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INGENUITY RESURRECTSSMALL HYDRO PROJECT 18

AXIAL TURBINE FOR PIPES 36

TEXTBOOK TO THE RESCUE 42

HydroVision International details pg. 51

ENUITYIN RE URRE TALL HYDRO PROJECT 1

XIAL TURBINE FOR PIPES 36

EXTBOOK TO THE RESCUE 2

.

www.hydroworld.com

Connecting The Worldwide Hydro Community September 2009

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www.hydroworld.com September 2009 / HRW 1

SEPTEMBER 2009

TURBINES AND MECHANICAL COMPONENTS

ARTICLES

18 Practical Development: The Story of 940-kW OnekakaBy Bryan W. Leyland, LCL Ltd.

Four small hydro enthusiasts applied ingenuity and practical thinking to bring the 940-kW Oneka-

ka hydro project in New Zealand abandoned in the 1950s back to working order.

28 Investigating Failures of Post-tensioned Anchors By Malte O. Cederstrom, Vattenfall

When seven post-tensioned anchors along the intake canal

wall at the Alvkarleby hydroelectric station in Sweden failed,

dam safety engineers for owner Vattenfall AB conducted

an exhaustive investigation of the nature and causes of

the failure. The investigation gave the utility theinformation needed to safely restabilize the dam.

DEPARTMENTS

ADVISORY BOARD

H. Irfan AkerDolsar Engineering

Limited, Turkey

Ian M. CookICCL, United

Kingdom

Chris HeadChris Head & Associates

United Kingdom

Leonard B. KassanaEast African Tea

Trade AssociationKenya

Peter Thomas MulvihillPioneer Generation, Ltd.

New Zealand

Raghunath Gopal(R.G.) Vartak

AFCONS InfrastructureLimited, India

EmmanuelAntwi-Darkwa

Volta River AuthorityGhana

Arturo GilGarcia

IberdrolaGeneration

Spain

Liu HengInternational Network on

Small Hydropower(IN-SHP), People'sRepublic of China

Carlos Alberto KnakiewiczItaipu Binacional

Brazil

Montri Suwanmontri, PhDDr. Montris & Associates

Thailand

Luis C. VintimillaConsulting Engineer

Ecuador

Zhang BotingChinese Society for

Hydropower EngineeringPeople's Republic of

China

Roger GillHydro Focus

Pty. Ltd.Australia

Zhang JinshengChina Yangtze

Three Gorges ProjectPeople's Republic of

China

Dr. Terry MossEskom Generation

South Africa

C.V.J. VarmaCouncil of Power Utilitiesand The Dams Society

India

James Yang, PhDVattenfall Research

and Development ABSweden

2 Viewpoint:The Quest forSustainableHydropower

4 Briefings

36Tech Notes

40New Hydro

42Lessons Learned:Keep That Book!

44Small Hydro

50Calendar

52Index to Advertisers

12Equipment Innovations ImproveOperations, Decrease CostsOwners of three hydro projects inEurope save money and increaseoperational efciency throughinnovations in design andselection of turbines and othermechanical components.

28 Peer Reviewed


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We hear a lot about sustainability these days. Sustainable is a much-used

modier, as in sustainable agriculture, sustainable cities, sustainable energy, sus-

tainable development andsustainable hydropower.

A dictionary denition of sustainable is, capable of being sustained; of, relat-

ing to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is

not depleted or permanently damaged. To most people in our industry, hydro-

power would seem to naturally t this denition. Yet, things are not so simple.

Thats because the quality of sustainability is not a matter of black or white.

Rather, it characterizes a pivot point between good and bad.

The debate over hydros sustainability arrived front and center after the

publication, in 2000, of the World Commission on Dams report, Dams and

Development.This report acknowledged that Dams have made an important

and signicant contribution to human development . Yet, it also was crit i-

cal in observing that In too many cases an unacceptable price has been

paid . The report went on to recommend practices to guide the future

development of dams. This drew strong reaction from the hydro industry,

owing to the conclusion that, however well-intended the recommendations

were, strict adherence would largely prevent even the most responsible future

development of large-scale hydro projects.

The International Hydropower Association (IHA) has been active in tackling

this issue and has pursued the development of tools and practices that can foster

increased responsibility and t ransparency in hydropower development. The as-

sociations efforts have resulted in the publication of Sustainability Guidelines

and the development of methods for assessing projects sustainability.

As part of IHAs focus on sustainability, the association recently held its 2009

World Congress in Iceland on the theme of Advancing Sustainable Hydro-

power. About 300 part icipants from 50 countr ies discussed issues relating to

improving hydros sustainability and acceptability as one of the worlds leading

sources of energy. At the conclusion of the Congress, IHA vice president Roger

Gill observed that, while delegates came to d iscuss the business of hydropower,

they discovered they were discussing the sustainability of the world.

IHA provides vital services to the hydro industry addressing sustainability

and other cutting-edge issues. The association deserves and has proven highly

worthy of your support!

