home Business blog Micro and small hydroelectric power stations. Small hydropower in the world Small hydroelectric power plants

Micro and small hydroelectric power stations. Small hydropower in the world Small hydroelectric power plants

IN Lately, due to rising electricity tariffs, renewable sources of virtually free energy are becoming increasingly relevant.

Small hydroelectric power station or small hydroelectric power station (SHPP) - a hydroelectric power station that generates a relatively small amount of electricity and is based on hydropower plants with a capacity of 1 to 3000 kW. There is no concept of a small hydroelectric power station generally accepted for all countries; their installed capacity is taken as the main characteristic of such hydroelectric power stations.

Installations for small hydropower are classified by power into:

equipment for mini hydroelectric power stations with a capacity of up to 100 kW;
equipment for micro hydroelectric power plants with a power of up to 1000 kW.

From the well-known classical triad: solar panels, wind generators, hydroelectric generators (hydroelectric power plants), the latter the most complex. Firstly, they work in aggressive conditions, and secondly, they have the maximum operating time in an equal period of time.

It is easiest to make damless hydroelectric power stations, because The construction of a dam is quite complex and expensive and often requires coordination with local authorities or at least with neighbors. Damless mini hydroelectric power stations are called flow-through ones. There are four main options for such devices.

Types of mini hydroelectric power stations

Water wheel is a wheel with blades mounted perpendicular to the surface of the water. The wheel is less than half immersed in the flow. Water presses on the blades and rotates the wheel. There are also turbine wheels with special blades optimized for liquid flow. But these are quite complex designs, more factory-made than home-made.

Garland mini-hydroelectric power station- is a cable with rotors rigidly attached to it. The cable is thrown from one bank of the river to the other. The rotors are strung like beads on a cable and are completely immersed in water. The flow of water rotates the rotors, the rotors rotate the cable. One end of the cable is connected to the bearing, the other to the generator shaft.

Rotor Daria is a vertical rotor that rotates due to the pressure difference on its blades. The pressure difference is created due to the flow of liquid around complex surfaces. The effect is similar to the lift of a hydrofoil or the lift of an airplane wing.

Propeller is an underwater “windmill” with a vertical rotor. Unlike an air propeller, an underwater propeller has blades of minimal width. For water, a blade width of only 2 cm is sufficient. With such a width there will be minimal resistance and maximum speed rotation. This width of the blades was chosen for a flow speed of 0.8-2 meters per second. At higher speeds, other sizes may be optimal.

Advantages and disadvantages of various mini-hydroelectric power plant systems

Flaws garland SHPP obvious: high material consumption, danger to others (long underwater cable, rotors hidden in the water, blocking the river), low efficiency. Garlyandnaya hydroelectric power station is a small dam. Rotor Daria Difficult to manufacture, it needs to be untwisted at the beginning of work. But it is attractive because the rotor axis is located vertically and power can be taken off over water, without additional gears. Such a rotor will rotate with any change in flow direction.

Thus, from the point of view of ease of manufacture and obtaining maximum efficiency with minimal costs, you need to select a design type water wheel or propeller.

Design of a small hydraulic power station

Design of a small hydroelectric power station is based on a hydraulic unit, which includes a power unit, a water intake device and control elements. Depending on what hydro resources are used by small hydropower plants, they are divided into several categories:

Channel or dam stations with small reservoirs;

Stationary mini hydroelectric power stations using the energy of the free flow of rivers;

SHPPs that use existing differences in water levels at various water management facilities;

Mobile mini hydroelectric power plants in containers, used as pressure diversion plastic pipes or flexible reinforced hoses.

Types of hydraulic units for small hydroelectric power plants

The basis for a small hydraulic station is a hydraulic unit, which, in turn, is based on a turbine of one type or another. There are hydraulic units with:

Axial turbines;

Radial-axial turbines;

Bucket turbines;

Rotary blade turbines.

SHPPs are also classified depending on the maximum use of water pressure per:

High-pressure - more than 60 m;

Medium pressure - from 25 m;

Low pressure - from 3 to 25 m.

The types of turbines used in the equipment also differ depending on the water pressure used by the microhydroelectric power plant. Bucket and radial-axial turbines are designed for high-pressure hydroelectric power plants. Rotary-blade and radial-axial turbines are used at medium-pressure stations. At low-pressure small hydroelectric power stations (SHPPs), rotary-blade turbines are mainly installed in reinforced concrete chambers.

As for the operating principle of a mini hydroelectric power station turbine, it is almost identical in all designs: water under pressure flows onto the turbine blades, which begin to rotate. The rotational energy is transferred to a hydrogenerator, which is responsible for generating electricity. Turbines for objects are selected in accordance with certain technical characteristics, among which the main one is water pressure. In addition, turbines are selected depending on the type of chamber that comes with the kit - steel or reinforced concrete.

The power of mini-hydroelectric power plants depends on the pressure and flow of water, as well as on the efficiency of the turbines and generators used. Due to the fact that, according to natural laws, the water level is constantly changing, depending on the season, as well as for a number of other reasons, it is customary to take cyclic power as an expression of the power of a hydroelectric station. For example, there are annual, monthly, weekly or daily work cycles.

When choosing a mini hydroelectric power station, you should focus on power equipment that would be adapted to the specific needs of the facility and meet criteria such as:

Availability of reliable and easy-to-use control and monitoring equipment;

Equipment management in automatic mode with the ability to switch to manual control if necessary;

The generator and turbine of the hydraulic unit must have reliable protection from possible emergency situations;

The area and volume of construction work for the installation of small hydroelectric power stations should be minimal.

Benefits of using mini hydroelectric power stations:

Hydroelectric power plants low power have a number of advantages that make this equipment increasingly popular. First of all, it is worth noting the environmental safety of mini hydroelectric power plants - a criterion that is becoming increasingly important in the light of environmental protection problems. Small hydroelectric power plants do not have a harmful effect on either the properties or the quality of water. The water areas where a low-power hydroelectric power station is installed can be used both for fishing activities and as a source of water supply for populated areas. In addition, for the operation of small hydroelectric power stations there is no need for large reservoirs. They can function using the energy of the flow of small rivers and even streams.

As for economic efficiency, here too micro and mini hydroelectric power plants have many advantages. Stations designed with modern technologies, are easy to operate and are fully automated. Thus, the equipment does not require human presence. Experts note that the quality of the current generated by small hydroelectric power plants meets GOST requirements for both voltage and frequency. At the same time, mini hydroelectric power stations can operate both autonomously and as part of the power grid.

Speaking about small hydroelectric power plants, it is worth noting their advantage, such as their full service life, which is at least 40 years. Well, and most importantly, small-scale energy facilities do not require the organization of large reservoirs with corresponding flooding of the territory and colossal material damage.

One of the most important economic factors is the eternal renewability of hydraulic resources. If we calculate the literal benefits from the use of small hydroelectric power plants, it turns out that the electricity generated by them is almost 4 times cheaper than the electricity that the consumer receives from thermal power plants. It is for this reason that today hydroelectric power plants are increasingly being used to supply power to electrically intensive industries.

Let's not forget that small hydroelectric power plants do not require the purchase of any fuel. In addition, they are distinguished by a relatively simple technology for generating electricity, as a result of which labor costs per unit of power at hydroelectric power plants are almost 10 times less than at thermal power plants.

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INTRODUCTION

Even in ancient times, people paid attention to rivers as an accessible source of energy. To use this energy, people learned to build water wheels that rotated water; these wheels set in motion mill buildings and other installations. The water mill is a shining example the oldest hydroelectric installation, preserved in many countries to this day almost in its original form. Before the invention of the steam engine, water energy was the main motive force in production. As water wheels improved, the power of hydraulic units driving machines, etc. increased. In the 1st half of the 19th century, a hydraulic turbine was invented, which opened up new possibilities for the use of hydropower resources. With the invention of the electric machine and the method of transmitting electricity over significant distances, the development of water energy began by converting it into electrical energy at hydroelectric power plants (HPP)

Small and micro hydroelectric power stations are small hydropower facilities. This part of energy production deals with the use of energy from water resources and hydraulic systems using low-power hydropower plants (from 1 to 3000 kW). Small-scale energy has developed in the world in recent decades, mainly due to the desire to avoid environmental damage caused by the reservoirs of large hydroelectric power stations, due to the ability to provide energy supply in hard-to-reach and isolated areas, as well as due to low capital costs in the construction of stations and quick return on investment (within 5 years). The construction of SHPPs also has broad prospects for development in various regions of the world with transboundary river basins.

