Foreword

The purpose of hydroelectric power plant is to harness power from water flowing under pressure. As such, it incorporates a number of water driven prime movers known as water turbines.

Hydroelectric power can be developed wherever water continuously flowing under pressure is available. Dams constructed across flowing rivers divert the riverine bounty through the turbine giving rise to such useful power. However, this is not all. Water that is collected in natural or artificial lakes in the high and huge mountains, due to heavy monsoon rain, can be led down to turbines through large pipes known as penstocks.

Basic concepts of hydro power plants and fluid flow are essential in all the engineering disciplines to get better understanding of the course in professional programmers, and obviously its importance as a core subject that needs not to be overemphasized.

The author with his collaborators has been teaching the subject of hydraulic power plants for the past several years, and this monograph is essentially based on the lectures delivered by him. The lecture notes were prepared as; the author comprehend that there was no text, which could provide a coherent readily intelligible account and concise exposition of the subject.

From the experience gained through useful class discussions and feedback, the notes were revised to improve the clarity and necessary explanatory notes where added during each teaching semester. The subject matter has thus been thoroughly tested.

This book is a compilation as no claim is made of its originality. Acknowledgement is due and hereby made to all the authors whose work has been used in the preparation of this text.

Finally, this book emphasizes the need of young engineers acquiring great efficiency in using the tool of study and designing each part of hydraulic power plants such as turbines, pumps, penstocks and other parts in a simple way.