Editor Emeritus

2 HRW / September 2009 www.hydroworld.com

V i e w p o i n t

The Quest for

Sustainable Hydropower

Member: BPA International

Vol. 17, No. 4, September 2009

1421 South Sheridan RoadTulsa, OK 74112P.O. Box 1260, Tulsa, OK 74101

Telephone: (918) 835-3161Fax: (918) 831-9834

E-mail: [email protected] Wide Web: http://www.hydroworld.com

PUBLISHER ANDCHIEFEDITOR Marla Barnes(918) 832-9353 [email protected]

SENIORASSOCIATEEDITOR Jenny Kucera(918) 832-9363 [email protected]

ASSOCIATEEDITOR Elizabeth Ingram(816) 453-9199 [email protected]

PRESENTATIONEDITOR Kermit Mulkins(918) 831-9554 [email protected]

CONTRIBUTINGEDITOR James L. Gordon, BSc

CONSULTANTS/ADVISORS Leslie Eden and Carl Vansant

SUBSCRIBERSERVICEP.O. Box 3264, Northbrook, IL 60065-3264

Customer Service: 847-559-7330Fax: 847-291-4816

Email: [email protected]

MARKETINGMANAGER Ashley Wood(918) 832-9326 ashleyw@pennw ell.com

SR. VP, POWERGENERATION Richard G. Baker(918) 831-9187 [email protected]

GROUPPUBLISHER, NORTHAMERICANRENEWABLEENERGYGROUPDick Rauner (918) 832-9249 [email protected]

SALESDIRECTOR Howard Lutzk

(913) 402-7119 [email protected]

CORPORATEHEADQUARTERS PennWell Corp.1421 S. Sherid an Road, Tulsa , OK 74112

Telephone: (918) 835-3161

CHAIRMAN Frank T. LauingerPRESIDENT/CEO Robert F. Biolchini

CHIEFFINANCIALOFFICER/SENIORVICEPRESIDENT Mark C. Wilmoth

AUDIENCEDEVELOPMENTMANAGER Emily Martha MartinSR. VP, AUDIENCEDEVELOPMENT& BOOKPUBLISHING Gloria Adams

PRODUCTIONDIRECTOR Charlie ColePRODUCTIONMANAGER Dorothy Davis

HRW (ISSN 1072-9542) is published six times in March, May, July,

September, October, and December by PennWell Corp., 1421 S. Sheri-

dan Rd., Tulsa, OK 74112; phone (918) 835-3161. Printed in U.S.A.

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Andritz to equip Austrias20-MW Gossendorf, 20-MW KalsdorfAustria regional utility Energie Steiermark has awarded

a contract to Andritz Hydro to supply electromechanical

equipment for construction of the 20-MW Gossendorf

and 20-MW Kalsdorf hydroelectric projects on the Mur

River south of Graz.

Andritz said July 9, 2009, that it received orders total-

ing 28 million euros (US$39 million) to supply a total of

four bulb turbines with runner diameters of 3.6 meters,

plus generators, governors and excitation systems. The

units are to be designed for ows of 100 cms and heads

of 11.11 meters.

International hydro congressfocuses on sustainabilitySustainability became the key word for hydro industry

representatives from approximately 50 countries who at-

tended the International Hydropower Association (IHA)

World Congress in Iceland.

Nearly 300 people gathered June 23-26, 2009, for ses-

sions on energy and water policy, linkage between hydro-

power and climate change, hydro development, invest-

ment and nance, and hydropower markets.

As chronicled by the International Institute for Sus-

tainable Development (IISD), the IHA Congress further

advanced IHAs Draft Hydropower Sustainability As-

sessment Protocol, a tool for assessment of sustainable

hydropower development.

Summing up the event, IISD quoted Roger Gill of HydroFocus Pty, who noted many people came to the Congress ex-

pecting to discuss the business of hydropower, but discovered

they wtre here to discuss the sustainability of the world.

Reporting on the work of the Hydropower Sustain-

ability Assessment Forum, a multisector collaboration to

advance the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Pro-

tocol, Kristin Nyman of GTZ said participation of the

forums many stakeholders is reected in a new draft of

the protocol, making it more comprehensive.

Reginald Hernaus of the Netherlands Ministry of

Environment, suggested IHA increase its outreach ac-

tivities and promote the revised sustainability assessment

protocol. He told delegates the central challenge for the

hydropower sector is to convince the international com-

munity, especially climate change rules negotiators, that

hydropower is a sustainable energy source.

Paul Soffe of EcoSecurities said hydropower projects are

being demonized in climate policy arenas, with many buy-

ers shying away from hydro carbon credits. He said the hy-

dropower industry should lobby U.S. and European Union

governments to convince them of hydros sustainability.

President Luis Berga of the International Commis-

sion on Large Dams emphasized that water policy, en-

ergy policy, and hydropower development and operation

are interconnected. He called for adoption of integrated

water resource management policies, energy efciency

activities, and increased water infrastructure and stor-

age capacity to develop a holistic strategy for addressing

water and development.

A full report by the IISD on the IHA Congress may

be obtained via the IHA Internet site, www.hydropower.

org. Information on the Hydropower Sustainability As-

sessment Protocol is available at www.hydropower.org/

sustainable_hydropower/hsaf.html.

Vietnam utility namessupervisor of 156-MW Song Bung 4The project manager for Electricity of Vietnam (EVN)

has named Mott MacDonald of the United Kingdom toserve as implementation supervisor for construction of

the 156-MW Song Bung 4 hydroelectric project.

The rm is to administer and supervise procurement

and implementation of construction and equipment supply

contracts, and to ensure completion of the project in ac-

cordance with contracts and approved design. Mott Mac-

Donald said July 14, 2009, that it also is to review designs,

provide resettlement advice and monitoring, and perform

construction supervision and knowledge transfer.



___

_________________________
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Argentina president officiatesstart of 132-MW Los CaracolesArgentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner presid-

ed over the start-up June 18, 2009, of the 132-MW Los Car-

acoles hydroelectric project on Argentinas San Juan River.Fernandez issued the order to start one of the US$250

million projects two Francis turbine-generators in a video

conference link from the government house of San Juan

Province, about 60 kilometers from the hydro plant site.

Accompanied by San Juan Gov. Jose Luis Gioja, the

president said Los Caracoles is the most important work

realized in the history of San Juan and one of the great

energy works of the country.

The provinces electric utility, Energia Provincial So-

ciedad del Estado (EPSE), began mechanical testing of

the rst turbine-generator in April and recently completed

both mechanical and electrical testing of the equipment.

The second unit is expected to begin generating in July.

