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International magazine for hydro power and future technology http://hydroint.zek.at/
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www.andritz.com
CompaCt HydroGlobal supplier of electromechanical equipment for compact hydro power plants
aNdrItZ Hydro GmbHEibesbrunnergasse 20, 1120 Wien, ÖsterreichTel.: +43 50805 0, Fax: +43 50805 [email protected]
Since more than 30 years aNdrItZ
Hydro supplies equipment for small
hydropower plants up to 30 mW under
the name of CompaCt Hydro. The
small hydro market is an essential field
of business for ANDRITZ HYDRO. More
than 3,000 units with a total capacity of
9,300 MW have been installed until today.
Every month 11 COMPACT HYDRO plants
are put into operation. Our COMPACT
HYDRO program combines environmen-
tal friendliness with high efficiency of the
system.
We focus on the best solution – from
water to wire.
2 0 1 5
I N T E R N A T I O N A L H Y D R O
FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
HYDRO
Ver l agspos t amt : 4820 Bad I s ch l · P . b .b . „03Z035382 M“ – 13 . J ah rgang
zek
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Amiantit Germany GmbH · Am Fuchsloch 19 · 04720 Mochau · Tel.: + 49 34 31 71 82 - 0 · [email protected] · www.amiantit.eu · Member of the AMIANTIT Group
GRP pipework systems for hydropower facilitiesFlowtite pipes are manufactured from glass-fibre reinforced polyester resin (or GRP for short). GRP has very low weight but is extremely durable and remarkably flexible. Flowtite pipework is suitable for all kinds or pressurised and unpressurised applications where traditional methods used piping made from cast iron, steel, ferroconcrete or stoneware.
Some key benefits of pipework systems made from GPR:• Variable diameter, from DN 100 to DN 4000• High pressure resistance, up to 32 bar• Flexible length (standard lengths are 3, 6 and 12 m)
Austria:
ETERTEC GmbH & Co.KGoffi [email protected] www.etertec.at
Switzerland:
APR (Schweiz) [email protected]
Germany / South East Europe / Benelux:
Amiantit Germany GmbH [email protected] · www.amiantit.eu
Troyer offers high-quality construction of water turbines and hydroelectric power plants. For generations, our tailor-made solutions have helped our customers optimizing energy generation from waterpower in a safe, efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable way.
Troyer SpA [email protected] Tel. +39 0472 765 195
Power play.
Many developments in the last few years have affected the status and development ofsmall-scale hydropower. First, the Water Framework Directive raised concerns amongmany small-scale hydropower operators. The directive demanded an improvement ofthe fish passage facilities and an increase in the residual flow. This has resulted in finan-cial burdens for many aged power plants. The situation worsened when electricity pricesremained at a constant low on the international electricity markets. The reasons for thissituation are as follows: the emissions trading system is still not working. The price forcarbon credits is still too low, making fossil energy suppliers, such as lignite powerplants, grotesquely competitive. It speaks for itself that in 2014 Germany has producedmore energy from lignite than in any other year after World War II. Furthermore thesupport for solar and wind energy – especially in Germany – has supplied the grids withelectricity from renewable resources. All this keeps electricity rates down.
The negative sides of increasing electricity production from solar and wind energy alsohave an effect on hydropower. The strongly volatile energy types, which depend heavilyon the availability of wind and sun, and the resulting deviations in output are cause for
great concern for the suppliers. In this respect energy experts always emphasize the significance of hydropower, which is able toprovide base load power on the one hand and to supply balancing energy through pumped-storage power plants on the other.Despite the important role that hydropower plays, its political lobby – supporting small-scale as well as large-scale operations –is hardly noticeable. It is a different lobby that leaves its mark on current developments: only recently have nuclear energy advo-cates scored an unbelievable coup in the EU. The British government has received the EU's approval to build the Hinkley Pointnuclear power station despite Fukushima, despite Chernobyl and despite the project's astronomical costs. The current rate forone kilowatt-hour is EUR 10,000, making the power station one of the most expensive in the world. These costs will get passedon to the taxpayers. In the next 35 years about EUR 35 billion will go to nuclear lobby groups. Experts of the Vienna Universityof Technology TU Wien have calculated that an additional 37 percent of green electricity from renewable resources could beproduced with the same amount of subsidies. Another alarming tendency is that an additional five EU-countries are signalizingtheir intention to follow Great Britain's lead.
The hydropower engineering company Voith Hydro conducted a survey among 600 energy experts from Austria, Germany,Switzerland, Sweden and Norway on this topic. The results showed that hydropower still has a positive image: it was listed asnumber one resource, with photovoltaics coming in second. According to the survey the experts all agreed that hydropower recei-ves too little support from the political scene. Let's hope that this changes soon.In this edition of zek HYDRO international we present some selected projects and examples of today's technology, which in thelast year have caused a stir in the hydropower world. The majority of the showcase power plants here presented demonstrate theleading position of Central European hydropower companies, which are preserving the long tradition of European hydropowertechnology on the international hydropower market.
Finally, I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the production of this edition of zek HYDRO – above all ourlady in the office, Erika Gallent, whose excellent work coordinating the translations was the key to our being able to release thispublication on schedule. I wish all our valued readers an enjoyable and informative time reading the latest edition of zekHYDRO
Best regards,Roland Gruber, Editor-in-Chief
HYDRO
May 2015 03
QUO VADIS SMALL-SCALE HYDROPOWER?
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Since 50 years we have been developing efficient and sustainable technologies for producing energy from hydropower while stressing innovation and workmanship in the manufacture of our systems. More information at www.elektroanlagen.at www.elektroanlagen.at
WATER FLOWS CONSTANTLY ONWARDS. OUR TECHNOLOGY TOO.
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SHORT CUTS08 short news out of the world of hydropower
03 Editorial06 Table of Content08 Masthead
06 May 2015
17 Austrian Turbine Manufacturer displays Core Competencies [ WALES ]
20 Siemens supplies and installs Small-Scale Hydro Power Station [ NORWAY ]
22 City of Feldkirch brings ecologi- cal Model Facility to the Grid [ AUSTRIA ]
26 Hydro Steel Engineering Speci- alist provides the Equipment [ AUSTRIA ]
28 South Tyrolean Hydro Power Technology scores in Ukraine [ UKRAINE ]
32 Turrachbach Power Plant im- presses with Sustainability [ AUSTRIA ]
34 Power Station invests Millions in environmental improvements [ GERMANY ]
36 Austrian Hydro Power Specialist strengthens his market position [ SRI LANKA ]
38 Turbine Replacement enhances Versatility of big Power Station [ BELGIUM ]
42 Textile manufacturer power plant shines in new splendour [ SWITZERLAND ]
44 Tyrolean Region opts for collec- tive Hydro Power Initiative [ AUSTRIA ]
47 Works on Weinzödl Power Plant complete [ AUSTRIA ]
50 Hydro Power Turbine provides Benefits for Gas Power Station [ TURKEY ]
52 Water-saving Twin Lock in Münster completed [ GERMANY ]
54 Baden Operators upgrade by diving down [ GERMANY ]
56 Power plants in Bogotá replace pressure reduction valves [ COLOMBIA ]
17 DOLGARROG HEPP (UK) 28 SHYPOT II HEPP (UA) 36 ROSS HEPP (CL) 38 LIXHE HEPP (B)
HYDRO
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May 2015 07
58 Ductile Iron Pipes - Backbone of drinking Water Power Plants [ TECHNOLOGY ]
62 Pipeline successfully laid for the Forstaubach Power Plant [ AUSTRIA ]
64 Refurbishment of the Malgovert Power Plant Penstock [ FRANCE ]
68 Braun’s Trash Rack Cleaners perform well around the world [ TECHNOLOGY ]
70 South Tyrolean Hydraulic Steel Engineers meet all Needs [ TECHNOLOGY ]
72 Drum Screens make Power Plant Operators’ Hearts beat faster [ TECHNOLOGY ]
74 Success for Austrian mechanical engineering supplier [ TECHNOLOGY ]
75 Desander Systems for Hydro Power Plants - State of the Art [ TECHNOLOGY ]
78 Rubber Dams provide an interesting Alternative [ TECHNOLOGY ]
80 Through Love of Innovation to Market Leadership [ TECHNOLOGY ]
84 Nepal’s needed Electricity Trans- ition towards more Hydropower [ NEPAL ]
88 RENEXPO HYDRO establishes it- self in the heart of Europe [ EVENT ]
86 RENEXPO HYDRO establishes it- self in the heart of Europe [ TECHNOLOGY ]
BANDIRMA HEPP (TR) 50 FORSTAUBACH HEPP (A) 62 GENERATOR TECHNOLOGY 80 NEPAL HYDROPOWER 84
HYDRO
Advertisers zek HYDRO 2015 Schubert Opener
Amiantit U2
Troyer U3
Andritz Hydro U4
BHM-Ing. 25
Bilfinger VAM 67
Braun 69
Danner 74
Elin 24
Geppert 51
Global Hydro Energy 90
Gufler Metall 71
Gugler Water Turbines 13
Hitzinger 83
HSR Rapperswil 10
Hutarew 22
Hydro-Construct 79
Indar 43
Koncar 49
Kössler 9
Künz 27
Lukas 8
Muhr 73
Ossberger 33
Premel 55
Renexpo 89
Siemens 31
TRM Tiroler Rohre 61
Wiegert & Bähr 35
Wild Metal 30
WKV 16
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08 May 2015
VIENNAHYDRO 2014 GETS TO THE BOTTOMOF FUTURE HYDROPOWER TRENDSViennahydro, traditionally held at the vene-rable halls of Laxenburg Castle, is one of themost established and renowned internationalevents in the hydropower industry. Thisreputation was confirmed at the most recent(eighteenth) edition of the event, which tookplace just outside Vienna from November26–28 last year. The event was centredaround key topics such as different aspects ofpumped storage, which is still considered themost effective, most tried and testedmethods of storing energy. Visitors were trea-ted to two social side events: an exclusive eve-ning event at the Vienna Museum ofTechnology, and the almost traditional din-ner at the “Heurigen” wine pub in Neustift.Around 300 guests had followed the invitati-on of Dr. Eduard Doujak and his organisingteam to attend the forum of experts and dis-cuss key issues, get the latest information,exchange ideas – and, last but not least, tomeet new contacts and enjoy the evening inthe company of existing ones. Same as in theprevious years, the comprehensive scheduleof lectures and presentations was organisedacross three halls, with the large theatre hallproviding the largest seating capacity.
MARGARITZE DAM: DIVING IN THE WINTERAT 2000 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVELThe Margaritze dam belongs to the Kaprunworks group and every 10 years the above-water structures and below-water parts of theplant have to be subjected. Inspection work iscarried out in the winter due to the vastlysuperior underwater visibility at this time ofyear. The low temperature of the water, beingclosed in by an ice ceiling and the general alti-tude of the plant make this a challenging work– even for experienced professional divers. Ahole was cut into the ice, which was roughly50cm thick, to enable diving work to begin.The main focus of the inspection was on theintegrity of the concrete, the functioning ofthe bottom outlet and the debris intake grates.
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Dr. Eduard Doujak is considered to be thedriving force behind “Viennnahydro”.Laxenburg Castle near Vienna offers a uniqueambience for the hydropower event traditionallyheld here every year.
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HYDRO
Masthead
PUBLISHERSMag. Roland Gruber and Günter Seefried
PUBLISHING HOUSEGruber-Seefried-Zek Verlags OGLindaustraße 10, 4820 Bad IschlTel. & Fax +43 (0) 6247- 84 [email protected]
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFMag. Roland Gruber, [email protected] +43 (0)664-115 05 70
EDITORDI (FH) David Tscholl, [email protected] +43 (0) 664-240 67 74
MAG. Andreas Pointinger, [email protected] +43 (0) 664-228 23 23
MARKETINGGünter Seefried, [email protected] +43 (0)664-3000 393
ADMINISTRATIONErika Gallent, [email protected] +43 (0)664-242 62 22
TRANSLATIONCrossing Paths CommunicationsMag. Andreas [email protected]
Reinhard Ficher, BA+43-650-6130180
Roger [email protected]
PRODUCTION, PDF CREATIONMEDIA DESIGN: RIZNER.ATStabauergasse 5, 5020 SalzburgTel. +43 (0) 662 / 87 46 74E-Mail: [email protected]
PRINTINGDruckerei RoserMayrwiesstraße 23, 5300 Hallwang /SalzburgTel. +43 (0) 662-661737
POST OFFICEA-4820 Bad Ischl
BASIC GUIDELINESzek HYDRO is a non-partisan trade publication focussing on hydropower.
PRICE INC. POSTAGE€ 16,– / copy inc. VAT
zek HYDRO is published annuallyCirculation: 5,400 copies
All the parts of the plant were in good working orderand complete safety can still be guaranteed.
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10 May 2015
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320-TONNE RUNNER ON ITS WAY TO BELO MONTEAt the beginning of this year, the largest runner Voith Hydro has evermanufactured in Latin America began its journey to hydropower plantBelo Monte in Brazil. A twelve-axle heavy-haulage vehicle collectedthe huge runner (5 m high, 8.5 m in diameter) from the Voith manu-facturing facilities in Manaus (Brazil) and transported it around 20km to an inland port. Lifted aboard by a heavy-duty cargo crane, itthen began its 850 km journey downriver to the port of Vitória doXingu in the Brazilian state of Pará. HPP Belo Monte on the Xinguriver is still under construction and is scheduled to go on-line in2019with a capacity of 11,233 MW. Voith will deliver four Francisturbines and four generators, as well as the electrical and mechanicalbalance-of-plant equipment and automation components. The entireengineering will also be provided by Voith
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COSTA RICA LEADING THE WAY IN RENEWABLESIn their online edition, eco-magazine “Diario Ecologica” reported thatas of the beginning of this year, Costa Rica has been meeting 99.4%of its energy needs from renewable energy sources. The largest share ofclean energy (68%) is generated from hydropower, followed bygeothermal, wind power, biomass, and solar energy. This was possiblebecause of the particularly heavy rainfall in the previous months,which filled up the power stations’ water reservoirs. This allows theCentral American country’s hydropower facilities to operate at fullcapacity, according to the Costa Rican National Institute forElectricity. Thanks to the resulting oversupply in eco-power, electricityprices fell by 12%. Originally, it was expected that the government’sobjective of meeting 100% of the country’s energy needs from rene-wable sources would be reached in 2021. No other country in LatinAmerica has achieved this goal so far.
The runner on its way from Manaus to Belo Monte.
With reservoirs full to the brim, Costa Rica is ableto make full use of its hydropower capacities.
