Hydropower plants

lgciv2052  2019-2020  Louvain-la-Neuve

Hydropower plants
Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
3 credits
20.0 h
Q2
Teacher(s)
Soares Frazao Sandra;
Language
English
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of fluid mechanics as taught in LGCIV1051 or LMECA1321
Main themes
  • Hydropower in the global context of energy
  • Identification of exploitable sites
  • Principles of hydraulic machinery and pre-design of turbines
  • Hydraulic transients and surge tanks
  • Local production and use of hydropower in developing countries
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 Contribution to the acquisition and evaluation of the following learning outcomes of the programme in civil engineering: AA1.2, AA1.3, AA2.1, AA2.2, AA4.1
More specifically, at the end of the course, the student will be able to:
  • Identify and characterize exploitable sites
  • Design a multipurpose installation
  • Design penstocks and surge tanks
  • Understand the choice of the turbines and their consequences
Transversal learning outcomes: discuss the question of energy, and in particular renewable energy,  in the world
 

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
1. Hydropower in the world : past, present and future
  • Selection criteria for exploitable sites
  • Definiton of the potential of a given site
  • Geological and hydrogeological context
2. Hydraulics and and hydropower :
  • Fundamental notions : energy, efficiency, momentum
  • Headlosses in the hydraulic circuit
  • Water hammer and penstocks
  • Surge tanks
3. Hydraulic turbines :
  • Classification and general design
  • Similitude and specific turbine
  • General design of a hydropower plant
4. Alternator and power regulation
5. Micro-hydropower, hydropower in developing countries
6. Economical aspects
Teaching methods
Ex-cathedra teaching with examples of practical cases
Evaluation methods
Oral examination
Other information
While oriented toward civil engineering design of hydropower plants, the course is open to students of other disciplines
Online resources
Available on Moodle
Faculty or entity
GC


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [120] in Civil Engineering

Master [120] in Architecture and Engineering