Los Caracoles 136-meter-tall dam was built by the

consortium Techint-Panedile, while Power Machines of

Russia supplied generating equipment.

Fernandez gave the order to close gates to begin lling

Los Caracoles reservoir in October 2008. However, low

water levels have delayed lling the impoundment.

India firm wins contract tobuild Bhutans 114-MW DagachhuDagachhu Hydro Power Corp. Ltd. has awarded a con-

tract to Indias HCC for civil construction of the 114-

MW Dagachhu hydroelectric project on Bhutans Da-

gachhu River.

The engineering and construction company said July 9,

2009, that it received a contract worth 3.875 billion rupees

(US$79.7 million) for construction of a diversion weir, chan-

nel and tunnel to desilter, shafts, powerhouse and transform-

er caverns, maintenance and control buildings, and tailracetunnel. The work is to be completed in 1,239 days.

RusHydro goal: Reestablish globalstatus of Russian hydro technologyThe head of Russian hydropower giant RusHydro says

Russia has just ve years to reestablish itself as the sup-

plier of world-beating hydropower technology if it is not

to lose out to competitors in the developing world.

Acting Chairman Vasily Zubakin said RusHydro, the

worlds second largest hydropower generator, has a strate-

gic plan for Russia to once again be the dominant player in

hydropower plant design and construction.

We have a commitment to reestablish the reputation

of Russian technology to that of the Soviet days whenmany countries hydropower facilities, including those of

China, were built with Russian expertise, Zubakin told

a London news conference. We must return to this po-

sition within ve years, otherwise the experience of the

aging workforce will be lost.

RusHydro is competing with international equipment

and service providers for contracts in developing coun-

tries. The utility operates 53 hydro power plants in Rus-

sia and has its own in-house research and development

facilities, design institute and engineering facilities.

Zubakins comments came July 6, 2009, the day the

rm launched the trading of global depository receipts

on the London Stock Exchange, aimed at broadening its

shareholder base and increasing liquidity.

Consortium to perform environmental studyThe Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) has named

a U.S.-Canadian consortium to perform an environmental

impact study for the 630-MW El Diquis hydroelectric proj-

ect, proposed for Costa Ricas General Superior River.

IADB awarded a US$999,994 contract to a consortium of

the Louis Berger Group Inc. and Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd.,

which was chosen from among ve bidders for the work.

The consultants are to develop an environmental im-

pact study for submission to environmental regulator

Secretaria Tecnica Nacional Ambiental. The rms are

to identify positive and negative effects of the project and

formulate a risk management plan, emergency action

plan and an environmental management plan.

Utility seeks reputationas clean energy companyRusHydro is also keen to brand itself as a clean energy

company and plans to invest heavily in a renewable energy

portfolio, which already includes wind, geothermal and

tidal projects. Zubakin said prospects for the company

would be affected by decisions to be made later this year in

Copenhagen at the Global Climate Change Conference.

We believe we have a strong potential for growth and

this will be inuenced by the depth of the decisions in



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Copenhagen, affecting the planets sustainable develop-

ment after Kyoto, Zubakin said.

RusHydro already has foreign interests including a joint

venture in India. Central Asia was singled out as a region

of interest with RusHydro looking to develop hydropowerprojects in the upper reaches of Kyrgyzstans rivers.

Our preference is to work through joint ventures,

which better allow for management of local regulation

and environmental issues, Zubakin said.

The utility executive told reporters RusHydro plans to

invest more than US$9 billion in the Far East in the next

decade, increasing its generating capacity by more than

70 percent. He said more than 2,500 MW is on the draw-

ing boards in the region.

RusHydro signed an agreement in May with Mitsui & Co.

Ltd. and J-Power of Japan to study development of the 320-

MW Nizhne Bureyskaya (Lower Bureyskaya) hydroelectric

project in the Far Eastern Amurskaya Region. Additionally,

RusHydro said in June that its stalled 3,000-MW Boguch-

anskaya project appeared to be back on track in Siberia.

Alstom Hydro to equip Indias 500-MW Teesta 6Developer Lanco Infra Tech Ltd. has awarded a contract to

Alstom Hydro of France to supply four turbine-generators

and other equipment for the 500-MW Teesta Stage 6 hydro-

electric project on the Teesta River in Indias Sikkim State.

Alstom said July 10, 2009, that the 40 million euro

(US$55.7 million) contract includes design, engineering,

installation, testing and commissioning of four 125-MW

Francis turbines, generators, main inlet valves, and con-

trol and protection systems. The work is to be performed

by Alstoms Vadodara, India facility.

Brazil bank signs its largestloan, for 3,300-MW Jirau

Brazils national development bank gave nal approvalto the largest loan in its history, 7.2 billion reais (US$3.5

billion) for construction of the 3,300-MW Jirau hydro-

electric project on Brazils Madeira River.

The action, announced by project partner GDF Suez

July 6, 2009, nalizes the loan rst approved in Febru-

ary by Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico

e Social (BNDES).

BNDES funded 68.5 percent of the total investment.

It will directly grant 3.6 billion reais (US$1.78 billion). It

will grant an additional 3.5 billion reais (US$1.7 billion)

through the following banks: Banco do Brasil, Caixa

Economica Federal, Bradesco BBI, Itau-Unibanco, and

Banco do Nordeste do Brasil.

The nancing was granted to Energia Sustentavel doBrasil (ESBR), winner of a concession to build Jirau in

Brazils Amazon Region. Consortium members include

Suez Energy South America Participacoes Ltda.; Eletro-

sul Centrais Eletricas S/A; Companhia Hidro Eletrica do

Sao Francisco (CHESF); and Camargo Correa Investi-

mentos em Infra-Estrutura S/A.