HYDRO
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BOUDRY POWER PLANT STARTS OPERATINGFollowing one year of construction, Solutions Renouvelables Boudry SAis starting to operate the Boudry hydroelectric power plant. The powerplant utilises the almost five metre drop of the Areuse, which flows outof the Val de Travers through the imposing Gorges de l'Areuse on intoLake Neuchâtel. With an output of 495 kW, the plant produces 1,650MWh, which is equivalent to the electricity demand of around 450 hou-seholds. A new fish ladder with 23 pools allows fish to ascend and des-cend, in particular the endangered brown trout. The construction workswere closely monitored by the fisheries inspector and the local cantonalofficials. The total costs amount to 4.7 million CHF. The owner andoperator of the plant is Solutions Renouvelables Boudry SA, in which thecouncil and community of Boudry have a 51 percent stake and BKW hasa 49 percent stake.
ALBIGNA RESERVOIR DRAINED FOR REFURBISHMENTTo enable the replacement of sealing components and refurbishment ofvarious parts of the facility, the Albigna reservoir was completely drainedin February 2015 by its operator, Swiss-based energy utility EWZ. Thisrevealed the unusual sight of the 115 m high dam wall at 2,100 m abovesea level. Heavy-haulage helicopters and the operator’s cableway are usedto make the construction site accessible so the the extensive work in thishigh alpine terrain can go ahead as planned. The engineers working onthe project have to withstand extreme climatic conditions such as suddensnowfalls and cold spells. If everything goes to plan, the revision will becompleted by summer, although the refilling of the reservoir is scheduledto begin already in May.
May 2015 11
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The order from MeyGen follows the successful completion of tests with ANDRITZHYDRO Hammerfest’s HS1000 pre-commercial demonstrator turbine (graphic) atthe European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, Scotland, in 2014.
A view of the famous Areuse Gorge. Some of itswater is used for the new Boudry power plant.
When the power plant was being planned and implemented, particular considerati-on was given to ecological concerns due to the sensitive location at the HallstattUNESCO World Heritage Site.
The alpine water reservoir had its plug pulled – quite literally.
ANDRITZ TO SUPPLY TIDAL CURRENT TURBINES TO SCOTLANDANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest, part of international technologyGroup ANDRITZ, has received an order from MeyGen Ltd. to sup-ply three 1.5-megawatt tidal current turbines to the planned tidalarray in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, Scotland. Tidal currentturbines are anchored to the sea bed in coastal waters and driven byrising and falling tides. Commissioning of the three turbines is sche-duled for the end of 2016. The order placed with ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest is the firstcommercial order worldwide to supply tidal current turbines and partof the first project phase in completion of the MeyGen tidal array,which is the largest development project worldwide for a tidal turbinearray. In the long-term, MeyGen is planning to install a total of 269turbines with an overall output of 398 megawatts, which will providepredictable, renewable, and sustainable energy for 175,000 Scottishhouseholds.
ENVIRONMENT MINISTER STARTS UPNEW POWER PLANT IN HALLSTATTWith a construction period of just around 11 months, one of the mostpowerful small-scale hydro power projects in Upper Austria wasimplemented in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hallstatt. Theproject is backed by the Austrian Federal Forestry Office and the com-munity of Hallstatt. After the plant had started up trial operation atthe beginning of September 2013, the official inauguration ceremonywas scheduled for 2 July 2014. The grand opening was performedwith the Austrian Environment Minister Andrä Rupprechter pressinga button to set the 6-nozzle Pelton turbine in motion. This showpiecepower plant in the famous Salzkammergut region delivers around 20million kWh of power to the grid every year. In future, it will be pos-sible to supply around 4,500 households with electricity producedfrom renewable energy from Hallstatt. This is equivalent to an annualsaving on CO2 emissions of around 16,800 tonnes.
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NEW HAUSMENING POWER PLANT ON RIVER YBBS REPLACES TWOOLD, OUTDATED POWER PLANTSThe two power plants of Hofmühle and Theresienthal – both located onthe River Ybbs – have been regarded as old and outdated for many years.The structure of the buildings and technical equipment seemed to besuitably dilapidated. The end was in sight. Over the last two years, a sin-gle, modern run-of-river power plant has now been constructed to repla-ce the two existing plants. This has not only restored the ability of thefish to gain access in both directions at the site of the power plant, butalso pushed the generation of electricity to previously unknown heights.With the two Kaplan S bulb turbines from GLOBAL Hydro, the newplant belonging to the Soravia Group produces around 12.8 GWh in anormal year. This represents an increase in yield of around 80 per centcompared to the old existing facilities. Thanks to the establishment of theunderwater section rich in structure, it can be expected that the ecologi-cal conditions of the waterways will be enhanced in the medium to longterm – and the new power plant also represents an improvement withregard to flood protection.
WORLD RECORD FOR THREE GORGES DAMLast year the Chinese mega-power plant at the Three Gorges Dam pro-duced 98.8 billion kWh of electricity. It has therefore surpassed the pre-vious world record holder from South America. Although Brazil's Itaipuhydroelectric power plant has a lower installed capacity than the ThreeGorges Dam, for many years it held the world record for generating elec-tricity from hydro power. In 2013, the plant in Brazil generated 98.6 bil-lion kWh of electricity. According to the operator of the power plant onthe Yangtze River, the China Three Gorges Corporation, the 98.8 billionkilowatt hours produced last year are equivalent to a saving of 49 milliontonnes of coal and a reduction in carbon emissions of around 100 milli-on tonnes. The dam and the hydroelectric power plant was completed in2006, and all of the turbines started operating two years later.
12 May 2015
The two overhauled Francis runners for the Kahlenberg power plant.
Powerful impetus for hydro power in Paraguay.
The new run-of-river power plant on the River Ybbs produces 12.8 GWhof clean energy every year with the two Kaplan S bulb turbines.
The 32 turbines of the Chinese dam have a combined capacity of 22.5 million kW.
KAHLENBERG POWER PLANT IS BACK IN OPERATIONJust before the turn of the year, Mülheim's lord mayor DagmarMühlenfeld and the technical director of RWW, Dr. ChristophDonner, officially reactivated the completely overhauled turbine at theKahlenberg hydroelectric power plant. After running for almost 90years, the largest of the three turbines, a Francis turbine, underwentan overhaul. In the project phase lasting for more than one year, thetwo runners, each weighing 12 tonnes, were replaced and the twoshafts and bearings were refurbished. The cost of this was 1.3 millioneuros. "This turbine now sees the overall output of our power plantadd up to 5 MW again. This means that we generate around 17 GWhof electricity every year. This would be enough to supply 5,000 hou-seholds for an entire year. But we consume this power to deliver ourwater supply," says Donner.
PILOT PROJECT FOR THE USE OF HYDRO POWER IN PARAGUAYAccording to Víctor Romero, the director of the institution ANDE, anew power plant is being planned in Paraguay. The plan is that thisshould dam the Rio Ypané in Belén near to Concepción and reach acapacity of 14 MW, reports Última Hora. The works are scheduled tobegin this year, with the project due to be completed in 2018. Theapplication for approval of the building project has already been sub-mitted to the relevant authority, Fonacide, which decides on wherefunds are to be allocated. The proposed plant is a pilot project whichit is intended will enable experience of constructing and operatingsmall-scale hydro power plants to be gathered. Total costs of around50 million US dollars are expected, and the intention is that the pro-ject will also create 1,500 jobs.since 1926.
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ANDRITZ HYDRO TO SUPPLY EQUIPMENT FOR THE WORLD’SFIRST TIDAL LAGOON HYDROPOWER PROJECT IN SWANSEA BAYFollowing an international bidding process, Tidal Lagoon SwanseaBay plc. has appointed the consortium by GE/ANDRITZ HYDROas preferred bidder for supply of the electromechanical equipment forthe world’s first tidal lagoon hydropower project in Swansea Bay,Wales. Start of commercial operation is scheduled for 2019. The tidallagoon hydropower plant will be located in the Severn Estuary andwill have an installed capacity of 16 units with over 20 megawattseach. The Severn Estuary has the second highest tidal range in theworld, and in this estuary, Swansea Bay benefits from an average tidalrange of 8.5 meters during spring tides. The plant will supply clean,renewable, and predictable power for over 155,000 homes and contri-bute significantly towards national carbon emission reduction targetswith over 236,000 tons of CO2 saved each year.
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BENEDICTINE MONASTERY OF MARIENBERG BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF NATUREThe efforts to deliver the monastery's own hydro power plant draggedout over more than a decade. It was only two years ago that thepowers-that-be at the Benedictine monastery of Marienberg in thearea of Burgei in South Tyrol - the highest Benedictine abbey inEurope at an altitude of 1340 m above sea level - were able to imple-ment their ideas of an environmentally friendly and decentralised eco-friendly power plant. The new high-pressure power plant on theMeltzbach river in the Vinschgau district has now been reliably sup-plying green electricity since the end of 2012. The 4-nozzle Pelton tur-bine with a maximum output of 315 kW generates around 1.8 GWha year. The revenue from selling electricity is used primarily to main-tain the extensive buildings and property.
The tidal lagoon hydropower plant in Swansea Bay,Wales, will have a total capacity of 320 megawatts.
The plant on the Meltzbach river in theVinschgau district in the area of Burgeis in
South Tyrol is owned by the Benedictinemonastery of Marienberg.
HYDRO
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UPPER AUSTRIAN HPP TRAUN-PUCKINGTO UNDERGO EXTENSIVE REVISIONHPP Traun-Pucking has been a provider of clean energy from hydropo-wer since 1983. Ever since it has been operating, Energie AG’s high-capa-city hydropower plant has been subjected to regular inspections andmaintenance. During the most recent inspection, a bearing was found tobe defective, which is why an extensive revision, including the completedismantling of the machine unit, were performed during the cold season.Since their commissioning, the two turbines have generated around 6.6billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy from hydropower. During theextensive revision, one of the two Kaplan turbines, each measuring 4 min diameter and weighing 170 tonnes, was dismantled and subjected toa detailed inspection. The required revision work kept the service engi-neers on a heavy schedule for weeks on end. In the spring of this year,both machines were back in full working order.
RWE INAUGURATED MALDIE HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT In May 2014, RWE Innogy officially inaugurated its hydroelectric stora-ge scheme Maldie in Scotland. The construction took 20 months, withthe first turbine becoming operational in May 2013 and the second inMarch 2014. With an installed capacity of four megawatts (MW), theplant can generate around 15,000 megawatt-hours of electricity a year tosupply around 3,000 homes with renewable energy. The investmentvolume amounts to more than 17 million euros. Maldie is the first sto-rage scheme RWE Innogy commissions in the UK. It uses water from acatchment area of around 22 square kilometres. A weir located at the out-let of a Loch will raise the water level by 1.5 metres to form a storagereservoir. 2.8 cubic metres of water (19 full bathtubs) will be abstractedper second at the weir and fed into 2km of buried pipeline connecting toa buried powerhouse located 170 metres below the weir, which containstwo 2MW Francis turbines.
14 May 2015
„The power house has been semi-buried and the pipeline and grid cable com-pletely buried to ensure that any construction works blend into the local envi-ronment,“ explains RWE Innogy UK’s senior projekt manager Mary Drury.
The long-established South Tyrolean company is alreadybeing managed by the third generation of the family.
Verbund Project Manager, Dr. Dominik Mayr, in front of ascale model of the planned Riedl energy storage plant.
TROYER AG CELEBRATES 80 YEARS IN BUSINESSCustomer satisfaction has been a central tenet of the corporate philo-sophy of the South Tyrolean hydropower specialists Troyer AG fordecades. The company values its customers. Many of them have beencustomers for a long time and Troyer AG knows how important theyare to the success of the company. So, on the 24th October last year,they were invited to join the employees for the 80th anniversary cele-brations of the Sterzing business’s foundation. Maria Luise Troyer isthe company’s former senior executive, having run the business untilthree years ago. She explains: ‘We have established genuine friendshipswith many of our customers’. Mrs. Troyer still provides active supportand advice for the younger generation now at the helm.
ALL DOCUMENTATION FOR THE RIEDL ENERGY STORAGE DAM PROJECT NOW SUBMITTEDThe Jochenstein AG Danube hydroelectric power station is operatedby the ‘Verbund’ energy company, and on the 26th February the finaldocuments for the bilateral licensing procedure for the planned Riedlenergy storage dam project were submitted to the Regional Office inPassau. These documents fill 63 files and the authorities have all theyneed to begin the comprehensive research into the construction workplanned. To be exact, the Riedl energy storage dam project involvesVerbund AG building a pumped-storage hydropower plant, a projectit has been trying to implement for years. The pump and turbinepower outputs - each 300 MW – will enable the completed plant toprovide an efficient and flexible means of storing and utilising electri-city derived from wind power and photovoltaic plants. There is also aplan to build a new fish pass at the Jochenstein AG Danube hydroe-lectric power station.
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HPP Traun-Pucking is Energy AG’s largest run-of-river power plant.Two Kaplan turbines generate electrical energy for around 60,000Upper Austrian households.
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ithin the next year, the Commis-sion will develop their proposal fora new governance structure, elec-
tricity market design and a revised Renew-able Energy Directive. Parallel to this, theCommission will start revising the WaterFramework Directive from mid-2015 on-wards. This revision offers the unique oppor-tunity for the small hydropower sector tohighlight the sustainable quality of modernhydropower technology which enables anentente cordial between the objectives of theWater Framework Directive and the objecti-ves to change towards renewable energybased systems.
EREF CAMPAIGNS FOR SHP SECTORIt will be crucial for the renewable energysector to play an active role within this deve-lopment process by including updates andrequests in the European and national plans.Especially the small hydropower sector hasthe chance to secure and enhance its rightfulplace as an equally important part in the EUrenewable energy mix and to create businessopportunities for the many small and medi-um-sized enterprises throughout Europe.The Small Hydropower Chapter of theEuropean Renewable Energies Federation
(EREF) actively campaigns on EU level forfavourable and secure long-term investmentconditions for the small hydropower sector. EREF is the federation of national renewableenergy associations from EU Member States,representing all renewable energy sectors. Itsobjective is to defend the interests of inde-pendent power, fuel and heat productionfrom renewable sources and to promote non-discriminatory access to the energy market.EREF strives to create, maintain and furtherdevelop stable and reliable framework condi-tions for renewable energy sources.
