OPTIMAL INSTALLATION OF HYDRO-MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT FOR LOW HEAD SHP

Abstract

Hydro-mechanical equipment contributes substantial part in overall costs of a low head small hydropower projects. Installation of hydro-mechanical equipment depends on the type of equipment especially turbines. The turbine is the most important component of the small hydropower scheme as it affects the cost of civil works as well as electrical equipment. For low head SHP schemes hydro turbine contributes the major part in over all cost of the project. It therefore, become necessary to study the selection of turbine critically. As improper selection of hydro turbines may affect the cost of civil work drastically. Keeping this in view, a study is made under present work of this dissertation for optimal installation of hydro-mechanical equipment to minimize the cost of the project. In order to optimize the cost of the project new technology and site condition have been studied. To analyze the cost of low head SHP projects, data have been collected for cost of the installed/ on going projects. These collected data were analyzed for development of correlation. The correlation for cost of electro-mechanical, electrical equipment and cost of turbine has been developed by linear regression method. An attempt has also been made to find optimum installation of hydro-mechanical equipment turbines in particular.