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Lubricant Oil Consumption and Opportunities for Oil-Free Turbines in the Hydropower Sector: A European Assessment

Author

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  • Emanuele Quaranta

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, 21027 Ispra, Italy)

Abstract

Lubricant oil is used in hydropower units to minimize friction, improving the turbine efficiency and reducing the wear. However, oil production is a pollutant process, while eventual spills may affect water quality and damage freshwater ecosystems. In this study, the lubricant oil consumption of the European hydropower fleet was estimated (considering its installed capacity of 254 GW). The energy required to extract and process the oil was also estimated based on available literature data. The oil consumption was estimated to be 22 × 10 3 tons/year, and the associated CO 2 emissions are 10 5 tons/year. The lubricant oil costs EUR 116 million per year. Although this is only 0.0022% of the oil consumed as a primary energy source in the European context, and less than 0.4% of the European industry consumption of lubricant oil, results show that new bearing types and oil-free turbines (e.g., self-lubricating or water-lubricated turbines) can improve the sustainability of the hydropower sector, minimizing the risks and impacts associated with incidental oil spills and leakages. The provided data can also be used for Life Cycle Assessment analyses.

Suggested Citation

  • Emanuele Quaranta, 2023. "Lubricant Oil Consumption and Opportunities for Oil-Free Turbines in the Hydropower Sector: A European Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-7, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:2:p:834-:d:1032165
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Quaranta, Emanuele & Muntean, Sebastian, 2023. "Wasted and excess energy in the hydropower sector: A European assessment of tailrace hydrokinetic potential, degassing-methane capture and waste-heat recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 329(C).
    2. Gabriel A. González-Reyes & Susana Bayo-Besteiro & Jordi Vich Llobet & Juan A. Añel, 2020. "Environmental and Economic Constraints on the Use of Lubricant Oils for Wind and Hydropower Generation: The Case of NATURGY," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-15, May.
    3. Jie Sun & Yuquan Zhang & Bin Liu & Xinfeng Ge & Yuan Zheng & Emmanuel Fernandez-Rodriguez, 2022. "Research on Oil Mist Leakage of Bearing in Hydropower Station: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-24, April.
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