27 / 2023-12-18 05:17:03

Design of Micro Hydroelectric Generation Plants using Infrastructure of the Pao Cachiche, Pao Las Balsas, Dos Cerritos, El Pueblito Water Reservoirs in Venezuela

MYCRO HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION PLANTS,WATER RESERVOIR INFRASTRUCTURE,HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION

The purpose of this study is to analyze the hydroelectric potential of Pao Cachinche (PC-WR) (Carabobo-Cojedes States), Pao Las Balsas (PLB-WR) (Cojedes State), Dos Cerritos (DC-WR) (Lara State) and El Pueblito (EP-WR) (Guárico State) water reservoirs used for supplying uses for human consumption and agricultural development. Based on this analysis, the design of micro hydroelectric plants was carried out. PHASE I. Data collection. Water balances in period 2005-2015 of PC-WR and PLB-WR were provided by Compañía Hidrológica del Centro, C.A. (HIDROCENTRO CA). Water balance of DC-WR in the period 1988-2013 was obtained from the Ministry for Ecosocialism and Water. Regarding the EP-WR, a database was created by extracting information on the area covered by the reservoir in the period 2011-2015 from LANDSAT 8OLI satellite images combined with the area-volume-water level curve of said reservoir. PHASE II.- Descriptive statistical analysis of reservoir operation variables. Variables selected to be part of study were: water level, volume, area, inlet flow, outlet flow, relief flow, ecological flow and pumping flow (Extraction flow). A descriptive statistical analysis was applied to operate variables, obtaining measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode), measures of dispersion (standard deviation, range, coefficient of variation) and measures of shape (skewness, kurtosis), statistical parameters that described the distribution of hydroenergy variables of reservoirs under study. Likewise, time series that represented behavior throughout 10-year series was described. PHASE III.- Design of micro hydroelectric plant. Hydraulic power to be generated was determined, through using of energy balance equations, and the turbine that best adapted to the required requirements was proposed. PHASE IV.- Feasibility analysis of the hydroelectric plant. In this phase, the feasibility of implementing a small-scale hydroelectric plant in the study reservoirs was evaluated. Costs involved in its construction were evaluated. The descriptive statistical analysis carried out on the water elevation variable showed that the PC-WR, PLB-WR and EP-WR did not reach critical water levels during the period 2005-2015. DC-WR presented stable values during the period 1988-2013; where the variables associated to area and volume had a decrease in recent years, without compromising the operating levels of the reservoir. Through the study carried out, it was determined that the design flow would be approximately 1 m³ /s according to the criteria used for its selection, taking ecological expenditure as a reference. The design power varied between 73.39 KW and 73.88 KW respectively, corresponding to the selection range of the Francis turbine.