Measurements and financial analysis for hydro-abrasive erosion in hydropower plants

The problem of hydro-abrasive erosion due to sediment is becoming more severe for hydropower plants owing to recent increase in energy demand especially in geologically young mountains, like the Andes and the Himalaya and extreme floods caused due to climate change. In high head power plants, even small sediment particles cause critical hydro-abrasion resulting in loss of efficiency, interruptions in power production and downtime for repair/maintenance. Currently, only limited information is available due to lacking of practically proven measurement techniques as well as reliable measurement data on suspended sediment properties and turbine erosion with efficiency losses. Hence, simultaneous measurement of suspended sediment properties, hydro-abrasive erosion and reduction in efficiency is required to carry outfinancial analysis and finding out optimum strategy for plant operation in a power plant located in Indian Himalayas. This paper provides a general overview of available methods for measurement of hydro-abrasive erosion, suspended sediment properties and efficiency reduction. This study shall be useful for researchers and hydropower managers in measuring and mitigating hydro-abrasive erosion.