American-Eurasian Journal of Scientific Research 8 (3): 104-108, 2013

ISSN 1818-6785
© IDOSI Publications, 2013
DOI: 10.5829/idosi.aejsr.2013.8.3.1116

Selection of Generator for the Micro Hydro Power Plant

Azhumakan Zhamalovich Zhamalov Alaibek Dhumabekovich Obozov,

Murat Merkebekovich Kunelbayev Ruslan Isaev and Balzhan Abylkanovna Chakenova

Kazakh State Women Pedagogical University,

Kazakh State Teacher Training University, Alamaty city, Kazakhstan

Abstract: Based on the analysis of asynchronous and synchronous generators we can conclude that for the
consumers of a small electric power, as the power sources, it will be appropriate to the use of the asynchronous
generators, because they satisfy most requirements imposed by the consumers: a high quality output voltage,
a low mass, a relatively low cost, a high reliability, a simple design and an easy maintenance. In present paper
we propose to use a three-phase asynchronous generator with a squirrel cage rotor for the general industrial
use as a generator. Domestic industry produce epy asynchronous generators in a wide variety by the form
factor, capacity, rotation speed, according to the well established technologies all that allows us to create the
asynchronous generators on their basis, which are combined with the different drive motors. The synchronous
generators have a complex management system and the environmental conditions have a significant impact on
their operation, so that it is required to conduct the regular qualified maintenance. A capacity of the designed
power supply has the great influence on the selection of generator. For example, the advantages of
asynchronous machines by mass and cost manifest themselves in the power range from a fraction of kW to 100
kW. With increasing of the power plant capacity of more than 100 kW, the capacity of the excitement capacitors
increases significantly and the mass and dimension indices of the generator itself become comparable to the
synchronous machines.

Key words: Micro hydro power plant Three phase asynchronous generator Output voltage Square-
cage rotor

INTRODUCTION are the main types of generators that are used in large
scale of the energy production. When the output power
The micro-HPP is one of the most popular renewable levels are generally less than 10 MW, the asynchronous
sources of energy in the developing countries. Most of generators are widely used. In the production of
the Micro-HPPs work in the isolation mode of power generators are also preferred the asynchronous
supply in the local countryside, where the population is generators, because they can operate at different speeds
very small and rarely distributed. Expansion of the system with a constant frequency, are cheap and require less
network is not financially possible due to the high maintenance as compared to the synchronous type.
investment costs required for the transmission line. The Both of these generators have the ability to use the
small hydroelectric power systems (SHPS) are the network connection or just work in the autonomous mode
relatively small power sources that are suitable in many [1].
cases for the individual consumers or the groups of users The asynchronous generators are generally suitable
that are independently supplied from the electrical for the micro hydropower generation [2]. The offered
network. asynchronous generator has many advantages over the
There are two main types of generators that are used ordinary synchronous generator as a source of isolated
for the hydropower production: synchronous or power [3]. Reduction in costs per unit, a durability, the
asynchronous generators. The synchronous generators reduced size, the lack of a separate DC power supply and

Corresponding Author: Kunelbayev, Kazakh State Women Pedagogical University, Kazakh State Teacher Training University,
050000, Republic of Kazakhstan, Alamaty city, Aiteke bi, 99.

