ENE · Hydropower
Hydropower engineering and turbines
Run-of-river, storage and micro-hydro. Four turbine families, chosen by head and flow rather than by preference.
Overview
Overview
Because of the expertise and experience of Glorinda's staff in engineering, procurement, construction and management of hydroelectric and industrial power plants, projects can be designed, installed and delivered as complete plants. Hydropower is the oldest dispatchable renewable and still the most valuable where the resource exists, because it combines generation with storage in a single asset.
Our activities related to the development of hydroelectric power plants cover feasibility studies of the field, feasibility studies of the specific hydroelectric project, conceptual, basic and detailed engineering, EPC and EPCM project delivery, technical assistance in hardware testing, and testing, initial implementation and commissioning.
Detail
Turbine selection
Glorinda supplies turbines for efficient water energy use across four families, and head and flow decide which applies:
- Hydrodynamic screw — very low head, high flow, fish-friendly and mechanically simple. The usual answer on weirs and small river structures.
- Kaplan — low head with variable flow, using adjustable blades to hold efficiency across the operating range.
- Francis — medium head, the workhorse of most conventional hydroelectric plants and of pumped storage schemes.
- Pelton — high head, low flow, impulse operation. Mountain schemes and long penstocks.
Process diagram
Head and flow → turbine family
Reserved for a static turbine selection chart plotting head against flow with the operating envelopes of hydrodynamic screw, Kaplan, Francis and Pelton turbines marked.
Static process diagram — final artwork to be supplied.
Detail
Pumped storage
Pump-turbine storage is one of the five storage families we deliver, and where the topography allows it, it remains the most cost-effective form of bulk long-duration storage available. It is also the one that most closely resembles a conventional hydroelectric plant, which means the engineering, the civil interfaces and the operations are all well understood.
Applications
Applications and challenges
Where it applies
- Run-of-river hydropower schemes
- Storage hydropower with reservoir
- Pumped storage and pump-turbine schemes
- Micro-hydropower on weirs and small river structures
- Energy recovery from existing water infrastructure
- Refurbishment and re-rating of existing hydro plants
- Industrial pressure-recovery turbines on water networks
Common challenges we are asked to solve
- A hydrological record too short to support the yield model
- Turbine selection made before head and flow were properly characterised
- Environmental and fish-passage requirements changing the design
- Civil works dominating the capital cost
- Ageing plant where refurbishment competes with replacement
- Grid connection distance on remote schemes
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which turbine suits our site?
Head and flow decide it. Very low head and high flow points to a hydrodynamic screw; low head with variable flow to Kaplan; medium head to Francis; high head and low flow to Pelton. We would want the hydrological record before recommending anything.
Can you deliver a hydro project turnkey?
Yes — as EPC or EPCM, with civil works executed by local contractors under our engineering supervision. We also provide technical assistance in hardware testing, testing, initial implementation and commissioning.
Do you work on pumped storage?
Yes. Pump-turbine storage is one of the five energy storage families we deliver, and it remains the most cost-effective bulk long-duration storage where the topography supports it.
What about refurbishing an existing plant?
Refurbishment is often the better commercial answer, and it is close to the modernisation work we do on steam turbines: re-rating to increase output, extending life, and updating control systems.
Evidence
Projects
Sample layout. Reference projects are being cleared for publication with the clients concerned. The structure below is final; the content is placeholder.
SampleWater reuse retrofit — sample card
Card layout for a completed water reuse project: stream data before and after, recovery achieved, scope Glorinda held, and the client's own words.
SampleZLD package — sample card
Card layout for a zero liquid discharge package: feed characterisation, evaporator type selected, solid output route, and commissioning duration.
SampleOwner's engineer mandate — sample card
Card layout for an advisory mandate: the client's decision, the options assessed, and what changed in the tender as a result.
Conversion
Take this further
Send us the stream data, the discharge limit or the equipment list you are working from. An engineer reads every enquiry and replies with the questions that actually decide the solution — not a brochure.
Contact
Talk it through with an engineer
Send the constraint you are designing around and we will tell you what is realistic before anyone writes a specification.