OPTIMUM DESIGN OF SMALL HYDRO POWER STATIONS FOR HILLY AREAS WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO MANIPUR STATE

Abstract

In India, a large hydro power potential is available in the form of small perennial rivers and streams in the hills of the North and North-Eastern part of the country. While some of the potential has been tapped, most of the power potential is yet to be tapped properly. Generally, high cost of construction due to non availability of economical designs for remote areas discourages the development of such scheme in these areas. Any small hydro scheme should aim at maximising the power output as efficiently and economically as possible at the selected site. In this regard, determination of optimum percentage dependability of flow by analysing the flow data available for a proposed project is one of the important components of design aspects. For small hydro power projects in remote hilly areas, sometimes detailed hydrological investigations or studies are not conducted due to scanty data. In some of the cases, the flow data available is not adequate enough to arrive at a realistic value of design discharge etc. Thus, the projects, being over designed, generally prove to be expensive and running at a very low (part load) efficiency. The in depth study of properties of the catchment, the rainfall over the catchment, the temperature variations in the catchment are also not generally considered for water power studies in case of small hydro power projects. The Dicken's method is most oftenly used for estimation of flood discharge. In the Dicken's equation, Q = CA3'4, the value of C (a constant) has been described in very vague terms for different catchments. There is a need for standardisation of this parameter. This, is possible only after detailed study of catchment, its vegetation cover, its habitation properties etc. Since this equation gives reasonable value of flood discharge at a place which is generally adopted in the analysis, the standardisation of parameter `C' shall make this equation more attractive and adaptable. Nevertheless there are many other methods, which might also suggest a more realistic value of possible flood iii discharge in a basin.