how does Hydroelectric power work ?

Question

how does hydro electric power work??? explaain with detail

Answer 1

dude above me knows his stuff!!!!

Answer 2

Much like an old fashioned waterwheel! Of course a modern hydroelectric plant is a bit more complex. :)

When the water flows into a hydroelectric plant, its channeled so that it flows through a turbine (usually this is done in such a way that the water falls some distance at first--because the water is moving a lot faster, so it has more energy to drive the turbine. (That's why many powerplants are located with dams--like the Boulder dam--or waterfalls like Niagra).

The turbine spins, turning a shaft that in turn causes an electric generator to spin, producing electric current.

And that's about all there is to it. The complicating parts come with monitoring and controlling the water flow, and distributing the electricity to consumers. A modern hydorelectric plant is a complicated affair--but what I just described is really all there is to the basic operation.

Answer 3

Hydroelectricity is electricity obtained from hydropower. Most hydroelectric power comes from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator, although less common variations use water's kinetic energy or dammed sources, such as tidal power. Hydroelectricity is a renewable energy source.

The energy extracted from water depends not only on the volume but on the difference in height between the source and the water's outflow. This height difference is called the head. The amount of potential energy in water is proportional to the head. To obtain very high head, water for a hydraulic turbine may be run through a large pipe called a penstock.

While many supply public electricity networks, some hydroelectric projects were created for private commercial purposes. For example, aluminium processing requires substantial amounts of electricity, and often dedicated hydroelectric projects are built to serve aluminium electrolytic plants. In the Scottish Highlands there are examples at Kinlochleven and Lochaber, constructed during the early years of the 20th century. In Suriname, the 'van Blommestein' lake, dam and power station were constructed to provide electricity for the Alcoa aluminum industry.

In parts of Canada (the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador) hydroelectricity is used so extensively that the word "hydro" is used to refer to any electricity delivered by a power utility. The government-run power utilities in these provinces are called BC Hydro, Manitoba Hydro, Hydro One (formerly "Ontario Hydro"), Hydro-Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro respectively. Hydro-Québec is the world's largest hydroelectric generating company, with a total installed capacity (2005) of 31,512 MW.

Answer 4

Hydro electricity, uses water pressure to turn large turbines(big wheels) that convert motion into power just like a car alternator, a hydr plant is located 20 storeys underground, the water is piped to create more pressure. Turbines have magnets that spin around to create electricity, the opposite of an electric motor.

Answer 5

Electricity is made by spinning a turbine in a circle. ex. wind moves a windmill, hot, rising air from coal spins a wheel, etc. a hydroelectric plant simply uses water to spin its turbine. usually, it is stored behind a dam and the only way out is through the turbine.


A turbine is basically a big fan.

Answer 6

Hydropower captures the energy in falling water, a hydraulic gradient called head. Head, a vertical distance, determines the pressure that can be generated in a particular scenario, one of two figures used to calculate hydropower energy potential. 2.2 feet of head is equivalent to 1 PSI, or Pounds per Square Inch, a unit of pressure.

The other figure is flow; how much fluid there is, since the more fluid the bigger the splash. Hydropower potential is a function of head and flow and is measured in units of power such as Watts, Joules, Horsepower, etc.

The energy is converted by a turbine or runner into rotational force along a shaft. Shaft power is in turn used to spin alternators or generators in the case of hydro-electric power.

Hydro-electric power as commonly used refers to utility scale generation of electricity, typically in the form of a damn which spans a river creating a head pond up-river.

In this scenario, column(s) of falling water will spin reaction turbines to turn the glorified equivalent of a car alternator above it, which, like in your car, generates high voltage three-phase alternating current to be delivered to the consumers along the utility grid.

The utility system operator can alter the number of turbines in operation and thereby the adjust the amount of water consumed in the head pond to balance the needs of the consumers, both local and international.

Another type of hydro-electric generator uses impulse runners to capture energy from smaller flows of water. Head is generated in a pipe and released under pressure on the vanes of an impulse runner such as a Pelton or Turgo to create shaft power. This type of hydropower does not need to damn the entire flow of river and are sometimes called run-of-river.

Further still are 'no-head' mini-hydroelectric generators which use the current in a stream to spin what looks like a propeller.

Answer 7

water moves through a tube with force, there are fins that are turned by this water force (hydro). the fins turn an axle (spindle) that turns metal brushes against tightly woven coil Turbine)creating an alternating magnetic field which current is pulled through wires away from the turbine as electricity.

Answer 8

flowing water spins a turbine (basiclay a propeller blade) which spins an electric generator

Answer 9

its like when theres like a dam near flowing water ( a river, waterfall stuff like that) and the water turns turnbines-they spin like- which generate the electircity

Answer 10

water falls, pushes fins (aka turbines) turns a huge axle.... turns an electric motor.... electric motor hooked up to powerlines... tada!

Answer 11

the person person above me knows whats hes talking about