Brazils environmental agency granted a license June

3 to the project, allowing stalled work to resume at the

construction site on the Madeira River. President Rober-

to Messias Franco of the federal environmental agency,

Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente (Ibama), signed a

license for Jirau containing 54 conditions.

The nancing is even larger than the 6.1 billion reais

(US$3 billion) BNDES awarded in December 2008 to the

3,150-MW Santo Antonio hydroelectric project, Jiraus

sister project on the Madeira. At that time, BNDES said

Santo Antonio received the largest nancing granted to a

single project in bank history.

Like Santo Antonio, Jirau is one of the most impor-

tant projects being developed under Brazils Growth Ac-

celeration Program (PAC), which provides more favor-

able nancing to investors, BNDES said. It is expected

to generate 12,000 direct jobs and 30,000 indirect jobs

during construction, which is to be completed in 2014.

Test energy generatedby Laos 1,070-MW Nam Theun 2Laos 1,070-MW Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project

has delivered its rst test energy, a total of 60 MW to

Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).

The milestone came at the end of June with initialsynchronization of one of the turbines, the World Bank

announced July 3, 2009. Power was delivered through

the transformer bay and substation to the 500-kilowatt

transmission line that exports electricity to Thailand.

The project is expected to begin commercial operation

at the end of the year, exporting 995 MW to EGAT un-

der contract and supplying 75 MW to the Laotian grid.

The bank also reported the projects environmental

and social programs continue to make good progress



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despite challenges. In 2008, the Asian Development Bank

(ADB) approved US$400,000 to provide consultants for

safeguard monitoring of people affected by construction

of the project on Nam Theun River.

ADB included Nam Theun 2 in the recent favorableassessment of its aid program to the energy sector in the

Greater Mekong Subregion of Southeast Asia.

Nam Theun 2 Power Co., a venture of EDF Interna-

tional, Italian-Thai Development, Electricity Generating

Plc. of Thailand, and Laos government-owned Electricite

du Laos, is building Nam Theun 2. The project includes

a 39-meter-tall dam, a 450-square-kilometer reservoir,

and a diversion of water from the Nam Theun to another

Mekong River tributary, the Xe Bang Fai River.

In 2005, the World Bank ofcially decided to support

construction of Nam Theun 2. It is the largest public-pri-

vate hydro project built and one of the largest internationally

nanced projects in Asia since the 1997 nancial crisis.

Eurostudios-Ingetec wins awardEl Salvador utility Comision Ejecutiva Hidroelectrica del

Rio Lempa (CEL) has awarded a contract for supervi-

sion of construction of the 67-MW El Chaparral hydro-

electric project on El Salvadors Torola River.

CEL announced the award to a consortium, Eurostu-

dios-Ingetec. It took bids for the work in early 2008.

The consortium is to supervise denitive design, con-

struction, assembly, testing and commissioning of El

Chaparral, an El Chaparral substation, and extension of

a substation at the 99.4-MW Cinco de Noviembre hy-

droelectric project on the Rio Lempa.

U.K. utility proposes twomajor pumped-storage projectsUnited Kingdom utility Scottish and Southern Energy

plc (SSE) proposes building two new pumped-storageprojects of 300 to 600 MW each on the Great Glen,

which bisects Scotland from Inverness to Fort William.

SSE said June 29, 2009, that it will seek a formal opin-

ion from the Scottish Government on the scope of the

environmental impact statement it will develop in sup-

port of planning applicat ions it plans to submit in 2011.

In May, SSE announced it plans to construct a 60-

MW pumped-storage plant adjoining its 152-MW Sloy

hydroelectric project near Loch Lomond in Scotland.

Our goal is to maintain a diversied portfolio of power

stations, with the exibility to respond to customer demand

for electricity, while achieving a 50 percent reduction in

the carbon dioxide intensity of electricity produced, SSE

Chief Executive Ian Marchant said. Pumped storage canhelp us achieve this goal and, after 30 years, I believe is a

technology whose time has come again.

Subject to nal agreements and design, SSE envisions two

big pumped-storage plants that would be able to produce

more than 1,000 gigawatt-hours in a typical year to help meet

peak demand. It said in both cases, the projects would have

large upper reservoirs enabling generation for longer periods

without the need to pump water as soon from the loch below.

SSE said both projects would require construction of dams

to impound water for the upper reservoirs. However, pump-

ing and electric generating facilities are expected to be un-

derground, avoiding visual effects in the Great Glen itself.

They would be the rst pumped-storage schemes to

be developed in Great Britain since work began on the

1,728-MW Dinorwig project in 1974.

China builder to constructTogos 147-MW AdjaralaTwo-nation electric company Communaute Electrique

du Benin (CEB) has commissioned Chinese hydropower

construction company SinoHydro to build the 147-MW

Adjarala hydroelectric project between Togo and Benin

on Africas Mono River.

CEB signed a contract with SinoHydro in March for

construction of the 282 million euro (US$389 million)

project. Also signing the agreement were energy and wa-

ter ministers of Togo and Benin, which will own the proj-

ect upon completion.

Zurich Surety insures carbon

trade of Chiles 19.4-MW LircayFinancial services provider Zurich has been hired to pro-

vide trade credit insurance to cover carbon emissions

credit transactions of the 19.4-MW Lircay hydroelectric

project on the Lircay River in Chiles Region VII.

Zurichs Surety, Credit, and Political Risk group was

commissioned by credit risk broker Alliant Emerging

Markets to mitigate political and counterparty default

risks for CQuest Capital, which is advancing funds to the

US$49 million Lircay, also called Hidromaule.



