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Penstocks: Figure: Typical Installaion of Penstocks

This document discusses penstocks, which convey water from an intake to a powerhouse. It examines factors that determine whether a penstock should be installed above or below ground, including ground conditions, material, temperature, and environmental impact. It also covers hydraulic design considerations like diameter, wall thickness, and structural requirements to withstand pressure. The document provides equations to calculate appropriate diameter and thickness based on flow rate, material properties, and pressure. It also discusses surge pressures from sudden flow changes and how to mitigate them. Finally, it gives a cost estimation table comparing alternative penstock options.

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Tharindu Nuwan Jayakody
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408 views6 pages

Penstocks: Figure: Typical Installaion of Penstocks

This document discusses penstocks, which convey water from an intake to a powerhouse. It examines factors that determine whether a penstock should be installed above or below ground, including ground conditions, material, temperature, and environmental impact. It also covers hydraulic design considerations like diameter, wall thickness, and structural requirements to withstand pressure. The document provides equations to calculate appropriate diameter and thickness based on flow rate, material properties, and pressure. It also discusses surge pressures from sudden flow changes and how to mitigate them. Finally, it gives a cost estimation table comparing alternative penstock options.

Uploaded by

Tharindu Nuwan Jayakody
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PENSTOCKS

4.1 Introduction
Conveying water from the intake to the powerhouse (this is the purpose of a penstock) may not appear
a difficult task. However deciding the most economical arrangement for a penstock is not so simple.
Penstocks can be installed over or under the ground, depending on factors such as the nature of the
ground itself, the penstock material, the ambient temperatures and the environmental requirements.

Larger penstocks are usually buried, as long as there is only a minimum of rock excavation required.
Buried penstocks must be carefully painted and wrapped to protect the exterior from corrosion, but
provided the protective coating is not damaged when installed, further maintenance should be minimal.
From the environmental point of view the solution is optimal because the ground can be returned to its
original condition, and the penstock does not constitute a barrier to the movement of wildlife.

Figure : Typical installaion of Penstocks

A penstock installed above ground can be designed with or without expansion joints. Variations in
temperature are especially important if the turbine does not function continuously, or when the
penstock is dewatered for repair, resulting in thermal expansion or contraction. Usually the penstock is
built in straight or nearly straight lines, with concrete anchor blocks at each bend and with an
expansion joint between each set of anchors. The anchor blocks must resist the thrust of the penstock
plus the frictional forces caused by its expansion and contraction, so when possible they should be
founded on rock. If, due to the nature of the ground, the anchor blocks require large volumes of
concrete, thus becoming rather expensive, an alternative solution is to eliminate every second anchor
block and all the expansion joints, leaving the bends free to move slightly. In this case it is desirable to
lay the straight sections of the penstock in steel saddles, made to fit the contour of the pipe and
generally covering 120 degrees of the invert . The saddles can be made from steel plates and shapes,
with graphite asbestos sheet packing placed between saddle and pipe to reduce friction forces. The
movement can be accommodated with expansion joints, or by designing the pipe layout with bends
free to move.

Figure : Penstock with concrete anchor blocks and expansion joints

4.2 Hydraulic design and structural requirements


A penstock is characterised by materials, diameter, wall thickness and type of joint

 the material is selected according to the ground conditions, accessibility, weight, jointing
system and cost.
 the diameter is selected to reduce frictional losses within the penstock to an acceptable level.
 the wall thickness is selected to resist the maximum internal hydraulic pressure, including
transient surge pressure that will occur.

4.3 Penstock diameter

Actually the main head loss in a pressure pipe are friction losses. The head losses due to turbulence
passing through the trashrack, in the entrance to the pipe, in bends, expansions, contractions and valves
are minor losses. Consequently a first approach will suffice to compute the friction losses, using for
example the Manning equation
From this it follows that

Following shows calculated diameter of the penstocks.

When proceeding the calculations following assuptions are made

1. Manning Co – efficient = 0.012


2. Power losses due to friction do not surpass 4%

Option Diameter of the penstock Averaged Diameter

1 3.788m 4m

2 5.827m 6m

3 6.997m 7m

4 6.200m 7m

5 6.790m 7m

4.4 Wall thickness


The pipe should be rigid enough to be handled without danger of deformation in the field. ASME
recommends a minimum thickness in mm equivalent to 2.5 times the diameter in metres plus 1.2 mm.
Other organisations recommend as minimum thickness tmin=(D+508)/400, where all dimensions are
in mm.

The wall thickness required depends on the pipe material, its ultimate tensile strength (and yield), the
pipe diameter and the operating pressure. In steady flows (discharge is assumed to remain constant
with time) the operating pressure at any point along a penstock is equivalent to the head of water above
that point. The wall thickness in this case is computed by the equation.

e = Wall thickness in mm
P1= Hydrostatic pressure in kN/mm2

D = Internal pipe diameter in mm

σ f = Allowable tensile strength in kN/mm2

In high head schemes it can be convenient to use penstock of uniform diameter, but with different
thickness as a function of the hydrostatic pressures. A certain area of the penstock can remain under
the Energy Gradient Line and collapse by subatmospheric pressure. The collapsing depression will be
given by

where e and D are respectively the wall thickness and diameter of the pipe in mm. This negative
pressure can be avoided by installing an aeration pipe with a diameter in cm given by

Sudden changes of flow can occur when the plant operator or the governing system opens or closes the
gates rapidly. Occasionally the flow may even be stopped suddenly due to full load rejection, or simply
because an obstruction becomes lodged in the nozzle of a Pelton turbine jet. A sudden change of flow
rate in a penstock may involve a great mass of water moving inside the penstock. The pressure wave
which occurs with a sudden change in the water's velocity is known as water hammer; and although
transitory, can cause dangerously high and low pressures whose effects can be dramatic: the penstock
can burst from overpressure or collapse if the pressures are reduced below ambient. The surge
pressures induced by the water hammer phenomenon can be of a magnitude several times greater than
the static pressure due to the head, and must be considered in calculating the wall thickness of the
penstock.

The pressure wave speed c (m/s) depends on the elasticity of the water and pipe material according to
the formula
k = bulk modulus of water 2.1x109 N/m2

E = modulus of elasticity of pipe material (N/m2)

t = wall thickness (mm)


COST ESTIMATION FOR ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS

All values are in Rs. millions

Option 01 Option 02 Option 03 Option 04 Option 05 Option 06


Preparatory 400 400 400 240 240
Works
Civil works 18000 15000 17000 6500 6500
Equipment & 15000 13000 14000 8000 8000
power house
acceseries
Environmental 360 360 360 400 240
Cost
Administration 3200 3200 3200 1760 1760
& Engineering
Fee
Contingency 3500 3500 3500 1600 1600
Total 40460 35460 38460 18500 18340
construction
cost

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