of descending wild passive integrated transponder (PIT)-tagged Atlantic salmon smolts released upstream from a hydroelectric plant. We demonstrate how only a few metres’ displacement of bypass canals can have a large impact on the fish guidance efficiency (FGE). The proportion of fish using the bypasses increased from 1% to 34% when water was released in surface gates closer to the turbine intake. During a period of low FGE, we observed two different smolt migratory strategies. While some individuals spent little time in the forebay before migrating through the turbine tunnel, others remained there. We suggest that these groups represent different behavioural types, and that suboptimal mitigation measures at hydropower intakes may, therefore, induce strong selection on salmon behavioural traits. The ultimate outcome of these selection mechanisms is discussed in light of potential trade-offs between turbine migration mortality coast and optimal sea entrance timing survival benefits.

scholarly journals Recent hydrological droughts in Brazil and their impacts on energy security

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz Cuartas ◽  
Ana Paula Cunha ◽  
Jessica Alves ◽  
Larissa Pinto ◽  
Karinne Deusdará Leal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydrological Drought ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Current State ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Agriculture Irrigation ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants ◽  
Yield Capacity ◽  
Total Capacity ◽  
Hydrological Droughts

Brazil is heavily reliant on water resources. Hydroelectric plants generate about 64% of all electricity consumed. To increase yield capacity, a 2050 expansion is also planned. 78% of water used is for agriculture (irrigation and livestock), 9% for industry, and 9.1% for urban supply. However, the country has endured the worst droughts in recorded history over the last two decades, resulting in severe socioeconomic and environmental impacts. The purpose of this study was to determine the current state of knowledge regarding hydrological drought patterns, hydrometeorological factors, and their effects on the country’s hydroelectric power plants. Droughts have occurred in most of Brazil’s regions since 2014/15, causing severe impacts in many of the basins studied. Now that most hydroelectric power plants are operating at a fraction of their total capacity, the country’s hydroelectric generation is been impacted.

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