Currently, there is no concept of a small hydroelectric power station generally accepted for all countries. However, in many countries, its installed capacity is taken as the main characteristic of such a hydroelectric power station. Small hydroelectric power plants, as a rule, include hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of up to 10 MW (in some countries up to 50 MW).

Small hydropower is free from many of the disadvantages of large hydroelectric power plants and is recognized as one of the most economical and environmentally friendly ways to generate electricity, especially when using small watercourses. Small, micro or nano hydropower plants combine the advantages large hydroelectric power station on the one hand and the possibility of decentralized energy supply on the other hand. They do not have many of the disadvantages characteristic of large hydroelectric power plants, namely: expensive transmissions, problems associated with a negative impact on the environment.

1. PROSPECTS FOR THE USE OF SMALL HYDROPOWER

Over the past decades, small hydropower has taken a stable position in many countries of the world. For example, in 2005, the total capacity of small hydropower plants in the world increased by 8% (5 GW) and reached 66 GW, and it accounted for 36% of the total capacity of all renewable energy sources (excluding large hydropower) and 1.6% of total electric power capacity. Thus, we can say that SHPPs are one of the main sources of electricity among renewable resources.

Developing countries are building small hydropower plants as autonomous sources of electricity in rural areas.

In Switzerland, the share of electricity production from SHPPs reached 8.3%, in Spain - 2.8%, in Sweden - almost 3%, and in Austria - 10%. The leading positions in terms of total generating capacity of SHPPs are occupied by: China (47 GW), Japan (4 GW), USA (3.4 GW), Italy and Brazil.

According to ESHA (European Small Hydropower Association), in 2011 the total installed capacity of SHPPs in the world amounted to 87 GW.

Total capacities of MGES:

Thus, it can be said that small hydropower will remain one of the most important and competitive renewable energy sources. Latin America, North America and Europe have significant hydroelectric potential, most of which has already been used. In East, South Asia and Africa, small hydropower is still underdeveloped, which indicates great potential for its use in these countries.

1.2 IN RUSSIA

renewable source hydropower small

In Russia, zones of decentralized energy supply account for more than 70% of the country's territory. You can still find settlements here that have never had electricity. Moreover, these are not always settlements of the Far North or Siberia. Electrification did not affect, for example, some Ural villages - a region that can hardly be called disadvantaged in terms of energy. Meanwhile, electrification of remote and hard-to-reach populated settlements is not such a difficult matter. So, in any corner of Russia there is a river or stream where a micro-hydroelectric power station can be installed.

The technical and economic potential of small hydropower in Russia exceeds the potential of such renewable energy sources as wind, solar and biomass combined. Currently it is set at 60 billion kWh per year. But this potential is used extremely poorly: only 1%. Not so long ago, in the 1950-60s, we had several thousand small hydroelectric power stations in operation. Now - only a few hundred - the results of distortions in pricing policy and insufficient attention to improving equipment designs and the use of more advanced materials and technologies.

In Russia, small hydropower is represented by damless hydroelectric power plants (HPPs), the power of which does not exceed 30 MW, and the power of a single hydroelectric unit is less than 10 MW.

Currently, throughout Russia, the number of operating SHPPs is estimated from several dozen (60-70 units) to several hundred (200-300 units).

1.3 IN UKRAINE

The fact that after the Second World War, energy supply to Ukraine was carried out mainly through small hydroelectric power is only remembered by historians and industry specialists. In total, at the beginning of the 1960s, there were about 956 small hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 30 thousand kW. For comparison: in 1948, 3 thousand small hydraulic installations operated in the republic. However, due to the development of centralized power supply and the concentration of electricity production at powerful thermal and hydroelectric power stations, the construction of small hydroelectric power stations was stopped. Their conservation and dismantling began, hundreds of mini-hydroelectric power plants were destroyed, and their equipment was stolen.

By the end of the 1980s, only 49 stations were preserved, and until 1995 small hydropower in Ukraine practically no one was doing it. Only in 1996 did the first enthusiasts appear who showed interest in it. Several years ago, at the state level, it was decided to revise energy policy and revive small hydroelectric power plants. According to the Ukrhydroenergo association, 81 small hydroelectric power stations and seven micro-installations with a total capacity of 111.75 MW are operating in Ukraine today, which is only about 5% of the country’s technically possible potential.

Of the currently operating state-owned SHPPs, there are 25, while five of them are on the balance sheet of the State Water Resources Agency and 20 belong to the corresponding oblenergos (“Vinnitsaoblenergo” - five, “Zakarpattia oblenergo” - three, “Kyivenergo” - two, “Kirovogradoblenergo” - four and etc.). In the event of privatization of oblenergos, hydroelectric power stations also pass into private hands. In addition, many small stations were collectively owned, since they were built by collective farms. Today they were almost completely bought out by private owners. Plants that have already been restored are also private (for example, the Yablunetskaya SHPP was purchased by the Novosvit association back in 2002).

The operation of mini-hydroelectric power plants in Ukraine makes it possible to produce about 250 million kWh of electricity per year, which is equivalent to annual savings of up to 75 thousand tons of fossil fuel.

2. PROS AND DISADVANTAGES OF SHPP

One of the main advantages of small hydropower facilities is environmental safety. During their construction and subsequent operation harmful effects on the properties and quality of water no. Reservoirs can be used for fishing activities and as sources of water supply for the population. However, in addition to this, micro and small hydroelectric power stations have many advantages. Modern stations are simple in design and fully automated, i.e. do not require human presence during operation. The electric current they generate meets GOST requirements for frequency and voltage, and the stations can operate in autonomous mode, i.e. outside the power grid of the power system of the region or region, and as part of this power grid. And the full service life of the station is at least 40 years (at least 5 years before overhaul). Well, and most importantly, small-scale energy facilities do not require the organization of large reservoirs with corresponding flooding of the territory and colossal material damage.

During the construction and operation of SHPPs, the natural landscape is preserved and there is virtually no load on the ecosystem. The advantages of small hydropower - compared to power plants using fossil fuels - also include: low cost of electricity and operating costs, relatively inexpensive replacement of equipment, longer service life of hydroelectric power plants (40-50 years), integrated use of water resources (electricity, water supply, reclamation, water protection, fisheries).

Many of the small hydroelectric power plants do not always provide guaranteed energy production, being seasonal power plants. In winter, their energy output drops sharply, snow cover and ice phenomena (ice and sludge), as well as summer low water and drying up of rivers, can completely stop their work. The seasonality of small hydropower plants requires backup energy sources; a large number of them can lead to a loss of reliability of energy supply. Therefore, in many areas, the power of small hydroelectric power stations is considered not as the main one, but as a backup one.

Reservoirs of small hydroelectric power stations, especially in mountainous and foothill areas, have a very acute problem of their siltation and the associated problem of rising water levels, flooding and flooding, reducing the hydropower potential of rivers and generating electricity. It is known, for example, that the reservoir of the Zemonechal hydroelectric power station on the Kura River was silted by 60% within 5 years.

For fisheries, small hydroelectric dams are less dangerous than medium and large ones, which block the migration routes of anadromous and semi-anadromous fish and block spawning grounds. Although, in general, the creation of waterworks does not completely eliminate the damage to the fish stock on the main rivers, because A river basin is a single ecological system and violations of its individual links inevitably affect the system as a whole.

CONCLUSION

From all of the above it follows that small hydropower occupies a stable position both in the world and in Ukraine.

The construction and reconstruction of small hydroelectric power stations will make it possible not only to obtain environmentally friendly electricity, but also to provide electricity to energy-scarce areas where there are no powerful current sources. The development of small hydropower contributes to the decentralization of the overall energy system, which makes it possible to stably provide hard-to-reach villages with electricity. The energy generated by small hydroelectric power plants is used by nearby consumers; accordingly, costs for its transportation are reduced and the reliability of energy supply increases. In addition, hydroelectric power stations can perform other tasks, for example, protecting adjacent areas from seasonal floods.