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an ease of maintenance, the self-protection against the stator rotates, is rare in the synchronous machines due to
severe overloads and short circuits be the key advantages the complexity of the current lead to the AC rotating
of the asynchronous generators [4, 5]. winding.
The micro-HPP contains the mandatory elements Contactless options of the SG with an
such as the energy converter of water into the electromagnetic excitation can be constructed in various
mechanical energy of the rotational shaft movement ways:
of the electro generator, an electric generator, a
stability system of the output voltage and a number of Using of contactless excitation systems for a
elements, the presence and the design of which depends classical design;
on the type and features of the plant: the specific Using of special generators' designs - an
hydraulic structures shut-off valves, dummy loads and etc inductor-type;
[6]. With an externally closed magnetic circuit and
The main direction in the modern automated micro- etc. [6].
HPPs creation is the application of the unregulated
hydraulic engines and the increase of requirements to At the autonomous operating mode the SG is excited
devices for the electric power generating and the from the output voltage of anchor winding through the
stabilization of its parameters. In this paper, the rectifier. The initial self-excitation of the SG is carried out
three-phase asynchronous squirrel-cage motor with a on the same circuit due to the residual magnetic flux of
rotor and the capacitor self-excited is used as an electric machine. The frequency of the SG generated alternating
generator of the micro-HPP. The hydraulic engine is an voltage is determined only by its rotational speed and the
overshot wheel. amplitude also depends on the current in the excitation
The generator is the most important element of the winding. Therefore, the AEES construction by the SG
electrical equipment for the autonomous power supply output parameters is a complex task.
system. Besides the basic purpose that is an electric
power generating, it performs the certain functions on The ACS of the synchronous generator, which is part
stabilization or the monitoring of processes that of AEES, shall perform the following functions:
characterize the quality of electric energy. Therefore one
of the requirements for the autonomous generator of the To ensure the self-excitation of the synchronous
power plant is the handling. The constructive generator at a given frequency of its rotation;
performance of the generator shall ensure the possibility To supply the excitation winding from the AC source
of its operation in the open air with a high degree of by the voltage value at the changing frequency;
reliability over a long time and a low market value. To adjust the SG input voltage based on a specified
The most common in the AC A-plant got both the law, when you change the rotational frequency, the
synchronous and the asynchronous EMG [7-10]. value and the nature of load;
Until recently, the synchronous generator (SG) was To form the excitation when you turn on the
the most widely used source of the AC electric power to consumers, whose capacity is commensurate with the
supply the autonomous objects. The SGs’ characteristic generator capacity;
feature is in the fact that they do not require an additional To limit the value and the duration of voltage
reactive power source to create a working magnetic flux. deviations from steady-state value within the
Synchronous machines excitation is carried out by means specified limits [2, 4, 7-8].
the special windings to be connected to a DC power
source, or from the permanent magnets, depending on a The promising types of generators for the AEES are
design. The excitation power does not exceed a few the SG with a contactless excitation system and the SG
percent of the SG capacity [7, 8]. The SG classic design with the permanent magnet excitation. Disadvantages of
envisages the anchor winding placement on the stator the first type SG are the complexity of design, the
and the excitation winding - on the rotor of the generator. increased by the introduction of inertance an inertial
The excitation current is supplied to the rotor winding relaxation circuit agent into the control loop. The speedup
through the slip rings and that is a disadvantage of the of such systems is achieved by applying the controlled
classical alternate design. An inverted design, where a valves on the rotor, what complicates the ACS and the
rotor with the excitation winding is a motionless and the generator's design and increases the cost of AEES.

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Table 1: In the first case one of the main advantages of the

Generator type Power, kW Weight, kg Cost, rub. asynchronous machines is the lost that is noncontact.
OS5-51Y2 4,0 118 27900 Moreover, a special low frequency power supply is
OS-71-Y2 16,0 263 57600 necessary for the purpose of stimulation, so it complicates
OS-72-Y2 30,0 349 69800 and raises the price of the whole system. AG with stator
ESS5-61-4Y2 8,0 160 37860
self-excitation has the number of positive features typical
ESS5-62-4Y2 12,0 189 44800
of machines with square-cage rotor, i.e. simplicity, low
ESS5-81-4Y2 20,0 349 57600
price, reliability, noncontact and possibility to stabilize in
ESS5-82-4Y2 30,0 420 69400
case of variable rotation speed of rotor.
ESS5-91-4Y2 50,0 490 73200
ESS5-92-4Y2 60,0 495 78900
Structurally, the simplest EMG is asynchronous
ESS5-93-4Y2 75,0 544 89600 self-excited generator (ASG), which is three-phase AM
GS-8 8,0 150 52950 with square-cage rotor and excitation condensers
GS-16 16,0 204 66650 connected parallel to its stator. Until recently the
GS-30 30,0 288 75950 application of ASG was restrains by failed external
GS-60 60,0 424 100200 characteristics of the machine and absence of reliable and
cheap source of reactive power. Modern achievements in
The synchronous generators with the magneto the field of condenser construction, semiconductor
electric excitation have the following disadvantages: techniques and electronics, which allowed to reduce the
an absence of the direct method of the voltage weight, size and cost of AC condensers, set the stage for
control, due to the complexity of the excitation flux the successful solution of problems of ASG application.
changing from the permanent magnet; a scatter of Specific weight of polypropylene condensers at a
the magnets features; a dependence of the technical frequency of 50 Hz is 0.3-0.5 kg / quar, that is much
and economic parameters from the magnetic less than the specific weight of AM (8-9 kg / quar).
permanent properties. For a rough estimation of the SG The development of devices with non-contact control of
technical and economic parameters, the characteristics capacity using semiconductors and integrated circuits,
of serial machines that are used as sources of the adjustable chokes solved the problem of stabilization of
three-phase AC current with frequency of 50 Hz, at a the ASG output voltage.
shaft rotation speed 1500 rpm / min, a voltage of 230/400 Due to the great variety in the type of performance,
V are shown in the Table 1. The SG cost is given power, rotation speed of relatively inexpensive, reliable
according to the data from the "Longbim" firm (Moscow) in operation, serial AM, produced by the domestic
for the year 2006. industry, their use in generator mode, is an urgent task.
The characteristic feature of the asynchronous In conjunction with the various drive motors serial AM
generators is their inability to produce the are suitable for power generation according to quality and
magnetizing current for the magnetic fields characteristics that meet the requirements of agricultural
formation. Therefore, they operate in the presence of consumers. Table 1.8 shows the cost (according to the
external sources of excitation. As such source can be company "Longbim" for 2006) and the characteristics of
used an electric network. When operating in the generator three-phase asynchronous motors with square-cage
mode, the asynchronous machine consumes the reactive rotors for general industrial use with a synchronous
power from the network and gives the reactive power to speed of 1500 rpm.
the load. The cost of machine includes the cost of self-excited
condensers. The data given in the Tables 1 and 2 shows
When the AG works on the independent loading, the us that the SG, compared with the ASG, have the much
excitation can be achieved in two ways: greater mass and cost.
Theoretical studies of autonomous power supply,
By the powering through the slip rings of rotor carried out in recent years in our country and abroad, as
winding with the currents of low frequency - an well as practical experience of their use show the benefits
independent excitation on the rotor; of using ASG in them.
By connecting the capacitors or the synchronous The AG is the only variable-pole machine with no
compensator in parallel to the stator windings - the windings on the rotor, with the electromagnetic excitation
stator self-excitation. and the radial direction of the magnetic flux.

