IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST

BENEFICENT, THE MOST MERCIFUL.

Department of Civil Engineering,
U.E.T Peshawar
Hydropower Development Lecture # 3

Dr. Ateeq-ur-Rauf Department of Civil Engineering U.E.T 12/23/2023 3

 Lecture # 2

Hydropower Development
Flow duration analysis
• A useful way of treating the time variability of water
discharge data in hydropower studies is by utilizing
flow duration curves.
• Flow Duration
Curves (FDC): is
a plot of flow
versus the
percent of time a
particular flow
can be expected
to be exceeded.
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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

• Methods of computing ordinates for FDC

Two methods:

 The rank ordered technique and

 The class-interval technique

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

• Characteristics of Flow Duration Curves

The flow duration curve (FDC) shows how flow is

distributed over a period (usually a year). A FDC
can be a steeper curve or it can be flatter.

 Steep Curve (annual distribution)

A steep flow duration curve implies a flashy catchment,

the one which is subject to extreme floods and droughts.

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

 Factors causing flashy catchment:

 Rocky, shallow soil,

 Lack of vegetation cover,

 Steep, short streams,

 Uneven rainfall (frequent storms, long dry periods)

Such type of FDC (i.e. steep) is bad for hydropower

development (especially run-of-river type).

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

 Flat Curve (annual, monthly, daily distribution)
 A flat flow duration curve is good because it
means that the total annual flow will be spread
more evenly over the year, giving a useful flow for
longer periods, and less severe floods.

 The flatter FDC depends upon the time interval

used in collecting the flow data.

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

 Daily flow rates of small
storms are useful for the
poundage studies in a run-
off river power
development plant,

 Monthly flow rates for a

number of years are useful
in power development
plants from a large storage
reservoir

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

 The FDC is a river discharge frequency curve. So,
longer the period of record, more accurate is the
indication of the long-term yield of a stream.

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

• Capacity Estimate For Firm Stream Power

Methods
(i) the total period method, and
(ii) the calendar year method.

 Both methods utilize the flow data available for

the entire period for which records are available.

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

 Total period method:

 FDC is drawn using the entire available record.

 A ten years’ record would produce 120 values of

monthly average flows.

 The values are first tabulated in the ascending order

starting from the driest month in the entire period and
ending with the wettest month of the ten-year duration.

 The FDC would then be drawn with the help of 120

values.
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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

 Calendar year method:

 Firstly, the each year’s average monthly values are

arranged in ascending order.

 Secondly, the average flow values corresponding to the

first driest month, second driest month, and so on up to
the wettest month are then found out by taking arithmetic
mean of all values of the same rank.

 These average values are then used for plotting flow

duration curve.

 Such a curve would have only twelve points.

Dr. Ateeq-ur-Rauf Department of Civil Engineering U.E.T 12/23/2023 13
 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

• Discharge Capacity (Qc) of A Plant
It is the discharge that a
plant can pass at its full
gate opening of the
runner(s) of the turbine(s) Runner discharge
capacity point
under design head.

A FDC is used to explain

discharge capacity (Qc)

To the left of that point on the duration curve the stream

discharge is greater, even then it is not possible to pass the higher
discharges through the plant.
Dr. Ateeq-ur-Rauf Department of Civil Engineering U.E.T 12/23/2023 14
 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

• Water Power Potential
 Necessary Hydrological Data For Potential
Assessment:

 The daily, weekly, or monthly flow over a period of

several years in order to determine the plant capacity
and estimate output.

 Values of low flows in order to assess the primary,

firm or dependable power.
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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

• Power Duration Curve

 The above equation is for theoretical conditions. The

actual output is diminished by the fact that the turbine
has losses in transforming the potential and kinetic
energy into mechanical energy.

 Thus an efficiency term (ɳ), usually called overall

efficiency, must be introduced to give the standard
power equation:
P   wQgh
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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

 Dividing the river course into a number of stretches, the total
power is given by

 The equation is actually for estimating the potential (P);

however, is made difficult due to the fact that the discharge of
any river varies over a wide range.

 Availability of high discharges are only for short durations in

a year. Thus the corresponding power generated would be of
short duration.

 Now a flow –duration curve can be achieved by plotting the

discharge rate and the percentage duration of time for which
it is available.
Dr. Ateeq-ur-Rauf Department of Civil Engineering U.E.T 12/23/2023 17
 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

The Pc value of power is
the full-gate discharge
value of power.
Energy production for a
year or a time period is
the product of the power
ordinate and time and is
thus the area under the
power duration curve
multiplied by an
appropriate conversion
factor.

