Pumps as turbines used with induction generators for stand-alone micro-hydroelectric power plants

Williams, AA, 1992. Pumps as turbines used with induction generators for stand-alone micro-hydroelectric power plants. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

Centrifugal pumps have been used as turbines for various applications, particularly over the last 20 years. The aim of the current research is to investigate the use of induction motor-driven pump units for micro-hydroelectric generators, particularly for isolated generating schemes.

The research covers an assessment of the potential for the application of direct-drive pump-induction motor units to micro-hydro schemes. An investigation of the requirements of typical micro-hydro schemes has been carried out, including an economic evaluation, with particular reference to installations in developing countries. The advantages and disadvantages of a pump-as-turbine relative to other types of turbine have been assessed. Induction motors used as generators have several advantages over synchronous generators for micro-hydro schemes and have been found to be compatible with the use of pumps-as-turbines.

The main problem with the implementation of pumps-as-turbines, until now, has been the difficulty of obtaining the turbine performance of a particular pump. A review was made of the methods published so far for predicting the turbine performance of pumps, and these predicted characteristics compared with published test data for a wide range of pumps. A criterion was formulated for assessing the accuracy of these prediction methods, taking into account the hydrology and layout of a typical micro-hydro scheme. The most accurate of the existing methods was found to be the method of Sharma.

A new method for the prediction of the turbine performance of centrifugal pumps was derived from the 'area-ratio' pump design method. Tests were carried out on five different pumps and the results compared with the performance predicted by Sharma's method and by the 'area-ratio' method. This new method was found to give, on average, a more accurate turbine performance prediction than the method of Sharma. The method also has other advantages because it is based purely on geometrical data. It can therefore be used even when accurate pump performance data is not available, and can predict the effects on the turbine mode performance of certain modifications to the pump design.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Williams, A.A.
Date:	1992
ISBN:	9781369324044
Identifiers:	Number Type PQ10290155 Other
Rights:	This copy has been supplied for the purpose of research or private study on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	10 Nov 2020 15:37
Last Modified:	04 Oct 2023 15:08
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/41589

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