FIGHT AT THE GENERAL COURT OF EUNext to regular meetings with key EU decisi-on-makers on small hydropower issues,EREF has initiated annulment proceedingsexclusively against chapter 3.3.2. of theGuidelines for Environmental and EnergyAid 2014-2020, which aim to severely limitthe financial support for renewable energies.Currently, the case is pending at the GeneralCourt of the European Union. If the com-plaint turns out to be successful, this wouldbe a very important and vital reassurance forall sectors of renewable energy.EREF staff members also actively promotethe inclusion of small hydropower projects in
Following the declared goal of President Juncker in July 2014 to “become the world number one in renewable energies”, theEuropean Commission published its strategy to achieve a resilient Energy Union with a forward-looking climate changepolicy at the end of February 2015. [by Dirk Hendricks, Brussels]
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NEWS FROM BRUSSELS: EXCITING TIMESFOR THE SMALL HYDROPOWER SECTOR
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the list of the European Fund for StrategicInvestments (EFSI) which includes € 315billion for the time period between 2015 and2017 to support sustainable investments pro-jects.If you want to finically support and/or acti-vely contribute to the policy campaign of theSmall Hydropower Chapter, please contactDirk Hendricks. [[email protected]]
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olgarrog, a small village in ConwyCounty Borough in the northern partof Wales, was an important site during
the early industrial development in the 18thcentury. In the beginning flour mills wereestablished in Dolgarrog and after a while tex-tile manufacturing companies and saw millspopped up as well. They all used water fromthe River Conwy, passing near Dolgarrog.The abundance of water as well as the moun-tainous terrain of the picturesque surroun-dings also met the requirements for an electri-cal utilization of hydropower. The constructi-on works on the Llyn Eigau Dam, which wasto serve as a reservoir for the plannedDolgarrog hydropower plant, began as earlyas 1911. However, this project ended in a tra-
gedy due to its poor construction. After fivedays of heavy rainfall disaster hit the area. OnNovember 2, 1925 the dam broke and allponded water poured into the neighboringCoedty Reservoir, whose dam walls burst aswell. The flood struck the small village, kil-ling 17 people. It would have been more hadmany of the residents not been at a film per-formance at the safe local theater building atthe time of the incident. A subsequent exami-nation found that the work on the foundati-on had been insufficiently executed and con-crete of poor quality had been used. In 1930the British parliament passed the “ReservoirsSafety Provision Act” as a consequence of thistragedy. It was introduced to guarantee thesafety of dams and is still in effect today.
The Dolgarrog plant is one of the most important hydropower plants in Wales, not only from a historical point of view butalso because of its significance for the Welsh electricity industry. The plant, which was put into operation in 1924 and is nowoperated by RWE INNOGY UK, was partially renovated in the last four years at a cost of about 15 million GBP – around21 million euros. The key elements of the remodeling project were the replacement of parts of the old steel penstock and theexchange of machine unit 4, a 10-MW turbine-generator unit from 1950. For the exchange of unit 4 the operators relied onthe competency of Austrian hydropower expert Kössler, for whom the project marked the entry to the United Kingdom. Thispremier was abundant with technical challenges and thus was one of the most technically demanding projects that the expe-rienced turbine manufacturer from Lower Austria had ever encountered.
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AUSTRIAN TURBINE MANUFACTURER DISPLAYSCORE COMPETENCIES WITH FIRST ORDER TO WALES
TWO POWER PLANTS UNDER ONE ROOFThe Dolgarrog power plant was put into ope-ration in the same year as the incident happe-ned. It was designed to provide electricity forthe local aluminum works, which it did untilthe 1940s, when the smelting works werestopped and the factory became less and lessimportant. In the early 2000s the factory wasclosed and there are now plans to turn thearea into a leisure park. While the traces ofthe aluminum industry slowly fade, theDolgarrog power plant is still operating.Today the plant, with an installed capacity of32 MW, represents one of the most impor-tant top-performance electricity suppliers ofNorthern Wales. However, Dolgarrog actual-ly comprises two independently operating
A Francis spiral turbine from the hydropower specialists of Lower Austria-based Kössler operates the traditional Dolgarrog power plant.ph
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dismantled. This marked the start of Kössler'sconstruction job in Dolgarrog, which inhindsight turned out to be one of the mostchallenging projects. “The project was fromplanning to commissioning one of the biggesttechnical challenges we had encountereduntil then. The assistance of our parent com-pany Voith was a great help,” says KarlHenninger. In order to meet the technicalrequirements of the local conditions, a newhydraulic turbine design had to be developedin only a short time: a design that wouldsatisfy all demands, achieve the necessarycavitation protection and attain the highestpossible degree of efficiency. “This task wasperfectly performed by our colleagues fromVoith Development Center in York (US).They laid the basis for further construction
plants, whose turbine-generator units are setup under one roof, in one powerhouse. Thereare basically two process water channels. Oneis fed from the Cowlyd Reservoir and is con-sidered a “high head” scheme, meaning ahigh-pressure plant. The other channel takesits process water from the Coedty Reservoirand is a “low head” scheme, a low-pressureplant. However, this description should notbe taken too literally, as the “low head” sche-me still uses a head of about 264 meters. Theimprovements were made on the “low head”section only.
SAFETY FROM PRESSURE SURGESIn 2009 RWE INNOGY decided to replacethe above-ground section of the original pen-stock from the 1920s and to restore machineunit 4 at the same time. Not only safety issuesplayed an important role in the planning, butalso landscape aesthetics, resulting in anunderground installation of the penstock.Safety was the main reason for the exchangeof the machine unit. “The previous plant wasdesigned and equipped with a pressure regu-lator to manage transient conditions – i.e. anypossible pressure surge situations. The riskassociated with such a valve was too high andso the client decided on a modern and lesscomplex unit that meets safety concerns withimproved technology,” Karl Henninger, pro-ject manager of Kössler, explains.RWE INNOGY spent approximately 15 mil-lion GBP on the project. After the prelimina-ry design had been carried out in the fall of2010, the project managers took time in2011 and the beginning of 2012 to developthe most effective technical solutions with
regard to the life of the machine unit andenvironmental protection. The contract forthe construction project was obtained in2012. The order received by Kössler includedthe installation of the turbine and the genera-tor, the ball valve, the corresponding hydrau-lic power unit, lubricating oil, the coolingsystem for the mechanical segment, the auto-mation as well as the low-voltage element forthe electricity. In addition Kössler was com-missioned to dismantle the old and install thenew equipment.
WORKING IN A NARROW SPACEIn April 2013 RWE INNOGY took the“low-head” system off the electrical grid.During this time the old above-ground pen-stock was removed and machine unit 4 was
Large centrifugal masses had to be used to control transient conditions.
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A view onto Coedty Reservoir, through whichwater is conveyed from the Conwy Valley to
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and assembly works. In addition Voith experts from Heidenheim,Germany, accompanied all these activities,” says Mr Henninger.The plan was to replace the old Boving turbine from 1950 with a con-temporary Francis spiral turbine, which had to meet many differentcriteria. One aspect was to maintain the specified turbine axial height.Another one was to build a turbine of comparable cubage that fittedwith the previous penstock diameter and the predetermined axial posi-tion. To make matters worse the space available was extremely narrow.“Although only four machine units, out of the five originally installedunits, were set up in the power house, the space was barely sufficient.Furthermore the old power house crane was not constructed for suchmasses. For this reason we had to dismantle the generator completelybefore delivery and assemble it again on the construction site with spe-cial gadgets,” adds the technical expert.
LARGE CENTRIFUGAL MASSESAnother key aspect of the project was controlling the transient condi-tions in the penstock in various operating scenarios. Based on the factthat the gross head was 263.81 meters the maximum pressure surgemust not exceed 292 meters in any worst case scenario, this correlateswith a pressure surge of about 10 percent. “No equalizing valves wereallowed, as is usually customary. The reason was the 90-year-old remai-ning part of the penstock, which would not tolerate any pressure surgesbeyond that. We had to meet these demands with mechanical means,i.e. large centrifugal masses,” Mr Henninger explains.Another requirement was minimizing and simplifying maintenance.This aspect was important during the designing phase of the machineunit. Of course, robustness was a major factor as well, since the powerplant is a top-performing plant. It is switched on and shut down quiteoften during the day. The output, however, will have to remain steadybecause the license allows no deviation. The advantage of the newKössler Francis spiral turbine is that it takes less water to attain thenominal output of 10.18 MW.
EXCITING NEW CHALLENGES“The project involved another challenge – to get all the appropriatelicenses and to take all needed precautions for the installation. In theUK you have to get the approval of your client for the constructionprocess as well as that of HSE. There are special conditions in the UKthat you have to consider,” states Karl Henninger. He adds that theexperts had to pick up certain peculiarities about how work is done onthe British Isles. Having a reliable and competent partner in Wales to
take over the project management and handle all of the client's requestsdirectly was an invaluable assistance to Kössler and essential to the suc-cess of the project.In the fall of 2014 the installation works on machine unit 4 were nearlycompleted. The commissioning and first tests turned out successful.Today both “low-head” machine units in Dolgarrog are operatingagain. It was a pleasant completion of a challenging project, which mar-ked the company's entry to the hydropower market on the British Isles.
LOCAL INVESTMENTSRWE INNOGY focused not only on the technical improvement ofone of its most important hydropower plants, but also on guaranteeingthe most environmentally-friendly procedure possible. 300 trees had tomake way for the installation of the penstock along its route, but theoperator planted 4,000 trees in that area as an ecologically balancingand accompanying measure. About 100,000 GBP were invested in pre-servation measures for nature and archaeological sites nearby.Furthermore streets and bridges for an improved infrastructure, a gar-den as a commemoration site for the dam accident of 1925 and a chil-dren's playground were built.RWE INNOGY is one of the leading operators, project developersand investors in the field of renewable energy in Wales. The hydropo-wer plant houses units with an installed capacity of 44 MW. Thus theDolgarrog power plant represents the most significant plant and is thecentral control station for the other power plants in the region. Thesuccessfully completed renovation will guarantee a reliable operationof the power plant and a clean electricity supply for Northern Walesfor decades.
The new Francis spiralturbine is designed for
a capacity of 10.18 MW.
The turbine runner wasmilled from a single block
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Technical Data for Dolgarrog „Low Head“UNIT 4
w Dam: Coedty w Head: 263.81mw Net Head: 254.78 mw Turbine: Francis spiral turbine w Manufacturer: Kösslerw Nominal rotation speed: 750 rpm w Runner Diameter Ø : 1340 mm w Energy output: 10,18 MWw Generator: snychronous generator w Generator nomin. output: 12.500 kVAw Penstock total: approx. 5000 m w Material: steelw new earth-laid: approx. 1200 m w Pipe Dimension Ø: DN900
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he hydropower plant is designed as anunderground facility, with waterbeing supplied by way of a pressure
tunnel. This means that the Smådøla is left toflow undisturbed above ground while contri-buting to power generation “down below”.Three turbines of different capacity are to beefficiency optimised to generate a total of15.21 MW, depending on the available volu-me of water. The plant is scheduled to becommissioned in 2015. Siemens was awardedthe contract by Norwegian energy providerA/S Eidefoss. The order includes the supplyof the entire mechanical, electrical and buil-ding technology for the water intake, thepower house as well as a service building infront of it – i. e., a complete “water-to-wire”package. “We decided in favour of Siemens for thisproject, as their offer was technically convin-cing and met all our tender requirements per-
fectly. Siemens is a reliable partner in terms ofinvestment protection, which was crucial inthis project,” says Jan Harald Bakke, ProjectLeader at Eidefoss.
FLEXIBILITY DURING THE PLANNING PHASEDuring the planning stage of the project,Siemens provided the customer with adviceon the electrotechnical design and compo-nent optimisation. The flexible service andknow-how provided by Siemens, combinedwith the use of the latest planning tools, allo-wed for changes to be integrated quickly intothe project plan without causing any delays.For example, a grid analysis was performed inadvance to determine the influence of thecurrent feed on the voltage behaviour withinthe grid.Siemens also worked in close cooperationwith the civil engineers to optimise the powerplant layout and accessibility of the equip-
300 km north of the Norwegian capital Oslo, in the middle between two national parks at the river Smådøla, a new small-scalehydropower station is being constructed, which will provide 12,000 households with clean energy. The project is implementedand supervised by the Siemens Competence Centre for Small Hydro in Salzburg. The contract includes the supply and installationof all power plant components, from the turbine to the grid (“water-to-wire” package). The contract was awarded by Norwegianpower plant and network operator A S Eidefoss. For Siemens, this project marks the entry into the Norwegian small-scale hydro-power market.
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As a ‘water-to-wire’ provider, the Siemens Competence Centrefor Small Hydropower, Salzburg has built a modern small
hydropower station on the Smådøla river in Norway. The sitebefore the construction of the new hydropower station.
SIEMENS SUPPLIES AND INSTALLS SMALL-SCALE HYDROPOWER STATION IN NORWAY
The power house ishome to three differ-ently dimensionedFrancis turbines.
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ment with the indoor crane, and to prepare the required working areasand transport paths.A special challenge was posed by the distributed locations of the vario-us high-volume power consumers, such as the ventilation units thatsupply fresh air to the tunnel and cavern. This made it necessary toinstall an additional grid level for energy transfer, including step-upand step-down transformers. Thanks to their experience, the Siemensengineers confidently mastered such tasks as connecting the power sta-tion to the grid at the Eidefoss control centre some 20 km away, or cal-culating an optimum switching matrix between the machines depen-ding on the available water volume.
THE CHALLENGE: INSTALLATION AND START-UPCreating local value is important to Siemens, which is why local firmswere subcontracted for instillation work wherever possible. With“hands-on mentality”, Siemens foremen supervised the installationwork, lending a helping hand where necessary. Due to the very limitedspace in the cavern and access tunnel, transporting the equipment tothe installation side and storing it without obstructing other compo-nents posed a logistic challenge. With the construction site located in the Norwegian mountains, theinstallation work was accompanied by changing environmental condi-tions all year round. As a result, the Siemens team was constantly facedwith challenges such as road damage due to heavy rain, or extremesnow conditions. However, careful pre-planning of transports and theexcellent cooperation with Eidefoss allowed them to compensate forthese influencing factors.
In the end, the start-up went ahead in the winter, as planned. In theintake area, the Siemens engineers were faced with temperatures as lowas –25 °C, wind speeds of up to 100 km/h and snowdrifts more thana metre high. Among other things, these conditions led to the intakegates icing over. But thanks to the dedicated personal effort of everyonein the Siemens team and local firms specialising in de-icing, this pro-blem was eventually solved as well. Finally, the start-up process couldbe completed according to schedule.
CONCENTRATED HYDROPOWER COMPETENCE IN SALZBURG Siemens Austria’s Small Hydropower Competence Centre in Salzburgis the global hub for the group’s worldwide small-hydropower business.With a product range covering everything from turbines to transmissi-on lines, Siemens stands out as a single-source provider of all compo-nents for small hydropower stations. The portfolio includes everythingfrom planning to engineering, delivery, installation and start-up offacilities up to 30 MW. Mechanical power station components such asturbines and generators are combined with electrical and control tech-nology systems. So far, the Competence Centre for Small Hydropowerin Salzburg has completed more than 400 projects worldwide. In addi-tion to the alpine region, projects were implemented in southeasternEurope – Greece and Turkey, for example – and in Scandinavia.
