Encourage innovation: A relatively new technology has the potential to end the country’s energy crisis

Government of Nepal declared an energy emergency last February – the third one in the last eight years – and targeted to end the energy crisis in two years. With the recent change of government, the fate of the plan is in limbo. Hydropower, the major source of Nepal’s electricity generation, can’t end Nepal’s energy crisis in such a short time by virtue of its capital intensive and time consuming nature. Alternative technologies like solar, micro-hydro, biogas, and wind have been explored, and for several reasons they have not been enough. More appropriate energy generation technologies have to be explored to widen energy access to different parts of Nepal.

A relatively new technology invented in Austria in 2007 and improvised by researchers of Nepal, shows promise of delivering small amount of electric power, from few kilowatts up to 25 kilowatts, generated using the vortex of flowing water. The technology is named Gravitational Water Vortex Power Plant (GWVPP). When water passes through a strategically designed basin, vortex of water is formed causing the turbine located at the center of the basin to rotate. The energy of the turbine can either be used mechanically or be used to generate electricity. Compared to most hydropower plants of Nepal that need hundreds of meters of head (difference of height between the points from where water is first released from river or dam to the location of turbine), and micro-hydro power plants that need tens of meters of head, GWVPP can operate in less than a meter of head.

With relatively lower installation costs and low head requirement, these plants can be installed in many places in Nepal, including Terai, thus providing a novel alternative for electricity generation for places without access to national electricity grid. Small power plants like these can be beneficial for small and medium enterprises in using local and renewable energy resources, thus greatly reducing operating costs and carbon footprint.

Nepali researchers started research works in GWVPPs in Nepal since 2012. After continuous efforts of several researchers of Nepal, two major innovations were accomplished. Instead of original design with cylindrical basins, conical basins were found to be more efficient in forming water vortices. Similarly, if the turbine is positioned at 60 to 70 % of height from bottom, efficiency would be optimum. These innovations were a result of rigorous mathematical modeling, laboratory tests, and design efforts. The researchers overcame problems typically faced by researchers in developing countries including lack of adequate funding, lack of technical expertise, difficulty in manufacturing, and little support from government and non-governmental bodies.  The results obtained have been peer reviewed and accepted by the scientific community in international conferences and academic journals, including Elsevier’s Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.   

Only few research efforts make it from academia to industry and society, which is even less so in Nepal. Besides academic and professional recognition, scientists and researchers covet the potential impact and implementation of their ideas and findings for society the most. The improved design of Nepali researchers, currently patent pending, is finding few takers in Nepal. Currently, a GWVPP of 1.6 kW capacity is being installed in Bagmati River at Gokarna, Kathmandu. The plant will supply electricity to a nearby orphanage and Martyr’s Park.

Technical and commercial feasibility of installation of these plants have been studied for several locations. The goal of the innovators is to install a minimum of 50 such plants ranging from 5 kW to 20 kW capacity in the next 5 years. The initiative led by Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus has garnered support from Kathmandu University and University of Bristol. More research into financial, economic, social and policy dimensions and implications of the technology are in pipeline.

Low head small scale hydro-electricity generation is feasible in many places of Nepal, including Terai and has the potential to help abate the energy poverty Nepal is facing. Innovations made in Nepal’s universities should find its way to society and international scientific community. Research and innovation initiatives like this should be supported by government, people, media, and all to encourage Nepali innovators to develop appropriate solutions to Nepal’s pressing problems.

http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-08-02/encourage-innovation.html 

Rabin Dhakal and Kshitiz Khanal

Rabin Dhakal is a lecturer at Kantipur Engineering College and Kshitiz Khanal is a researcher at Kathmandu University. 

My Experience of Research to Practice of Gravitational Water Vortex Power Plant in Nepal

It is often claimed that scientist and researchers are the citizens of the world; they have no boundaries. But as a researcher of third world countries like Nepal the real challenge is when making the research works recognizable to the world. Almost all of us researchers have dream to discover new ideas which induce high impact to society and also want the ideas be implemented in real world. To represent one’s nation in the international arena, to hold its flag high amidst other nations, is a matter of great pride. And the Research and Practice on Gravitational water vortex power plant was the perfect opportunity for me and my fellow researchers at Institute of Engineering, Central Campus Pulchowk.

