Civil Insight: A Technical Magazine Volume 3 | Page 64

Civil Insight (2019) 64-70 Civil Insight: A Technical Magazine Potential Study on Upper Kushadevi Water Mill: An RUM Approach 1 Shapath Son Tandon, 2,* Samip Thapa, 3 Aayush Tiwari 1 Student, BE in Civil Engineering, Kathmandu University, [email protected] BE in Civil Engineering, Kathmandu University, [email protected] 3 Student, BE in Civil Engineering, Kathmandu University, [email protected] 2 Student, Abstract This paper focuses on the possible upgradation of Upper Kushadevi Water Mill located at Kushadevi, Panauti Municipality of Kavrepalanchok district, Nepal, into a multipurpose run-of-river Micro-hydropower Plant (MHP) using Rehabilitation, Upgradation and Modernization (RUM) approach. The upgradation of the water mill into an MHP aids to the rural electrification to reduce the demand-supply gap of hydroelectricity in the locality. For the potential study purposes, preliminary surveying of the located site was done using total station, and the hydrological survey of Roshi River and Ghyalku River was conducted using current meter and floatation principle at their point of conjunction. The basic hydrological data of the rivers, thus obtained, were analyzed – first individually and the Roshi’s data were combined with the data of Ghyalku River later. The topographical features were plotted in AutoCAD and the heads and discharge were calculated using MIP method. The feasibility study shows that the water mill could be upgraded to an MHP, with some financial assistance, by rehabilitating the water mill destroyed by the Gorkha Earthquake 2015, and installing components such as generators, turbines, transmission systems, and improving flow mechanisms. This could lead to self-sustaining energy generation of up to 38kW, assisting up to 20 households for lighting and other general purposes while also maintaining the traditional aspect and preserving the cultural value of the water mill using electrically-operated grinders. Keywords: MIP method, Un-gauged river, Water mill, Rehabilitation, Upgradation and Modernization (RUM) 1) Introduction Water mill converts the kinetic energy of falling water into mechanical energy. This form of mechanical energy is used to grind grains. Short-axle water mill, used for grinding grains, is operated by rotating the upper stone, whereas lower stone remains fixed. Long-axle water mill is used for husking and hulling rice. Long axle drives the conveyer belt; husking and hulling is performed by other forms of mechanical devices (Baral, 2016). A study shows that more than 27,000 water mills are present in Nepal and they have played important role in agro-processing in the rural areas. These watermills are almost seven decades old, which are designed based on the experiences and constructed using the local materials such as: wooden chute, used for guiding water to wooden turbine; circular stones, used for grinding grains. These watermills are being replaced by electrical mills; therefore, watermills of greater historical importance must be preserved, modernized and developed as a hub for hydropower-related studies. These water mills can also be used as micro-hydropower stations for rural electrification. The sketch of a horizontal traditional water mill is illustrated in Fig. 1. 1.1) Location and Accessibility Upper Kushadevi watermill is located 5 km northeast of Panauti, at Puchhari bazaar, Kushadevi, near Shree Pashupatinath Temple. Its GPS coordinates are found to be 27°35’34’’ N and 85°27’59’’ E. It takes 20 *Corresponding Author Email address: [email protected] (Samip Thapa) Submitted on October 18, 2019; Accepted on December 16, 2019 64