Integrated turbine-generators for hydropower plant – a review

Abstract

The paper provide a comprehensive review on water turbine integrated with electrical generator. The integration consists in combining the generator with the turbine in one device without the use of a gearbox. The practical implementations of these solutions date back to the 1980s and are more and more common. Such a solution gives a wide possibility of integration and reduction of costs of the hydro unit, however, due to certain technological problems, it is not widely available. This article classifies the different types of integration and analyses it from a technical and economic point of view. Practical implementations and operational problems were also shown.