CFD simulation for Hydraulic Short-Circuit feasibility analysis

TL;DR

This paper presents a CFD-based methodology to assess the feasibility of Hydraulic Short-Circuit operations in pumped hydro energy storage plants, focusing on power output and pressure dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel CFD and statistical approach to evaluate HSC integration in existing hydropower plants, including penstock flow analysis.

Findings

Feasibility of HSC operation depends on pressure and flow conditions.

CFD simulations reveal potential efficiency impacts.

Flow conditions vary significantly with different operational modes.

Abstract

Hydraulic Short Circuit (HSC) application allows the simultaneous pumping and generating operations on different units of the same pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) plants for the extension of the power consumption range. This article proposes a methodology based on time-history statistics and CFD numerical simulations to investigate the feasibility of integrating such a kind of operation in pre-existing hydropower plants. The evaluation of the potential power output and pressure drop analysis in the new HSC operation are presented. The penstock trifurcation of a selected PHES plant is also analysed by CFD simulations, by evaluating the loss-head coefficients and comparing the flow conditions in different PHES operations.