Access road to the power plant con-struction site in the deep of winter
The Siemens engineers demonstrated theirhydropower knowledge in the far north
Dam in the Norwegian mountains
at 1,000 m.a.s.l. near the tree line
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Technical Equipment
w 3 horizontal Francis Turbines includingsluice valves and pressure pipeline
w 3 Synchronous Generatorsw Generator output: 10.5 MVA 6.6 kV /
3,5 MVA 6.6 kV / 1.4 MVA 0.69 kVw 3 Main Transformers (T1,T2,T3)w T1: 10.5 MVA 6,6/22 kV T2: 3.5 MVA 6.6/22 kVw T3: 1.5 MVA 0.96/22 kVw 1 Aux. Power Transformator – 315 kVA 22/0,4 kVw Medium-high voltage cablew Medium-high voltage switch gearw Steel hydraulics constrution catchmentw Overhead cranew Standby power supply diesel generatorw Shielding methodw Control and communication systemw Turbine automationw Low voltage distribution boardw Building technology
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he river Ill has always been considereda lifeline for Austria’s westernmosttown, Feldkirch. As fas back as the
Middle Ages, water from the river was utilisedto power hammer- and sawmills, tanneriesand grain mills. For this purpose, the waterwas diverted from the river and channeled tothe facilities. “The town’s first power plantwas built in the years 1905 and 1906 in thesame spot where the old town mills used tobe,” says Hans-Jörg Mathis, head of theElectrical Energy division at StadtwerkeFeldkirch. “This made Feldkirch the firsttown in Vorarlberg to have its own commu-nal power utility.”Over the following decades, the growing elec-tricity demand led to repeated discussionsabout the construction of a power plant onthe river Ill. Most recently, this happened in
the years between 1981 and 1987, when theVorarlberg-based Illwerke contemplated theconstruction of a chain of power plants. How-ever, the proposed extensive dam-buildingmeasures met with strong public resistance, sothe plan had to be dropped eventually.
RECONSTRUCTING THE ILL ESTUARYStill, the human impact on the area surroun-ding the estuary became more and more noti-ceable as time went by. The extraction ofgravel from the headwater region of theRhine during the first half of the thwentiethcentury caused a deepening of the riverbed.“In the 1950s, the Ill and Rhine were almoston the same level in the estuary,” says Mathis.“But over time it became necessary to bringlarge stone blocks into the estuary to prop upthe riverbed of the Ill and to ensure the stabi-lity of the high-water dams upstream.” As it turned out, however, the gradually builtup stone ramp was not as stable as expected.This became evident during the massive flood
in May 1999, when water volumes of up to560 m3/s washed away the entire inner bendof the Ill estuary. Massive armour stones werebrought in as an initial measure. This was fol-lowed by a comprehensive estuary reconstruc-tion project, which extended in scope to thecut bank on the Swiss side of the border. Thecourse of the river was altered in the estuaryarea so the Ill now takes a right-hand bendand empties into the Rhine at an acute angleby way of two block ramps. The project wascompleted in 2002.
TRACKING DOWN ECOLOGICAL SHORTCOMINGSOnly a few years later, in 2005, the idea of apossible hydroelectric utilisation of theIllspitz estuary area emerged at StadtwerkeFeldkirch. A market potential study was initi-ated, which confirmed the economic feasibi-lity of such a project. “Considering the failedattempts in the past, our main guiding prin-ciple was to exercise extreme sensitivity in the
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After nine years of intense preparation,planning and implementation, Stadt-werke Feldkirch’s new Illspitz powerplant has been officially inaugurated.During the opening ceremony onOctober 5, 2014, the facility was inau-gurated and presented to the public aspart of an open-day event. The mostcharacteristic feature of this powerplant, which is situated at the estuarywhere the river Ill flows into theAlpenrhein, is the complex conceptbehind it, which meets the most strin-gent requirements in terms of naturaland landscape conservation, and floodprotection. Equipped with two 3.6 MWKaplan bulb turbines, it will generate30 GWh of clean energy per year.
CITY OF FELDKIRCH BRINGS ECOLOGICALMODEL FACILITY TO THE GRID
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Where the Ill flows into the Alpenrhein, Stadtwerke Feldkirch have been putting up a new hydropowerplant within the past two years. An essential success factor consisted in full compliance with require-ments in terms of ecology, landscape conservation and high-water protection
The flood of October 2012 devastated the construction site.The left-hand dyke was washedaway along a 60 m stretch. Thegravel material formed anextensive bank, diverting theriver to the cut bank on theSwiss side of the border.
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three key areas of ecology, landscape conservation and flood protecti-on. With that in mind, we got busy working out a concept for a run-of-river power plant that was to exploit existing synergies as much aspossible. Of course, we also had to ensure compliance with theEuropean Water Framework Directive,” explains Hans-Jörg Mathis. As a result, the energy economical objectives were essentially made sub-ject to the ecological requirements, and not the other way round. Theinitial task was to track down ecological shortcomings at the projectsite to reduce or possibly eliminate them as part of the planned project. Rescuing the alluvial forest“Apart from two other ecological issues, our main focus was on the cri-tically low ground water level in the adjacent riverside forest, whichwas caused by the deepening of the Rhine riverbed over the previousdecades. Due to the low ground water level, the area was in immediatedanger of losing the essential characteristics of an alluvial riversideforest and, as a result, a lot of rare plant and animal species. When wefirst proposed our solution concept to the responsible politicians andofficials, we realised that this might open a door towards the construc-tion of our proposed power plant.” Next, a series of reports was com-missioned to provide more details on bed-load discharge, high-waterprotection, and the geological and ecological conditions.
COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE OF MEASURESWorking with the planning office of Dr Hutarew & Partner,Stadtwerke Feldkirch proceeded to work out a concept and planningpermission application documents for a power plant at the Illspitz (Illestuary). The concept called for a relatively modest impoundment levelof 3.5 m relative to the average water level, with a triple weir gate faci-lity. The intake structure was to be erected on the orographic left bank,at the outer bend of the Ill, flanking the Rhine. From there, the usedmotive water was to be discharged directly into the Rhine in the areaof the original Ill estuary.
The list of required ecological measures included the extension of theexisting estuary branch by around 1 km in the shape of a near-naturalraceway with regulated supply, as well as the regulation of the groundwater supply for the alluvial forest. Also, the solid riverbed constructi-on of the main Ill river channel was to be removed along a 300 mstretch to create a 250 m shallow water zone in the reservoir area nearthe gates. Finally, the package of ecological measures was to includethree fish ladders and an additional innovative downstream fish pass.
OFFICIAL BACKING FOR THE PROJECTHowever, it was not until several years later that the first excavator sho-vel was able to start digging into the gravelbed at the Illspitz. The poli-tical and administrative permission process lasted from 2008 until July2011, when, finally, the water usage permit was granted. In view of thelocal community’s overwhelming approval of the power plant project,Feldkirch’s town fathers also gave the project their unanimous consent.Soon after that, calls for tenders for key components and equipmentwere issued. The construction planning and tender process was super-vised by the Pforzheim-based team of engineers in collaboration withthe local planning office of BHM INGENIEURE.Initial preparatory work began in autumn of 2011, with the constructionof the conduit for the increased ground water volume in the Natural-2000 zone at Matschels and the laying of the power cables that were tobe used for the construction site and and later as grid feed-in lines. Theearth works for the new 1 km side channel were also initiated in thespring of 2012 in preparation for the construction of the power house.
FLOOD DAMAGEAugust 8, 2012 marked the official kick-off for the construction work.The excavation pit and specific limiting conditions imposed particular-ly challenging conditions, as Josef Feldbauer of BHM INGENIEUREexplains. Only a few months into the construction, the project suffereda serious setback. The massive flood in the autumn of 2012 caused aneight-week delay and required the reconstruction of the formationlevel. “In view of the construction and excavation work ahead of us,our focus was on the underground pressure level, which we had tomonitor constantly by means of pressure sensors. Using vacuum wells,we gradually reduced the water pressure in the sealing layers beneaththe power house foundation.”
MORE WATER FOR THE TURBINESFortunately, the high water did not affect the ongoing work on the weirgate system. While installation work on the first weir gate went aheadin the autumn of 2013, the project leaders had some pleasant news forthe public: “The turbines can process more motive water than we ori-ginally expected. Instead of 45 m3/s, they have an actual flow capacityof up to 60 m3/s each. They were provided by hydropower specialist
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Downstream view of the weir gateconstruction and block ramp
Technical Dataw Flow Rate: 2 x 60 m3/s w Head: 4,5 - 8,5 mw Turbines: 2 x 1 Bulb-Kaplan-Turbine w Manufacturer: ANDRITZ HYDROw Runner diameter Ø: 2850 mm w Number of Blades: 4w Nominal rotation speed: 157,89 rpm w Output: 7,2 MW w Generator: synchronous generator w Manufacturer: ELIN Motorenw Generator output: 4.000 kVA w Current: 905 Aw Number of poles: 38 w Generator diameter Ø: 2900 mmw cos phi: 0,9 w Generator weight: 32 tow concrete: 30.000 m3 w steel hydraulics: Künzw Start of work: August 2012 w commissioning: August 2014w Inauguration: October 5th 2014 w capital investment: 35 Mio. Eurow Annual energy capacity: approx. 30 GWh
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telescopic crane, the components, each weighing 47 tonnes, were lif-ted, positioned and installed with millimetre precision. Once again,the installation team from ANDRITZ HYDRO demonstrated its highlevel of competence. The installation of the generators was scheduledfor the following day. Installing the 32-tons generators by ELINMotoren, which measure 2.9 m in diameter, again required the use ofthe telescopic crane. As on the day before, the installation work wentahead without a hitch. An essential requirement for the machine solution, imposed by the ope-rators, was that it had to be gearless. This suggested a bulb design, wherethe directly coupled synchronous generator is submerged in motivewater and thus cooled at the same time. By aligning the turbine horizon-tally inside the “bulb” housing, ANDRITZ HYDRO has not onlyachieved an extremely compact design that is ideal for low heads, but hasprovided a turbine solution that is high in efficiency and low in noise.
ANDRITZ HYDRO Ravensburg, with whom have had very positiveexperiences in the past. However, this increase in processing capacityrequired a re-negotiation of the water rights. This was granted, notleast because the the plant’s ecological characteristics, including thelength and height of damming, remained exactly the same. Also, therewas no reason to assume that this would have any adverse effect on theground water level. From an energy economical point of view, we arepleased to be able to utilise the additional 120 m3/s, which occur overa period of around two or three weeks a year. Overall, this give us asizeable 12 per cent increase in standard capacity,” explains Hans-JörgMathis.
A HEART OF HIGH-END TECHNOLOGYThe technical milestones were completed already in mid-April of 2014with the delivery of the two Kaplan bulb turbines. With the help of a
Lifting and installing the 4-bladeturbine by ANDRITZ HYDRO.
Final installation work being performed on the gene-rator, before the bulb – the enclosure – is sealed.
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The ultimate availability and durability of themachine unit are guaranteed by the high qua-lity of its components. This includes the four-bladed runner as well as the generator, whichwas provided by long established manufactu-rer ELIN Motoren, which is based in theStyrian town of Weiz. Based on a brushlessdesign, the synchronous generator is equip-ped with 19 pole pairs and has a rated appa-rent power of 4,000 kVA. At 157.89 rpm therotor revolves exactly at the same rated speedof rotation as the runner. It is this extremelylow rotational speed that ensures an ultimate-ly ‘fish-friendly’ operation.
SUCCESSFUL COMMISSIONINGInitial contact with power plant water wasmade on July 26. Once the sheet piling hadbeen put up in front of the intake and theweir gate system was prepared for reservoiroperation, it was time to go ahead with thehydraulic start-up of the first machine unit.Not long after that, the second unit was takeninto operation as well. On August 4th thetime had finally come. The Mayor ofFeldkirch, Mr Berchthold, together withStadtwerke representative Mr Keckeis andManaging Director Manfred Trefalt took the
opportunity to push the start-up button.With both machines successfully put intotrial operation, the project had entered itsfinal phase. Apart from the usual fine tuningof the turbines during the trial run, a series offinal tasks – some smaller, some more exten-sive, remained to be done.Everything was supposed to be ready for thegreat day of the inauguration and official pre-sentation to the public of the new powerplant: October 5th. The inauguration cere-mony was attended by many guests of honourand members of the public, who had repea-tedly confirmed their support of the powerplant project.
A MODEL PROJECTAfter its successful inauguration, hydropowerplant Illspitz finally went into regular operati-on. For the project leaders, almost a decade ofplanning and implementation had finallycome to a truly happy end. In times when itis becoming increasingly difficult to ensurethe viability of a power plant project, the newIllspitz power plant has attracted much atten-tion both in Austria and across the border inSwitzerland. The reason for this, rather thanthe facility’s 28 to 30 GWh of annual outputto the grid, is the overall concept behind it all.If it is possible to put up a power plant in thesensitive landscape of the federal state’s largestalluvial forest region next to a “Natura 2000”zone, and if this ends up adding actual valueto the ecology and landscape, then those re -sponsible must have done a lot of things right.Overall, around € 35m were invested intothe project, including € 4m of green energysubsidies and another 4 million raisedthrough a civic participation programme.With the capacity now successfully increasedto 60 GWh overall, the town of Feldkirchtoday is able to supply all of its householdswith electrical energy from its own, clean pro-duction.
A power plant with a high attraction factor: the official inaugu-ration of the new facilities was celebrated in glorious weather,
attended by around 5,000 interested members of the public.
Hans-Jörg Mathis (left), with members of theVorarlberger Illwerke team visiting the constructionsite, and the 2.85 m Kaplan runner in the background.
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he critical issues of high-water protection and bed-load move-ment in particular meant that the power plant constructorswould have to come up with ultra-solid solutions. To the plan-
ners it was clear from the beginning that a job like this would requirehydro steel structures of the highest quality. With all that in the back-ground, the contract was awarded to renowned hydraulic steelworkengineering provider Hans Künz GmbH. The contract for the hydrau-lic architecture of hydropower plant Illspitz included three radial gateswith flap gates for the weir structure, as well as two intake trash rakes, aset of dam beams, two outlet gates, two cable suspended trash rackcleaners, one coarse screen, and one needle rod. “The flood of 2012 wasan important influencing factor for our project. Although Künz was notaffected directly, the consequences of the event confronted us withnumerous challenges throughout the project, while the StadtwerkeFeldkirch kept to their ambitious goal of going into trial operation inthe summer of 2014. Thanks to the close cooperation of everyone invol-
ved and their constant focus on the goal ahead, we were finally able tocelebrate the official inauguration of the plant on the first weekend inOctober,” says Johannes Galehr, project manager at Künz and joint pro-ject lead with his colleague Jürgen Feuerstein.
