Micro Hydro Power Plant at

Manipal Falls A Feasibility Study

Mr. Adheesh Boratkar, Student, First Year, Manipal Institute
of Technology, Manipal University
Mr. R. Sudarshan, Student, First Year, Manipal Institute of
Technology, Manipal University
Dr. K. Balakrishna, Faculty, Dept. of Civil Engg., Manipal
Institute of Technology
Wing. Commander A. Bhojraj (retired), Member, Mannu
Palla Lake Development Committee
Mr. K. Shankaranarayana, Faculty, Dept. of Electrical Engg.,
Manipal Institute of Technology

Contents
Manipal Terrain And Rainfall
Manipal Falls
Micro Hydro Installation An Overview
Components
Intake
Penstock
Turbine
Generator
Batter Bank and Inverter
Lighting
Conclusions






Manipal - Terrain and Rainfall
Manipal - 5 km from Udupi, Karnataka
Situated on the Western Ghats of India
First to receive Rainfall from the South-Western Monsoons.
Rainfall 400 cm annually
Elevation - 73 metres above sea level
Distance from sea 7 km
Manipal Lake (Rain Fed Lake) - 60 acres in area
Remains filled for 4-5 months an year
Average depth - 30 feet
Terrain down the Falls - Steep Gradient
Area 150 feet below Fall Accessible by Road
Bio Diversity Hot Spot
Bio Diversity Intact even after Implementation


Manipal Lake (Mannu Palla Lake)
Manipal Falls
Manipal Falls - Overflow from the Manipal Lake
Area: 60 acres
Average depth: 30 feet
Fall height: about 35 feet
Water flows down a steep hilly gradient to ultimately join the
Arabian Sea.
Effective head achievable with a penstock: about 150 feet.
Catchment areas
Manipal Falls
Micro Hydro
Micro Hydro : Generation of less than 100 kW of electricity.
Hilly Areas are suitable for Micro Hydro Installations.
Trapping rainwater at the highest geographical point possible
and then channelizing it to a turbine at the bottom using a
Penstock.
Turbine connected to a Generator to generate electricity.


Components of a Micro Hydro
Installation
A Schematic Diagram of a Micro Hydro Installation
Intake
Place where water enters the Penstock
Surge Tank in the open area just before the falls
Actual intake about a feet above the bottom of Surge Tank
Incase of excess water from lake, overflow from Surge Tank
will be directed to the fall.
Bar Screener before Penstock
Penstock
Conveys water from Surge Tank to Turbine
Runs down the entire length of the Falls (about 150 feet)
Friction Losses decrease with increasing Diameter of Pipe and
therefore, Cost
Most suitable material Unplastified Polyvinyl Chloride (uPVC)

A Penstock involved in a Micro Hydro Installation
Comparison of Possible Penstock
Materials
Material Friction Weight Resistance
to
Corrosion
Resistance
to Pressure
Cost
uPVC ***** ***** **** ***** ****
Mild Steel *** *** *** ***** ****
Ductile
Iron
**** * **** **** **
* Means Poor and ***** Means Excellent
Turbine
Converts Energy of Water to Rotational Energy
Choice of turbine to be made according to Head and Flow, for
Maximum Efficiency
Reaction Turbines Runners immersed in water, work on the
basis of Pressure Difference, suitable for Low Heads and High
Flow Rates
Impulse Turbines Runners not immersed in water, work on
the basis of impulse applied by jets of water, suitable for
Moderate High Heads and Low Flow Rates
Impulse turbine is suitable in our case.
Reaction Turbine Kaplan Turbine
Impulse Turbine
Pelton Wheel
An impulse Turbine is Suitable in our case as
Require a minimal water flow volume, ideal for sites where a relatively
small amount of water runs down a fairly steep hill, like in our case.
More tolerance to sand and other particles present in the water.
Easier to fabricate and maintain.
Parts are more easily accessible.
Dont require a Pressure Casing like a reaction turbine as they work on the
basis of the force applied by a jet of water and not on the basis of a
pressure difference.

Generator
Frequency constraints in AC
So we preferred DC
We looked into various types of DC generators.
1) Separately Excited DC Generators:
2) Self Excited DC Generators:
1) Shunt Wound
2) Series Wound
3) Compound Wound

We propose the use of a compound wound generators which have
both series field windings and shunt field windings. These
generators combine the characteristics of series and shunt
generators. The output voltage remains relatively constant for all
values of load current within the design of the generator.

How much can be generated?
Diameter Head(Feet) Theoretical Power Efficiency 35% Efficiency 40%
(Inches) (Feet) (Kilo Watts) (Kilo Watts) (Kilo Watts)
6 25 16.6729 5.8355 6.6692
12 25 66.6917 23.3421 26.6767
18 25 150.0563 52.5197 60.0225
6 50 47.1582 16.5054 18.8633
6 50 47.1582 16.5054 18.8633
18 50 424.4234 148.5482 169.7694
6 75 86.6351 30.3223 34.654
12 75 346.5402 121.2891 138.6161
18 75 779.7155 272.9004 311.8862
6 100 133.3834 46.6842 53.3534
12 100 533.5336 186.7368 213.4134
18 100 1200.4506 420.1577 480.1802
6 125 186.409 65.2432 74.5636
12 125 745.6359 260.9726 298.2544
18 125 1677.6807 587.1882 671.0723
6 150 245.041 85.7644 98.0164
12 150 980.1638 343.0573 392.0655
18 150 2205.3686 771.879 882.1474
Battery Bank & Inverter
Lighting
TYPE LED Incandescent Lamps CFL
Life Span 50,000 hrs 1,200 hrs 8,000 hrs
Toxic Material None None Mercury
Turns on instantly Yes Yes No-Takes time to warm-up
Lumens Watt Watt Watt
450 4-5 40 9-13
800 6-8 60 13-15
1600 16-20 100 23-30
Durability Very Durable - LEDs can
handle jarring and bumping
Not Very Durable - glass or
filament can break easily
Not Very Durable - glass can
break easily
Conclusions
Micro hydro power plant at Manipal Falls is highly feasible.
The effective energy that can be generated after accounting
for various kinds of losses assuming only a 35% over all
efficiency will be 85.76 KW.(assuming a head of 150 ft. and a
6 diameter pipe.)
uPVC is the most suitable material for the penstock.
Due to the available conditions of Head and Rate of Flow, an
Impulse Type Turbine like a Pelton Wheel would be suitable.
A Compound wound self excited DC generator would be best
for the proposed plant.
This energy would be sufficient to light the periphery of the
lake.
This would generate awareness amongst the people in
general and students in particular.
The project would serve as an inspiration for others to think
along similar lines and come up with new and innovative
ways to generate Green Energy.


Thank You!