Hydro Power
Hydro Power
Water Penstock
Hydro power has the advantage of free renewable fuel and is totally non-polluting. The difficulties are the high capital cost and the tie to suitable geographical locations which many times are in remote areas. The examples given here are in Peru because of the many suitable examples.
Peru is an obvious zone for developing Hydro-electric power schemes having the combination if the elevation of the Andes mountains with rivers which go on to feed the Amazon system. I was humbled to realise that water management and canal building was part of the Peruvian pre-Columbian culture and I was teaching people technology, which they had developed independently 3000 years before!
The schemes implemented by Loftus Technical Services, two of which are shown on this site were to supply small towns and rural areas and illustrate small hydro schemes of 10MW and less.
This scheme is a 'run of the river' scheme where the water is borrowed from the river and returned to the river immediately after the power station. A barrage or weir diverts a proportion of the river down a canal, this canal carries the water at approximately the same level to the head of the penstock perhaps 5/7 Km away where it falls into the power station and is converted to electrical energy.
Peru is an obvious zone for developing Hydro-electric power schemes having the combination if the elevation of the Andes mountains with rivers which go on to feed the Amazon system. I was humbled to realise that water management and canal building was part of the Peruvian pre-Columbian culture and I was teaching people technology, which they had developed independently 3000 years before!
The schemes implemented by Loftus Technical Services, two of which are shown on this site were to supply small towns and rural areas and illustrate small hydro schemes of 10MW and less.
This scheme is a 'run of the river' scheme where the water is borrowed from the river and returned to the river immediately after the power station. A barrage or weir diverts a proportion of the river down a canal, this canal carries the water at approximately the same level to the head of the penstock perhaps 5/7 Km away where it falls into the power station and is converted to electrical energy.
Francis Turbine
Two Francis Turbines
The Francis turbine is for medium head and larger volume flowrate of water. The machines shown have a horizontal shaft and are connected to a standard type generator. On another page we illustrate thevertical shaft machines use in larger power stations. The tail races shown increase the output by creating back suction.
Pelton Wheel
Spare Pelton Wheel
The Pelton Turbine has a wheel format as shown. It is used where a greater head with a smaller volume flowrate is to be exploited. 1,2,3 or 4 water jets can be sprayed onto the turbine depending on the water availability and the power required
Large Scale Hydro - New and Refurbished
New Rock Filled Dam with Plant Hall in Mountain
Loftus Technical Services have acted for the Owner and Contractor on large scale Hydro Power Projects. This is a large rock filled concrete dam in Iran under construction. The turbine hall is an excavated cavern in the mass of the mountain.
View from the Top of the Dam
The route and supply of the existing natural watercourse has to be protected. This dam in Iran has the function of controlling flooding and providing irrigation as well as generating power.
Inside the Turbine hall Cavern
This is the inside view of the turbine hall on the project shown on the left. The lage components (turbine, generator, transformer, are delivered "piece small" and assembled on site as shown in this image.
Large Scale Hydro Refurbishment
Loftus technical Services champions the refurbishment of Legacy Schemes from the 50's and 60's. This station is in Cameroon