334
K. Kubiak-Wójcicka and L. Szcz˛ ech
(HP ˙
Zarnowiec, HP Por˛ abka- ˙
Zar, HP Solina). The Francis turbine is intended for a
power plant with a large head and a large flow of water. The Francis turbine runner
has fixed, spatially contoured water-driven blades. Water inflow into the turbine is
led through a spiral casing and wicket gates controlling the intensity and water flow
angle.
The Deriaz turbines can also be used in pumped storage power plants. The turbines
are an intermediate solution between a Kaplan and a Francis turbine. The turbine has
strongly curved blades that are adjustably mounted in the runner, but at a different
angle than in the Kaplan turbine. Thanks to this design, the Deriaz turbine can work
both as a turbine and as a pump. In Poland, the Deriaz turbines were used at the
mixed, pumped storage power plant in Niedzica.
The Pelton turbine is an impulse turbine. In Poland, it is very rarely used due to
its usefulness in power plants with a very large head, which may exceed 1000 m and
small flows of water. Among large hydroelectric plants in Poland, it is only used in
the hydroelectric power plant in Bielków (head is 44 m) as an auxiliary turbine.
The recently used turbines in small hydropower plants in Poland are the
Archimedes turbines, also called screw turbines. They can be used even on small
watercourses of low flow and head. The turbine rotor is an Archimedes screw with a
length of 4–6 m and a diameter of 1.5–2 m placed in the semicircular trough. Because
such a power plant does not require complicated steel or concrete constructions it
is also relatively cheap. The power plant with the largest number of Archimedes
turbines is placed in HP Rosko on Note´ c River, in which 6 turbines with a total
power of 0.36 MW have been installed.
17.5 Location of the Largest Hydropower Plants in Poland
(Above 10 MW)
The power of hydroelectric plants located in Poland is not large. This is mainly due
to the lowland nature of our country and the lack of convenient locations for placing
a large hydropower plant. Most of the flowing water belongs to the basins of the
Vistula and Odra, which in mountainous terrain do not have too much water (flows
are relatively small), but there are more water flow in the lowland areas, but the
water head does not exceed a few meters. The result of this situation is the presence
in Poland of only a dozen or so hydroelectric plants with an output exceeding 5 MW.
The map of the deployment of these power plants is presented in Fig. 17.1. The list
of the largest power plants is presented in Table 17.1. Most of them are run-of-river
power plants, but the highest power has pumped storage power plants, which in
Poland is 6. The largest of them ( ˙
Zarnowiec, Por˛ abka- ˙
Zar and ˙
Zydowo) do not have
their inflow, and in the others (Solina, Niedzica and Dychów), the own inflow let to
produce of 5–10% of the output power.
The largest hydroelectric power plant in Poland is the ˙
Zarnowiec power plant
located in Czymanowo in Kashubia. It is a pumped storage power plant built in
K. Kubiak-Wójcicka and L. Szcz˛ ech
(HP ˙
Zarnowiec, HP Por˛ abka- ˙
Zar, HP Solina). The Francis turbine is intended for a
power plant with a large head and a large flow of water. The Francis turbine runner
has fixed, spatially contoured water-driven blades. Water inflow into the turbine is
led through a spiral casing and wicket gates controlling the intensity and water flow
angle.
The Deriaz turbines can also be used in pumped storage power plants. The turbines
are an intermediate solution between a Kaplan and a Francis turbine. The turbine has
strongly curved blades that are adjustably mounted in the runner, but at a different
angle than in the Kaplan turbine. Thanks to this design, the Deriaz turbine can work
both as a turbine and as a pump. In Poland, the Deriaz turbines were used at the
mixed, pumped storage power plant in Niedzica.
The Pelton turbine is an impulse turbine. In Poland, it is very rarely used due to
its usefulness in power plants with a very large head, which may exceed 1000 m and
small flows of water. Among large hydroelectric plants in Poland, it is only used in
the hydroelectric power plant in Bielków (head is 44 m) as an auxiliary turbine.
The recently used turbines in small hydropower plants in Poland are the
Archimedes turbines, also called screw turbines. They can be used even on small
watercourses of low flow and head. The turbine rotor is an Archimedes screw with a
length of 4–6 m and a diameter of 1.5–2 m placed in the semicircular trough. Because
such a power plant does not require complicated steel or concrete constructions it
is also relatively cheap. The power plant with the largest number of Archimedes
turbines is placed in HP Rosko on Note´ c River, in which 6 turbines with a total
power of 0.36 MW have been installed.
17.5 Location of the Largest Hydropower Plants in Poland
(Above 10 MW)
The power of hydroelectric plants located in Poland is not large. This is mainly due
to the lowland nature of our country and the lack of convenient locations for placing
a large hydropower plant. Most of the flowing water belongs to the basins of the
Vistula and Odra, which in mountainous terrain do not have too much water (flows
are relatively small), but there are more water flow in the lowland areas, but the
water head does not exceed a few meters. The result of this situation is the presence
in Poland of only a dozen or so hydroelectric plants with an output exceeding 5 MW.
The map of the deployment of these power plants is presented in Fig. 17.1. The list
of the largest power plants is presented in Table 17.1. Most of them are run-of-river
power plants, but the highest power has pumped storage power plants, which in
Poland is 6. The largest of them ( ˙
Zarnowiec, Por˛ abka- ˙
Zar and ˙
Zydowo) do not have
their inflow, and in the others (Solina, Niedzica and Dychów), the own inflow let to
produce of 5–10% of the output power.
The largest hydroelectric power plant in Poland is the ˙
Zarnowiec power plant
located in Czymanowo in Kashubia. It is a pumped storage power plant built in