A decision support system for conduct hydropower development

dc.contributor.advisorVan Dijk, Marco
dc.contributor.emailione.loots@up.ac.zaen_US
dc.contributor.postgraduateLoots, Ione
dc.date.accessioned2014-02-11T05:12:49Z
dc.date.available2014-02-11T05:12:49Z
dc.date.created2013-09-04
dc.date.issued2013en_US
dc.descriptionDissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2013.en_US
dc.description.abstractCheap and reliable electricity is an essential stimulus for economic and social development. Currently fossil fuels are used for the majority of global electricity generation, but energy shortages and pressure on all industries to reduce CO2 emissions provide incentives for growing emphasis on the development of alternative energy-generation methods. Presently hydropower contributes about 17% of global energy generation, which is only a fraction of its total potential. In Africa only 5% of its estimated hydropower potential has been exploited, making it the most underdeveloped continent in terms of hydropower. An often overlooked source of hydropower energy is found in conduits, where pressure-reducing stations (PRSs) are installed to dissipate excess energy. The energy dissipated by these devices can instead be captured as hydroelectricity if turbines are installed in the conduits, either by replacing pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) with a turbine, or by installing the turbine in parallel with the PRV. An initial scoping investigation indicated that significant potential exists for small-scale hydropower installations in water-distribution systems in South Africa. Almost all of the country’s municipalities and water-supply utilities have pressure-dissipating stations in their water-distribution systems, where hydropower potential may exist. This dissertation reflects the development of a Conduit Hydropower Decision Support System (CHDSS), summarised in a series of flow diagrams that illustrate the developmental process (Figure i(a) provides an example). A Conduit Hydropower Development (CHD) Tool was developed to facilitate the calculation of necessary factors (the Phase 1 Economic Analysis is shown in Figure i(b)). The objective of this CHDSS was to assist municipalities and engineers in identifying conduit hydropower potential in South Africa and to provide proper guidance for the development of potential sites.en_US
dc.description.availabilityUnrestricteden_US
dc.description.departmentCivil Engineeringen_US
dc.description.librariangm2014en_US
dc.identifier.citationLoots, I 2013, A Decision support system for conduct hydropower development, MEng dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/33353>en_US
dc.identifier.otherE13/9/1034/gmen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/33353
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Pretoriaen_ZA
dc.rights© 2013 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.en_US
dc.subjectEnergy-generation methodsen_US
dc.subjectEnergy shortagesen_US
dc.subjectReliable electricityen_US
dc.subjectSouth Africaen_US
dc.subjectConduit Hydropower Decision Support Systemen_US
dc.subjectCHDSSen_US
dc.titleA decision support system for conduct hydropower developmenten_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US

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