Transient Simulation of Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower Plants Operating in Pumping Mode

Menéndez, J.Á.; Oro, Jesús Manuel Fernández; Galdo, Mónica; Loredo, Jorge

doi:10.3390/en13071781

Cited by 20 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Implementation of a PSHPP in the power system of mining enterprises is the subject of research in a number of works [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. [3][4][5] consider application of the PSHPP to water drainage during open pit mining operations; [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] look into pumped-storage equipment use at water intake facilities of underground mine workings. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] are mostly devoted to studying the impact of water drainage design elements, in particular, intake facilities, hydraulic systems and technological modes of PSHPP operation at underground mines.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[3][4][5] consider application of the PSHPP to water drainage during open pit mining operations; [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] look into pumped-storage equipment use at water intake facilities of underground mine workings. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] are mostly devoted to studying the impact of water drainage design elements, in particular, intake facilities, hydraulic systems and technological modes of PSHPP operation at underground mines. [6] analyzes geomechanical characteristics of the water intake facility used with PSHPP hydroturbines and studies the influence of the material of reservoir gallery supports on their mechanical strength.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Economic aspects of introducing pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants into the mine dewatering system for distributed power generation

Mykhailenko

Budnikov

2022

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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The paper examines the pumped hydroelectric energy storage potential of mine dewatering system for power generation in a distributed power system. Based on the water inflows that can be used to fill the drainage basins, the following options for pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants (PSHPP) are considered: when groundwater is discharged from only one mine, one hydraulic turbine is installed on the horizon below the surface; with additional discharge of groundwater from neighboring mines – installation of two or four hydraulic turbines at the drainage stages closest to the surface. Comparison was made with grid only system. It is based on net present value (NPV) and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) criteria. Variable parameters were hydraulic turbine water flow and mine power consumption. Also, for a certain combination of parameters, the optimal mine power system was determined. The area of use of the PSHS is estimated. It was found that the smallest economic effect is achieved when the power generation of one hydraulic turbine is close to the power consumption. The area of expedient use of the PSHPP within the limits of parameter variation is 17.2%, 19.6% (base and peak costs of power). This is because power generation drops when the water flow decreases. It does not cover the needs of the mine and there is a power shortage. Thus, the mine power system autonomy is very low. With an increase in water inflow and the number of hydraulic turbines, first up to two and then up to four units, the area of expedient use of PSHPP increases to 51.5%, 55.9% and 50.6%, 72.8%, respectively. However, with low energy consumption and a low water flow, it is still rational to receive electricity from the grid. This is due to a sharp drop in the efficiency of hydraulic turbines and high costs for maintenance and repair of PSHPP equipment, which are not comparable to the cost of purchasing power. So it was noted that with the base cost of electricity and an increase in the number of hydro turbines from two to four, the area of conditions under which the use of PSHPP is justified even decreased by 0.9%. At peak cost, the area increases by 16.9%. The mine power system autonomy is not achieved. In general, the efficiency of using PSHPP for mine dewatering systems is high, but the feasibility of their use should be studied for specific conditions of use.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Economic aspects of introducing pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants into the mine dewatering system for distributed power generation

Mykhailenko

Budnikov

2022

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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“…Later, during high demand periods, electricity is produced by discharging the water through turbines from the upper to the lower reservoir [11]. Despite its extensive use, PSH has limitations [12][13][14], the most important being that a specific topography is required as both reservoirs must be located at different elevations [15]. Consequently, PSH plants can only be installed in relatively steep areas [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Hydrogeological Features on the Performance of Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower (UPSH)

et al. 2021

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Underground pumped storage hydropower (UPSH) is an attractive opportunity to manage the production of electricity from renewable energy sources in flat regions, which will contribute to the expansion of their use and, thus, to mitigating the emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) in the atmosphere. A logical option to construct future UPSH plants consists of taking advantage of existing underground cavities excavated with mining purposes. However, mines are not waterproofed, and there will be an underground water exchange between the surrounding geological medium and the UPSH plants, which can impact their efficiency and the quality of nearby water bodies. Underground water exchanges depend on hydrogeological features, such as the hydrogeological properties and the groundwater characteristics and behavior. In this paper, we numerically investigated how the hydraulic conductivity (K) of the surrounding underground medium and the elevation of the piezometric head determined the underground water exchanges and their associated consequences. The results indicated that the efficiency and environmental impacts on surface water bodies became worse in transmissive geological media with a high elevation of the piezometric head. However, the expected environmental impacts on the underground medium increased as the piezometric head became deeper. This assessment complements previous ones developed in the same field and contributes to the definition of (1) screening strategies for selecting the best places to construct future UPSH plants and (2) design criteria to improve their efficiency and minimize their impacts.

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“…Besides the water exchanges with the surrounding medium, the movement of water within the mine or quarry is of particular interest as well [23][24][25][26][27]. A detailed evolution of the water levels in the complex underground reservoir(s) needs to be predicted for feasibility analysis, as the continuous shifting of water level in response to discharge variations during the pump/discharge cycles will affect the head difference between the upper and lower reservoirs and possibly the turbomachinery operation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower (UPSH) at the Martelange Mine (Belgium): Underground Reservoir Hydraulics

et al. 2020

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The intermittent nature of most renewable energy sources requires their coupling with an energy storage system, with pumped storage hydropower (PSH) being one popular option. However, PSH cannot always be constructed due to topographic, environmental, and societal constraints, among others. Underground pumped storage hydropower (UPSH) has recently gained popularity as a viable alternative and may utilize abandoned mines for the construction of the lower reservoir in the underground. Such underground mines may have complex geometries and the injection/pumping of large volumes of water with high discharge could lead to uneven water level distribution over the underground reservoir subparts. This can temporarily influence the head difference between the upper and lower reservoirs of the UPSH, thus affecting the efficiency of the plant or inducing structural stability problems. The present study considers an abandoned slate mine in Martelange in Southeast Belgium as the lower, underground, reservoir of an UPSH plant and analyzes its hydraulic behavior. The abandoned slate mine consists of nine large chambers with a total volume of about 550,000 m3, whereas the maximum pumping and turbining discharges are 22.2 m3/s. The chambers have different size and they are interconnected with small galleries with limited discharge capacity that may hinder the flow exchange between adjacent chambers. The objective of this study is to quantify the effect of the connecting galleries cross-section and the chambers adequate aeration on the water level variations in the underground reservoir, considering a possible operation scenario build upon current electricity prices and using an original hydraulic modelling approach. The results highlight the importance of adequate ventilation of the chambers in order to reach the same equilibrium water level across all communicating chambers. For fully aerated chambers, the connecting galleries should have a total cross-sectional area of at least 15 m2 to allow water flow through them without significant restrictions and maintain similar water level at all times. Partially aerated chambers do not attain the same water level because of the entrapped air; however, the maximum water level differences between adjacent chambers remain relatively invariant when the total cross-sectional area of the connecting galleries is greater than 8 m2. The variation of hydraulic roughness of the connecting galleries affects the water exchange through small connecting galleries but is not very influential on water moving through galleries with large cross-sections.

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Transient Simulation of Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower Plants Operating in Pumping Mode

Cited by 20 publications

References 31 publications

Economic aspects of introducing pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants into the mine dewatering system for distributed power generation

Economic aspects of introducing pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants into the mine dewatering system for distributed power generation

The Impact of Hydrogeological Features on the Performance of Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower (UPSH)

Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower (UPSH) at the Martelange Mine (Belgium): Underground Reservoir Hydraulics

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