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The turbine is one of many vital pieces of

equipment required to generate electricity

in a hydroelectric plant. At three hydro projects

in Europe, owners have applied innovations and

made modications designed to make the best use

of this valuable piece of equipment. Turbine and

mechanical component work featured in this arti-

cle includes: instal ling a turbine above the tailwater

level, modifying the nozzles for a Pelton turbine to

increase performance, and incorporating a smaller

turbine that rotates counter to the larger units at a

pumped-storage facility. These innovations in the

design and selection of turbines and other mechan-

ical components are saving money, improving unit

efciency, and allowing greater plant exibility.

Installing a larger, higher unit

to save excavation costs

When rehabilitating the 2.8-MW Ludvika plant

on the Kolbacksan River in Sweden, owner Vast-

erbergslagens Kraft AB needed to replace the two

Francis units. These units, which began operat-

ing in 1930 and 1941, were taken out of operation

in January 2007 to prepare for plant rehabilita-

tion. At that time, Anlaggningsentreprenader

Hogtryck AB of Sweden received a US $3.8 mil-

lion contract for the civil work.

The company received proposals from two

vendors to install turbines with a runner diameterof 1.6 meters to 1.7 meters and a small ywheel.

However, to avoid cavitation damage these units

would have to be set far lower than the 138-meter

tailwater level. This would entail extensive, and

expensive, excavation.

Another bidder a consortium of Koessler in

Austria and Lloyd Dynamowerke in Germany

proposed to use a Kaplan turbine with a diameter

of 2.12 meters. A larger unit would be more expen-

sive, in terms of manufacturing costs, the larger

generator with more poles, and a larger ywheel.

However, the design of this unit would allow it to

be installed at an elevation of 139 meters, 1 meter

above the maximum tailwater level. This would

save US$400,000 in excavation costs and con-

struction time. As a result, installation of the larger

Kaplan unit would be US$200,000 to US$300,000

less expensive than the smaller units. Vasterberg-

slagens Kraft chose this option. Koessler supplied

the Kaplan turbine and Lloyd Dynamowerke sup-

plied the synchronous generator.

The refurbished facility began operating in Oc-

tober 2007 with a single new 3.6-MW unit. The

plant now produces 13 gigawatt-hours (GWh)

of electricity each year, compared with 10 GWh

before the rehabilitation. The owner of the facility

anticipates a 12- to 14-year return on investment.

Information supplied by Tommy Hjort, Cer-

vus Power AB, formerly production manager at

Vasterbergslagens Kraft and project manager for theLudvika refurbishment

Technical experts Tommy

Hjort, Martin Nussmuller

and Jean-Pierre Taulan

contributed to this article.

Owners of three hydro projects in Europe are saving money and/or in-

creasing operational efficiency through innovations in design and selec-

tion of turbines and other mechanical components.



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Model tests of the new nozzle design for the 510-MWLotru-Ciunget project verified the design improve-ments made. Unit performance will increase by morethan 1 percent as a result of the new nozzle design.


Replacing Pelton nozzles to

improve operational performance

For Pelton turbines, nozzle design is a

key parameter to attain high performance

with respect to jet dispersion. Nozzle de-sign can be optimized for both new units

and for rehabilitation of existing hydro

projects, as the nozzle is a component that

can easily be replaced in old turbines.

For example, as part of the rehabili-

tation of the 510-MW Lotru-Ciunget

project on the Lotru River in Romania,

owner Hidroelectrica S.A. is replacing

the nozzles on all units. This powerhouse

contains three units that began operat-

ing between 1972 and 1975. Because of

the age of the units, Hidroelectrica de-

termined rehabilitation was needed.

Voith Hydro (formerly Voith Siemens

Hydro Power Generation) is performing

and nozzle. Before the rehabilitation, the

Lotru-Ciunget plant produced 1,150,000

megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity each

year; with the modication, this is predict-

ed to increase by about 10,000 MWh.

The rehabilitation work at Lotru-

Ciunget is part of a larger program to

integrate national energy systems of

refurbishment work on the Lotru-Ciunget

project, under a US$101.7 million contract

awarded in January 2007. This work in-

volves rehabilitating all three turbine-gen-

erator units and auxiliary equipment. Thework is expected to be complete in 2011.

In determining the scope of the rehab

work needed, in 2007 Hidroelectrica com-

missioned Voith Hydro to perform fully

homologous model testing and measure-

ments of both the existing nozzle design

and potential design changes to the nozzles

for the three units. Results of this test-

ing indicated that changing the hydraulic

prole of the nozzles would result in a per-

formance increase of more than 1 percent.

This improvement was a result of optimiz-

ing several parameters: ow conditions

in the turbine housing, nozzle geometry,

and the transition between the manifold



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The small counter-rotation Pelton units installed inthe 360-MW Ronco Valgrande pumped-storage plantallow owner Enel to take an individual unit from tur-bine to pumping mode in less than 11 minutes.


southeastern Europe into the European

Union energy market.

Information supplied by Martin

Nussmuller, Voith Hydro

Using a counter-rotation Pelton

to slow pump-turbines

For pumped-storage hydro facilities, the

speed at which a unit can change from

pumping to generating mode and vice ver-

sa is very important. This speed and ex-

ibility allows the plant to act as a storage

facility, by storing water during periods of

low demand and releasing it for generation

during periods of high demand.

In northwest Italy, power utility Enel

operates the 360-MW Ronco Valgrande

pumped-storage plant near Lake Mag-

giore. The plant, built in 1971, contains

four pump-turbine units featur ing Pelton

turbine, as required, to balance the vari-

ability of wind production. In 2008, Italy

was the worlds sixth largest producer of

wind power, with installed capacity of

3,736,000 MW, according to the Global

Wind Energy Council.

Information supplied by Jean-Pierre

Taulan, CHLOErets

runners. Immediately below each of the

Pelton runners, on the shaft, is a smal ler

Pelton unit that was incorporated in the

design when the plant was built. This

unit rotates in the opposite direction ofthe main unit and is powered using water

from the main penstock that is supplied

by a small Y-branch manifold.

