Sri Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College, Puducherry

UNIT III
Hydro and Ocean Energy Electric Technologies

1. Explain about Power equation of hydroelectric power plant?

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2. What are the environmental aspects of hydro electric power plant?

3. Explain about hydro thermal coordination?

(Dec 2015)
Hydro Thermal Coordination:
The hydro generation is planned on the basis of available generating capacities of thermal,
nuclear and hydro power plants. Nuclear power plants are operated with highest load factors for
economic generations and as transportation of fuel is simpler.
Hydro generation is maximized during availability of reservoir level. Thermal generation is
maximized during remaining months.
Coal fired stream thermal power plants lack the flexibility of starting quickly, loading quickly
and stopping quickly due to the thermal nature of the boiler, stream turbine.

Sri Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College, Puducherry

Hence the coal fired thermal power plants are used as base load power plants.
Hydro turbine power plants can be started quickly loaded quickly and load can be changed over
wide range without sacrificing efficiency.
Hydro power plants are designed to operate as base load power plants during monsoon, so as
to utilize water in the reservoir usefully for power generation, instead of letting out of gates
directly.

Some divers originating in snow capped mountains have more flow during monsoon as well
as summer. Hydro schemes on such rivers are suitable for base load operation during summer and
monsoon. Thermal generation may be reduced accordingly.
With rivers drying during summers, the choice is to conserve reservoir water for summers and use
the hydro electric energy to peaking power and coal thermal energy or nuclear energy for base
power.

Sri Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College, Puducherry

Operational flexibility is improved greatly by using a suitable coordination between thermal,

nuclear and hydro power plants with higher percentage share of hydro during high reservoir level
months and using hydro plants for peak sharing during medium hydro reserve months. The hydro
generation may be discontinued during low water levels in reservoirs.