ALTERNATIVE SPILLWAY SOLUTION WINS THE DAYThe core component of the hydraulic engineering structure are the 15m wide radial gates with attached flap gates. This had not been the planfrom the beginning. “Originally, the plans called for a different gatesystem with an automatic opening mechanism. However, in the end oursolution with three structurally identical radial gates with attached flapgates won out, as it provides a larger overall outlet cross section,”explains Jürgen Feuerstein. Using the attached hydraulic flap gate, eachof the gates can be used for impound regulation while providing an effi-cient way of clearing away driftwood and debris material. Unlike theusual impound gates, the flap gates are rather large compared to theoverall cross sectional area. This construction required a lot of expertiseon the part of our engineers. At maximum storage level, each of thegates is able to drain 50 cubic metres of water per second. “The level-controlled opening mechanism for the gates provides extra protection,as they can drain the entire discharge volume of the river Ill, even in caseof a power outage, by purely mechanical means,” says Feuerstein. Incase of large discharge volumes, the weir gates are opened all the way toallow for the bedload to be carried off.
CUSTOMER-ORIENTED SOLUTIONS BY KÜNZAnother essential hydraulic steelwork component, the turbine dischargegates, were installed facing towards the Rhine. Their control mechanismis linked to the turbines, which allows them to be deactivated in anemergency to prevent them from being damaged.
Floods like the ones in 1999 and in October 2012 showed the kind of natural forces at work in the area where the Ill flowsinto the Rhine – and the massive amounts of bed-load carried by the river in extreme situations. It was reason enough for thisaspect to be taken into consideration during the planning stages for the power plant, with a particular focus on robust, functio-nal and reliable hydraulic steelwork structures. A project of this dimension demanded a hydro steel engineering specialist withextensive experience and a solid reputation – a provider like Hans Künz GmbH in Hard.
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Designed as segments with attached weir baffles, the 15 m wide weirgates ensure the reliable discharge of excess water and bedload.
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Two of the three weir gates after the dry run
HYDRO STEEL ENGINEERING SPECIALIST PROVIDES EQUIPMENT FOR AUSTRIA’S WESTERNMOST POWER PLANT
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metre precision. Everything went smoothly,”says Feuerstein. That completed the first mile-stone of the power plant project, and the over-all facility was inaugurated in late July 2014. Hydropower plant Illspitz is one of the mostsignificant reference projects in Künz’ compa-ny history, not just because of the geographicproximity and the future-oriented conceptbehind it, but primarily because it allowed theKünz team once again to demonstrate theircompetence. This competence is the result ofdecades of experience in heavy-duty hydraulicsteelwork engineering, and it is being put intopractice in all business areas by a young, crea-tive team of highly motivated engineers.
Providing another important function, thenew trash rack cleaners were designed byKünz as stationary cable-operated TRCMs.What makes these machines rather special istheir ability to comply with hydro-ecologicalstandards that require the debris to be trans-ported along to the tailwater area. For thispurpose, Künz installed flap gates. A separatechannel system has been realized, which runsparallel to the fish pass towards the tailwaterarea. This hydro-ecological feature not onlyensures that essential organic substancesremain in the water, it even saves operatorsthe cost of separate disposal.Another special feature implemented by theexperienced hydo steelwork engineers fromHard was a needle dam construction. AsJohannes Galehr explains, “In general, theneedle dam-type weir is a well-proven soluti-on, although it is rather rare in these regions,and Künz had never done one of the requireddesign before. The fact that the constructionand commissioning went ahead without anyproblems gave impressive proof of the Künzteam’s ability to provide an optimum respon-se to special customer requirements. Theneedle frame is designed so it can be liftedinto the water and pulled towards each of thethree gates with minimal effort. This makesneedle dam also perfectly suited as an closingdevice for revisions.”
MILESTONE IN MARCH 2013As for the project schedule for the hydro steelengineers, manufacturing of the first compo-nents began in August 2012, following thegeneral kick-off to manufacturing in April.Installation work began in January 2013. Overthe following weeks, the Künz installationteam had to put all their experience into fittingradial gates 2 and 3 with the weir segmentswithin the scheduled time frame. “The twosegments with attached flap gates were deliver-ed on March 11th, and their installation wasscheduled for the very next day. Using a teles-copic crane, our engineers lifted, aligned andinstalled the 26-tonne components with milli-
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ranscarpathia, the most westerly pro-vince in Ukraine, is around 40% lar-ger than South Tyrol and has roughly
twice as many people living in it. However,the comparison when it comes to hydropower comes down in favour of South Tyrol:Whereas there are around 1,000 hydroelectricpower plants in operation in the free provin-ce, in Transcarpathia they number just seven.One company which is involved with rene-wable energies in general and hydro power inparticular is the company Kommertsсonsult,which belongs to the energy group RENERwith its headquarters in Uzghorod - the capi-tal of Transcarpathia. The company currentlyoperates three hydroelectric power plantswhich each generate approx. 1 MW of powerand two photovoltaic installations with amaximum output of 5 and 10 MW. In 2005,the first applications to obtain the permits toconstruct hydroelectric power plants werelaunched. To be allowed to build such plants,permits from both state authorities in Kievand from the province are required. The mostimportant element at the start of a project isto win the approval of the local community
concerned. In general, 140 permits need to beobtained to implement a hydro power pro-ject. For the final permit to start operatingthe plant and feed power into the public grid,the plant must first have been fully construc-ted. After this, the plant is inspected by thelocal authority and - if all of the regulationshave been complied with - the operatinglicence is issued. The water usage permit isawarded for one to three years and must berenewed on a regular basis. The law whichguarantees that the electricity produced willbe purchased is initially valid until 2030.
INITIAL EXPERIENCES OF HYDRO POWERWith a great deal of commitment and dedica-tion, the company Kommertsconsult was ablein 2008 to obtain the first permit allowingthe construction of the Krasna power plant.But a huge problem arose at an early stagehere: It was incredibly difficult to find a com-petent project engineer. Although there arestate institutions which in theory offer powerplant planning, in actual fact they are unableto boast any experience in the area of small-scale hydro power. Ultimately, a Ukrainianproject engineer was found after all. Theplant was connected to the grid in 2010 withthe first machine producing a maximum of800 kW. In 2011, there was approval for anexpansion with a second Francis turbinewhich was able to start operating in 2012.The second project to be implemented by thecompany is located on the Shypot River. Inthis case, the planning remit was awarded toArmenian engineers. This project involves theuse of a Cink cross-flow turbine which pro-duces around 1020 kW and was also able tobegin operating in 2012.
Since 2005, the Ukrainian companyKommertsconsult has been activelyinvolved in renewable energies inTranscarpathia, in the western part ofUkraine. Previously the focus had pri-marily been on exploiting hydro powerand gaining various different experi-ences. Based on these experiences, themanagers in charge decided that fortheir latest power plant project – Shypot2 – they would place their trust inhydro power technology from the Alpineregion. They discovered a highly inno-vative and pragmatic partner in theform of the South Tyrolean MarkusWild, who was willing through hiscompany Wild Metal to deliver Alpinehydro power technology to Transcar-pathia. And this was done with greatsuccess: Equipped with high-endhydraulic steelwork from Wild Metaland highly efficient turbine technologyfrom the company Troyer AG, the custo-mer was able to deliver a resoundinglypositive verdict on the South Tyrolean-Ukrainian cooperation.
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SOUTH TYROLEAN DEMONSTRATES PIONEERING SPIRITFor the next project, the developers had resol-ved to deliver a showpiece plant in Ukrainefeaturing state-of-the-art technology. In oneof the zek HYDRO journals, they had comeacross the innovative system for water intakes,the Grizzly rake from the company WildMetal. On a tour inspecting hydroelectricpower plants in the Alpine region, they alsogot to know the company Wild Metal and theproduct and appreciated the superior turbinetechnology from the company Troyer AG.In January 2013, the developers invitedMarkus Wild and Adolf Dengg to visitwestern Ukraine in order to visit the locationsfor the forthcoming projects and to assistthem in deciding what should be given priori-ty. The Shypot 2 project was the most advan-ced in terms of the permits that had beensecured. It was agreed that Wild Metal woulddraw up the plant concept and the detailedplans. The definitive plans were drawn up inthe in-house planning department to ensurethat they conformed to the Ukrainian lawsand standards. In a next stage, the companyWild Metal was again asked to supply all ofthe electromechanical plant technology alongwith the steel hydraulic engineering. Thismeant a considerable risk for the medium-sized company from South Tyrol, but thisreflects the pioneering spirit of Markus Wild.
DIFFICULT LAYING OF PIPESAt the end of the 2013/2014 winter season,the construction work commenced with thepreparation of the route of the pipeline,which required the felling of trees. As soon asthe temperatures allowed, the first metres of
Both in terms of the external appearance and the hydro power techno-logy installed, the Shypot 2 power plant in western Ukraine compares
favourably with modern, Alpine small-scale hydroelectric power plants
Both in terms of the external appearance and the hydro power techno-logy installed, the Shypot 2 power plant in western Ukraine compares
favourably with modern, Alpine small-scale hydroelectric power plants
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SOUTH TYROLEAN HYDRO POWER TECHNOLOGYSCORES POINTS IN WEST UKRAINE
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the DN 1000 steel pipeline were laid. The entire route of the pipelineruns on the side of a mountain along a forest road which runs next tothe body of water over a distance of around 3 km from the catchmentto the powerhouse. The amount of space available proved to be veryconstricted. In some places, the slope had to be worked up to a heightof 20 m. Sections of loose rock alternated with craggy areas and cros-sings of small tributaries. In order to confine the cutting of the hillsideto a reasonable limit, in large areas just a trough was dug out to producea constant longitudinal gradient for the pipeline. In order to achieve thecoverage of the pipeline required to ensure that it could be operated wit-hout any impact from frost, a partition was constructed between theroad and the pipeline using gabions or wooden plank walls and this wasbackfilled with excavated material. This labour-intensive solution wasimplemented with the assistance of workers from the surrounding area.
INNOVATIVE SLUICE DESIGNFor the construction of the water catchment, the body of water wasrouted past the side of the construction site using steel pipes. The feedwater with a design discharge capacity of approx. 900 l/s is capturedusing 9 Grizzly 1000 modules and directed underneath the fish passa-geway through to the underground pressurised retaining basin. On theorographical left-hand side a sluice gate for the upstream basin wasinstalled and, with a cylinder recessed in the double protective plate,this represents another innovative solution from the company WildMetal. Apart from the opening in the concrete on the front of the newbarrier, none of the sluice gate is visible.For the base excavation of the construction pit for the pressurised retai-ning basin, it was necessary to dig down to a depth of more than 12metres. The pressurised retaining basin with an outgoing pipe placed
even deeper has a grated maintenance walkway fitted over the entirewidth above the level of the water. This means that the sluice and thehydraulic equipment are easily accessible. The only thing that can still be seen today is the entrance door. Passers-by have no inkling of the construction volume below the ground. Thecatchment is configured to be accessible for living organisms in thebody of water via an industrial fish ladder, with the concrete wallshaving been clad with natural stone in order to improve their appea-rance. As a general rule, the developer, Sergej Kovach, and his managerfor the dedicated construction sector, Yuriy Korolychin, placed maxi-mum importance on a clean finish and creative design with the minu-test of detailed touches.
TURBINE LIKEWISE FROM SOUTH TYROLOperating in the powerhouse is a vertical 4-nozzle Pelton turbine fromthe company Troyer which delivers a maximum output of around 1MW and was supplied by Markus Wild as part of his overallassignment. This also includes the Hitzinger synchronous generator,the transformer, the control equipment, the low-voltage installationsand the medium-voltage installations as well as the pipelines leading tothe catchment and the control panel for the catchment installed in thepressurised retaining basin together with a small transformer. Thepower supply for the catchment area was deliberately designed to bestronger because as a result it was also possible to simultaneously sup-ply power to a nearby holiday home. With regard to the previous experiences that the power plant operatorsgained with different models of turbine from a variety of differentsources, for the Shypot II power plant they decided to place their trustin the reliably robust and powerful technology of one of the most inno-
The penstock is made from welded steel pipesWater catchment under construction
The route of the pipeline runs for around 3 km onthe side of a mountain along the forest road.
The route of the pipeline runs for around 3 km onthe side of a mountain along the forest road.
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Nikolai leading assembler Ukraine, Ezio leadingassembler Wild Metal, Yuriy director of the buil-
ding sector, Sergiy Kovach Owner / Client
The feed water is directed via 9 Grizzly 1000 modulesand underneath the fish passageway through to theunderground pressurised retaining basin.
The feed water is directed via 9 Grizzly 1000 modulesand underneath the fish passageway through to theunderground pressurised retaining basin.
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vative companies from the Alpine region – inthe technology of Troyer AG from the townof Sterzing in South Tyrol. The high-qualityrunner is milled from a stainless steel mono-block, and the design of the turbine mirrorsthe state of the art in hydropower technology.It is a high performance turbine to ensureefficient and reliable operation for manydecades. The extremely smooth running coupled withstrong efficiency data right across all opera-ting points reinforced the operators' convicti-on that they had made the right choice.Ultimately, the reference installations thatthey had visited in the Alps before they madetheir decision offered an extremely persuasiveargument. For the experienced hydro powerspecialists from South Tyrol, who also boast a
30 May 2015
great deal of experience in foreign markets,the assignment from the Ukraine also repre-sented uncharted territory. However, with theturbine that was supplied, Troyer AG was ableto impressively demonstrate that it can standthe test in North-East Europe very well.
COMMITMENT WITH A SOCIAL BENEFITThe facade of the new powerhouse has a uni-que character of its own thanks to the sensiti-ve design incorporating traditional andmodern elements. It stands comparison withthe most modern plants in the Alps fromboth a technical and visual point of view.The company Kommertsconsult is planningin the future to become involved with asbroad a range of sources of renewable energyas possible. To this end, a kind of group struc-
ture with the name RENER is being created.One subsidiary will push ahead with projectsin the area of providing energy from bio-mass. Another very important aspect for thecompany is implementing social compensa-tory measures alongside the projects. Forexample, a kindergarten has already beenbuilt in the community in which the nexthydroelectric power plant will be construc-ted. Another primary concern for the devel-opers is that, in addition to the workers fromtheir own construction division, they shouldalso strive to employ people from the localarea surrounding the project and then subse-quently get them involved in operating theplant. And not least in underdeveloped regi-ons the people are able to enjoy a certain inde-pendence in respect of their power supply.
