Table Of Content

MICROFICHE REFERENCE LIBRARY A project of Volunteers in Asia By: Allen R. lnversin Published by: NRECA International Foundation 1800 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20036 Available from: NRECA International Foundation 1800 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20036 Tel: (202) 857-9696 Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this microfiche document in any form is subject to the same restrictions as those of the original document. mctical mentation Countri ICRO-LWDROBOWER SOURCEBOOK A Practical Guide to Design and Implementation in Developing Countries by Allen R. lnversin NRECA International Foundation Washington, DC. MICRO-HYDROPOWER SOURCF3OOK Copyright 0 1986 NRECA International Foundation 1800 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20036 202-857-9696 All rights reserved. No part of this hook may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in connection with reviews written specifically for inclusion in a magazine or newspaper. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 8641178 First printing, June 1986 Second printing, June 1990 Printed in the United States of America Cover design by Gail L. Thompson Additional copies of this book cau be ordered from the NRECA International Foundation. Order forms, with publication and shipping costs, can be found at the back of this book. PREFACE Although worldwide interest in harnessing small-hydropower resources by means of micro-hydropower plants (less than about 100 kW) is increasing, few published guides exist for those implementing such projects. Some publications deal primarily with larger small- hydropower plants, leaving developers of micro-hydropower sites with few options but to reduce the s&e of designs and approaches to implementation that are more appropriate for large plants. Consequently, such publications unconsciously promote the development of micro-hydropower schemes that do not take advantage of the unique factors encountered in implementing plants at the “micro’ end of the small-hydropower range-factors which must be considered if this resource is to be harnessed cost-effectively. Other publications cover micro-hydropower technology but are incomplete, for example, making only cursory mention of power canals, even though a survey of micro-hydropower plants around the world would indicate that power canals are used at most sites. 4nd finally, most publications are written primarily for a western audience and address western needs within the context of western standards and realities. Although those implementing micro-hydropower plants have gained a wealth of experience during the last several decades, few have documented their efforts. Therefore, beginning with my personal efforts at implementing a micro-hydropower project in Papua New Guinea 10 years ago and continuing with numerous overseas consultancies with NRECA the last 5 years, I have gathered technical inEormation and practical experiences that address the needs of those interested in implementing micro-hydropower schemes in developing countries. In this Sourcebook, I present detailed descriptions of many aspects of planning and implementing such schemes and document experiences from around the world. Small hydropower can make a substantial impact in developing countries where significant waterpower resources exist and where economically viable alterna- tives are few. This publication focuses on these countries’ needs and meeting those needs within the particu- lar constraints found there. Although the theory of micro-hydropower applies universally, conditions found in developing countries make certain designs and approaches used in industrialized nations less applicable there. The reader must keep this in mind. For example, where water resources are abundant and energy needs are modest, less emphasis needs to be placed on maxi- mizing turbine efficiency (especially because greater efficiency implies greater cost and therefore less accessibility to the technology). Turbines c,zn then be fabricated locally rather than be imported. Where labor costs are low and labor abundant, there is no need for expensive, capital-intensive designs, which would again restrict accessibility to this technology. And where power requirements are simple, there is no need to incur the costs of the sophisticated hardware necessary to meet exacting western standards. The technology associated with micro-hydropower plants in developing countries spans a much broader range of options than that for large-hydropower plants. Penstocks, fur example, can range from 25 mm plastic pipe snaking downhill to a 1000 mm steel penstoak with massive concrete anchor blocks designed to maintain stability on whatever foundation they may rest. Elec- trical frequency may be controlled by sophisticated governors or plants may be operated with no governing whatsoever. In addition to generating ac power, micro- hydropower plants can generate dc power or even mechanical power. The Sourcebook is therefore faced with the challenging task of covering each of these options. The reader must also realize that even though an option may not be appropriate Eor d larger hydropower scheme, it may still represent a valid approach under a new set of circumstances. It is only by challenging conventional approaches that viable micro- hydropower schemes can be developed. In some countries, local technical expertise has been developed, otten by trial and error. For these persons, the Sourcebook can provide a reference and guide to help them build on their experiences. In other countries, local expertise is not readily available and consultants may be employed. However, few consultants have experience either in implementing cost-effective micro- hydropower