Taking into account the limited hydro resources in the world, it can be assumed that in the period until 2030, the pace of hydropower development will noticeably decrease, but at the same time the diversification of small hydropower will be supported. With a growth rate of 4.5-4.7%, electricity production at small hydropower plants will reach 770-780 TWh by 2030, which will account for more than 2% of all electricity production in the world. Thus, we can say that small hydropower will remain one of the most important and competitive renewable energy sources in the foreseeable future.

LITERATURE

1. Berezovsky N.I. etc. Energy saving technology

2. Volkov S.G., Hydropower, St. Petersburg, 1997.

3. Energy sources. Facts, problems, solutions, M., Science and Technology, 1997.

4. Mikhailov L.P. Small hydropower

5. Munts V.A. Energy saving in energy and heat technologies

6. Neporozhny P.S., Popkov V.I., Energy resources of the world, M., Energoatomizdat, 1995.

7. Samoilov M.V. Fundamentals of energy conservation

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Small hydropower

In Russia, the energy potential of small rivers is very large. The number of small rivers exceeds 2.5 million (figure verified), their total flow exceeds 1000 km3 per year. According to experts, with today's available means, small hydroelectric power plants in Russia can produce about 500 billion kWh of electricity per year.

Over the past decades, small hydropower has taken a stable position in the electric power industry of many countries around the world. In a number of developed countries, the installed capacity of small hydroelectric power plants exceeds 1 million kW (USA, Canada, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy). They are used as local environmentally friendly energy sources, the operation of which leads to savings in traditional fuels, reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The leading role in the development of small hydropower belongs to the People's Republic of China, where the total installed capacity of small hydropower plants exceeds 13 million kW. In developing countries, the creation of small hydroelectric power stations as autonomous sources of electricity in rural areas is of great social importance. With a relatively low cost of an installed kilowatt and a short investment cycle, small hydroelectric power plants make it possible to provide electricity to settlements remote from the grid.

In the 90s in Russia, the problem of producing equipment for small and micro-hydroelectric power plants was basically solved. It is especially attractive to create small hydroelectric power stations on the basis of previously existing ones, where hydraulic structures have been preserved. Today they can be reconstructed and technically re-equipped. It is advisable to use existing small reservoirs, of which there are more than 1000 in Russia, for energy purposes.

In the middle of the last century, a large number of small hydroelectric power plants operated in Russia (RSFSR), however, subsequently preference was given to large hydropower construction, and small hydroelectric power stations were gradually decommissioned. Today, interest in small hydroelectric power stations has renewed. Despite the fact that they economic characteristics inferior to large hydroelectric power plants, the following arguments work in their favor. A small hydroelectric power station can be built even with the current shortage of capital investments using funds from the private sector of the economy, farms And small businesses. A small hydroelectric power station, as a rule, does not require complex hydraulic structures, in particular, large reservoirs, which on lowland rivers lead to large areas of flooding. Today's developments of small hydroelectric power plants are characterized by full automation, high reliability and a full service life of at least 40 years. Small hydroelectric power plants allow better use of solar and wind energy, since hydroelectric power station reservoirs are able to compensate for their inconsistency. In the Russian Federation, production has been established sufficiently reliable equipment for small hydroelectric power plants, for example, the equipment of St. Petersburg CJSC INSET. (http://www.inset.ru/r/index.htm), which supplied 4 small hydroelectric power stations to the Republic of Belarus (Tanalyk reservoir, Tabuldy village, Uzyanskoye reservoir, SHPP "Sokolki") costing from 9 to 70 thousand rubles. per 1 kW of installed capacity, depending on the capacity of the small hydroelectric power station.

Approximate diagram Feasibility study for the construction of small hydroelectric power stations.

The construction of small hydropower plants (SHPPs) for many reasons has broad prospects for the development of various regions of the world. When compared with large hydroelectric power stations, the consequences of the construction of small hydroelectric power stations have great advantages. However, the unit costs for the construction of SHPPs when individually designed and constructed exceed the unit costs for the construction of large HPPs.
There are two fundamental tasks, the solution of which will ensure a significant reduction in the unit costs of constructed SHPPs:
A. A complex approach in the development of energy supply in this region.
B. Application of unified structural and technological solutions both when creating an SHPP as a whole and its individual elements.
Thus, to solve problem A it is necessary:
1. Of the entire hydropower potential of a certain region, it is necessary to highlight that part of it, the use of which is most economically profitable. This is the so-called “economic hydropower potential of the region.” The following indicators are accepted as the main factors influencing economic potential:
- level of economic development of the region;
- levels and modes of energy consumption;
- structure of all consumption capacities in the balance of the region’s energy system;
- forecast change in the tariff rate per 1 kW/hour.
An important factor influencing the magnitude of the economic potential is the use of the hydropower potential of already regulated watercourses: in reservoirs for non-energy purposes (for irrigation, water supply, etc.), in areas of concentrated drops, in canals, wastewater transfer paths, in structures in water supply systems, treatment plants structures and cooling systems of power units of thermal power plants, along the routes of industrial spillways.
2. All watercourses that make up the economic potential must be systematized and small ones identified among them depending on pressure and flow.
3. After systematizing watercourses and separating small watercourses into a separate category, a preliminary selection of sites for the construction of small hydroelectric power stations should be made.
4. Analysis of the hydrological characteristics of the sites, taking into account data on pressures at the proposed location of the construction of the hydroelectric power station, allows us to make a preliminary assessment of the possible installed capacity of the small hydroelectric power station in this site, as well as to bring together all the diversity possible options SHPPs with different types of turbines to the minimum possible number.
It should be noted that in order to more fully utilize the economic potential of the region, it is possible to use turbines of various sizes at SHPPs, i.e. Depending on the characteristics of the watercourse, turbines with a speed different from that traditionally used at such pressures can be installed at SHPPs.
To solve problem B, it is necessary to take into account a number of circumstances that make it possible to increase economic efficiency construction:
- the design of specific objects should be carried out on the basis of unified design solutions,
- when designing it is necessary to use unified technological processes construction of small hydroelectric power stations.
- design and production of SHPP equipment should be built on a modular principle and consist of unified blocks and assemblies.
Due to the fact that the cost of equipment for small hydroelectric power plants can reach half or even more of the total construction costs, it is necessary to carry out following works:
1. On the unification and standardization of equipment;
2. By creation completely automated equipment, excluding the presence of duty personnel at the hydroelectric power station;
3. By using equipment of simplified design and increased reliability using modern materials;
4. By choosing a flow path that provides the greatest simplification and reduction in cost of building structures without a significant reduction in energy parameters;
5. To ensure a positive suction height, which makes it possible to reduce the volume of the underwater part of the hydroelectric power station building, as well as to reduce the cost and simplify the work;
6. On the use of turbines, mainly single regulation;
7. When assembling equipment, produce it at the manufacturer to reduce the time and cost of on-site installation;
8. On the use of serial generators and multipliers;
9. On the use of unified control systems (the control system of the hydraulic unit must be linked to the automation of the hydroelectric power station);
10. On the use of modern technologies to increase reliability in operation, reduce the cost of technical maintenance and care, and increase service life.