Technical adviser DI Dengg Adolf(left) and Ezio Zandonella Maiucco
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ron was the resource that kept the econo-my of the Styrian village of Turrach –which has since changed its name to
Predlitz-Turrach – running for centuries. Inthe mid 19th century the annual iron oreproduction was 6,000 tons, which earned themining industry of Turrach an internationalreputation. Turrach's standing was not leastachieved through the first usage of theBessemer process on the European continentin 1863. Nevertheless, the area's economydeclined in the following four decades. Thesmall factory in Turrach had no chance ofcompeting with the early large-scale ironextraction industry. All branches of the localindustry - iron extraction, steel productionand ore mining – were shut down in 1906.
“Considering the fact that the iron industryalways depended on energy supply, which wasat first provided through lignite, we mayspeak of Turrach as a village where energyproduction has a long tradition,” MichaelSterneck, diploma engineer and director ofSchwarzenberg'sche Familienstiftung Murau,explains. The company's main business isagriculture and forestry and it administers20,000 hectares of forest. In the last couple ofyears the company has added another branchof energy recovery: hydropower. “We are verymuch bound to the concept of sustainability.Our aim is to use the potential of our naturalresources rationally. Therefore hydropowerwas and still is an important option.”
CERTAIN CREEKS EXCLUDEDA few years ago Schwarzenberg'scheFamilienstiftung commissioned planningagency PITTINO ZT GmbH, based in Graz,Styria, to perform a comprehensive potentialstudy to explore all possibilities for hydropo-wer projects on the company's grounds. MrSterneck says: “One major objective was toset up an environmentally friendly projectand from the beginning we agreed not to usewaters whose natural terrain was, from ourpoint of view, to be protected. On the onehand we excluded certain creeks, on the otherhand we focused on waters that required less
Combining sustainability and econo-mics was the main goal for the newTurrachbach power plant, which wasput into operation in December 2013in the Styrian village of Predlitz.Fürstlich Schwarzenberg'sche Familien-stiftung Vaduz, the family foundationoperating the power plant, counted onperfect technological and thoroughlyplanned solutions to guarantee a reliab-le power plant operation for the nextdecades. The installed OSSBERGERcross-flow turbine will on average pro-duce about 5.4 GWh of clean electricitya year from the power of theTurrachbach creek. With this powerplant the operating company again setsan example in working sustainablywith natural resources.
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Iprotection or already featured some buildings– and therefore provided an appropriate loca-tion for a hydropower plant.”
The research soon showed first results withinthe following years. Two small-scale hydropo-wer plants with an annual output of about 1.8GWh each were built. With these plants theoperators gained a lot of experience whichwould again have an influence on the follo-wing project: the Turrachbach power plant.But before the project could be launched aneconomic basis had to be established.
MEETING HIGH QUALITY STANDARDSWith the commissioned planning agencyhaving conducted comprehensive variant stu-dies, a solution for both high-quality designand economic execution was found. TheTurrachbach power plant was conceptualizedas a medium-pressure power plant using amaximum of 3,000 l/s from the Turrachbachto produce electricity. The structure is mainlythat of a weir structure with a 17 m wide steelfish belly flap gate, a bottom outlet and a sidechannel through which the process water rea-ches the double-chamber sedimentationbasin. From there the water flows through a2,570 m long penstock to the power house,which was built in a narrow point of the val-ley directly onto a precipice.
AUSTRIAN TURRACHBACH POWER PLANTIMPRESSES WITH SUSTAINABILITY
The water catchment at the Turrachbach in Styria. phot
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The power house was built in a narrow point of the valley.
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ADVANTAGES OF CROSS-FLOW TURBINESThe design of the penstock was just as important as choosing the rightturbine. “We reflected for quite some time on the most reasonablechoice of machine type. Eventually we decided that a cross-flow turbi-ne by OSSBERGER would be the ideal solution,” says directorMichael Sterneck. “It is important to mention that we are not an ener-gy supply company. Our forestry staff have neither electrical normechanical engineering know-how and are not trained to work withcomplicated hydropower machine units nor to react in precarioussituations. For this reason we decided on an uncomplicated turbine,which has repeatedly proved valuable and robust at the same time.”But the turbine with the cylindrical runner offered even more advan-tages. The common arrangement of the guide vanes on 1/3 and 2/3 ofthe breadth allows a simple adaptation to the water flow. The smallerrunner chamber operates with minor quantities of process water, whilethe larger chamber uses medium quantities of water and in case thewater flow exceeds the medium level both chambers are employed.The cross-flow turbine is simple to control, withstands sediments anddebris in the process water and excels through a high part-load efficien-cy. With its reliability and excellent degree of efficiency regarding thepart-load operation the turbine qualifies for strongly deviating flowpatterns, which torrents, such as the Turrachbach creek, show throug-hout the year. The turbine is designed for a flow rate of 3,000 l/s and
a gross head of 71.10 m. It attains an output of 1,630 kW. The lowrotational speed of the turbine is transmitted through a gearbox to thegenerator's rotational speed of 1,000 rpm. The synchronous generatorhas a nominal output of 2,029 kVA.
A HARMONIOUS PROJECT FROM ESTHETICS TO ECOLOGYIn December 2013 the machine unit was commissioned. It suppliesthe electrical grid with an annual average of 5.40 GWh and thus is thepower plant with the best performance and the highest output ofSchwarzenberg'sche Familienstiftung. The plant bears the seal of acompany that pursues the necessary economic aspects and focuses onits commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. “Of course,we want to be commercially successful with projects like this. But wealso want to obtain results that are well accepted by the people. Theprojects have to be harmonious in every sense, from their esthetics totheir ecology,” says Mr Sterneck.The rates for electricity from hydropower are currently low in Austria,affecting the profitability of a top-performing hydropower plant. Long-term planning is inevitable in this context. “We are used to planning forthe long term, which we have learned from our history in the forestryindustry. Hence, it is not important to us if a project like a hydropowerplant amortizes after 15 years or after 18 years. We focus more on solidand environmentally friendly structures,” Mr Sterneck explains.
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OSSBERGER's cross-flow turbines excel at simplicity and robustness. The installedtop-performing machine unit in the Turrachbach power plant is designed for an out-
put of 1.63 MW and on average produces 5.4 GWh of clean electricity a year.
Technical Data
w Flow Rate: 3000 l/s w Net Head: 67.50 m
w Turbine: Cross-Flow Turbine w Manufacturer: Ossberger
w Turbine Rotation Speed: 324 rpm w Output: 1727 kW
w Generator: Synchronous Generator
w Generator Output: 2029 kVA w Rotation Speed: 1.000 rpm
w Fish ladder: Vertical Slot pass w length: 40 m / 15 pools
w penstock length: 2646.3 m w Material: GF-UP & duct. cast
w planning: PITTINO ZT GmbH
w Annual Energy Capacity: 5.40 GWh
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he section of the Rhine that flows bet-ween Lake Constance and Basel isknown as the High Rhine and forms a
natural border between Germany and Swit-zerland. It was necessary to meet the regulati-ve expectations of two countries, since theRyburg-Schwörstadt power station occupiesland on both sides of the border - Baden-Württemberg in Germany and Aarau cantonon the Swiss side. This was also why the initi-al planning and environmental impact re-ports required for an extension of the licensewere compiled in 1996. Managing DirectorBeat Karrer explained the hurdles involved inbeing relicensed: ‘The application for an ex-tension of the license was finally submitted in2007. Although it took a long time to begranted an operating license because thevarious offices had to come to a consensusand agree a joint approach, we were very wellprepared. Fortunately, there weren’t any ex-treme difficulties or objections’.
RULES AND REGULATIONSOverall, the authorities and associations incharge agreed 17 measures with the powerstation. Ryburg-Schwörstadt AG investedaround 20 million Swiss Francs in implemen-ting the catalogue of measures which inclu-ded expanding the swamped up zones, crea-ting flat bank areas and the construction of apedestrian crossing at the power station.
RYBURG-SCHWÖRSTADT POWER STATION INVESTS MILLIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IMPROVEMENTS
The annualy mid-value production at the Ryburg-Schwörstadt border power station is around 760 GWh of green electricity. Earnings are split 50% between Germany and Switzerland. ph
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The most complex building step that createdthe greatest ecological benefit was the inte-gration of a new fish pass. This 1200-metrewatercourse ensures all the local fish canswim around the power station safely.Research showed the ideal water speed forencouraging fish to swim upstream on thissection of the Rhine was 6 m³/s. After around 800 metres the bypass water-course has to navigate a steep height diffe-rence of a maximum of 10.6 m, so from thispoint onwards the planners integrated a flow-reducing rough surface fish pass. Since thestone block step construction fish passwouldn’t be able to stand up to the 6 m³/s,the decision was made to redirect 4.6 m³ ofthis water along a pressurised undergroundpipeline (DN 1800) to a newly built powerstation able to exploit the energy potential ofthe redirected water.
TURBINE RUNS SMOOTHLY EVENWITHOUT OILOnce the protracted licensing negotiationshad been completed, construction work onthe fish pass and the downstream power sta-tion finally commenced in 2012. ‘Since thepressurised discharge line had to be rununder a new rough surface fish pass, part ofthe way, all building work had to be startedparallel. One practical benefit was that theexcavation work for the pipeline was used to
model the fish pass’ recounted Beat Karrer.Inthe actual powerhouse power is generated bya doubly-regulated Kaplan pipe turbine madeby the German manufacturers Wiegert &Bähr. In the planning phase, due to the largechanges in the water level of the Rhine, thistype of turbine was considered the best choi-ce. Furthermore, the efficiency level of a dou-bly-regulated Kaplan machine can be adap-ted very well to suit the entire range of disch-arge volumes and speeds. The bearing of theturbine shaft is lubricated with station waterand does not require oil.
Ryburg-Schwörstadt power station is situated right on the border between Germany and Switzerland and was built between1926 and 1931. A power output of 120 MW makes this plant the largest hydroelectric station on the High Rhine. In 2010the respective authorities granted the operators a license for another 60 years. This was linked to a total of 17 compensatorymeasures designed to achieve a positive long term effect on the plant’s environmental impact. The most elaborate measure wasthe integration of a new 1.2 kilometre fish pass. At the same time a downstream water discharge power station was also set upby the fish pass, enabling the ecological measure to generate additional energy.
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It can generate 351 kW, and revolves at 430 rpm. Annually it is esti-mated around 2.5 GWh of clean electricity can be produced. A tech-nician from Ryburg-Schwörstadt power station was on site the wholetime the turbine was being assembled at the Wiegert & Bähr produc-tion base. In this way he was able to gain the best possible insight intothe functioning of the machine and to familiarise himself with everyindividual component. The adaption and fitting of the turbine and theshut-off valve in the compact power house was a particularly toughchallenge for the turbine builders. Utmost priority was given to ensu-ring the interior of the machine was accessible for future maintenancework. Optimum maintenance-friendliness was achieved as the arran-gement of the turbines in the power house was agreed upon in coope-ration with the allocated planners from Dr. Rolf-Jürgen Gebler civilengineering office, who were also responsible for the planning of thebypass watercourse.
EVERYTHING FROM A SINGLE SOURCEIn addition to the turbine, Wiegert & Bähr were also responsible forall the structural steel construction for the new downstream dischargepower station. This included the installation of a swinging gate of3.16m in width and 2.24m in height at the in-flow end of the newbypass watercourse. The gate is driven by a linear actuator and regula-tes the amount of water flowing down the fish pass. W&B engineersalso installed two new inlet rakes with the accompanying rake cleaningsystems. The first rake was 4.5 m wide with a rod length of 3.71 m anda rod-to-rod distance of 15 mm. It was mounted to the turbine by thedistributor. The second inlet rake is mounted to the dividing pillarsbetween the machine room and weir. From this position additionalwater was directed to the end of the dividing pillar to encourage thefish to use the pass, where another two points of entry are located. Thefish swim via the central pillars to a vertical slot fish pass that is linkedup to the bank-side rough surface fish pass. The trash rack cleaner ofthe separator rod system also features a 15 mm rod gap. However, at awidth of just 1.84 m and a rod length of 2.89m it is considerably smal-ler than its counterpart. ‘The removal of driftwood and flotsam fromthe rakes is done by two large and identical tooth-comb cleanersdriven by an electromechanical engine. Similarly, when constructingthe swing gate the decision was made not to use a hydraulic drive toavoid the need for oil and grease’ said Markus Rest, head of construc-tion at Wiegert & Bähr, expanding on the system’s advantages. Therise and fall speed of the trash rack cleaner can be selected and is con-trolled via the adjustable frequency converter, which also ensures thesystems can be started and stopped gradually. Constant pressure isexerted by the trash rack cleaner on the rake due to the use of an elec-tric linear motor and a set of pretensioned springs.
IT PAYS TO INVESTThe new discharge water power station has been in operation since the1st April last year. Beat Karrer, CEO, is very pleased with the progressthe project has made: ‘The fish accepted the ladder immediately, theturbine is running smoothly and there is a large degree of acceptancefrom the local people and environmentalist associations. It’s workingin everyone’s favour and it was a good idea to involve all parties in thediscussions’.In total Ryburg-Schwörstadt AG power station management hasploughed over 20 million Swiss Francs into this large-scale project andwithin 3 years has been able to meet every one of the 17 licensing con-ditions. As well as being of benefit to the environment, these invest-ments are helping to boost the local and regional economies along andbeyond the High Rhine, since a large proportion of the building workwas carried out by companies based in the region.
• Design Flow: 4,6 m³/s • Net Head: 8,84 m
• Machine: Kaplan, doubly-regulated • Manufacterer: Wiegert & Bähr
• Runner Speed: 430 rpm • Turbine Output: 351 kW
• Generator: Synchronous • Manufacterer: AEM
• Nominal Apparent Output: 430 kVA • Nominal Voltage: 400 V
• Average Energy Capacity: 2,5 GWh
TECHNICAL DATA
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n Sri Lanka, hydropower constitutes the most important formof electrical energy. Almost half of the entire electrical energy inthe national grid is supplied by the hydropower plants that are
distributed across the entire island state. Although the market for large-scale hydropower has by now reached its limit due to the lack of avai-lable sites, the Indian Ocean state with its 103 rivers still offers a size-able growth potential in terms of small hydropower. Recently, the SriLankan government has made it quite clear that they intend to exploitthat potential. A new law was passed already a few years ago that allowsprivate enterprises to build power plants as well.One of the firms taking advantage of this opportunity is Ross HydroPower, whose owner is in the concrete and tiling business. Since 2010Ross had been planning a small-hydropower plant on the Sudu Gangain the central Sri Lankan province of Matale – and obtaining the requi-red planning permission.