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

FDC PDC

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

Example1. The following is the record of average yearly flow in
a river for 15years. If the available head is15m,construct the FDC
and power duration curve for the river.
Years 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
Flow ( m3/s) 905 865 1050 1105 675 715 850 775 590

Years 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970

Flow ( m3/s) 625 810 885 1025 1150 925

Solution:
The yearly flow values are arranged in ascending order (see table
on next slide). The power corresponding to each flow values are
calculated assuming the head (=15 m) to be constant. Then, FDC
and power duration curves are plotted on the same graph.
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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

γwQh

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

Exercise-1: draw the power duration curve for the following river
stream flow. Take, Qc = 270 m3/s
Month Flow (m3/s) Head(m) Efficiency
January 65 83.5 0.87
February 50 83.5 0.83
March 42 83.5 0.75
April 40 83.5 0.70
May 40 83.5 0.60
June 115 83.5 0.50
July 400 80 0.88
August 340 81.6 0.89
September 270 83 0.90
October 155 83.5 0.90
November 115 83.5 0.88
December 85 83.5 0.87

Dr. Ateeq-ur-Rauf Department of Civil Engineering U.E.T 12/23/2023

 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

• Extrapolation of Flow Duration Data to
Un-gauged Sites
 All too often, the stream flow data that are available from
measured gauging stations are not from the location for
which a hydropower site analysis is to be made.

 Methods are required to develop extrapolations of

measured flow duration data which will be representative
of a given site on a stream.

 A method, (Gladwell, et al. 1978): particularly useful in

regions where stream flow does not vary directly with the
area of the contributing drainage.
Dr. Ateeq-ur-Rauf Department of Civil Engineering U.E.T 12/23/2023 24
 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

Method 1(Gladwell,
et al. 1978):
• The procedure is
to make plots of
flow duration
curves for all
gauged streams
within a somewhat
homogeneous
drainage basin as
shown in the Fig

Fig. A
Dr. Ateeq-ur-Rauf Department of Civil Engineering U.E.T 12/23/2023 25
 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

• Develop a family of parametric
duration curves in which flow (Q) is
plotted against the average annual
runoff (R),at the respective gauges
for several exceedance percentages.
A separate curve is developed for
each exceedance interval used.

• A correlation analysis is then

performed to obtain the best-fitting
curve for the data taken from the
measured records of stream flow.
The result is a parametric flow
Fig. B
duration curve such as the one
shown in the Figure.
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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

Method 2, (Heitz, 1978):

• Step 1: Determination of a dimensionless flow term, for which

the values of flow for each flow duration for a given exceedance
point are divided by the average annual discharge, Q,

• Step 2: Plotting of dimensionless flow duration curve, in which

the above values are then plotted against the particular exceedance
interval on logarithmic probability paper as shown in the Figure
(next slide)

• Step 3: A best-fitting curve is then developed for a particular area

having homogeneous hydrology so that a single curve developed
relates a characteristic dimensionless flow term to the exceedance
percentage.
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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

Fig. C
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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

• Determination of Average Annual Discharge
For effective use of the parametric flow duration curves it is
necessary to determine the average annual discharge, Q, at the
point or location on the stream for which a hydropower analysis is
to be made.

Procedure:
Step 1: Development of an accurate isohyetal map of normal
annual precipitation (NAP) of the involved river basin.

Step 2: Defining the water contributing drainage basin graphically

on the Isohyetal map.

Step 3: Planimetering of individual areas between Isohyetal lines

and the areas used to develop a weighted-average precipitation
input to a basin on an annual basis.
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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

Step 4. Estimation of runoff
coefficient for the drainage basin
being studied, which is done by
utilizing the records of average
annual precipitation input to the
basins at measured streams
nearby or having similar
hydrologic characteristics

• Much care should be exercised

in estimating the annual runoff
coefficient.
Planimeter

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

Step 5. Calculation of the average annual discharge

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

Exercise 2

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 Lecture # 3

Flow duration analysis

D
Dr. Ateeq-ur-Rauf Department of Civil Engineering U.E.T 12/23/2023 33
Exercise 2: Solution (Extra addition)
Average Precipitation:
Planimetered
Ave rain bw Area on Map percent of Pa.A, Pb.B
Area Isohyt Line (in) (in) total area etc
A 60 0.46 1.24% 27.6
B 60 8.16 22.01% 489.6
C 55 27.41 73.92% 1507.55
D 50 1.05 2.83% 52.5
Total: A 37.08 Total: Pa.A 2077.25
1:250,000 9270000

(Pa*A+Pb*B+Pc*C+Pd*D)/(
Ave Rainfall: A+B+C+D) 56.02
Converting to Scale: 1:250,000 14005191.48
Volume Units:ft3 A*Pave/(12^3) 7.513E+10

Runoff per year: Vol*0.73 5.485E+10

Qave: R/sec 1739.1671 ft3/sec

Qave: R/sec 634795.98 ft3*day/sec
Exercise 2: Solution (Extra addition)
THE END