Based on the developed designs of hydraulic units, the task of developing unified aggregate units for given pressure ranges and flow rates of hydraulic turbines for small hydroelectric power plants can be solved relatively simply, since the dimensions of these units can be determined based on the placement conditions of the main and auxiliary equipment. The supply of water through turbine water conduits and its removal through an open outlet channel make it possible in a single manner for all small hydroelectric power stations to constructively solve the condition of the latter’s connection to the hydroelectric power station building.
Analysis of the parameters of small hydroelectric power plants planned for construction will allow us to reduce the entire variety of possible options for hydroelectric power stations with different types of hydraulic units to 2-3 types.
Analysis of the collected information allows us to draw the following conclusions:
1. According to the characteristics of watercourses, it is necessary to construct small hydroelectric power stations of the following categories:
a) Gravity and low-pressure hydroelectric power stations, N = 0-5 m, on which, depending on local conditions channel or axial hydraulic units are installed.
b) Low-pressure hydroelectric power stations, N=5-15 m, on which axial vertical and horizontal units are installed.
2. In order to reduce the number of standard sizes of equipment in order to ensure its serial production, as well as the use of standard building structures consisting of standardized blocks, it is necessary for future SHPPs to systematize and select equipment according to flow and pressure characteristics within each category of SHPPs.
This will significantly reduce the number of standard sizes of equipment, which will increase both the efficiency of turbine production, by reducing the costs of their development, and the efficiency of construction work.
3. Based on the above, it is advisable to have 2-4 standard sizes of hydraulic units, the characteristics of which for selection optimal option would overlap in pressure transition zones. At the same time, to simplify the configuration and reduce construction work in the underwater part of the unit, it is necessary to ensure a positive height H for the location of the hydraulic unit with jet turbines.
4. If possible, SHPP units should be equipped with serial asynchronous generators or motors as generators, and, if necessary, with serial overdrive gears - multipliers. In some cases, serial synchronous generators can be used.
Based on the above and taking into account the inextricability of solving the entire complex of problems, in order to reduce costs when creating small hydroelectric power stations, the following solution algorithm for the above topics is proposed:
I. Carrying out survey and pre-design work with the development of a feasibility study
for the construction of small hydroelectric power stations:
1. Survey of energy consumers
2. Character and graphics electrical loads.
3. Nature and schedules of thermal loads.
4. Survey of water resources
5. Survey work in selected areas.
6. Inspection of the electrical and heat supply circuit
7. Calculation of hydraulic resources of watercourses
8. Selection of options for small hydropower plants (SHPPs).
9. Selecting a scheme for connecting small hydroelectric power stations to existing power grids.
10. Calculation of technical and economic indicators for the construction of small hydroelectric power stations.
11. Formation of technical specifications for the design of small hydroelectric power stations and power equipment.
12. Determination of the list of works for the safe operation of objects.

The cost of performing these works is 2 million rubles.
The time frame for completing the work is 80-90 days from the start of financing.

After completing the feasibility study, it is proposed to carry out the following work:
II. Based on the Feasibility Study, resolve the following issues:
a) determine the total cost of the entire program and the timing of implementation;
b) choose the order of construction and financing of objects (timing, amounts, payment terms);
c) determine ways of technical and economic implementation of the assigned tasks;
d) select standard sizes of aggregate blocks and building modules;
e) carry out the design of aggregate blocks;
f) carry out the design of building modules;
g) carry out the design of turbines, generators, automatic control systems (ACS);
h) manufacture the necessary turbines, generators, self-propelled guns;
i) produce the necessary building modules;
carry out construction and installation of small hydroelectric power stations on site;
j) carry out commissioning work;
k) put the facilities into operation.

It is impossible to ignore generators when reviewing alternative energy sources
Gritskevich. (http://napolskih.com/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=405)

Oleg Vyacheslavovich Gritskevich was born in Vladivostok in 1947, graduated from the Far Eastern Polytechnic Institute, worked in the power automation system of the Baikal region, in the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
At the end of 1999, eight Vladivostok scientists and their families moved to America forever. The design bureau under the leadership of Oleg Gritskevich took from Russia not only its minds, but also unique inventions.

The essence of their development is the creation of a fundamentally new energy generator. As Oleg Gritskevich, the author of the idea and designer of the first installation, noted in a conversation with a Segodnya correspondent, he simply proposed a method of generating energy based on known physical principles, but using unique design solutions. The inventor avoids details. “Old Volt turned in the wrong direction, and everything went wrong: heaps of iron,” he laughs. “And they forgot about electrostatics. Although the first experiments with electrostatics were carried out back in Ancient Greece. And in 20 years we managed to learn how to use this energy."
What Gritskevich says sounds unexpected: “Thanks to this installation, we get access to an inexhaustible source of energy. The generator is quite compact and can fit in every car, airplane, house, factory, even in a container. It is mechanicalless, there is not a single pump. It does not require maintenance and works continuously for 25-30 years, and with the use the latest materials and all 50. At the same time, the power of an average installation is quite large." And a hydromagnetic dynamo is cheap, and therefore, the cost of the energy it generates is 40 times less than at a nuclear power plant, 20 times less than at a thermal power plant, and even 4 times cheaper than the free energy of windmills. The construction of a hydromagnetic dynamo costs $500 per kilowatt. Despite the uniqueness of the description, this installation is quite material.

The idea itself was patented back in 1988 by the USSR State Commission for Inventions and Discoveries as “The generation method and the OGRI electrostatic plasma generator that implements it.” The first prototype operated for more than five years in the mountains of Armenia, supplying electricity to a field research camp. Finally, Gritskevich’s hydromagnetic dynamo received not only a certificate from Rospatent, but also the approval of Russian scientific circles up to the Supreme Innovation Council.

According to the inventor, not a penny of government funds was spent; everything was done at his own expense and with the encouragement and blessing of Academician Viktor Ilyichev. “We worked tirelessly,” says Gritskevich. “One rich Armenian gave money for the first installation, opened a box with money and said, take as much as you need. We asked for 500 thousand rubles in Pavlovian rubles. Then it wasn’t enough, we had to give up some more.” . In 1991, Gritskevich spoke at the Supreme Innovation Council. The council's conclusion is positive. “In 1994, Oleg Soskovets received me,” continues Gritskevich. “But at the same time he said: “The idea is brilliant, but there is no money in the budget for its implementation.” I received answers from both Putin and Stepashin. Rather, from their secretariats. Answers same type - it's great if you find the money. Recognition of world science did not appear immediately. The Institute of Alternative Energy is working on similar problems in the USA. They conducted similar experiments, but their generator turned out to be radioactive. With Gritskevich, everything is environmentally sterile. The maximum that can happen to her is - will boil and explode."

Gritskevich did not contact the Americans on his own. Last year, his design office posted information about the installation online. Responses came from all over the world, even from the Dalai Lama, who awarded a million-dollar prize to the first person to gain access to free energy. “And then they called me from the American Consulate General in Vladivostok,” Gritskevich continues the story, “and invited me to the World Congress of New Energy in Salt Lake City in August of this year. The next morning, they completed all the documents in two hours. The agility was explained by the fact that they had instructions about assistance from the US State Department."
Oleg Gritskevich returned from the congress not so much inspired by the recognition of his colleagues as dumbfounded by the Americans’ proposal to move the entire bureau to the States and continue their research (and also organize serial production of dynamos) on the basis of the design bureau in San Diego, the building of which the military offered him for use. The departure was preceded by months of reflection and negotiations - and the unclaimed invention, along with its creators, left Vladivostok and Russia. There they have already begun to organize the scientific process for the benefit of the American people.

Global Energy” – a trap for ideas!

It is no secret that in the near future the new world energy and economic balance will be determined not by oil and gas monopolies, but by those who own fundamentally new sources of energy. Moreover, this process is inevitable. The most important thing now is who will start and be first. Whoever decides to do this will receive the corresponding opportunities - economic and political.

November 11, 2002 in Brussels at the final press conference after the summit of the heads of state of Russia and the European Union V.V. Putin announced the creation of the international scientific award "Global Energy".

It is believed that its establishment is good opportunity motivate scientists and talented youth around the world for outstanding achievements in the field of energy and energy.

I wonder what the President knows about real Russian developments new energy sources that have already proven their effectiveness and could cause the collapse of the country's largest energy companies - OAO Gazprom, RAO UES of Russia and NK YUKOS, with the support of which this award was established?

How to understand the situation? Either these companies, which initiated the creation of the award, want to get their hands on advanced developments and in the near future transfer their energy control to new energy sources (gas and oil are running out, and they understand this perfectly well), or vice versa - they do not want to allow the spread of new types of energy until all won't they pump out the oil?

Why haven't you been there before? state aid such developers as, for example, Oleg Gritskevich, who with his unique invention in 1999 was forced to leave for the USA? O. Gritskevich’s idea was patented back in 1988 by the USSR State Commission for Inventions and Discoveries as “The generation method and the OGRI electrostatic plasma generator that implements it.”

The first prototype operated successfully for more than five years in the mountains of Armenia, supplying electricity to a field research camp. Gritskevich's hydromagnetic dynamo received not only a certificate from Rospatent, but also the approval of Russian scientific circles up to the Supreme Innovation Council.