FAMILIAR HYDROPOWER TERRAIN FOR GLOBAL HYDROThe site was not virgin territory as far as hydropower projects was con-cerned. “Previously, there used to be a small power station there,around a hundred years old, with just one turbine. However, none ofthe original structures could be salvaged for reuse in the new project,”
explains project manager Thomas Kuffner of GLOBAL Hydro. Forhim and his team, the location was anything but “terra incognita”.After all, a few years earlier GLOBAL Hydro had been supplying tur-bines for hydropower plant Rajjammana some 15 km downstream. As the contract for the electromechanical equipment and hydraulicstructures had been awarded to the Upper Austrian hydropower specia-lists already in March 2012, the first excavators arrived at the site alrea-dy in June. However, the first year of construction work was markedby a considerable setback: In December 2012, a once-in-a-hundred-years high-water flooded the entire construction site. Spilling over theriverbed, the Sudu Ganga quickly destroyed part of the existing basicstructures, leaving damage, increased construction costs and a delayedproject schedule in its wake.
TURBINE SPECIALIST PROVES HYDRAULIC STEELWORK ENGINEERING COMPETENCEAfter this incident, the construction project was spared any furthercatastrophic events, so that the power plant facility slowly began totake shape in 2013. In March 2014, it was finally time for the GLO-BAL Hydro engineers to step up to the challenge – a challenge thatwould test them to their limits. One reason for this was the climatic
The island state of Sri Lanka has quite a long history ofhydropower utilisation. This is one of the reasons why thequality of hydropower machines from the alpine region arehighly appreciated here. For years, Upper Austrian hydropo-wer specialist GLOBAL Hydro Energy GmbH has been con-tributing to the high reputation of Austrian technology onthe Sri Lankan hydropower market. With 19 installedhydropower plants under its belt, GLOBAL Hydro is nowone of the industry’s leading providers of hydropower soluti-ons. The most recent project was completed last year in thecentral province of Matale on the Sudu Ganga. GLOBALHydro not only provided the electromechanical equipmentfor the new low-head power plant, but also installed theentire hydraulic steelwork. With the handover to the custo-mer, the project was successfully completed last October.
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GLOBAL Hydro delivered the two powerful machine units toSri Lanka. The two identically constructed vertical Kaplan turbinesare designed for a capacity of 2,421 kW each.
UPPER AUSTRIAN HYDROPOWER SPECIALISTSTRENGTHENS MARKET POSITION IN SRI LANKA
Hydropower plant Ross is situated on the SuduGanga in one of Sri Lanka’s central provinces.
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conditions, another was the fact that with thisproject the team was venturing into newhydraulic engineering territory. After all, thecontract included not just the turbines, gene-rators and gearing boxes, but also the coarseand fine racks, intake gates, trash rackcleaners and flushing gates. Both the con-struction and on-site installation require-ments posed new challenges to the GLOBALHydro engineers and technicians – a test oftheir abilities, however, that they passed withflying colours. “Although Sri Lanka boasts an extensivehydropower infrastructure, it’s still quite dif-ficult to find the proper heavy-duty equip-ment that’s required for installation work.This was an issue, especially when we weresupposed to install the hydraulic steelworkengineering equipment,” says ThomasKuffner, explaining why this can sometimescause project delays in the Far East. “Lack ofappropriate tools or equipment often is a realproblem in Sri Lanka,” he says. Getting thegate operating mechanism to the constructi-on site was not easy either. Since it had to betransported in its pre-assembled state, a heavy
haulage vehicle was needed, and arranging forone turned out to be a real challenge.
SMOOTH COMMISSIONINGDespite all these obstacles, the installation andcommissioning work went smoothly withoutany further incidents. On September 16th lastyear, the two Kaplan pit turbines were spunup for the first time. With the trial operationin full swing, hydropower project Sudu Gangaentered its final phase.Conceptually, the facility is a low-head powerstation with a maximum flow capacity of 60m3/s. By way of a lateral intake, the water issplit into two non-pressure channels and flowspast the fine racks to the turbine chamber.The generously dimensioned power house ishome to two vertical Kaplan turbines, whichare designed for a maximum head of 9.6 mand a design flow rate of 30 m3/s each. Thenominal speed of the turbines is 177 rpm. AnEisenbeiss gearing increases this rotationalspeed to an operating speed of 750 rpm. This
is the required drive speed for the synchronousgenerators by Hitzinger, which have a nominalcapacity of 2.9 kVA. Both the generators withtheir gearing assembly and the hydraulics withthe regulating mechanism were included in thescope of GLOBAL Hydro’s delivery.
A WELL-ESTABLISHED BRAND ALSO IN THE FAR EASTFor the constructors, HPP Ross marked theirfirst hydropower project so far. For Austrian-based hydropower specialist GLOBAL Hydro,it was the nineteenth project of this type in theSoutheast Asian island state. This makes theUpper Austrian provider the undisputed mar-ket leader in the Sri Lankan hydropower mar-ket. Where market performance is concerned,is not just the high quality of the equipmentthat sets GLOBAL Hydro apart, but also theirsuperior reliability and flexibility, which hasenabled their success in this local hydropowermarket. The new hydropower plant Ross mayserve as a case in point.
Today, the operators in Sri Lanka are proud of their new small-hydropower plant.Pictured in the centre is Project Manager Thomas Kuffner.
The durable hydropower technology provided by the Austrianmanufacturer is essential to ensuring reliable plant operation.
With 19 small-scale hydropower projectscompleted in Sri Lanka so far, GLOBAL Hydrois among the island state’s market leaders.
Technical Dataw Flow Rate: 60 m3/s w Net head: 9,0 mw Turbines: 2 vertical Kaplan turbinesw Manufacturer: GLOBAL Hydro Energyw Nominal runner speed: 177 rpmw Output: 2421 kW (each)
w Gear boxes: 177 rpm / 750 rpmw Manufacturer: Eisenbeissw Generator: synchronous generatorw Manufacturer: Hitzingerw Output: 2900 kVAw Voltage: 690 Vw Overspeed: 1850 Upmw Control system: HEROS
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n the historical development of hydro-electric power in Belgium, 1980 was ayear of great significance. With the
Andenne and Lixhe power stations, twomodern production plants commenced ope-ration on the Meuse River. On average, theyhave jointly been providing some 96 GWh ofclean electricity per year to the Belgian powergrid. For a country on place 104 in the globalranking of installed hydro-electric capacities,these are two highly significant base loadrenewable energy producers. The Lixhepower station is even considered the mostpowerful running-water hydro-electric facili-ty in all of Belgium. What the two plants had in common aside ofthe time they were built was their basicallyidentical electromechanical equipment. Until
2013, Straflo turbines were the only designused in both the Andenne and Lixhe stations.The Andenne station had three with 3.05MW each, while the Lixhe station featuredfour with 4.5 MW each. At the time, Strafloturbines constituted a highly advanced formof low-pressure turbine with an outstandinglyshort design as its key advantage. This signifi-cantly lowered erection costs. In the Lixhepower station, savings due to the reducedbuilding volume amounted to 15 percent.There is, however, a downside to this.
STRAFLO – A DESIGN WITH WEAKNESSES“With regard to its flexibility and its controlcharacteristics, Straflo turbines have a cleardisadvantage. As this hydroelectric set onlyfeatures single regulation, its operational
The Lixhe hydro-electric power plant is situated some 10 kilometres south of Maastricht, not far from the Dutch and Germanborders. Currently operated by the Belgian electricity supplier EDF Luminus, the plant commenced operations in 1980. It wasoriginally equipped with four identical Straflo turbines with horizontal axes. Their poor control characteristics, however, tur-ned out a weak point with regard to the modern, adaptive operation of the power station. This is why as part of an elaborateconstruction project, two of the four Straflo turbines were recently replaced by double regulation Kaplan Bulb turbines fromANDRITZ Hydro. Meanwhile, Belgium’s biggest running-water power station has recommenced operations with all its gene-rators. All thanks to its newly obtained flexibility, it is proving its worth in everyday service.
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I range is comparatively narrow: Below 70 per-cent admission, it shows a steep decline inefficiency and it should be detached from thegrid“, explains DI Martin Reisser fromANDRITZ Hydro in Ravensburg, Germany,adding, “There has indeed been an attempt tobuild double regulation Straflo turbines. Asfar as I know, two of these hydroelectric setswere deployed. Unfortunately, though, theydid not function properly. There is a simplereason for this: Nobody ever found a practica-ble way to keep the pitch of the runner bladesand that of the guide vanes aligned. Thisresulted in uneven operations which invaria-bly entails cavitations. This is why in the endthis concept was abandoned. Generally spea-king, the classic Straflo turbine will not pre-vail because in addition to its poor regulation
The Lixhe hydro-electric power station on the river Meuse is Belgium’s biggest running-water power plant.As the four single regulation Straflo turbines did not facilitate flexible operation, two of them were replacedby state-of-the-art double regulation Kaplan Bulb turbines. The nominal output remained unchanged.
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TURBINE REPLACEMENT ENHANCES VERSATILITY OF BIGGEST RUNNING-WATER POWER STATION IN BELGIUM
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characteristics, it comes with another draw-back: In case of runners with big diameterslike here at Lixhe where the diameter is 2.6metres, the tips of the runner blades can reachan enormous tangential velocity. The imme-diate proximity of the rubber seal increasesthe chance of small leakages. In practice, rela-ted maintenance work will in most cases beunavoidable.”
INFLEXIBLE OPERATIONS ACCOUNTS FOR UPSURGE ISSUEPeople in charge at EDF Luminus are quiteaware of this disadvantage. “We regularlyhave to replace the sealing strip, and that is farfrom simple,” says Anne-France Fontaine,who conducted the alteration activities at theLixhe power station. It was a bit of a foretasteto the extremely laborious retrofit of theLixhe power station that was to follow. In 2009, the operators were confronted withnew guidelines. They were required to carryout studies with regard to the power station’spassability by fish, and they had to get a gripon its upsurge issue. As the latter was withouta doubt quite obviously a direct result of thepoor regulation characteristics of the fourStraflo turbines, their replacement – at leastin part – suggested itself. “In everyday opera-tions, we were forced to turn off the hydroe-lectric sets whenever the upstream head drop-ped below the 70 percent mark. Conse-quently, the upstream head naturally began torise again. After the turbines returned to ser-
vice, it dropped again. This led to the undesi-red surges we were required to reduce or eli-minate in guidelines from the public authori-ties,” says Anne-France Fontaine.
REDUCTION IN CAPACITYSubsequently, EDF Luminus, Belgium’s big-gest operator of hydro-electric power stations,commissioned extensive variation studies. Asthe most economically viable solution, thesestudies suggested to replace two of the four
A 4 MW synchronous generator during acceptance pro-cedures at the ELIN Motoren plant in Weiz, Austria.
Martin Heutele, ANDRITZ Hydro, Anne- France Fontaine,EDF Luminus, Mr. Jean-Luc Fagnoule, EDF Luminus,
Thomas Taferner, ELIN Motoren
The two identical Bulb turbines with a 3.035 MW powerrating for the Lixhe power station awaiting transport to
Belgium at the ANDRITZ Hydro plant in Ravensburg, Germany.
The two identical Bulb turbines with a 3.035 MW powerrating for the Lixhe power station awaiting transport to
Belgium at the ANDRITZ Hydro plant in Ravensburg, Germany.
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Straflo turbines by double regulation KaplanBulb turbines. “The installation length of theinstalled Straflo hydroelectric sets is particu-larly short. This prevented the installation ofequally-sized double regulation Bulb turbinesat the same positions. It was only possible toinstall machines with a smaller diameter. Inthe end, two Bulb turbines with a 2.6 m dia-meter replaced pre-existing Straflo turbines3.5 m in diameter. As a matter of course, thisalso means a reduction in capacity and conse-
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quently a performance reduction at full load.While the original hydroelectric sets had apower of 4.5 MW each, the new turbines arerated at 3.035 MW. Had we replaced all fourgenerating sets, overall output would inevita-bly have dropped. By replacing only two ofthe turbines, we managed to keep productionat the same level while at the same time achie-ving the operational flexibility required“, theproject manager summarises. Along with the replacement of the electrome-chanical equipment, modernisation of thecontrol and communication systems was onthe agenda as well.
DESIGN CHALLENGESFollowing the approval by EDF Luminus forthe refurbishing project in 2011, the contractfor the electromechanical equipment wasawarded to ANDRITZ Hydro inRavensburg, Germany, in the autumn of2012. The main challenge for the experiencedturbine makers was to design the two newturbines such that they can be fitted betweenthe existing head and tail water stop logs. Inpreparation of this, an in-depth survey of theinstallation situation had been carried outearlier. For this, the ANDRITZ Hydro designengineers not least also elaborated a 3D ana-lysis that allows various views and sections. Finally, the Bulb turbine was designed tomatch a 6.61 m net head and a nominaldischarge of 51.0 m3/sec. The 4-blade runnerturns at 176.47 rpm and has a nominal poweroutput of 3.035 kW. Aside of the electricalequipment supporting the turbines, the twodirectly coupled generators were also inclu-ded in the package supplied by ANDRITZHydro. They were made by the Austrianmanufacturer ELIN Motoren who has a cen-tury-long tradition in building generators forhydro-electric power stations. Their nominal
apparent output is 4.070 kW. They are coo-led by the passing water flow which is anotherbenefit they have over the strictly air-cooledStraflo turbines.
CONVERSION DURING OPERATION“Due to the aforementioned dimensional dif-ferences, it is tremendously difficult to designa double regulation turbine to fit into the exi-sting cavity of a Straflo turbine“, says MartinReisser. His opinion is supported by theBelgian project manager: “It is invariablymore difficult to convert an existing powerstation than to build a new one from scratch.But this project really was a great challengefor all involved. First, numerous requirementsfrom the authorities had to be fulfilled. Quitenaturally there were issues in the field of sta-tics and ultimately of construction logistics as
well. After all, times were when numerouspeople from many companies were ‘roaming’the construction site“. Implementation workcommenced in June of 2013 with the removalof the two Straflo turbines. An importantaspect of the project organisation was to keepthe two remaining turbines in operation inparallel with the ongoing work. This was notpossible during the dismantling. Particularlythe demolition of the concrete structures cau-sed vibrations that could have had detrimen-tal effects on the two Straflo turbines. In thesubsequent project phase during which theentire electrical equipment of these turbineswas replaced, they were quite obviously alsoturned off. “Generally, we have tried to keepthe two Straflo turbines in operation whene-ver possible“, says Anne-France Fontaine.
STUMBLING BLOCKS ALONG THE COURSEOF THE PROJECTIn order to protect the two generating setsfrom the dust produced by the conversionwork, an XXL-sized curtain was put up. Notwith the desired success, though. Fontaine:“Unfortunately, this did not work quite aswell as we had imagined. Owing to the factthat the old generators are air-cooled, wecould not fully prevent a little dust from get-ting through to the generators. After a while,the dust settles in the stator and has adverseeffects on the efficiency“. This was not theonly issue the project team was confrontedwith. Another stumbling block was the oldoverhead crane. This crane was well designedto take the weight of the new machinery andhad been successfully tested with 40T loadsin presence of a notified body prior to star-
Runner Installation. Each turbine weighs some 40 tons.
