Design and installation of a mini hydro electric power plant

The basic principle of hydropower is that, if water is piped from a certain level to a lower level, the resulting water pressure can be used to do work. This work is a practical implementation of the theory of hydropower generation. It considers the design and installation of mini hydropower plant. A storage tank (fitted with siphons to increase water pressure) and a plastic pipe were used to represent the dam and the penstock respectively. The turbine and generator were constructed and the various parts were coupled together to form the hydropower plant. The hydro turbine converts water pressure into mechanical shaft power, which is used to drive the electric generator, and the result is a 218V alternating e.m.f of frequency 50Hz that is suitable for powering some household electrical appliances.