His invention was accepted high level with delight... and indignation. “You will ruin our entire oil and gas policy! Where will we put the armadas of energy workers?” - this very revealing phrase was thrown at Gritskevich by one of the participants in the symposium held in 1991 in Atommash.

The situation around the award is truly ambiguous; this was recently confirmed by informed sources:

“A special analytical group has been created under the President of the Russian Federation, whose tasks include searching and analyzing information about real developments in the field of promising energy sources and resource-saving technologies.

What is noteworthy is that, in addition to representatives of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, this closed group, on the initiative of the special services, included two superclass psychics (a man and a woman) who use unconventional methods of obtaining information. They are the ones who give the main conclusion about the prospects of a particular idea.

The goal of the whole idea is to create a controlled situation for the implementation of innovations.

It is understood that, as a result, only those technologies will be allowed onto the market in a dosed manner that, at each specific stage, will not threaten the well-being of the largest energy companies and the entire infrastructure of traditional energy.”

The famous Russian scientist, academician Evgeniy Velikhov believes:

"... The emergence of an international energy prize, which currently has no analogues in any country in the world, is an attempt by the scientific community to show the entire planet its direct interest in improving the fuel and energy complex."

Either the academician is naively mistaken, or simply does not want to see that this is not an “attempt by the scientific community” to show..., but the awakened desire of the monsters of the traditional fuel and energy complex to take...

Taking into account examples of recent indifference to new technologies on the part of the Russian Government and the facts of obstruction of their spread by oil and gas monopolies, much becomes clear.

We are witnessing real steps to control the process of transforming the world economy and redistributing its resources.

In Russia, there are still inventions similar to O. Gritskevich’s generator, and new ones are expected to emerge, but what fate will befall them and their authors?

You probably need to think about this three times before trying to become a nominee for “Global Energy”?!

Of course, there is no inventor in the Russian Federation, but his patents remain http://www.sciteclibrary.ru/rus/catalog/pages/6697.html, which can be found, carry out appropriate R&D and bring the idea to implementation. And you can find O.V. himself. Gritskevich. According to the latest data, he has established industrial production of his generators in South Korea and Bulgaria.
In the context of the energy crisis, with a constant shortage of oil and gas and rising prices for them, in the conditions global warming, alternative energy helps solve 2 problems at once. 1-saves hydrocarbons for chemical production, where it is much more profitable to use them. 2-does not increase the ambient temperature, but lowers it. Of course, with the current trend of constant increase in energy consumption and the transition of humanity completely to such energy sources, the effect of cooling the earth may occur, but such a prospect cannot be close, and already in the described devices there are those that can, in principle, pump energy from space, where it is inexhaustible.

Small hydropower refers to the production of electricity using hydraulic turbines of various capacities installed on permanent watercourses. As a rule, the creation of a hydroelectric power station (HPP) requires the construction of a dam in which hydraulic turbines are installed, but it is also possible to create damless HPPs.

By micro-hydroelectric power stations we mean stations with a power of up to 100 kW, and by small hydroelectric power stations - with a total installed capacity of up to 30 MW with a power of a single hydraulic unit of up to 10 MW and a hydraulic turbine impeller diameter of up to 3 m. In most cases, it is assumed that small hydroelectric power plants are installed in small rivers and watercourses. SHPPs can operate on regulated flow or without back-up on natural flow. For SHPPs, idle discharges through the dams of large hydroelectric complexes and sluices, differences in levels of large masses of water on industrial enterprises, water discharges from mining and processing plants, thermal power plants, state district power plants, nuclear power plants, etc. Small hydroelectric power plants are also built on irrigation canals.

Like any other method of energy production, the use of small and micro-hydroelectric power plants has both advantages and disadvantages.

Among the economic, environmental and social advantages of small hydropower facilities are the following. Their creation increases the energy security of the region, ensures independence from fuel suppliers located in other regions, and saves scarce organic fuel. The construction of such an energy facility does not require large capital investments or a large number of energy-intensive building materials and significant labor costs, it pays off relatively quickly.

In the process of generating electricity, the hydroelectric power station does not produce greenhouse gases and does not pollute the environment with combustion products and toxic waste, which meets the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. Such objects do not cause induced seismicity and are relatively safe during the natural occurrence of earthquakes. They do not have a negative impact on the lifestyle of the population, on animal world and local microclimatic conditions.

The problem with small hydropower plants is their vulnerability to failure, leaving consumers without power supply. The solution to the problem is the creation of reserve generating capacities - a wind turbine, a mini-cogeneration boiler house, a photovoltaic installation, etc.

The most common type of accident at small hydropower facilities is the destruction of the dam and hydraulic units as a result of overflow over the dam crest due to an unexpected rise in the water level and failure of shut-off devices. In some cases, SHPPs contribute to the siltation of reservoirs and influence channel-forming processes.

There is a certain seasonality in electricity generation, when in winter and summer, due to a decrease in flow on the watercourse, the power of SHPPs is significantly reduced.

Factors hindering the development of small hydropower in Russia are:

lack of information among potential users about the benefits of using SHPPs;
poor knowledge of the hydrological regime of small watercourses;
lack of scientifically based methods for assessing and predicting possible impacts on the environment and economic activities;
low production and repair base of enterprises producing equipment for small hydroelectric power plants;
lack of serial equipment for mass construction of small hydroelectric power stations.

Small hydroelectric power stations

Even in ancient times, people paid attention to rivers as an accessible source of energy. To use this energy, people learned to build water wheels that rotated water. These wheels drove millstones and other installations. The water mill is a striking example of the oldest hydropower installation, preserved in many countries to this day almost in its original form. Before the invention of the steam engine, water energy was the main motive force in production. As water wheels improved, the power of the hydraulic units driving the machines increased. In the first half of the 19th century, a hydraulic turbine was invented, which opened up new possibilities for the use of hydropower resources. With the invention of the electric machine and the method of transmitting electricity over long distances, the development of water energy began by converting it into electrical energy at hydroelectric power stations (HPPs).

Small and micro-hydroelectric power plants are small hydropower facilities. This part of energy production deals with the use of energy from water resources and hydraulic systems using low-power hydropower plants (from 1 to 3000 kW). Small-scale energy has developed in the world in recent decades, mainly due to the desire to avoid environmental damage caused by the reservoirs of large hydroelectric power stations, due to the ability to provide energy supply in hard-to-reach and isolated areas, as well as due to low capital costs for the construction of stations and rapid return on investment. The construction of SHPPs also has broad prospects for development in various regions of the world with transboundary river basins.

Currently, there is no concept of small hydroelectric power station generally accepted for all countries. However, in many countries, its installed capacity is taken as the main characteristic of such a hydroelectric power station. Small hydroelectric power plants, as a rule, have a capacity of up to 30 MW. Small hydropower is free from many of the disadvantages of large hydroelectric power plants and is recognized as one of the most economical and environmentally friendly ways to generate electricity, especially when using small watercourses. Small, micro- or nano-hydroelectric power plants combine the advantages of a large hydroelectric power station on the one hand and the possibility of decentralized energy supply on the other hand.

Features of small hydropower plants

IN last years The practice of installing small hydroelectric power stations is widespread. A power plant of this type is an installation in which all types of equipment are hydroelectric devices. Depending on the capacity of the installations, they are graded into mini-hydroelectric power plants with a power not exceeding 10 MW, micro-hydroelectric power stations with a power not exceeding 0.1 MW, and small hydroelectric power stations with a power from 10 to 30 MW. The diagram of the hydroelectric power station is shown in Fig. 2.1.

Rice. 2.1. Diagram of the hydroelectric power station: 1 – reservoir; 2 – shutter; 3 – transformer substation with switchgear; 4 – hydrogenerator; 5 – hydraulic turbine

The hydraulic unit of a small hydroelectric power station consists of a power unit, a water intake unit and control elements. According to the type of hydro resources that are used in the operation of small hydroelectric power plants, they can be divided into:

stations of channel or dam type with small-volume reservoirs;
mini-stations of a stationary nature, the operation of which uses the energy of the free flow of rivers;
hydroelectric power plants that operate using the energy of existing water level differences.

