You have finally graduated from college and found a job with the Washington Stat

ID: 2275641 • Letter: Y

Question

You have finally graduated from college and found a job with the Washington State Agricultural Concerns Group. Farmers and fishermen are concerned that the rate that water flows in the Columbia river, which is controlled by dams, will not be adequate for both irrigation needs and salmon spawning. The dams control the river's flow rate to produce most of the electrical power for cities along the West Coast. Your group leader assigns you the task of calculating the volume of water per second (flow rate) which normally would flow through the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest on the Columbia River. She tells you that this dam typically generates 2000 megawatts (MW) of power and is 50% efficient in converting the water's energy to electrical energy. The dam is 170 meters high ,and the water is kept in a lake 10 meters below the top of the dam. The Columbia River is 170 meters wide at the dam. The density of water is 1.00 g/cm3.

power generation plant P = 2000 MW

efficiency of plant ? = 50%

height of dam = 170m

effective pressure head of turbine H = 170+10 = 180m = 0.18 km

density of water ? = 1g/cm^3 = 1*10^-3kg/10^-6m^3 = 1000 kg/m^3

The general formula for any hydro system

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