Using the smaller Pelton unit, plant

personnel can take an individual unit

from turbine to pumping mode in less

than 11 minutes when going directly

from turbine to pumping operation and

in less than 15 minutes when rst bring-

ing the unit to a standstill.

In addition, each unit features a spe-

cial mechanical clutch system to rapidly

couple or uncouple the pump and turbine

on the same shaft at standstill. This al-

lows Enel to operate either the pump or



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FORECASTING

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Bryan Leyland, MSc, is a

consulting engineer with

LCL Ltd. in New Zealand.

By Bryan W. Leyland Jim Baird is a hydro enthusiast. In 1980, the

resident of Golden Bay, New Zealand, began

developing a plan to revitalize a 250-kW hydro

scheme on the Onekaka River. The plant was

built in the 1920s to supply electricity to the

Onekaka Ironworks. After the Ironworks shut

down in the late 1930s, the old station kept run-

ning. However, in the 1950s, it was abandoned.

Around 1995, Baird joined with a local civil

engineer to investigate rebuilding Onekaka.

With electricity shortages in 2001 and the re-

sulting higher prices, revitali zation of the plant

began to look economical. Two other people

(including the author) joined Baird in 2001.

Together, we set out to rebui ld the plant.

The new Onekaka facilit y, which began oper-

ating in November 2003, uses the existing con-

crete dam, a new penstock on the same route,

and a new powerhouse 200 yards downstream

from the original powerhouse. The new plant

has a capacity of 940 kW and annual produc-

tion of 3.5 gigawatt-hours. The power is sold

on the New Zealand electricity market at the

spot price.

This story of a hydro redevelopment shows

what can be achieved through the applicat ion of

ingenuity and practical thinking. With proper

planning and development, abandoned hydro

plants can again become producers of valuable

renewable electricity. However, if the authori-

ties impose signicant restrictions for environ-

mental reasons, the cost of construction and

operation can negatively affect the economics

of the project. In New Zealand, this is a majorrisk for any investor in small hydro.

Construction issues

The old penstock was made of r iveted steel plate,

most of which was rusted through. The major

construction problem for this project was instal-

lation of a new penstock, following the same route

as the old penstock. The penstock route led up a

steep ridge to a surge pipe. From there, 600-mil-

limeter-diameter pipe traversed a steep and un-

stable slope about 400 meters to the dam. The

pipe was buried for the length of its route.

After the old penstock was removed and be-

fore the new penstock was installed, we used the

bench formed for the pipeline to access the dam.

This al lowed us to dig out the silt and debris that

had completely lled the reservoir. We had to dig

this out using an excavator and cart it away at

considerable expense.

We chose an A frame design for the new pow-

erhouse because it suited the use of a single monorail

hoist for installation and maintenance. The power-

house has curved beams in the ceiling to minimize

the oor area and improve the appearance.

Equipment acquisitionFor the powerhouse equipment, we salvaged two

500-kW turbine-generator sets. These initially

were used to generate electricity used during con-

struction of Tuai, a 90-MW station built in the

1920s. They then provided the station auxiliary

power, until they were no longer needed. Each Pel-

ton turbine drove a direct current (DC) generator

and a 400-volt alternating current (AC) generator

on the same cast iron foundation. At Tuai, the DC

generator provided power for the station crane andacted as a spare exciter for the main machines.

Practical Development:The Story of 940-kW OnekakaFour small hydro enthusiasts applied ingenuity and practical thinking to bring the 940-kW

Onekaka hydro project in New Zealand abandoned in the 1950s back to working order.

S m a l l H y d r o



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The manufacturer of these turbines

had claimed efciency of about 82 per-

cent. However, judging by the shape and

size of the buckets, it was probably nearer

to 80 percent. We hired Mhylab in Swit-zerland, a hydraulic laboratory special-

izing in small hydropower schemes, to

design a new runner for one of the units.

We did not replace the runner in the

second machine because it would only

operate 20 to 30 percent of the time.

Mhylab provided excellent service.

The company provided all the drawings

and data les needed to have the runner

buckets cast in New Zealand from high-

tensile bronze and then machined under

computer control. In this way, we are

absolutely sure that the bucket shape is

exactly as it should be and that the ef-

ciency matches the 89.2 percent veried

by model tests. Casting, machining, and

assembly of the runner was carried out

by a New Zealand rm. The company

weighed and assembled the individual

buckets to balance out the difference in

individual weights.

The turbine runs smoother than the

unit did with the original runner. An in-

spection and crack testing after ve years

of operation showed that the new bronze

buckets were in perfect condition.

The turbines originally had belt-driven

governors and low-pressure hydraulic

servo motors driving the jet deector and

needle. The inlet valve was manually oper-

ated. We purchased a new high-pressure

hydraulic power pack, together with hy-

draulic rams to operate the jet deector,

needle, and inlet valve. This has proved to

be quite a successful arrangement. How-

ever, in hindsight, it would have been bet-

ter to have used the lower cost alternative

of electrical actuators. These would have

made position control easier and would

have eliminated the potential environmen-

tal problems associated with having about60 liters of oil in the powerhouse.

The new electrica l system is designed

to be as simple as possible. The two gen-

erators are switched at 400 volts using

air circuit breakers. They are direct con-

nected to the step-up transformer.We purchased second-hand cables and

a 1 megavolt ampere (MVa) transformer

from an old paper mill. These cost less

In spite of their age, the generators

were in good condition and only needed

to be cleaned and have the windings var-

nished. The original excitation system

was replaced with solid-state excitationto take advantage of reduced mainte-

nance and better overall efciency. The

DC generators were scrapped.




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Thanks to a recent revitalization, the 940-kW Onekaka hydro facility is generating3.8 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity a year for New Zealand power users.


than half the price of new equipment.

