Estimation of crane capacity and crane Span for Small Hydro Powerhouse

Small Hydropower (SHP) is the environmentally benign and proven source of energy. Rural and urban areas can also be electrified using this technology, either in isolated or grid connected mode. The powerhouse building is an important component of a SHP scheme which houses the electromechanical equipments, and has an Overhead travelling crane to handle these equipments during installation and maintenance. In the present study, attempt has been made to estimate the powerhouse crane capacity and its span for a given generating unit size of a SHP station. A database of SHP stations available with Alternate Hydro Energy Centre, IIT Roorkee has been used for the analysis and estimation. The powerhouse crane parameters estimated can be used for selecting a suitable powerhouse crane for a SHP station.