Assessment of Hydro cyclone Separator for Sediment Laden Hydropower Plants

Sediment management is particularly essential for run-of-river hydroelectric facilities and initiatives such as upstream sediment traps or watershed management can lower sediment yield downstream. It can prevent early failure of turbine runners and associated equipment at facilities which otherwise would cause significant problems in operation and sustainability of hydropower plants. The yearly operational and maintenance costs are typically represented as a percentage of the annual capital outlay per kW, with prominent figures ranging from 1 to 4 percent. Amongst many methods, hydro cyclone separators like a pre-filtering system can be implemented to reduce the inflow of sediment partially or completely. This paper focuses on the analytical design of hydrocyclone for hydro power plants. The theoretical calculations on the size, efficiency and number of hydrocyclones required for hydropower plants, on the basis of their operational parameters, have been presented in this paper. The basic parameter for the design of hydrocyclone is its cut size which influences all of its geometrical and operational variables. The analysis for hydrocyclones, ranging from 30 to 100 inches in diameter, has been conducted at pressure drops from 4 psi to 8 psi. The cut sizes and its underflow efficiency for afore mentioned sizes of hydrocyclones has also been calculated. A case design for Jhimrukh hydropower plant has been presented, on size and number of hydrocyclones required for the plant, to put purpose of this study into perspective.