Deepankuram Synergies: Prakruthi Hydro Turbines


Deepankuram Synergies has tied up with Prakruthi Hydro Labs for Hydro power solutions. The range is from 500 Watts to 300 KW. Prakruti Hydro Labs has been set up in 2006 by experienced persons in the field of Small Hydro Power with extensive experience in the area of Design and Manufacture of Hydro Turbines and setting up of Small / Micro / Pico Hydro Systems. PHL personnel also have expertise in developing models for the successful running of off-grid power projects (run by the small village communities).

Prakruti Hydro Labs is specializing in the business of Design, Manufacture, Test and Supply of Pico / Micro Hydro Systems in the power range of sub kW to 300 kW. PHL has competence in the design and supply of Micro Hydro Systems with Cross flow, Pelton, Francis and Kaplan types of turbines, Induction Motor as Generator and Synchronous generators with Electronic Load Controllers.

Our equipment package consists of three modules: Turbine, Generator and Electronic Load controller. The system can be designed for both mechanical and electrical power usage in a variety of settings. Based on requirements, the equipment will be coupled with a service package, which includes site exploration, feasibility assessment, guidance in execution of civil works, installation & commissioning and a post sale service. Products with power ranging from 0.5 kW serving individual households to 100 kW catering to communities can be offered.

Projects under Execution

Prakruti Hydro labs have already supplied above 150 Pico-hydro systems in Chickmagalur, Kodagu, and Uttara Kannada & Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka. We have also installed a few units in Kerala State. Out of this already around 120 machines have been commissioned & working well. TURBINES

Turbines, which convert the water-down-a gradient into mechanical energy, are the starting point in Electro-mechanical set up of a Micro Hydro Project. Their role is very critical as they are custom made for the sites and their efficiency in energy conversion is an important factor in determining the final power available in the project.
PHL has expertise in the making of Turbines (both Reaction & Impulse types) suitable for Micro Hydro Projects. PHL offers high efficiency turbines – Pelton, Crossflow, Kaplan & Francis turbines, depending on the site conditions.

A brief note on Turbines suitable for a site is given below:

Impulse Turbines:

Pelton Turbine: Pelton turbine runner has a series of buckets mounted on the periphery of a circular disc. The system has one or more nozzles directing water on the runner. The jet of water from the nozzle drives the runner. The runner can be mounted either on a horizontal or a vertical orientation depending on the site conditions. Pelton turbines are ideal for steep terrain sites – high heads with relatively low discharge. They are very efficient even in part load conditions (the nozzle numbers and the flow control valves are designed accordingly) and are thus suitable for the sites which have variance in discharge.

NORMALLY THEY ARE SUITABLE FOR HEADS ABOVE 20 MTRS & FLOW ABOVE 5 LPS.


   

A brief note on Turbines suitable for a site is given below.
 
  • Impulse Turbines:

  • Pelton Turbine:
    Pelton turbine runner has a series of buckets mounted on the periphery of a circular disc. The system has one or more nozzles directing water on the runner. The jet of water from the nozzle drives the runner. The runner can be mounted either on a horizontal or a vertical orientation depending on the site conditions. Pelton turbines are ideal for steep terrain sites – high heads with relatively low discharge. They are very efficient even in part load conditions (the nozzle numbers and the flow control valves are designed accordingly) and are thus suitable for the sites which have variance in discharge.
    NORMALLY IMPULSE ARE SUITABLE FOR HEADS ABOVE 20 MTRS & FLOW ABOVE 5 LPS.

     
  • Crossflow Turbine:.
    Crossflow Turbine consists of a drum shaped runner with two parallel discs connected together near their rims by a series of curved blades. A rectangular nozzle directs the jet to the runner. The water entering & exiting the runner imparts energy and drives the system. This turbine always has its runner shaft horizontal to the ground. For higher kW ratings, the part flow conditions are handled by providing guide vane which controls the discharge through the runner. Major advantages of Crossflow turbines are that they are suitable for a wide range of heads.
    CROSS FLOW ARE USED FOR HEADS ABOVE 5 M UP TO 20 M & FLOWS ABOVE 20 LPS.
     
  • Reaction Turbines:.
    • In reaction turbines the runner is fully immersed in water & is enclosed in a pressure casing. The runner blades are profiled such that pressure differences across them create lift forces which cause the runner to rotate. The clearances between the casing & runner are carefully controlled. Generally, reaction turbines rotate faster than impulse turbines for the same head & flow conditions. Hence, they may be directly coupled to an alternator without any speed increasing system like a belt drive. Reaction turbines used in Micro Hydro Projects are the Francis, Kaplan and Propeller turbines. Francis turbines are suitable for medium heads & Kaplan and Propeller turbines are suitable for low heads.
    NORMALLY FRANCIS TURBINES ARE USED FOR HEADS ABOVE 5 M AND FLOWS ABOVE 50 LPS

    KAPLAN TURBINES ARE NORMALLY USED FOR HEADS LESS THAN 5 M AND FLOWS ABOVE 150 LPS.

    In general the turbine suitable for a site is tabulated as follows:
    Turbine Type High Head Medium Head Low Head
    IMPULSE TURBINES PELTON TURBINES CROSS FLOW MULTI JET PELTON
    REACTION TURBINES   FRANCIS PROPELLOR KAPLAN

    GENERATORS
    PHL has expertise in using Induction motor as generator for Pico Hydro Projects and also uses Synchronous Generators, based on requirements. The hands on experience in selection of the generators (IMAG & Synchronous) for a site help to optimize the power production.

    ELECTRONIC LOAD CONTROLLERS
    PHL uses Load controllers (developed indigenously) using modern electronics. These controllers are tested for various parameters critical for a power project. The ELC works on principle of keeping the speed of turbine-generator constant by sharing the generated power between ballast and the actual power usage. The system can also be configured for other usage like water heating (using Ballast) based on user requirements