schemes or in the conditions encountered in rural areas of developing countries. Also, the high costs of consultants can :;ignificantly increase the cost of implementing a scheme. For these reasons, resorting to consultants is often not a viable option. In such cases, the Sourcebook can serve as a detailed primer for persons with basic technical aptitude, covering many aspects of planning for, designing, and implementing micro-hydropower schemes. The Sourcebook is a preliminary effort to prepare a reference book which covers many of the aspects of planning and implementing micro-hydropower schemes in developing countries. Although many more useful experiences and additional information might be added V to those already included in this publication, it seems appropriate to make available the material already gathered. In so doing, I hope that in addition to providing useful information, the Sourcebook encourages read- ers to submit information bzdxir experiences for future editions and that it provides a foundation on wnich to build a more comprehensive reference. I also hope that future editions can cover other areas of interest, such as mechanical and electrical end uses and their implications on system design and plant operation, approaches for managing micro-hydropower plants and programs, options for tariff structures and their social and financial implications, and operation and mainte- nance of small plants. Anyone implementing micro-hydropower schemes is invited to suggest which topics already included in the Micro-Hydropower Sourcebook should be expanded upon and what new topics should profitably be included in a subsequent edititn. And anyone who has already implemented micro-hydropower schemes is invited to submit written descriptions accompanied by drawings and photographs (preferably black and white) of his efforts which might be of value to others undertaking similar projects. Any comments or general suggestions would also be welcomed. Allen R. Inversin Micro-Hydropower Engineer International Programs Division National Rural Electric Cooperative Association 1800 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone: (2021 857-9615 Telex: 64260 Cable: NATRECA ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Micro-Hydropower Sourcebook was initiated in 1981 under a Cooperative Agreement between the National Rural Electiic Cooperative Association (NRECA) and the Office of Energy of the U.S. Agency for Interna- tional Development (USAID) as part of a broader USAID effort to assist developing countries in their efforts to harness indigenous renewable energy resources. -3e Sourcebook has been completed with the support of the NRECA International Foundation, a newly formed non- profit organization. The idea of a publication to address the needs of those implementing micro-hydropower schemes in developing countries had its roots in my initial work in Papua New Guinea &NC), where Professor Jack Woodward first introduced me to this field. During his last year as head of the Department of Electrical and Communication Engineering at the PNG University of Technology, he initiated the implementation of a micro-hydropower scheme requested by the villagers of Baindoang. When he returned to the University of Auckland in 1977 to head the Department of Electrical Engineering, I found myself in the driver’s seat and had my first hands-on experience implementing a micro-hydropower project. At the same time, Ian Bean, an agricultura! development officer stationed at the remote government out- post of Pindiu, began implementing very small micro- hydropower plants of rudimentary design in four isolated mountain communities in PNG. While learning from his experiences, I found his enthusiasm at meeting the challenge of adapting a sophisticated technology for use in a setting where modern tcchnol lgy is largely unknown contagious. The desire to assist others in meeting this challenge has been an instrumental factor in deciding to write this book. During the past 5 years while I have been working part time on the Sourcebook, numerous people around the world have contributed in one way or another. I am par- ticularly indebted to the following individuals who have generously shared their time and experiences with me: Dr. M. Abdullah, Dean, Faculty of Engineering of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) University of Science and Technology in Peshawar, Pakistan, who accompanied me on several occasions on site visits to the NWFP where he had implemented several dozen schemes and patiently answered my innumerable ques- tions; Andreas Bachmann, who, while with the Swiss Association for Technical Assistance (SATA) and later with UNICEF, was involved in a variety of renewable energy projects and shared with me numerous publications he had prepared on his activities as well as time to visit projects in the field; Chartdanai Chartpolrak with the National Energy Administration (NEA), who accompanied me on visits to micro-hydropower schemes in Thailand for which he was responsible; Rupert Arm- strong Evans from Cornwall, England, who has a vast body of experiences from his full-time involvement in the manufacture of hydropower equipment and the implementation of micro- and mini-hydropower schemes in the United Kingdom and overseas; Jaime Lobo Guer- rero of the Universidad de 10s Andes in BogotEi, who is committed to designing technologies to make them more accessible to those in rural areas and eagerly shared the results of his work with me; Rik Hothersall, who also became involvad in the field of micro-hydropower while teaching in PNG and kept me informed of his efforts; Dale Nafziger, who shared his photographs and experiences gained while working with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN); Domingo