We connected a voltage transformer to

the 33-kilovolt (kV) line to detect earth

faults. The conventional alternative of a

transformer with a delta 400 volt and star

33 kV winding would have been much

The metering equipment operates

at 400 volts. Every month it transmits

half-hour readings of active and reactive

generation to the electricity market ad-

ministrator by cellular telephone.

Operation of the plant

The Onekaka station is automatically

controlled. It operates on water level con-

trol from the head pond, and it can use

the storage in the pond to increase out-

put during peak demand periods when

the prices are usually highest. A radio

transmitter at the head pond sends the

water level to the PLC every ten minutes.

The station operating program ensures

that the pond is full by about 6 a.m. At

7 a.m., the plant output increases by 100

kW to provide extra power during the

morning peak period. At the end of the

more expensive.

The control

system for the

Onekaka plant

uses programma-ble logic controller

(PLC) equipment

from Unitronics in

Israel. This proved

to be an excellent

choice. The equip-

ment combines

unusually low cost

(about US$5,000)

with excellent versatility. A feature of

the equipment is the ability to send and

receive text messages over the cellular

telephone system. (For more on operat-

ing the plant using a cel l phone, see Op-

eration of the plant, below.)



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peak period (about 9 a.m.), the control

system holds the water level constant

until the evening peak, when it again

increases output by 125 kW and draws

the head pond level down further (un-til 7 p.m.). Then, until about 1 a.m., the

operating program runs the plant at an

output that wil l hold the water level con-

stant. The output is then backed off to

allow the pond to rell before 6 a.m.

Through the use of text messaging,

it is possible to monitor the status of

the Onekaka station. The PLC is pro-

grammed to respond to text instructions.

We can send it instructions to change the

peaking duration and output and shut it

down remotely in the event of an emer-

gency. For example, if an S is sent, the

PLC responds with the station output,

pond level, etc. As far as we know, con-

trolling a power station like this by a cell

phone is a worlds rst.

At the plant intake, a simple chain-

and-rake-type screen cleaner removes

leaves and similar debris from the screen.

We designed the cleaner, which was built

by a local engineering company. The

cleaner is driven by the drive mechanism

from a 12-volt winch, of the type used

on recreational vehicles. A simple dif-

ferential pressure detector at the head

pond monitors the water level upstream

and downstream of the intake screen and

starts the screen cleaner if the differential

is above about 200 millimeters. Another

detector measures the differential across

the penstock guard valve. If the differ-

ential is greater than 900 millimeters,

the PLC closes the guard valve and trips

the station. This precaution is necessary,

in case the cause of the high differential

is a burst penstock. A small PLC at the

intake monitors alarms and opens a mo-

tor-driven scour valve every time there

is a large ood. This allows silty water

to pass through the dam, rather than ac-cumulating in the head pond.

of the PLC and radio transmitter. We

have supplemented the solar cell with a

micro hydro unit provided by EcoInno-

vation in New Zealand. The unit com-

prises a two-jet Pelton turbine drivinga generator made from the permanent

magnet low-speed drive motor from a

Originally, we used a 120-watt solar

cell and a 24-volt battery to supply sta-

tion service power at the dam, at a cost

of more than $2,000. This arrangement

cost about $1 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).However, in the winter, the solar cell was

unable to supply the 6-watt standing load



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The new powerhouse for the 940-kW Onekaka facility contains two 500-kW tur-bine-generator sets. These units initially were used to provide power during con-struction of a 60-MW power station in the 1920s and, later, for station service.

Ruskin Dam SafetySpillway AssessmentComprehensive Dam Safety Review

in accordance with Section 2 of theCanadian Dam Association, Dam

Safety Guidelines

Designers:1070MW Nam Theun 2 Project, Laos

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Smart Drive washing machine. The

turbine cost $1,200 and gives a steady

output of more than 90 watts.

For environmental reasons, we release

a nominal 20 liters per second from the

our revised water right. Tributary ow

between the dam and the measuring weir

provides 10 liters per second.

As a result of this arrangement, we

release more water than under the origi-nal water right during a dry period and

less ow when the tributary ows just

downstream from the dam are high. If

the station trips off line, all four valves

open automatically to increase ow

downstream from the station.

Commissioning the plant

Commissioning the Onekaka facility took

several weeks. Getting the machines to

synchronize successfully was quite dif-

cult because the hydraulic system was

unable to position the needle with suf-

cient accuracy. We solved this problem

by opening the needle a small amount

dam to maintain

the ow in the

1-mile section of

the river between

the dam and pow-erhouse. Because

there is no suitable

measuring site in

the rapids and wa-

terfalls just down-

stream of the dam,

we monitor the ow

just upstream of the

power station. Flow

measurements are

transmitted to the station by radio, and

the PLC sends a signal to the dam, where

four valves are opened and closed as

needed to ensure that ow is maintained

at 30 liters per second, as required by



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and then using the jet deector to control

speed by moving it either in or out.

This means that the unit speed cycles

above and below synchronous speed and

the auto synchronizer eventually ndsa situation when the speed and phase

match, allowing synchronization. The

process is rather interesting to watch, but

it never fails to synchronize successfully.

The station originally was connected

to the local 11-kV distribution system via

a 3-kilometer transmission line from the

main road to the power station. The con-

nection point is about 10 kilometers from

a 66-kV substation. When the rst unit

went on line and we increased output to

about 400 kW, we discovered we were

pushing the local voltage from about 10.7

kV to above 11.5 kV. Over the next few

days, we discovered that we could export

Maximum station output is 940 kW.

Since the conversion to 33 kV, the station

has run very reliably with few problems.

The station has now been in opera-

tion for six years. The average price wereceive from the spot market is about

US$0.05 per kWh. We do not receive any

greenhouse credits or other subsidies.

