Up to around 1980, hydropower research and development (R&D) efforts focused mainly on improving turbine efficiency, reducing cavitations, and increasing generation. Whereas older units had efficiency ratings as low as 60%, the new units have efficiency ratings of approximately 90%. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) also looked at new technologies for developing low-head, ultra low-head, and small hydropower projects. These technologies included the following: (more…)
Hydropower, also known as hydroelectric power, is the use of water to produce power. Harnessing water to perform work has been ...
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) was formed in 1998 by a joint initiative of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Worl ...
The winners in hydropower and other large dam projects are those who gain electricity, domestic water supplies, sanitation, dro ...
The water levels of most of the world’s rivers fluctuate with seasonal rains, melting snows, or droughts, and in the arid zones ...
Hydraulic turbines have two main classifications: impulse and reaction. The impulse turbine generally uses the velocity of the wate ...
Hydropower, also known as hydroelectric power, is the use of water to produce power. Harnessing water to perform work has been going on for thousands of years. The Greeks used waterwheels for grinding wheat into flour more than 2000 years ago. Besides grinding flour, the power of the water was used to saw wood and to power textile mills and manufacturing plants. This article looks briefly at how hydropower plant began, why it is considered renewable energy technology, the parts of a hydropower plant, types of turbines and when they are used, and what research and development is occurring. (more…)
Up to around 1980, hydropower research and development (R&D) efforts focused mainly on improving turbine efficiency, reducing c ...
The water levels of most of the world’s rivers fluctuate with seasonal rains, melting snows, or droughts, and in the arid zones ...
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) was formed in 1998 by a joint initiative of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Worl ...
The winners in hydropower and other large dam projects are those who gain electricity, domestic water supplies, sanitation, dro ...
The demand for electric energy by a community varies with the time of day and with the time of year. An electric power utility ...
Many small-scale energy systems require effective miniaturized pumps and expanders. These devices are responsible for conveying a working fluid through various components to execute a cycle that may result in power production, heat pumping, or refrigeration. As an example, a pump is required for pressurizing the working fluid in Rankine power cycles. Miniaturized pumps could also cycle a heat transfer fluid through a cooling loop for heat rejection purposes. On the other hand, expanders are necessary for any cycle employing a working fluid to generate power. Specific examples include microturbines, miniaturized piston-based machines, and roots-type expanders. (more…)
Heat-actuated heat pumps are cooling systems requiring no electricity for operation. Rather, a heat source is used, avoiding the ne ...
Micro technology can be employed to produce miniaturized refrigeration and cryocooling systems. Although process intensificat ...
Separation is a unit operation used in absorption heat pumps and chemical processing applications such as solvent extraction and pr ...
Many characteristics of traditional engines make them attractive for use in power generation and propulsion technology. They tend t ...
Microvalves have been developed for a variety of applications suitable for Microtechnology-Based Energy and Chemical Systems. Valve ...
Heat-actuated heat pumps are cooling systems requiring no electricity for operation. Rather, a heat source is used, avoiding the need for batteries. This consideration is critical for portable applications because on a weight basis, a stored liquid fuel has anywhere from 35 to 300 times the energy content of batteries, depending on the battery technology considered. Thus, although the simple solution of combining an electric motor, a battery package, and a vapor compression refrigerator may sound appealing, it actually suffers a severe volume and weight disadvantage when compared with a heat-actuated system. (more…)
Separation is a unit operation used in absorption heat pumps and chemical processing applications such as solvent extraction and pr ...
Many small-scale energy systems require effective miniaturized pumps and expanders. These devices are responsible for conveying ...
Micro technology can be employed to produce miniaturized refrigeration and cryocooling systems. Although process intensificat ...
Numerous other parts are needed for a complete fuel cell engine suitable for motor vehicles. These auxiliary components include man ...
The idea of using an absorption fluid as a refrigerant carrier derived from the drawback of VCR (vapor–compression refrigeration) s ...