Hydroelectric

Hydropower generates roughly 25 percent of the world’s electricity and supplies the needs of more than a billion people. In the United States, hydropower makes up about 7 percent of electricity production. Because hydropower plants generate electricity from a process that begins with falling water, they are located on or near rivers that have a large drop in elevation where a dam stores water in reservoirs. Water enters the hydropower plant at a downward sloping angle through large pipes called penstocks. The falling water turns a turbine that in turn runs the motor in the generator that produces electricity. After it has been run through the turbine, the water can be pumped back up to the reservoir and reused or discharged downstream.

AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe in diameters up to 144 inches and AMERICAN ductile iron pipe in diameters up to 64 inches are both reliable selections for penstocks in hydropower plants. AMERICAN also furnishes standard ductile iron and steel fittings as well as valves and special fittings to meet specific construction requirements. This includes types and lengths of wall castings, fittings with a combination of joints and other special fittings.