# US 4,391,097 A · Pumping up hydroelectric power plant

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- Number: US 4,391,097 A
- Document ID: US4391097A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/204,036
- Filed: 1980-11-04
- Granted: 1983-07-05
- Earliest claimed: 1979-11-07
- Assignees: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Sachio Tsunoda; Kaneo Sugisita
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4391097A

## CPC

- F03B 13/06: Stations or aggregates of water-storage type, {e.g. comprising a turbine and a pump}(turbines characterised by having means for functioning alternatively as pumps F03B3/10)
- Y02E 10/20: Hydro energy
- Y02E 60/16: Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids
- F03B: MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS (positive-displacement engines for liquid F03C; machines for liquids and gases F01; positive-displacement machines for liquids F04, rotary fluid gearing of the hydrokinetic type F16H41/00)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

In a pumping up hydroelectric power plant including a main pump/turbine and a booster pump operable in series during the pumping operation of the main pump/turbine, time constants K.sub.1 and K.sub.2 for the pump/turbine and the booster pump, and average torques y.sub.1 and y.sub.2 for the same two machines are selected to satisfy relations (K.sub.1 /K.sub.2)(y.sub.2 /y.sub.1).apprxeq.1.0 and 0.71.ltoreq.K.sub.2 /K.sub.1 .ltoreq.1.42.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of operating a pumping up hydroelectric power plant comprising a main pump/turbine having a draft tube, and a booster pump provided in said draft tube, so that said booster pump is operated in series with said main pump/turbine during the pumping operation of the pump/turbine, the operation of said main pump/turbine and said booster pump including the step of decelerating said pump/turbine and said booster pump such that the following relations are satisfied:
(K.sub.1 /K.sub.2) (y.sub.2 /y.sub.1).apprxeq.1.0
and
0.71.ltoreq.K.sub.2 /K.sub.1 .ltoreq.1.42
wherein
K.sub.1 : time constant of the rotating part of the pump/turbine,
K.sub.2 : time constant of the rotating part of the booster pump,
y.sub.1 : average torque exerted to the rotating part of the pump/turbine,
y.sub.2 : average torque exerted to the rotating part of the booster pump.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the booster pump is provided in a by-pass conduit of said draft tube, and wherein the method further includes the step of closing said draft tube such that pump fluid passes through said conduit.

### Claim 3

A pumping up hydroelectric power plant structure comprising a main pump/turbine having a draft tube, a booster pump provided in said draft tube, so that said booster pump is operated in series with said main pump/turbine during the pumping operation of the pump/turbine, and a power system for operating the main pump/turbine and booster pump, said main pump/turbine and said booster pump being constructed to satisfy relations
(K.sub.1 /K.sub.2) (y.sub.2 /y.sub.1).apprxeq.1.0
and
0.71.ltoreq.K/K.ltoreq.1.42
wherein
K.sub.1 : time constant of the rotating part of the pump/turbine
K.sub.2 : time constant of the rotating part of the booster pump,
y.sub.1 : average torque exerted to the rotating part of the pump/turbine,
y.sub.2 : average torque exerted to the rotating part of the booster pump,
so that when the main pump/turbine and booster pump are simultaneously disconnected from the power system, the rotating speeds of each pump are simultaneously reduced to zero.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A pumping up hydroelectric power plant structure as in claim 3, wherein the booster pump is provided in a by-pass conduit of said draft tube, and means are provided for constraining the pump fluid to pass through said conduit.