Hydropower
With the current changes in the power plant industry today, hydropower is now considered as the most reliable and efficient way to produce reusable electricity. It can convert up to 90% energy to usable electricity for both companies and households. In case of wide case of blackout, hydropower will be able to provide immediate and temporary electricity to the electric grid.
Among other sources of renewable energy, hydropower is considered to be one of the most cost-efficient and environmental-friendly source of usable electricity. According to the latest statistics provided by the World Energy Council, this source of renewable energy supplies 71% of the world’s renewable electricity.
Among the countries that produces hydropower, one of the largest producer of this energy is United States. China goes second as well as Canada and Brazil. All the hydropower plants located in the United States can come in form of small power systems to large power plants. These companies supply electricity to towns and big processing plants.
How Hydropower plants work?
When someone says hydroelectric power, it is the electricity that comes from converting energy derived from moving water. In one of those large hydropower plants, water is stored in dam reservoir where it turns and spins rotor located on a turbine. The said machine is now connected to a power generator which generates usable electricity. The usable electricity is now transferred through transmission lines from the power plants to the end consumers. Because of this factor, hydropower is considered to be one of the most efficient and cost-effective source of renewable energy.
What are electrical enclosure considerations in hydropower plants?
In a hydropower plants’ operations, these power plants use electrical machine and equipment to modulate flow rates of electricity and the power output it gives. All the machines includes circuit breakers and switch boxes necessary in monitoring the operation’s control systems and it also monitors water tank regulators.
In order to give protection to these valuable equipment, it is very important for engineers to carefully identify and consider the location where the equipment will be used. If the electrical equipment will be used outdoors in hydropower plants, there is a possible presence of high-moisture environment. Equipment can also be submerged in water. Enclosures that can house these equipment and protect it from corrosion is important.
The usual recommendation for this type of application are NEMA 6P electrical enclosures. These enclosures are designed to be water-resistant and can be submerged in water protecting the equipment inside. They can also withstand certain pressure under water, this is the reason why NEMA 6P is the perfect choice for this type of applications. Design engineers should also carefully consider the type of materials that will be used in manufacturing NEMA 6P enclosures.
Not only the design and materials are important, it is also very vital to ensure that enclosures should be watertight to avoid water ingress. Keeping the equipment protected, safe, and functioning well. It can also prevent unexpected operational down time. Design engineers should keep in mind that if they design NEMA 6P enclosures with cutouts, it will lose its rating and it can possibly change.