After rigorous research of 3 years, we the researchers of Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus have been successful in optimizing a design of new and innovative technology addressing the current energy crisis in Nepal. The Gravitational Water Vortex power plant (GWVPP) is a new type of technology in which the energy of flowing water is extracted by a turbine placed at the center of a vortex that develops in a rotation tank (basin). Since such vortex can be formed at heads as low as 0.7 m, the gravitational water vortex power plant do not need a large head like other hydroelectric power plant. The construction cost is relatively small. This makes them suitable on river across the Nepal, at thousands of locations. GWVPP designed to be installed in remote areas of terai region that would never see grid expansion and is designed to electrify a small community of up to 200 homes per pant under Nepali consumptions patterns. As most of cottage industries are located in such sector they can be benefited. This has the possibility of removing the need for mega hydropower stations. The installation of gravitational water vortex power plant can act as an exemplary project that can have huge environmental benefit with no negative environmental impact. Thus, for developing country like Nepal, this technology of power production can be a boon to eradicate energy crisis.

Low head turbine can be the most suitable option for rural electrification. GWVPP is a new and emerging technique in context of low head hydro power. The research on the gravitational water vortex power plant originates from Austria in the year 2007.After introduction of GWVPP in Nepal as a master degree research project of a student in the year 2012, it become eye-catching and interesting topic for the researchers around Nepal. Two other batches of 2013 and 2014 of mechanical engineering continued the research of GWVPP with the goal to optimize the efficiency of power plant. Conventionally the Austrain are using cylindrical basin structure to form a water vortex which is main source of power in GWVPP. So our main interest to design the parameters of the vessel to increase the strength of water vortex. With the rigorous research on the design parameters for about 3 years we have developed a new mathematical model for the design of the basin structure and got a conclusion that the conical basin structure is efficient than cylindrical basin structure to create water vortex. After finding a suitable basin structure to form water vortex, we move forward to optimize the design of the turbine of power plant. With many experimental testing and mathematical analysis we got a conclusion that the position of turbine inside basin effect the efficiency to large extent and its position about 60%-70% height of basin from bottom position is optimum for maximum power extraction. These two findings are breakthrough in research and development of GWVPP. We have published research articles in many National and international conference including world hydro conference at USA and Renewable Energy Conference at Korea, with many awards like innovative awards, best practice awards, special awards and best one is the publication in the world’s top journal in Renewable Energy Field i.e. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

As we all know, there are large impedances to explore your capabilities here in Nepal and the challenge amplifies as it is a very small technological field. Everyone has dream to serve their country but very few people are not obliged to leave for abroad. My fellow colleagues who are involved in research project have engagements which does not allow them to stay in Nepal but I am striving here to commercialize the research findings. But some generous people form inside and outside country helped me concerning commercialization of this project which was noteworthy and made it conducive enough to test the patent pending design successfully in Bagmati River at Gokarna, Kathmandu this week which is of 1.6kW capacity. We are planning to supply the electricity to an orphanage house and Martry’s Park near the site of installation.We have also taken the initiative to commercialize this project in various regions of Nepal by doing feasibility study at many locations with goal to lessen the imbalance between energy supply and energy demand prevailing in the country by the effective utilization of this technology and bringing about economic benefit for all. We have taken a goal that by the fifth year of the project, minimum of 50 GWVPP of capacity ranging from 5kw to 20 kW will be installed with continuation of the research in collaboration with Institute of Engineering (TU), Turbine Testing Lab of Kathmandu University School of Engineering, and University of Bristol, United Kingdom.

In a conclusion, our vision of empowering the society by exploiting our own immense water and natural resource through promising technology is appreciated by all. The experiences we collected during the research and development of gravitational water vortex power plant made us realize one important fact that we can lead in research and development in globe if only we focus on the research based on technology that we have within Nepal.