ANALYSIS OF THE BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A FRANCIS TURBINE MODERNIZED WITH A MODULAR GUIDE VANE

Abstract

There are two strategies to reduce the overall project costs to a level that would make many potential sustainable hydropower projects economically viable:
1. Designing standard/modular components.

2. Utilizing advanced tools to reduce the costs of environmental assessment.
Several studies have been conducted at various hydropower plants using an autonomous sensor device (Sensor Fish) to examine a Francis turbine modernized with a modular guide vane. A series of average minimum pressures were measured under different operating conditions during the experiments. These values were compared with data obtained for other Francis turbines installed at different hydropower plants using Sensor Fish. The experimental data from multiple hydropower plants fell within the same range, emphasizing their reliability.
Additionally, the tests demonstrated that the modular guide vane installed in the modernized Francis turbine is a potentially suitable replacement. It can provide biological characteristics comparable to those of guide vanes used in other Francis turbines, while also offering the advantage of reduced manufacturing costs.
Hydropower is the largest renewable energy source in the world, with an installed capacity of 1,114 GW as of the end of 2017, accounting for more than 50% of all renewable energy globally.
In Europe, traditional hydropower makes up about 59% of renewable energy, while in the United States (USA), it accounts for more than 50%. In Ukraine, hydropower represents 8% of the total capacity of the country's unified energy system, with an average annual electricity generation by hydropower plants of 10.8 billion kWh.
Despite the fact that traditional hydropower remains the largest renewable energy source, its growth rate is lower compared to other renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power.
While new large hydropower plants were being constructed in South America and Asia, North America and Europe primarily focused on small hydropower plants (SHPs).
The expansion of SHP usage will require research and development of new innovative technologies and design approaches to make them economically viable and ensure their sustainable implementation. One way to achieve this goal is the development of standardized and modular components based on the "plug-and-play" principle.
Such standardized and modular components will help reduce overall project costs compared to traditional custom-designed structures adapted to specific sites. This approach will make many low-head hydropower projects, which were previously unprofitable, economically feasible.