Mini / Micro Hydro Power Plants
- Installed capacity ranges of different hydro plants.
- Mini and Micro hydro power plants are generally medium or low head and less capacity.
- Today, in the period of energy crisis, one has to find alternatives like energy conversion from sun radiations, wind power, tidal power, MHD generation and also equally important is to erect mini/ micro projects scattered all over the country to supplement the main projects and to fulfill the demand of remote and rural areas where water energy is available.
- In our country there are high head, medium head, large/ medium capacity projects are promoted but mini/ micro projects are neglected.
- But in the present period these mini/ micro hydro projects are given due importance and running satisfactorily.
- For mini micro and hydro projects, a suitable turbine Is “Bulb Turbine”.
- Bulb turbine : In this type of turbine the scrole case has been modified in the form of nearly horizontal tapering duct with the flow passage. This forms a sort of throat where the turbine runner is located. o A straight driving tube acts as a draft tube. This results in minimum hydraulic losses.
- The other type of turbine used for such small plants is shown below connected with generator.
- The main parts of this turbine are : 1. Turbine blades, 2. Turbine rotor, 3. Turbine and generator shift.
Generator parts : 1. Shaft, 2. Rotor, 3. Stator.
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- As seen this unit consists of a runner connected to the shaft that converts the potential energy in falling water into mechanical power. The turbine shaft drives the generator rotor shaft and thus mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy by the generator.
- The major/minor-mini-micro units, their potential and place are shown in the chart (Refer Total Installed Capacity).