Multiple energy inputs hydropower system

A hydroelectric system comprising:

• a water source to act as the main reservoir (1) on ground level, having at least three meters of elevation head from the datum line
• a rounded entrance conduit (2) connected to the water source;
• a main pump (6), powered by a variable speed electric motor that pushes the steady state flow of water inside the down-stream main penstock (9);
• a convergence pipe (7) connected to the main pump;
• a gate valve (8) connected to the convergence pipe to control the flow of water into the main penstock (9);
• a thick main penstock (9) of about 1200 m in length that ends high up inside the powerhouse (11) with a steady state discharge of at least 10 m/s or velocity head of five meters, said main penstock (9) having a diameter of at least 30 cm. to 100 cm. with thickness of about 15% of inside diameter, said penstock (9) being made of strong material such as seamless carbon steel with inner surface being coated with a thick layer of smooth and strong material such as brass, which can be re-coated as needed when heavy cavitations or corrosion occurred, whereby its center line serves as the datum line;
• a pressure relief valve (12) on top of the main penstock a few meters after the gate valve to protect the pump (6) from residual surge pressure whereby water relieved is flowed out of the main penstock (9) into the main reservoir;
• a series of surge tanks (13-A & 13-B) to absorb surge water from the main penstock during high pressured compression and to release water back to the main penstock during low pressured expansion whereby the tanks are fitted with one way pressure relief valves that is normally closed to trap air to form the air compression force during the high pressured compression while allowing atmospheric pressured air to be drawn into the surge tanks during the low pressured expansion;
• a uni-direction spherical valve (5), connected to the end of the main penstock which is structured like a ball valve with a through bore that revolves 360° on its axis continuously in a single direction, said valve having a round closure element with matching round seat that permits uniform sealing stress, the through bore on the sphere divides the periphery into four parts, two parts would open up the main penstock and the other two parts would close it down ;on the sphere are two opposite “toy top”shaped concaves on its rotating plane which increase the rotational torque, powered by a motor with a shaft that revolves the closure element continuously whereby its “rapid closure” i.e., time <2L/Cp, converts the combined kinetic pressure, and elastic energy accumulated in the entire water column mostly into a water hammer of at least 1400 meters of pressure energy;
• whereby at subsequent moment, when the valve re-opens, it re-converts the pressure energy into a high kinetic energy—water jet, said valve having been designed to rotate at about four seconds per revolution;
• its opening phase is timed to exhaust the water hammer pressure back to the initial lower velocity head;
• the sphere orifice having diameter 2 times that of the inside diameter of the main penstock where it is strongly anchored with sufficient counter mass, and a convergence recoil nozzle (29) attached to the downstream of the valve (5);
• a Pelton turbine-generator (14 and 15) which buckets are impinged by the kinetic energy—jet emanating from the main penstock, said Pelton turbine having a shaft that couples the turbine to the main generator (15) to produce electrical energy, said Pelton turbine being also connected to a flywheel to store and to release mechanical energy to the rotor to sustain an optimum speed with a capacity ranging at least 50 MW and up;
• whereby a tail reservoir (17) receives the spent water inside the powerhouse (11);
• a drain pipe (18) drains spent water back to the main reservoir (1) and out of the powerhouse by gravitational force;
• a series of vacuum suction pipes (19-A;
• 19-B and 19-C) connecting the main reservoir (1) to the main penstock (9) and drawing water from the main reservoir (1);
• each suction pipe has diameter that is about the size of the main penstock;
• said vacuum suction pipes pull in immediate volume of water needed for the main penstock by the pressure differential as a result of the higher pressure from at least 3 meter of elevation head plus the atmospheric pressure of 10.3 meters of water as against the low pressured partial vacuum created by the sudden expulsion of high pressured water jet;
• said expulsion converts the hammer pressure head into velocity head with the subsequent precipitous drop of pressure inside the penstock (9) to a low pressured partial vacuum whereby water transfer is controlled by one way valves (20-A;
• 20-B & 20-C) placed below the penstock (9);
• an auxiliary pump (24) that will bring water from the main reservoir (1) into the main penstock (9) to complete enough volume of at least five meters pressure head-water needed for next round of water hammer;
• an auxiliary pump line (25) that connects the auxiliary pump (24) to the main penstock, its inside diameter is one half the diameter of the main penstock;
• an auxiliary uni-direction spherical valve (26) which has the same dimension and rotation speed as the main spherical valve (5), controls the flow of water into the main penstock, has a check valve (26-A) downstream to prevent water hammer pressure dissipation;
• both the two spherical valves (5 and 26) have their relative positions as a function of time;
• a starting/re-boosting generator (3) to start and to run initially the pumps (6,24,27) and the initial rotation of the spherical valves;
• said starting/re-boosting generator (3) also function as a re-boost input to be added to the closed energy loop of the system;
• a re-boosting pump (27) re-energizing the system periodically by adding input to the closed energy loop to sustain the level of energy needed;
• a replenishment pipe (21) bringing in water from nearby natural source to replace the water lost to evaporation as needed to keep the elevation head constant.