Turbines for hydraulic units of small hydroelectric power plants exist:

axial type;
radial-axial design;
bucket design;
with rotary-blade devices.

Turbines are used depending on the water pressure used by the hydroelectric power plant. Thus, bucket and radial-axial turbines have been developed and used for high-pressure mini-stations. Turbines with rotary blade and radial-axial devices are used in medium-pressure hydroelectric power plants. At low-pressure low-power stations, rotary-blade turbines are installed.

The principle of operation of all types of turbines is the same; under the pressure of water entering the blades, they carry out rotational movements. The power of all hydroelectric mini-stations depends on water pressure and flow, on the efficiency of installed generators and turbines.

When choosing a low-power hydroelectric power station, it is necessary to take into account that all equipment must be adapted to specific conditions, meet the needs and purpose of the facility and meet certain aspects. All equipment must be equipped automatic systems management and control of work with the ability to switch to manual control in cases of emergencies and sudden power outages. Small hydroelectric power plants must be equipped with reliable protection and safety systems.

Advantages and disadvantages of small hydropower plants

One of the main advantages of small hydropower facilities is environmental safety. During their construction and subsequent operation there are no harmful effects on the properties and quality of water. Reservoirs can be used for fishing activities and as sources of water supply for the population. However, in addition to this, micro- and small hydroelectric power stations have many advantages. Modern stations are simple in design and fully automated. The electric current they generate meets GOST requirements for frequency and voltage, and the stations can operate both in autonomous mode and as part of the electrical network. Small-scale energy facilities do not require the organization of large reservoirs with corresponding flooding of the territory and colossal material damage.

During the construction and operation of SHPPs, the natural landscape is preserved and there is virtually no load on the ecosystem. The advantages of small hydropower, compared to power plants using fossil fuels, also include: low cost of electricity and operating costs, relatively inexpensive replacement of equipment, longer service life of hydroelectric power plants (40–50 years), integrated use of water resources (electric power, water supply, reclamation, water protection, fisheries).

The construction and reconstruction of small hydroelectric power stations will make it possible not only to obtain environmentally friendly electricity, but also to provide electricity to energy-deficient areas where there is no centralized power supply. The development of small hydropower contributes to the decentralization of the overall energy system, which makes it possible to stably provide hard-to-reach regions with electricity. The energy generated by small hydroelectric power plants is used by nearby consumers. At the same time, costs for its transportation are reduced and the reliability of energy supply increases.

Regions of development and technological limitations

Small hydropower is one of the most understandable areas for the development of renewable energy sources for investors. The development of small hydropower is now promising in areas with a high density of hydropower resources, especially in regions where there is no centralized power supply and a shortage of capacity (Fig. 2.2).

Rice. 2.2. Regional hydropower resources Russian Federation

The most promising regions of the Russian Federation for the development of small hydropower are the Republics of the North Caucasus: Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Adygea, as well as the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, Karelia, Murmansk region, Southern Siberia, Baikal region and regions of the Far East.

Hydropower potential of Russia and its use

Hydropower potential, like other natural resources, is assessed in several categories to reflect natural-physical, technical and socio-economic aspects. Three assessment categories are defined:

gross hydropower potential, i.e. the full supply of energy that rivers carry;
technical hydropower potential - part of the gross potential, the development of which is, in principle, feasible with the help of known technical means;
economic hydropower potential is part of the technical potential, the development of which seems cost-effective and appropriate.

Gross potential (theoretical or potential hydropower resources) is determined by the formula

where E is energy, kW h; Q i- average annual river flow per i-th section under consideration, m 3 /s; H i- drop in river level in this area, m; n - number of sections; 8760 is the number of hours in a year.

It is calculated on the assumption that the entire flow will be used to generate electricity without losses when converting hydraulic energy into electrical energy.

The world's potential hydropower resources are estimated at 35,000 billion kWh per year, Russia's potential resources are 2896 billion kWh.

Technical hydropower resources are always less than theoretical ones, since they take into account losses:

hydraulic pressures in water conduits, pools, and unused sections of watercourses;
water consumption for evaporation from reservoirs, filtration, idle discharges, etc.;
energy in various hydropower equipment.

Technical resources characterize the possibility of obtaining energy at the present stage.

Russia's technical hydropower resources amount to 1,670 billion kWh per year, including 382 billion kWh per year from small hydropower plants.

Electricity generation at operating hydroelectric power stations in Russia in 2002 amounted to 170.4 billion kWh, including 2.2 billion kWh at small hydroelectric power stations.

Economic hydropower resources significantly depend on progress in the energy sector, the distance of the hydroelectric power station from the place of connection to the energy system, and the provision of the region in question with other energy resources, their cost, quality, etc.

Table 4.1 shows the values of the economically effective hydropower potential of Russia.

Table 4.1 Cost-effective hydropower potential of Russia, TWh/year

In 2003, Russian SHPPs generated about 2.5 billion kWh of electricity, which amounted to less than 0.3% of the total electricity generation in Russia. For comparison, at the end of the 1980s, small hydroelectric power plants in the USA and China respectively generated 28 and 11 billion kWh of electricity.

In terms of their potential, Russia's hydro resources are comparable to the existing volumes of electricity generated by all power plants in the country, but only 15% of this potential is used. Due to the rising costs of fossil fuel production and the corresponding increase in its value, it seems necessary to ensure the maximum possible development of hydropower. It is assumed that hydropower will primarily develop in Siberia and Far East. In European regions, the construction of small hydroelectric power stations will be developed in the North Caucasus.

Approximately 17% of the country's total hydropower potential comes from small rivers. The full energy potential of these rivers is estimated at 360 million tons of fuel equivalent. per year, of which technical - 125 million tons of fuel equivalent. (35%), economic - 65 million tons of fuel equivalent. (18%). It can be realized through the construction of small hydroelectric power stations.

About 40% of the hydropower potential of the rivers of the North Caucasus is in Dagestan, which in the total energy potential is 50.8 billion kWh per year. Until the 1990s. The economically viable potential of the rivers of Dagestan was estimated at 16 billion kWh. Of these, 12 billion kWh were supposed to be developed by large and medium-sized hydroelectric power plants, and 4 billion kWh by small hydroelectric power plants. Currently, there is a reassessment of the economically feasible potential of the rivers of Dagestan, in the direction of increasing it, including the share attributable to small hydroelectric power plants.

For the 1940s–1950s. the peak of SHPP construction occurred, when up to 1,000 facilities were put into operation annually. According to various estimates, by 1955 there were from 4000 to 5000 small hydroelectric power stations in the European part of Russia. And the total number of small hydroelectric power stations in the USSR after the end of the Great Patriotic War was 6500 units.

In the early 1950s, due to the transition to the construction of large energy facilities and the connection of rural consumers to centralized power supply, this area of energy lost state support, which led to almost complete destruction and decline of the previously created infrastructure. The design, construction, and production of equipment and spare parts for small hydropower have ceased.

By the time of the collapse of the USSR in 1990, there were only 55 operating SHPPs. According to the data different sources, currently there are from 70 to 350 SHPPs operating throughout Russia.

In recent years, the share of electricity generated at hydroelectric power stations in Russia's overall energy balance has been declining. In 1995 it was 21%, in 1996 - 18%, 1997 - 16%. This is due both to the obsolescence and wear and tear of equipment at the hydropower giants of the past, and to the increase in the country’s energy balance of the share of a more convenient energy resource - natural gas.

According to experts, electricity generation at hydroelectric power stations will increase in the near future. This will happen mainly in regions with decentralized power supply due to the commissioning of new small hydroelectric power stations, which will replace aging and uneconomical diesel power plants.

The main purpose of SHPPs in the coming years will be to replace fossil fuels imported to remote regions of Russia in order to reduce federal budget expenses and increase the efficiency and energy security of energy-deficient regions.

There are more than 3,000 diesel power plants in the Far Eastern region. The region's electricity supply depends entirely on the stability of supplies diesel fuel. Due to the high cost of diesel fuel and its delivery, there has been a need to replace it with other energy resources. The region's power supply can be optimized through the construction of small hydroelectric power stations.