Costs

As with most projects of this type, the -

nal cost of US$1.8 million was well above

the original estimate of US$1 million.

The penstock installation and civil works

were the main source of the additional

costs because the original estimates were

old and, in hindsight, should have been

re-evaluated by the civil engineers. Never-

theless, I am convinced that following the

now-fashionable route of a turnkey design

about 400 kW when the farmers in the

district were milking their cows, but we

were restricted to about 250 kW for the

rest of the t ime. To limit the voltage rise,

we did everything we could to run under-excited to the extent that the unit often

pole slipped and tripped on overcurrent.

This is not something that I had experi-

enced before! The lesson here is that even

small distributed generators can upset a

typical rural distribution system.

We operated in this mode for about

ve months, until the transmission line

company completed a conversion to 33

kV. From then on, we could operate up

to full power without restriction. Tests

showed that the new turbine had an

output of 520 kW when operating on its

own, whereas the unit with the old run-

ner could only achieve about 470 kW.



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and build contract would have made the

scheme completely uneconomical. Based

on my experience with other turnkey hy-

dropower developments, disputes also

would have arisen and the associated legalcosts and costs for unforeseen circum-

stances would have been very high.

As mentioned above, complying with

requirements imposed on us under New

Zealands Resource Management Act

was very expensive. These included:

Compilation of a heritage in-

ventory that involved scheduling and

sketching every one of the rusty old riv-

eted penstocks lying around in the bush;

Development of a report on the

history of the Ironworks;

Requirements for costly studies

of the sh and other life in the stream,

which have to be repeated every year.

Monitoring, recording, and reporting

costs are ongoing and amount to more

than $10,000 per year.

During construction, very strict re-

quirements were imposed on us underthe Resource Management Act. These

included limits to the number of trees

we could to chop down for access dur-

ing penstock installation. There are half

a dozen saplings of a prolic second

growth tree no more than 100 millimeters

in diameter that we were not allowed to

remove. This probably cost us more than

$US8,000, by making it very difcult to

excavate and lay the penstock. Without

this requirement, we probably would

have laid the penstock above ground.

In addition, the start of construction

was delayed because it took so long to ob-

tain a multitude of consents and approvals.

These studies showed that oods were

the major factor in the quantity of marine

life. Because the Onekaka scheme has no

effect on oods, it has no measurable ef-

fect on sh and other life in the stream; Compilation of an expensive dam

safety report, for a dam that was built 70

years ago and, but for us, would still be

holding back thousands of tons of silt and

debris, with no one responsible for it;

Renewal of our water r ights for 35

years. This involved lawyers, environ-

mental scientists, and consultants and

cost us about $80,000; and

Various delays wait ing for envi-

ronmental approvals under the Resource

Management Act and complications in

the construction process that slowed

construction and probably cost us

$100,000 overall.



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Ingenuity on the part of a small group of hydro en-thusiasts allowed the revitalization of an abandonedfacility in New Zealand, providing valuable renew-able electricity for the country.


As a result, we nished up doing a lot of

work in winter, which is the wet season in

New Zealand.

Overall, the above requirements prob-

ably added US$300,000 to the cost of theproject. In my view, maybe 5 percent of

the sum actually provided a real benet to

the environment. If, instead, we had put

US$50,000 toward fencing off the river

downstream from cattle and providing

cattle crossings, I am sure the environ-

ment would have been far better off.

Lessons learned

If we could do it again, what would we

do differently? Firstly, we would install

a single new vertical four-jet Pelton tur-

bine instead of the two old single-jet hor-

izontal units. Although the two second-

hand units cost us less than $US15,000

blocks, would have saved even more

money because it eliminates the need

for a large number of expensive anchor

blocks and expansion joints.

to purchase, the costs to prepare them

for installation in the new powerhouse

were unexpectedly high. This included a

new runner and new turbine shafts, and

the hydraulic system for control of theturbines. In addition, using two units in-

stead of one led to a much larger power-

house, additional switchgear, and addi-

tional complexity in the control system. I

am sure that the lowest cost option would

have been to commission Mhylab to de-

sign a new turbine, then manufacture all

the components in New Zealand.

As already mentioned, we probably

would have been better off if we had not

had to bury the penstock. Supporting

the penstock above ground as though it

were a steam or oil pipe, instead of the

conventional civil engineering solution

of expansion joints and massive anchor


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Malte Cederstrom is a senior

civil engineer in Vattenfalls

hydropower division. He was

responsible for directing the

investigations of the failed

anchors and developing

recommendations for

their replacement.

By Malte O. Cederstrom Vattenfal l AB, Swedens largest power produc-

er and Europes fth largest, operates 53 large

hydropower plants in Sweden. The 33 terawatt-

hours of hydroelectricity generated by these plants,

along with Vattenfalls nuclear power, account for

about half of the countrys power production. Vat-

tenfall places great importance on its dam safety

activities, which include research, emergency pre-

paredness, surveillance, safety evaluations, and

system-wide programs of safety upgrades.

Several of Vattenfalls concrete dams are stabi-

lized with post-tensioned anchors. Surveillance of

these dams includes a regular check on the func-

tionality of the anchors. In 2002, a load test of

anchors at the 120-MW Alvkarleby hydro project

on the Dalalven River, 170 kilometers north of

Stockholm, revealed that seven of the 78 anchors

in the intake canal wall had ruptured. Diagnosing

the cause of the failures proved to be a lengthy

process involving the design engineer, the manu-

facturer, the installer, and laboratory specialists

performing chemical and metallurgical analysis.

As a result of the investigation, Vattenfall installed

a different type of anchor throughout the facility

and no longer relies on the remaining anchors.

Installing the anchors at Alvkarleby

The Alvkarleby plant was constructed in th

Documents

HRW_20090901_Sep_2009