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Table 2:
Motor Motor Weight of excitation ASG Motor Cost of excitation ASG ASG active
Motor type power, kW weight, kg condensers, kg weight, kg cost, rub. condensers, rub cost, kg power, kW
AIR80A4 1,1 11,9 0,31 12,21 1759 213 1972 0,9
AIR 80Â4 1,5 13,8 0,43 14,23 1866 231 2097 1,2
ANR90L4 2,2 18,6 0,6 19,2 2627 267 2894 1,8
ANR100S4 3,0 25,0 0,8 25,8 3422 383 3805 2,4
AMR100L4 4,0 31,0 1,2 32,2 3632 392 4024 3,2
AIR112Ì4 5,5 49,0 1,02 50,02 4126 390 4516 4,4
ANR132S4 7,5 70,0 1,53 71,53 5070 593 5663 6,0
AIR132Ì4 11,0 83,5 2,1 85,6 6136 799 6935 9,0
AMR160S4 15,0 130 2,8 132,8 11296 1050 12346 12,0
AIR160Ì4 18,5 145 3,4 148,4 12204 1295 13499 15,0
ANR180S4 22.0 170 4,1 174,1 15266 1544 16810 17,6
AIR180Ì4 30,0 190 5,5 195,5 18636 2067 20703 24
A200Ì4 37,0 245,0 6,4 251,4 23545 2484 26029 29,6

Comparative evaluation of weight, size and energy In case of short circuit in the load circuit
performance of asynchronous and synchronous unexcitement of AG is appeared, so there is no need to
generators in the power range of 1-100 kW at a frequency protect the generator and, therefore, the installation of
of 50 Hz and a speed of 3000 rpm show that the total additional equipment. The recovery time of voltage after
weight of AG together with a device for excitation is the short circuit does not exceed 1 sec.
less than the SG in 1,3-1,4 times. Compared with the Turning of SG to the parallel operation is a complex
non-contact SG (e.g., inductor), the mass of AG is less in and critical operation: it is necessary to provide equal
2-3 times. voltage at the terminals of generators and equal frequency
Efficiencies of AG and SG with the excitation devices of generated current at the same phase sequence. At the
are about the same. Dispersion in the secondary circuits same time, turning of SG to the parallel operation does not
of AG is less than in inductors of SG because of the require complicated additional equipment and
smaller dispersing surfaces and magnetic stresses on synchronization of generators requires only equalization
these parts. of their frequencies and voltages. Even with the
Weight and cost of excitation condensers, which are significant mismatch of rotor rotational speed of
taken as polyethylene terephthalate condensers K73-50, generators, the current frequency is established in the
were calculated by connecting the stator windings AD in system, which is equal to the average current frequency
the form of star and condensers – in the form of triangle. of generators turned to the parallel operation. In this case,
Prices for capacitors are taken in JSC "Elkod" at the end the excitation condensers act as filters that cut off the
of 2005. higher harmonics in the output voltage that contributes to
Along with this better distribution of losses between the disappearance of the stress pulsation and long
the rotor and stator windings is achieved, as a result the transients and allows getting the perfectly sinusoidal
rotor heating rate is facilitated and it is possible to carry output voltage of AG. Studies of parallel operation of AG
out effective removal of most of the losses in the machine show that the amplitude of exchange oscillations of active
through the stator. power is about 3 times less than the amplitude of SG and
The SG output voltage of small or medium power transients are practically absent during increase or
has significant "slotting" harmonic components due decrease of load [1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10].
to the relatively small number of slots per pole pitch It should also be noted that the SG has a complex
and imperfect form of the poles. This leads to a control system for its operation and it is significantly
significant deviation of the output voltage from the affected by environmental conditions, regular qualified
sinusoidal. maintenance is required. The choice of the generator is
In case of load unbalance, short-circuited bar system greatly influenced by the power of designed power
of magnet symmetric rotor acts as a complete damper supply. For example, the advantages of asynchronous
winding of synchronous generator, so that the quality of machines by weight and cost are shown in the power
the power generated by ASG is provided at a high level range from a fraction of kW to 100 kW. With the increase
and unbalanced load conditions. in power of power plant by more than 100 kW, the power

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