In recent years, schemes for the use of hydro resources have been developed and priority objects for possible construction have been identified, taking into account the needs of consumers. It is planned to build 20 small hydroelectric power stations on the Kamchatka Peninsula. First of all, it is planned to put into operation six hydroelectric power plants with a total installed capacity of 50.2 MW. These power plants will be built on rivers where commercial fish farming is not developed, or they will be built without dams. In the second phase, another 11 hydroelectric power stations with a total capacity of 132.8 MW will be put into operation. By 2015, the construction of three more hydroelectric power stations will be completed, with a total capacity of 300 MW.

The North Caucasus is also an energy-deficient region. In recent years, small hydroelectric power stations have been built in Adygea (250 kW), Kabardino-Balkaria (1100 kW), Krasnodar region(2450 kW).

According to the program for the construction of small hydroelectric power stations in Dagestan, the 20 most promising projects in the river basin Sulak with a total capacity of 46,200 kW, electricity generation of 274.4 million kWh and 12 of the most promising SHPPs in Southern Dagestan with a total capacity of 11,700 kW, with a total average annual electricity generation of 68 million kWh. Akhtinskaya SHPP (1800 kW), Agulskaya SHPP (600 kW), Arakulskaya SHPP (1200 kW), Amsarskaya SHPP (1000 kW), Kurushskaya SHPP (480 kW), Bavtugaiskaya SHPP (600 kW), Gunibskaya SHPP (15000 kW) were put into operation ), Maginskaya SHPP (1200 kW), Shinazskaya SHPP (1400 kW).

The JSC HydroOGK program for the construction and restoration of small hydroelectric power stations provides for the commissioning of 300 MW of capacity at small hydroelectric power stations by 2010 and 3000 MW of capacity by 2020 (mainly in the North Caucasus).

The expansion of the small hydroelectric power station network will make it possible to supply mountainous areas with electricity in full, which will lead to a dramatic improvement in the social conditions of life of mountain residents, the expansion of existing and the creation of new industries (irrigation systems, workshops for the production of building materials, water supply and sewerage systems, agro-industrial complexes, etc. ) and, accordingly, to the creation of additional jobs. Ultimately, supplying electricity to mountainous areas based on the use of renewable and environmentally friendly hydraulic energy will contribute to the revival and development of remote mountain villages and the consolidation of indigenous populations.

Pressure creation and main equipment of hydroelectric power stations

To create pressure at a hydroelectric power station, the following schemes can be used:

dam, in which the pressure is created by a dam;
derivation, when the pressure is created using derivation (diversion, deflection), performed in the form of a channel, tunnel or pipeline;
combined, in which the pressure is created by a dam and diversion.

The dam scheme provides for the creation of backwater to the watercourse level by constructing a dam. The resulting reservoir can be used as a regulating tank, allowing periodic accumulation of water reserves and more complete use of the energy of the watercourse.

In the diversion scheme, water is removed from the natural channel through an artificial conduit that has a lower longitudinal slope. The water level at the end of such a conduit is higher than the water level in the river, and this difference in levels is the pressure of the hydroelectric power station. The greater the slope of the river and the longer the diversion, the greater the head that can be obtained. The diversion can be non-pressure - a channel, tray, non-pressure tunnel or pressure - pressure tunnel, pipeline. In practice, there are mixed hydroelectric power station schemes: dam-diversion systems, in which the pressure is created by both the dam and the diversion, and mixed diversion systems, in which there are both pressure and free-flow conduits.

Diversion hydroelectric power stations are built on mountain rivers and foothill areas where there are significant slopes. Using diversion, pressures of 1000 m or more can be obtained.

The main power equipment of hydroelectric power stations are hydraulic turbines and generators.

A hydraulic turbine converts the energy of water movement into mechanical energy of rotation of its impeller. Depending on the principle of energy conversion, hydraulic turbines are divided into active and reactive.

Active turbines use the kinetic part of the flow energy (velocity pressure).

Reaction turbines (Fig. 4.1) use predominantly the potential energy of the flow (pressure energy).

Rice. 4.1. Jet axial turbine

At a hydroelectric power station, the turbine and generator are connected by a common shaft. Their rotation frequencies depend on the number of pole pairs of the generator rotor and the alternating current frequency, which must correspond to the standard one. To obtain unit speeds close to optimal, turbines with low speed coefficients are used at high pressures, and with high speed coefficients at high pressures. large values this coefficient.

The INSET association (St. Petersburg) produces hydraulic units for small hydroelectric power plants with a unit capacity of up to 5000 kW and for micro hydroelectric power stations with a capacity of 3 to 100 kW. Hydraulic units are designed for operation in a wide range of pressures and flow rates with high energy characteristics and are produced with propeller, radial-axial and bucket turbines. The delivery set usually includes a turbine, a generator and an automatic control system for a hydraulic unit.

JSC Tyazhmash (Syzran) supplies hydraulic turbines with a capacity of 15,000 for small hydroelectric power stations, and also carries out repairs and restoration of individual components, installation and commissioning of equipment.

Hydropower equipment for small hydropower plants is being developed by NPO RAND (St. Petersburg). Hydraulic turbines have been created that make it possible to effectively use low pressures. The power of such installations ranges from 6–20 to 2500 kW.

In recent years, submersible free-flow hydraulic turbines have been developed that use the speed of water flow in watercourses to generate power and do not require the construction of dams. To place submersible hydraulic turbines, you can use watercourses that have sufficient width and depth, as well as a water flow speed of about 3 m/s.

Portable submersible hydraulic turbines can be widely used if necessary to quickly generate electricity with minimal time and financial costs.

Micro-hydroelectric power plants (with a capacity of up to 100 kW) can be installed almost anywhere. The hydraulic unit consists of a power unit, a water intake device and a device automatic regulation(Fig. 4.2).

Rice. 4.2. Micro-hydroelectric power station

Micro-hydroelectric power plants are simple. They are reliable, environmentally friendly, compact, and quickly pay for themselves. First of all, micro-hydroelectric power stations are in demand as sources of electricity for villages, farmsteads, holiday villages, and farms; mills, small industries in remote, mountainous and hard-to-reach areas where there are no nearby power lines (and building such lines now takes longer and is more expensive than purchasing and installing micro-hydroelectric power stations).

A large number of micro-hydroelectric power plants can be built on water supply and irrigation hydroelectric complexes. In water supply systems, in sections of the route with a large difference in surface elevations, instead of various types of energy (pressure) absorbers, micro-hydroelectric power stations can be built. With water flow rates ranging from 5 to 100 l/s, their power can reach from 20 to 200 kW.

Interesting design solutions are implemented by some foreign companies. Figure 4.3 shows the design of an inflatable spillway dam offered by Dyrhoff. Instead of traditional materials for dams: concrete, steel and wood, the company uses a “bubble” made of reinforced rubber. To create pressure, the dam is inflated with air or filled with water with a pressure 20–30% greater than the pressure (h).

Rice. 4.3. Inflatable spillway dam

The “bubble” is held on a concrete base using anchors. The compressor or pump is connected to the internal cavity of the dam through a pipeline located in the concrete foundation. The convenience of this design lies in the fact that, if necessary, you can quickly and easily release air from the cavity and the “bubble” will sink to the bottom, allowing water to pass freely downstream. This property of the dam can best be used on rivers with rapidly growing high-water floods for the transit passage of water. It is possible to use these dams for seasonal passage of fish and ice. The advantages of this dam, according to the manufacturer, are low cost, ease of operation and minimal operating costs.

Rice. 4.4. Coanda Screen Dam

Another, no less interesting project is the water intake dam with the Coanda screen (Fig. 4.4). Today, more than 40 water intakes of small hydroelectric power plants in Europe are equipped with such screens. These screens are self-cleaning and therefore require low operating costs. Essentially, the water intake consists of a spillway dam, through the crest of which water flows and on the downstream side of which there is an inclined profiled surface of a screen made of corrosion-resistant material. Through the lattice structure of the screen, the water falls down and enters the pipeline or channel that supplies water to the hydroelectric power station. Due to the special configuration of the screen bars, floating debris, sediment and fish roll down the screen with some of the water. The Coanda screen is capable of eliminating 90% of particles as small as 0.5 mm.

The accelerated development of small hydropower can be prompted by accidents that are becoming more frequent in the country's energy system, since hydraulic units can be sources of autonomous power. Another acceleration factor is environmental requirements to the generated energy, which has become even more relevant in connection with the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol.

