A Novel Inline Hydropower System for Power Generation from Water Pipelines

To ensure reliability of a city’s drinking water and saline water supply, the performance monitoring of its underground water pipe network is very important, but it is always not easy to provide electric power supply to the monitoring devices due to limited underground space and transportation restriction. A novel inline mini hydroelectric system, which includes an eye-shape inlet nozzle and the multi-blades vertical-axis spherical hollow impeller, was developed which can not only convert the superfluous water head into electrical power, but can also be installed in limited space, especially at remote areas without utility grid.

Water Supplies Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government has already installed several systems in underground water mains for over 4 months. The power generated could support the sustained and continuous operation of real-time pipe monitoring and telemetry equipment. They are among the strategic components in the long-term development of underground asset management and water supply quality assurance of the Department.