Pumped Storage Hydro Plant Advantages

Pumped Storage Hydro Plants:

Pumped Storage plants are special type of hydro plants where water driving the turbine to generate electricity is again pumped back in to the reservoir. Hydro plants and gas plants takes very little time to come to hot and generate the power in the power system. These plants are operated when there is peak demand in electricity. Hence these plants are termed as peak load plants.

When the demand for electricity is high pumped storage hydro plants generate electricity and supply the power to the grid. During low load periods (late nights where load is less) water will be again pumped back to the reservoir. During this period Turbine-Generator acts as motor and pumps the water back.

Advantages:

• Pumped storage plants can contribute to the overall electrical system in performing one or more functions
• Load regulation
• Quick response reserve capacity to offset short term generation or transmission outages
• Increase in overall system energy

Pumped plans can also be constructed for multiple uses such as water supply projects, flood control and nuclear cooling capacity.

The draft tube for discharging the water in to the tail race when generating power acts as a suction tube for pumping the water from the tailrace and guiding it to the impeller runner. Impeller runner for reversible pump/turbine is similar to centrifugal pump impeller but modified to produce optimum performance in both the operations. Conventional turbine runners with shorter blades are not suited for pumping operation. An impeller runner for reversible turbine/pump is usually larger in diameter than Francis runner for the same generating capacity.