Today, small hydropower plants (micro-hydroelectric power plants) have already become widespread in many countries of the world. They are characterized by long operating hours, significant design margins and high reliability, and do not require the constant presence of maintenance personnel. The environmental consequences of the construction and operation of SHPPs are minimal. Small hydropower is practically independent of weather conditions and is capable of providing a stable supply of electricity to the consumer. SHPPs generate cheap electricity, and their payback period does not exceed 3–5 years.

Energy and power of hydroelectric power stations

Power (kW) at the hydraulic turbine shaft is determined as

where Q t is the water flow through the hydraulic turbine m 3 /s; H - turbine head taking into account losses, m; η t - coefficient useful action(efficiency) turbine (η t = 0.93–0.96).

Generator electrical power

where η gene is the efficiency of the hydrogenerator, usually equal to 0.97.

The power of the unit is regulated by changing the flow of water passing through the hydraulic turbine. Hydroelectric power capacity in i the th moment of time is equal to

where Q g i, H g i, η g i are the flow rate, pressure and efficiency of the hydroelectric power station in i th moment in time.

Hydroelectric power generation (kW h) for the time period T (h) is determined by the formula

The annual electricity production of a hydroelectric power station is not a constant value, but varies depending on the volume of runoff entering the reservoir, the degree of its regulation and the operating conditions of the hydroelectric power station.

The electrical power supplied to the consumer is less than the power produced by the hydroelectric power station. The sum of all losses during the transmission of electricity from a hydroelectric power station to the consumer is estimated using the efficiency of the transmission and conversion system η trans = 0.92–0.93.

The installed capacity of a hydroelectric power station N mouth is determined as the sum of the rated (certified) capacities of the generators installed on it. It corresponds to the maximum power that a hydroelectric power station can develop.

Pumped storage power plants

A pumped storage power plant (PSPP) is designed to redistribute energy and power in the power system over time. During off-peak hours, the PSPP operates as a pumping station. Due to the energy consumed, it pumps water from the lower pool to the upper one and creates hydropower reserves (Fig. 4.5).

Rice. 4.5. Schematic diagram PSPP

During peak load hours, the pumped storage power plant operates like a hydroelectric power station. Water from the upstream is passed through turbines to the downstream, and the pumped storage power plant generates and supplies electricity to the power grid. During operation, a pumped storage power plant, due to the difference in tariffs, consumes cheap electricity, and produces more expensive electricity during peak load periods (at night the cost of electricity is lower due to low demand, and during the day there is not enough electricity). By filling load gaps in the power system, pumped storage power plants allow the operation of thermal and nuclear power plants in the most economical and safe mode, while sharply reducing the specific fuel consumption for the production of 1 kWh of electricity in the power system.

Thus, the PSPP does not generate energy, but only redistributes it over time by pumping water from the lower pool to the upper one at night and using the stored energy during periods of maximum load by passing water from the upper basin to the lower one through the turbines of the PSPP.

The advantage of pumped storage power plants is the small amount of required specific capital investments and the number of operating personnel. They do not require large rivers, have a lower environmental impact than other energy sources, perform well and are widely used in synchronous compensator mode, generating reactive power.

PSPPs primarily use reversible hydraulic machines, operating in both pump and turbine modes, and reversible electric machines, operating as a generator or electric motor. Reversible hydraulic machines create pressures up to 1000 m.

The efficiency of a pumped storage power plant largely depends on the amount of pressure used: the higher it is, the more efficient the pumped storage power plant, which is primarily due to a decrease in the capacity of the pools. Thus, specific capital investments in pumped storage power plants with an increase in pressure from 100 to 500 m are reduced by 20–25%.

In industrialized countries, intensive commissioning of new hydropower capacities is ensured, as a rule, by the construction of pumped storage power plants.

Zagorskaya PSPP-1 is the first and so far the only PSPP in Russia. PSPP-1 is located 100 km north of Moscow on the Kunya River, which feeds the lower basin of the PSPP. During its construction, the natural height difference between the upper and lower basins, reaching 100 m, was used. With the launch of the last unit in 2000, PSPP-1 reached its design capacity of 1200 MW. To solve the energy supply of the Central region of Russia, it is necessary to build four more similar stations.

Unlike hydroelectric power plants, pumped storage power plants use water in a closed cycle to generate electricity and cause minimal damage environment. To replenish water losses due to evaporation and seepage into the ground, water is recharged, circulating between both basins. The recharge is carried out from an open source and its flow rate is much lower than the circulation flow rate.

Small hydroelectric power stations have been built and successfully operated in specific northern conditions since late XIX V. Since the 1940s, the construction of small and mini-hydroelectric power plants (SHPPs) has been widely practiced in Russia. The lack of sufficient generating capacity in centralized energy systems, as well as the high cost of connecting to them, made the option of constructing and operating SHPPs quite cost-effective. They basically operated as independent energy producers, isolated from large energy systems. By 1959, the number of small hydroelectric power stations was about 5 thousand, and their total capacity reached 482 MW. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory in 1961 in the North Yenisei region on the river. Yenashimo HPP with a capacity of 5,500 kW came into operation.

Expansion of the construction of large power plants simultaneously with intensive construction of power lines in the 1960s - 1970s. made the operation of mini-hydroelectric power stations unprofitable due to the lack of modern systems automatic regulation and control, as well as a lack of qualified specialists.

Recently, the country has resumed work on the design and construction of small and micro hydroelectric power stations.

On the territory of Russia, even in areas of developed electric power systems, there are a significant number of small isolated consumers, whose power supply is carried out from autonomous sources. This category includes remote rural settlements, mining fields, settlements of cattle breeders, hunters and fishermen, farms, as well as other small consumers located in inaccessible and remote areas. For these areas, it is advisable to use small hydroelectric power plants.

Small hydroelectric power plants can be implemented in the form of low-pressure and free-flow stations. Free-flow micro hydroelectric power plants of submersible and floating type with a power of up to 100 kW have a minimum cost of manufacturing, installation and operation. Submersible micro hydroelectric power stations with year-round operation are convenient for small villages and farms. They can be used stand-alone or in parallel with diesel power plants. Floating installations can be used in the summer in prospecting parties, on pastures, etc.

In the conditions of Siberia, a large number of small rivers with the necessary reserves of hydro resources makes it possible to solve the problem of power supply to low-power consumers quite economically.

Choosing the optimal design of a small hydroelectric power station is a complex task, including the choice of design parameters of the watercourse and the power of one module, the design of the turbine and generator, and the layout of the entire power station. The use of float micro-hydroelectric power plants is cheaper, and the design itself is much simpler. Its disadvantage is the seasonal nature of the work and the requirement that there is no timber rafting on the river.

Micro hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 16 kW has been produced by the Tyazhelektromash plant in Bishkek since 1988. The design study of the station, including the hydraulic turbine, was carried out by the Design, Construction and Technological Institute (PKTI) Water Automation and Metrology in Bishkek.

An auto-ballast type voltage and frequency stabilization system was developed in Tomsk and brought to mass production as a result of the joint efforts of TPU and PKTI “Water Automation and Metrology”.

In Siberian Federal University under the leadership of professors A.L. Vstovsky and M.P. Golovin, preliminary designs of end-mounted synchronous generators with excitation from permanent magnets were developed, which have a rotation speed of 75 rpm to 1500 rpm and allow their use in installations without a multiplier (weight and the dimensions of these generators in comparison with mass-produced ones, taking into account the mass of the multiplier, are 35–40% lower, and their cost will also be lower in the conditions of well-functioning mass production). The flow speed, depth and width of some Siberian rivers on which it is possible to install floating free-flow micro-hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of up to 50 kW in a module have been determined.

The design of a micro hydroelectric power station developed at Siberian Federal University based on an end-mounted generator driven by an orthogonal turbine made it possible to create an autonomous source of energy supply, which in terms of quantitative and qualitative indicators has no analogues in world practice. The design of an autonomous power plant due to the use of the proposed generator in it is transportable, has relatively small dimensions and weight, and a simplified installation and operation scheme. When manufacturing a generator, no specialized equipment is required.