Term
| What percent of the planet is fresh water? |
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Definition
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Term
| Surface water is what percent? |
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Definition
| .3% of the 3% that is freshwater |
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Term
| How much freshwater withdrawn from rivers and lakes goes to cooling power plants? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the biggest user of water? |
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Definition
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Term
| Water energy resources in the US |
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Definition
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Term
| US available water power potential |
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Definition
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Term
| What is more important than oil crisis? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the average flow: |
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Definition
Nuclear 92%
Wind 21%
Photovoltaic 15% |
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Term
| Parts of a hydroelectric plant: |
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Definition
Dam – Raises the water level of the river • Turbine – The falling water pushes the blades of the turbine and
thereby causes the turbine to spin
• It converts the kinetic energy of following water to mechanical energy
• Generator – The turbine causes the generator to spin and hence converts the mechanical energy from the turbine to electric energy
• Transmission lines- Theses are used to conduct the electricity from the hydropower plant to homes and business |
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Term
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Definition
Engineers have found that we can calculate the power of a dam using the following formula:
• Power = (Height of Dam) x (River Flow) x (Efficiency) / 11.8 ” |
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Term
| How much energy can a dam make? |
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Definition
“To get an idea what 339 kilowatts means, let's see how much electric energy we can make in a year
• Since electric energy is normally measured in kilowatt-hours, we multiply the power from our dam by the number of hours in a year.
• Electric Energy = (339 kilowatts) x (24 hours per day) x (365 days per year) = 2,969,000 kilowatt hours.
• The average annual residential energy use in the U.S. is about 3,000 kilowatt-hours for each person” |
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Term
| Three types of power plants |
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Definition
| Impoundment • Diversion • Pumped Storage |
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Term
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Definition
In the United States, there are about 80,000 dams of which only 2,400 produce power
• The other dams are for recreation, stock/farm ponds, flood control, water supply and irrigation” |
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Term
| Size of hydroelectric power plants |
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Definition
They range from large power plants that supply many consumers with electricity to small and micro plants that individuals operate for their own energy needs
• Large Hydropower – DOE defines large hydropower as facilities that have a capacity of more than 30 megawatts
• Small Hydropower – DOE defines small hydropower as facilities that have a capacity of 100 kilowatts to 30 megawatts
• Micro Hydropower – have a capacity of up to 100 kilowatts. They can produce enough electricity for a home, farm, ranch or village |
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Term
| Types of hydropower turbines |
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Definition
Impulse • Reaction
• The type of hydropower turbine selected for a project depends on:
• The height of standing water – referred to as “head” • The flow or volume of water • The depth at which the turbine must be set • Efficiency
• Cost |
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Term
| Types of hydrocarbon turbines |
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Definition
| Impulse turbine, Pelton, Cross flow, Reaction Turbine, Propeller |
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Term
| Propeller turbines for water |
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Definition
Bulb turbine - The turbine and generator are a sealed unit placed directly in the water stream
• Straflo – The generator is attached directly to the perimeter of the turbine
• Tube turbine – The penstock bends just before or after the runner allowing a straight line connection to the generator
• Kaplan – Here, both the blades and the wicked gates are adjustable, allowing for a wide range of operation |
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