Wong, who accompanied me on visits to sites that the Instituto de Recur- SOS HidrLulicos y ElectriEicacIon (IRHE) had implemented in Panama and freely shared with me project successes as well as shortcomings; and Robert Yoder, an engineer sensitive to the needs and problems found in rural areas, with 8 years of experience with the UMN, who was my guide and translator on a 2-week trek through the nil1 region of Nepal to visit schemes implemented by the UMN, contributed to the case study on Nepal, and showed by example that micro-hydropower technology can indeed be viable in rural areas oE developing countries. Others have shared their experiences from implementing or managing their own schemes: staff of the Alter- nate Hydra Energy Centre in Roorkee, India, implementing schemes and undertaking research in hydropower generation and productive end uses; Geoff Bishop, 3 mining engineer who was implementing a 220 kW scheme to provide power to the mission station of the Eglise Episcopale du Burundi in Buhiga and to an admin- istrative center and agricultural school in Karuzi; Githuki Chege, a simple farmer in Kenya with several water-powered mills and an eagerness to try something new; Brot Coburn, who was involved in several renewable energy technologies in Nepal and implemented a micro-hydropower scheme near the base of Mt. Everest: Bernard C&tinon, a French coop&ant, who managed the implementation of several schemes for the Ministry of Rural Development in Burundi; Martin Dietz, who was involved in a cooperatively administered micro-hydropower scheme with the UMN in Nepal; Gary Duncan and Mike Smith, two Peace Corps vc!unteers who were undertaking an ambitious micro-hydropower project in a vii remote part of Liberia; Peter Garman, who research&d water-current turbines on the Nile in the Sudan; Harry Langhorne, a private individual who built his own plant from scratch, which is still providing the base power to his home in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, before it became in vogue; P&e Landolt and P&e Pristt, who managed micro-hydropower plants supplying power to their mission stations in Musongati and Giheta, Burundi, respectively; Graham Leschke, who managed a scheme in PNG and accompanied me on visits to other plants in the area managed by missions; Soheyl Motta- hedah, an Iranian-born Canadian committed to development of the rural areas in eastern Zaire and founder of the Soci6t6 de DBveloppement Rural du Zaire (SODERZA), who built his first turbine with no prior experience and implemented a complete project in the space of only a couple of months; Harald Mucker, a German engineer directing a program for implementing micro-hydropower plants in the Department of Cusco, Peru, for the Proyecto Minicentrales Hidroe&tricas (PROMIHDEC), using locally fabricated turbines; the staff of the Small Hyde1 Development Board (SHDB) of Nepal involved in the implementation. of a number of small-hydropower plants around the country; Bruno VSgtli, an enterprising Swiss *vho was singlehandedly constructing a road across a &.Jrtion of PNG and accon- panicd me on an exhausting, all-day trek to visit a micro-hydropower plant in Bz-ndi; John Wood, who designed and built an ingenious automatic rack-raking device for his plant in Ireland; and Gary and Connie Young, who rehabilitated and managed a plant that pro- vided power to the school and hospital complex of the Mission Evangelique des Amis at Mibimba, Burundi. In addition, a number of individuals have assisted with this effort by reviewing, or in some cases contributing substantively to, portions of the Sourcebook. These include Dr. Maurice Albertson, Gfessor in the Civil Engineering Department of Colorado State University; Dr. Roger Ardt, Director, and Dr. John Gulliver, Asso- ciate Professor, from St. Anthony Falls Hydraulic Labo- ratory at the University of Minnesota; Bard Jackson, Principal Engineer wRith NRECA’s International Pro- grams Division; Martin Johnson, President of The John- son Company in Montpelier, Vermont; Mike Johnson, President of Hydro-Tech Systems Inc. of Chattaroy, Washington; Ed Kramer, former General Manager of Himal Hydra and General Construction Pvt. Ltd. of Nepal; Dr. Pedro Restrepo, Systems Analyst with Dynamics Research Corp.; and Dr. Calvin Warnick, Professor Emeritus at the University of Idaho. Finally, preparing the Micro-Hydropower Sourcebook would have been a signficantly more difficult and time- consuming undertaking had it not been for the assistance of a number of individuals: Elizabeth Graham, who not only edited portions of this publication but also made innumerable contributions throughout which shaped the final form of this publication; Darrell McIn- tire, who stuck with it over several years to carefully prepare most of the illustrations in their final form; Barbara Shapiro, who conscientiously and carefully edited the entire publication; Kitty Anderson, who inputted innumerable drafts and revisions on the word processor, never knowing when they would end; and Carol King, who patiently took all the pieces and laid them out in their final format. viii 27ABLEOFCONTENTs Preface v Acknowledgment vii ‘t’hble of contents ix I. INTRODUCTION Need for energy for rural development 1 Micrehydmpower: An appropriate energy source 1 Perceived obstacles to viable micmhydmpower schemes 4 Overview of the Micro-Hydropower Sourcebook 5 II. MEASURING HEAD AND DISCHARGE Lntroduction 9 Measurement oi discharge 9 Bucket method 10 Velocity-ama method 11 *. Determining the area 12 Determining the stream velocity 12 Float method 13 Velocity-head rod 13 Current meter 14 Deternming discharge 15 Weir method 16 Salt-dilution method 19 Slope-area method 19 Stage-discharge method 20 Moasuroment of hoad 21 Using a level 22 Using a clinometer 23