HPP: operating principle, circuit, equipment, power

Virtually everyone imaginesthe purpose of hydroelectric power stations, but only a few reliably understand the operation principle of the HPP. The main mystery for people - how all this huge dam without any fuel generates electrical energy. About this and talk.

What is a hydropower plant?

The hydroelectric power plant is a complex complex,consisting of different structures and special equipment. There are hydroelectric power stations on the rivers, where there is a constant inflow of water to fill the dam and reservoir. Such structures (dams) created during the construction of a hydroelectric power station are necessary for the concentration of a constant flow of water, which, with the help of special equipment for HPP, is converted into electrical energy.

It should be noted that an important role in terms of efficiencyThe work of the hydropower plant is played by the choice of location for construction. It is necessary to have two conditions: guaranteed inexhaustible water supply and a high incline angle of the river.

Principle of operation of hydroelectric power station

The operation of the hydroelectric power plant is quite simple. The erected hydraulic structures provide a stable head of water, which enters the turbine blades. The head drives the turbine into motion, as a result of which it rotates the generators. The latter generate electricity, which is then delivered to the consumer via high-voltage transmission lines.

The main difficulty of such a structure -ensuring a constant head of water, which is achieved by erecting a dam. Thanks to it, a large volume of water is concentrated in one place. In some cases, a natural water current is used, and sometimes a dam and a derivation (natural current) are used together.

In the building there is equipment for hydroelectric power stations,the main task of which is to transform the mechanical energy of the movement of water into electrical energy. This task is assigned to the generator. Also, additional equipment is used to monitor the operation of the station, distributing devices and transformer stations.

Below the picture shows the schematic diagram of the HPP.

As you can see, the water flow rotates the turbine of the generator, it generates energy, delivers it to the transformer for conversion, after which it is transported via the transmission line to the supplier.

Capacities

There are different hydroelectric power stations, which can be divided according to the output:

1. Very powerful - with production of more than 25 MW.
2. Medium - with production up to 25 MW.
3. Small - with production up to 5 MW.

The power of the hydropower plant depends onflow of water and efficiency of the generator itself, which is used on it. But even the most efficient installation will not be able to produce large amounts of electricity with a weak water head. It should also be taken into account that the capacity of the hydroelectric power station is not constant. Due to natural causes, the water level in the dam may increase or decrease. All this has an impact on the amount of electricity produced.

The role of the dam

The most complex, large and generally basic elementany hydropower plant is a dam. It is impossible to understand what a hydropower plant is, without understanding the essence of the dam. They are huge bridges that hold the water flow. Depending on the design, they may differ: there are gravitational, arched and other structures, but their goal is always the same - keeping a large volume of water. It is thanks to the dam that it is possible to concentrate a stable and powerful stream of water, directing it to the turbine blades, which rotates the generator. It, in turn, produces electrical energy.

Technologies

As we already know, the operation principle of the HPP is based onThe use of mechanical energy of the falling water, which is then converted by the turbine and the generator into electrical energy. The turbines themselves can be installed either in the dam or near it. In some cases, a pipeline is used, through which water below the dam level passes under high pressure.

Indicators of capacity of any hydropower plant are several: water flow and hydrostatic head. The last figure is determined by the difference in altitude between the initial and final point of free fall of water. When creating a project, the stations on one of these indicators base the entire structure.

Known manufacturing technologies todayelectricity allows you to obtain high efficiency when converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. Sometimes it is several times higher than similar indicators of thermal power plants. Such high efficiency is achieved due to the equipment applied at the hydroelectric power station. It is reliable and relatively easy to use. In addition, due to the lack of fuel and the allocation of a large amount of thermal energy, the life of such equipment is quite large. Breakdowns here are extremely rare. It is believed that the minimum service life of generator sets and structures in general is about 50 years. Although in fact even today the hydropower stations that were built in the thirties of the last century function quite successfully.

Hydroelectric power stations of Russia

For today in territory of RussiaAbout 100 hydroelectric power stations operate. Of course, their power is different, and most are stations with an installed capacity of up to 10 MW. There are also such stations as Pirogovskaya or Akulovskaya, which were put into operation in 1937, and their capacity is only 0.28 MW.

The largest are Sayano-Shushenskaya and Krasnoyarsk HPPs with a capacity of 6400 and 6000 MW, respectively. They are followed by the station:

1. Bratsk (4500 MW).
2. Ust-Ilimskaya HPP (3840).
3. Bochuganskaya (2997 MW).
4. Volzhskaya (2660 MW).
5. Zhigulevskaya (2450 MW).

Despite the huge number of such stations, they produce only 47,700 MW, which is 20% of the total volume of all energy produced in Russia.

Finally

Now you understand the principle of HPP operation,transforming the mechanical energy of the flow of water into electrical energy. Despite the rather simple idea of ​​obtaining energy, a complex of equipment and new technologies make such structures difficult. However, in comparison with nuclear power plants, they are indeed primitive.