PUMPS PROVE VERSATILE AS HYDRAULIC TURBINES.

Pumps running in reverse as turbines have some attractive advantages. The peak efficiency is essentially the same in both functions, and the high efficiency range can be extended by using multiple pumps of various sizes instead of one single large unit. When running as a turbine, the unit has a higher head and flow at best efficiency point (BEP) than it does as a pump, and the power output at the turbine BEP is higher than the power input at the pump BEP. The economics are good; the capital cost of a pump/turbine can be as little as half the cost of a small conventional hydraulic turbine. Further, pumps are relatively unsophisticated, easy to install and maintain, and simple to operate.