---
title: "Kaplan turbine suitability in Nepal"
subject: "Power Plant Design"
chapter: 3
key: "semester_8/power_plant_design:kaplan-suitability-nepal"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/power_plant_design/kaplan-suitability-nepal
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Kaplan turbine suitability in Nepal

Power Plant Design · Chapter 3: Hydro Power Plant Design

- Asked in: 2080 Chaitra, 4 marks
- Video: [Kaplan, Francis and Pelton Hydroelectric Turbines](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT7B7IWmOtU) — 3D-knowledge
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/power_plant_design/kaplan-suitability-nepal
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_8/power_plant_design/chapter-3

## Question

Discuss about suitability of Kaplan turbine in context of Nepalese hydropower sector.

## Short answer

Kaplan suits low-head, high-discharge sites, but Nepal mostly has steep medium- to high-head rivers, so Francis and Pelton dominate. Sediment erosion, difficult transport and costly deep civil works limit it. Kaplan fits canal-drop, barrage and low-head ROR plants in the Terai plains.

## Answer

The **Kaplan turbine** suits **low heads (about 2–40 m)** with **large discharge**. Its suitability in Nepal is limited, because most Nepalese hydropower sites are in steep hills with medium to high heads.

#### Points against wide use
- Nepal's rivers fall steeply, so most projects have heads of 50–600 m, which suit Francis and Pelton turbines.
- Low-head sites lie mainly in the Terai and inner valleys, where the land is flat; a barrage there floods farmland and may affect India downstream (border rivers).
- Nepalese rivers carry heavy **sediment** in the monsoon; Kaplan runners have high blade tip speeds and are prone to abrasion and cavitation.
- Kaplan units are large and heavy for their output; transporting them on hill roads is hard, and civil works (deep setting) are costly.

#### Where Kaplan is suitable
- **Canal-drop and barrage plants:** e.g. the Gandak hydropower station on the Gandak canal and potential sites on the Koshi, Karnali and Narayani in the plains.
- **Low-head, high-flow ROR schemes** on large rivers in the Terai and Chure foothills.
- **Kaplan's flat part-load efficiency** is useful where river flow varies a lot between seasons.
- Small low-head schemes can use simpler propeller or bulb turbines.

So Kaplan has a niche role in Nepal; Francis and Pelton dominate, but Kaplan is the right choice for low-head, high-discharge sites in the southern plains.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Why is Kaplan limited in Nepal?
   A. Most sites are steep hills with medium to high heads
   B. Nepal has no rivers
   C. Kaplan cannot run on rivers
   D. All sites are in the Terai
   Answer: A. Steep rivers give heads of 50-600 m, suiting Francis and Pelton. (Key point: Limited use)

2. Why are Kaplan runners at risk in Nepalese rivers?
   A. They have no blades
   B. High tip speeds make them prone to abrasion and cavitation in sediment-laden water
   C. They run too slowly
   D. They need no setting
   Answer: B. Heavy monsoon sediment damages the high-speed blades. (Key point: Sediment)

3. Where does Kaplan suit Nepal?
   A. Hill-top high-head schemes
   B. Micro-hydro at 300 m
   C. Canal-drop, barrage and low-head high-flow sites in the Terai
   D. Anywhere above 100 m
   Answer: C. Low head, large discharge sites in the plains are its niche. (Key point: Suitable sites)

## Related in Power Plant Design

- [Nepalese electricity sector scenario](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fpower_plant_design%3Anepal-electricity-scenario) — Power Plant Design, chapter 1
- [Hydropower versus solar PV in Nepal](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fpower_plant_design%3Ahydro-vs-solar-pv-nepal) — Power Plant Design, chapter 1
- [Development of hydropower in Nepal](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fpower_plant_design%3Ahydro-development-nepal) — Power Plant Design, chapter 1
- [Francis versus Kaplan applicability](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fpower_plant_design%3Afrancis-vs-kaplan) — Power Plant Design, chapter 3
- [World renewable trends and impact on Nepal](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fpower_plant_design%3Aworld-renewable-trend-nepal) — Power Plant Design, chapter 1
- [Energy sources in Nepal and wind scope](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fpower_plant_design%3Aenergy-sources-nepal-wind) — Power Plant Design, chapter 1, asked 2×

## Related in other subjects

- [Institutions in Nepal's hydropower sector](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fhydropower_engineering%3Ainstitutional-setup-hydropower) — Hydropower Engineering, chapter 1, asked 2×
- [Kaplan turbine construction and working](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Ffluid_machines%3Akaplan-turbine-working) — Fluid Machines, chapter 3
- [Kaplan turbine discharge and blade angles](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Ffluid_machines%3Akaplan-turbine-numerical) — Fluid Machines, chapter 3
- [Role of NTA in Nepal's telecom sector](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Ftelecommunications%3Arole-of-nta) — Telecommunications, chapter 7, asked 3×