Mini Hydro Power Plant

This is a self contained bench top unit for studying the power generation by a hydraulic turbine. The unit consist of a storage tank and a low head pump to simulate a dam reservoir, a cross flow hydraulic turbine, a generator which is connected to the turbine by a V-belt, a lamp load bank, a dynamometer, and measuring instrument.

TYPICAL EXPERIMENTS

Turbine torque vs speed at various heads and flow rates.
Mechanical power output vs speed for various heads and flow rates.
Mechanical efficiency vs speed for a given head and flow rate.
Electrical power output at various heads and flow rates.
Overall power plant efficiency at various electrical loads.

TECHNICAL DATA

Turbine:
– Type	Cross Flow
– Construction	168 mm diameter stainless steel runner, shaft and nozzle. Stainless steel casing with transparent window.
– Ratings	400 W of mechanical power. Maximum speed approx 1500 rpm.
Pump ratings
– Motor	2.2 kW
– Maximum flow rate	500 lpm.
Generator	0.75 kW, 220 V, 1 Ph, 50 Hz. Electrical output upto 300 W.
Electrical load	Lamp bank, 7 lamps, 400W.
Dynamometer	Water cooled stainless steel mechanical brake with anti splashing system.
Measuring instruments
– Torque	Spring balance
– Pressure	Pressure gauge
– Sensors with digital display	Electrical output power. Turbine and generator speeds. Flow rate.
Power supply	220 V, 1 Ph, 50 Hz. Other power supply is available on request.