Today was a special day,most of which was consumed by my first visit to an electrical power plant,and what made the experience doubly exciting was that it has been construcated underground,which added to the thrill..
The day began at 8am,at KC,from where we were to leave.It was a pleasant surprise to see the bus finally leaving at 8.20,contrary to the tradation in our country(punctuality is something I really appreciate).But then,if everything goes according to your wish,life would lose its charm,won't it??
Anyways,a few technical glitches kept us in manipal till 9.15 or so and we finally reached the 60-somthing km distant power plant at 10.45.20 mins(and the usual security instructions regarding leaving cellphones outside,etc) later,we found ourselves standing at the main entrance,a 500 m long tunnel staring at our face,with the lights dim enough to frighten you for a moment.Now was the time when the real trip began,and excitement had reached its peak!!!
We were welcomed at the reception desk by more than helpful staff,who were happy to guide us through the map that was drawn,presenting an overview of the location of the dam,the station and the race line(from which the used water is ejected back to the river).
As it was an industrial visit,its account would be meaningless without the technical details,so here they are:The Varahi Power Plant contains two units,each producing 115MW of electricity,with the turbine speed of 250 rpm.That tells you that it produces 230MW of electricity,which is supplied to the mangalore-varahi and shimoga-varahi power stations,from where it is sold.If tht doesnt sound interesting enough,read this..The estimated cost of a hydel power plant production is around 4-5 crores per MW.Add to it the fact tht its an underground power station,and the cost would be of the order of Rs. 1000 crore!!!
The entire set up is mounted vertically,with the alternator at the top and the turbine at the bottom,the total height of each plant easily exceeding that of a 4-storeyed building.We were fortunate enough to have access to all the areas of the plant,barring a couple of chambers,which contained open lines carrying voltages of over 400V. The turbines were powered by six nozzles,used to control the flow of water depending upon the required speed desired.The power plant has achieved a power factor in excess of 0.9,which is excellent,by all standards...
If you still havent had enough of technicalities,you SERIOUSLY are reading the wrong author.
Now comes the all important part of the trip..the food..and the big question,"The trip cost each of us Rs 50 but the college authoriteis didnt charge anything for transport,so was the food worth it?"
The answer,in my opinion,would be a big YES.I didnt expect ourselves sitting in the midst of a rocky stream,feet under water,sitting on a rock and enjoying as good a food as you get anywhere else,supplemented surprisingly by cold water and LIME(I realised today itself what an amazing energy drink it can be).We had fun cheating the HoD with a few tricks that we students are so proud of owning,interacting with seniors,volunteering for helping out as and where required,etc etc..
Finally we left the river at 2.30pm,stuffed waist to neck with food and fluid,ready to embark on another one and a half hr adventure amidst the curly,mountain roads back to our college..but wait..there was another surprise awaiting us...
The return trip was more fun than the morning one and it was helped by the dozen-odd bananas I had(our HoD is a great man indeed!!!) and the odd ice cream...
All in all,an amazing trip,just the right mix of food,fun and learning.Those who missed out for whatever reasons were really unfortunate.
That was not all the fun I had in the day.All the tired muscles were relaxed by a two hr sleep and refreshed by dinner,from where we straightaway went to the all time favourite sport of ours,night cricket at basketball court,where we won a close game.
This rounds off a perfect day,but would have loved to add at least an hr and a half of studies to that...
anyways,its already 1.02am on the 17th of april and I expect myself to be in class seven hours later,so have to stop here...
The day began at 8am,at KC,from where we were to leave.It was a pleasant surprise to see the bus finally leaving at 8.20,contrary to the tradation in our country(punctuality is something I really appreciate).But then,if everything goes according to your wish,life would lose its charm,won't it??
Anyways,a few technical glitches kept us in manipal till 9.15 or so and we finally reached the 60-somthing km distant power plant at 10.45.20 mins(and the usual security instructions regarding leaving cellphones outside,etc) later,we found ourselves standing at the main entrance,a 500 m long tunnel staring at our face,with the lights dim enough to frighten you for a moment.Now was the time when the real trip began,and excitement had reached its peak!!!
We were welcomed at the reception desk by more than helpful staff,who were happy to guide us through the map that was drawn,presenting an overview of the location of the dam,the station and the race line(from which the used water is ejected back to the river).
As it was an industrial visit,its account would be meaningless without the technical details,so here they are:The Varahi Power Plant contains two units,each producing 115MW of electricity,with the turbine speed of 250 rpm.That tells you that it produces 230MW of electricity,which is supplied to the mangalore-varahi and shimoga-varahi power stations,from where it is sold.If tht doesnt sound interesting enough,read this..The estimated cost of a hydel power plant production is around 4-5 crores per MW.Add to it the fact tht its an underground power station,and the cost would be of the order of Rs. 1000 crore!!!
The entire set up is mounted vertically,with the alternator at the top and the turbine at the bottom,the total height of each plant easily exceeding that of a 4-storeyed building.We were fortunate enough to have access to all the areas of the plant,barring a couple of chambers,which contained open lines carrying voltages of over 400V. The turbines were powered by six nozzles,used to control the flow of water depending upon the required speed desired.The power plant has achieved a power factor in excess of 0.9,which is excellent,by all standards...
If you still havent had enough of technicalities,you SERIOUSLY are reading the wrong author.
Now comes the all important part of the trip..the food..and the big question,"The trip cost each of us Rs 50 but the college authoriteis didnt charge anything for transport,so was the food worth it?"
The answer,in my opinion,would be a big YES.I didnt expect ourselves sitting in the midst of a rocky stream,feet under water,sitting on a rock and enjoying as good a food as you get anywhere else,supplemented surprisingly by cold water and LIME(I realised today itself what an amazing energy drink it can be).We had fun cheating the HoD with a few tricks that we students are so proud of owning,interacting with seniors,volunteering for helping out as and where required,etc etc..
Finally we left the river at 2.30pm,stuffed waist to neck with food and fluid,ready to embark on another one and a half hr adventure amidst the curly,mountain roads back to our college..but wait..there was another surprise awaiting us...
The return trip was more fun than the morning one and it was helped by the dozen-odd bananas I had(our HoD is a great man indeed!!!) and the odd ice cream...
All in all,an amazing trip,just the right mix of food,fun and learning.Those who missed out for whatever reasons were really unfortunate.
That was not all the fun I had in the day.All the tired muscles were relaxed by a two hr sleep and refreshed by dinner,from where we straightaway went to the all time favourite sport of ours,night cricket at basketball court,where we won a close game.
This rounds off a perfect day,but would have loved to add at least an hr and a half of studies to that...
anyways,its already 1.02am on the 17th of april and I expect myself to be in class seven hours later,so have to stop here...
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