Demolition work as preparati-on for the installation of thetwo new hydroelectric sets.
The 4-blade runner is the heart ofthe new Bulb turbine.
As part of the conversion work, all of the control and communication systemswere replaced as well. The two remaining Straflo turbines were upgraded from
the original equipment based on relays to current digital technology.
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Technical Dataw Design Flow: 272 m3/s w Head: 6,95 m
w Turbines: 2 Straflo-Turbines (1979) + 2 Kaplan-Bulb-Turbines (2013)
w Straflo-Turbines: Ø : 3.55 m w Nominal Output: 4.5 MWeach
w Kaplan-Bulb-Turbines Ø : 2.6 m w Nominal Output: 3.035 MWeach
w Runner speed: 176.47 rpm w Number of Blades: 4
w Manufacturer: ANDRITZ Hydro w Weight : 40 t each
w Generatores: 2 synchronous gener. w Manufacturer: ELIN Motoren
w Apparent output: 4’070 kVA w Current: 6.0 kV
w Average Energy Capacity: 61 GWh
ting the project. Unfortunately this crane was old and had already „suf-fered“ during installation of the machines in 1980. The maintenanceand repair works during the course of the project were so costly andtime-consuming that it was finally replaced by a brand new one.Another challenge was the construction of the two downstreampipes.It was decided to build these using timber formwork. A decision thatAnne-France Fontaine and her team would not make again: “Thismade it very laborious and excessively complicated. If I had to do itagain, I would opt for a metal variant“, the project manager confirms.
ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION AS OF AUGUST, 2014In March of last year, preparatory construction work had finally rea-ched such a state that the first of the two turbines could start its longjourney to Belgium from the ANDRITZ production plant in theSouthern Germany. Following its arrival on site, the experiencedANDRITZ Hydro installation team proved that the excellent reputa-tion it enjoys is well justified. With a lot of sensitivity yet target-orient-ed and quick, they completed the installation of the first turbine. Inretrospect, Anne-France Fontaine confirms this: “Co-operation withANDRITZ Hydro was indeed excellent. We could rely on a high levelof workmanship quality and between their people and ours, everythingworked out just fine“.In August of 2014, the new generating sets in the converted Lixhepower station finally started producing electricity. This marked anhistoric milestone for Belgium’s biggest running-water hydro-electric
facility, even though conversion work had not been completed yet.Currently, the last batches of work are in their final stages while exten-sive operational tests are carried out. “At this time, all operational con-ditions are being tested through their paces. Additionally, the optimaloperating points are determined and fine-tuned“, says the projectmanager.She and her team are now drawing a positive balance of the conversionproject that came with many challenges for all involved. The operatorsconfirm that they are very satisfied with the efficiency of the turbines andwith the high flexibility of the power station’s regulation that has beenachieved at last. At a nominal water flow of 51.0 m3/sec. each, the gene-rating sets can stay online at works water volumes as low as 15 m3/sec.with no problems. This constitutes the foundation on which the newLixhe power station can now ensure constant head and tail water levels.
EYES ON THE NEXT PROJECTTThe rich experience gained during this conversion project is expectedto pay off in the near future. The Lixhe power station will not remainthe only EDF Luminus plant to be converted, after all. In the next fewyears, conversion of the Andenne power station is top on the agenda ofBelgium’s second biggest electricity supplier. The plant is situated some30 kilometres upstream from Lixhe and is also still equipped withStraflo turbines, of which it has three. Before long, two of them areplanned to be replaced by state-of-the-art double regulation KaplanBulb turbines. That the operators will again rely on the proven qualitysupplied by ANDRITZ Hydro is almost a matter of course. A lot ofknow-how gathered in the Lixhe project will in any case be reused forthe upstream hydro-electric station in Andenne. And the waves nearthe Belgian border to the Netherlands will likely soon altogether be athing of the past.Some ten percent of the overall electricity generation capacity installedin Belgium – slightly more than 2,000 MW – are contributed by EDFLuminus who like to view themselves as “first challenger“ of Belgium’sbiggest electricity supplier. Renewable resources such as wind andwater account for 200 MW or ten percent of this capacity. With 73MW installed hydro-electric power, EDF is the biggest operator ofhydro-electric power stations in the country, producing electricity inseven big running-water power stations on the rivers Meuse andSambre. The Brussels-based power company currently employs some1,000 people. Its main shareholder is the French electricity corporati-on, EDF, holding 63.5 %.
In preparation of the conversion project, ANDRITZ Hydrodesign engineers performed in-depth 3D analyses.
Performing the conversion from a Straflo turbine with its singularly short dimen-
sions to another, longer turbine design such as a Bulb
turbine is parti-cularly challenging.
The 4-blade runner turns at 176.47 rpm and has a nominal power output of 3.035 kW. gr
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he Stoffel Mels textile mill is situatedin the town of the same name in thecanton of Saint Gall. The firm’s histo-
ry goes back to the year 1866. In that year,Glarus-based company Heer built the textilemill in Mels. Back then, the operating licenseincluded the permission to abstract waterfrom the river. During the following years,the hydraulic structures were installed. Aftermany years of successful operation, evenduring the war, in 1995 several changes inownership had finally brought the 125-yearhistory of the textile mill high above the townof Mels to a close. Twelve years later, in 2007,the entire property was acquired bySt.Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG(SAK). SAK is the leading regional serviceprovider for power grids and energy supply inthe cantons of Saint Gall, AppenzellAusserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden.Hydropower plant as a purchasing incentive
REBUILDING THE INTAKEIn addition, the plans also called for variousreconstruction measures. However, the non-pressure tunnel, water reservoir and penstockwere to be reused. Construction work conti-nued during the winter, unaffected by theweather – except in the intake area, where itwas a critical factor. As a result, this area tur-ned out to be the bottleneck in terms of pro-ject planning. “Some of the work scheduledfor the winter months had to be carried outin the water,” says Ralph Egeter, ProjectManager and Managing Director ofKraftwerk Stoffel AG. “But thanks to themild weather, we were still able to completethe work on schedule at the end of March2014.” The new intake has a wider profileand was equipped with a larger desilter. Theriver Seez is a veritable mountain torrent,whose water volume can rise from 1 m3/s to60 m3/s in a very short time. As a result, it
Swiss-based textile mill Stoffel Mels closed its operations after 125 years of business. SAK (St. Gallisch-Appenzellische KraftwerkeAG) won a bid for the entire site, which includes a hydropower plant, in 2007. Together with the community of Mels in the cantonof Saint Gall, SAK founded “Kraftwerke Stoffel AG” and refurbished the old power plant facilities. The three twin-nozzle Peltonturbines were replaced by a modern 6-nozzle Pelton turbine by ANDRITZ Hydro. The turbine house was moved to the outer peri-meter of the mill premises. Also, the intake was completely renewed, and the water path was renovated as well. Overall, the operatorsinvested CHF14 million into the project, hoping for an output of at least 14 million kWh per normal year.
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TEXTILE MANUFACTURER STOFFEL’S HYDROPOWERPLANT IN MELS SHINES IN NEW SPLENDOUR
The new turbine house of hydropower plant Steigs Mels was relocated underground towardsthe outer perimeter of the former textile mill’s premises. The three twin-nozzle Pelton turbi-nes were replaced by a 6-nozzle Pelton turbine by Andritz Hydro.
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When purchasing the property, SAK’s mainfocus was on making use of the hydropowerplant and power generating license that camewith it. A buyer for the other section of theproperty was sought and found in 2010. Thebuyer is planning for a mix of developmentprojects, including lofts, studios, commercialbuildings and restaurants.
MOVING THE TURBINE HOUSESAK kept operating the existing power stati-on until July 29, 2013. However, SAK wasalready working on plans for the partialrebuilding and renovation of the power plant,together with renowned Swiss planning officeRüesch Engineering AG, of the town ofHerisau. The main focus of these plans wasthe construction of a new turbine house in adifferent spot closer to the plant site perime-ter. Designed as an underground constructi-on, it will be built into the bedrock.
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transports a huge amount of bedload materialand suspended sediment. This must be keptaway from the pipework so it cannot get tothe turbine blades of the new machines in theturbine house.
SOPHISTICATED NOISE INSULATIONInside, energy production is now the resp-onsibility of a modern vertical 6-nozzle Pelton turbine by Andritz Hydro. With an impres-sive capacity of 3.2 MW, the turbine, in com-bination with the 4 MVA generator by Indar,
is expected to generate at least 14 millionkWh a year. The turbine was given the name“Angelina”. Another feature that sets this tur-bine house apart from others is its sophistica-ted noise insulation. It is designed to protectthe neighbouring buildings against vibration.To prevent the lower frequencies – the so-cal-led ‘structure-borne sound’ – from propaga-ting through the bedrock to the neighbou-ring buildings above ground, the foundationencapsulating the machine has been coatedwith noise absorbing sylomere. This allowed
for the machine to be completely decoupled(i. e., disengaged) from the turbine house.“Our initial measurements showed sensatio-nal readings close to zero,” Egeter is happy toreport. Pelton facilities are known to get verynoisy at times, especially in the area of thetailwater canal. This is why the roofing of thetailwater canal at the turbine house in Steigshas been fitted on the inside with two succes-sive noise absorbing concrete structures.
ELECTRICITY FOR 3,500 HOUSEHOLDSAfter nine months of construction, hydropo-wer plant Steigs was ready for trial operationin mid-May. 135 years after its inauguration,a part of the Stoffel Areal has been restored toits former glory, with the machine unit in thenew turbine house providing high-qualityeco-power for 3,500 households.
Egeter is highly satisfied with the implemen-tation of the project: “Weatherwise, we werereally fortunate, and thanks to the reliabilityof all contracting parties we were able tofinish the project on schedule.” The officialinauguration ceremony was held on June 6,2014, followed a day later by a public open-door event with guided tours of the entirefacility. 700 people followed the invitation topay Angelina a visit.
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The 6-nozzle Pelton turbine by Andritz hydro was named “Angelina”. It has an output of 3.2 MW and a maximum flow capacity of 2,340 l/s.
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the Stanzer Valley is the extension ofthe Inn Valley in a straight line in awesterly direction. The valley is drai-
ned by the River Rosanna, which ultimatelyflows as the River Sanna into the River Inn.The corresponding catchment covers an areaof 205 km2.The new plant is specifically a run-of-riverplant with a storage tunnel. The water catch-
ment of the power plant is situated in thecommunity of Flirsch. From here, the water ischannelled via a headrace, which is 5.4 kmlong in total and includes the 4.8 km longinflow and storage tunnel, to the machinehouse in the community of Strengen. There itencounters three 6-nozzle Pelton turbineswhich together have an installed capacity of13.5 MW. The generated power is fed from
the powerhouse via 25 kV cables into thepublic grid. Trial operation of the first machi-ne began at the end of October of last year.
COMMUNITIES BECOME OPERATORSThe project developer INFRA had developeda participation model for the power plant pro-ject which was to prove to be pioneering. Thecrucial aspect was that the intention was toincorporate not just utility companies but alsothe local communities in the participationmodel. In contrast to the majority of normalpower plant projects, the communities werenot compensated but instead became jointowners of the power plant. This meant that itwas possible to win over all four of the com-munities in the Stanzer Valley, as well as thecommunity of Zams. Today the four localcommunities of Flirsch, Pettneu, St. Antonand Strengen each have a 6.25 per cent stakein the operating company; 5 per cent was assi-gned to the community of Zams. The biggestshareholder is EW Reutte with a stake of 34per cent, a further 11 per cent stake is held byEWA St. Anton, STW Imst have secured 15per cent and another 10 per cent stake is cur-rently held by the project developer INFRA.
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Thanks to a clever participation model, the project enterprise behind the new Stanzer Valley power plant in the TyroleanOberland region is very diversified: the owners are all of the local communities in the Stanzer Valley, three Tyrolean utilitycompanies and the project development company INFRA. This factor gave the power plant project a great deal of prestige inthe region. What is more, it is regarded as a real showpiece power plant which sets standards both in organisational and tech-nical terms and not least also from an ecological perspective. The project partners have invested around 58 million euros in theplant, which each year will generate around 52.2 GWh of eco-friendly electricity and due to its storage tunnel will be capableof supplying peak current when it is needed.
TYROLEAN REGION OPTS FOR COLLECTIVE HYDRO POWER INITIATIVE
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The new Stanzer Valley power plant is noted not just for its high technical standards, but also for having a clever participation model which enabled both local utilities and t
he local communities to become joint owners of the eco-power plant.
The plant with the three 6-nozzle Pelton turbines is an investment for many generations. Thanks to the choice of materials, the low generator speed and the resulting large dimensions in relation to the turbine output, the turbines are designed for low-maintenance operation over many decades.
The plant with the three 6-nozzle Pelton turbines is an investment for many generations. Thanks to the choice of materials, the low generator speed and the resulting large dimensions in relation to the turbine output, the turbines are designed for low-maintenance operation over many decades.
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INFRA will be provided with its shares follo-wing the commissioning of the project. In 2011, the plans for the project had alreadyprogressed to such an extent that it was possi-ble to submit the project in the autumn of thesame year. The official procedures were wor-ked through in 2012. After all of the approvalsand notifications from the authorities hadbeen put on the table back in 2012, it waspossible for the ground-breaking ceremony totake place in February 2013.
EATING THE WAY THROUGH THE MOUNTAINThe construction of the tunnel was conside-red to be the really big challenge of the con-struction project. The headrace tunnel wascreated using a tunnel boring machine (TBM)which weighed 380 tonnes and was designedto eat its way through the ground over alength of 4 kilometres. And this proceededessentially without any major complications.
There were just a couple of geological faultzones accounting for around 380 m over atotal length of 4 km that slightly slowed downthe rapid speed of progress of the machine.The 120 m high vertical well including a surgechamber with a diameter of 3 to 4 m was pro-duced using what is known as the Alimakmethod, an "overhead breakout" which hasproven its worth in underground mining formore than half a century. The bottom of theheadrace tunnel was lined with tubbing seg-ments. The total length of the discharge chan-nel up to the powerhouse is 500 m. DN 2200steel pipes were used as plating for the pressureshaft.
MACHINES MADE IN AUSTRIAAs part of the bidding process to provide theelectromechanical equipment, the Tyroleanhydro power specialist offered the most per-suasive choice and was commissioned to con-struct and deliver three vertical-axis 6-nozzlePelton turbines of identical construction. Thisoption represented the ideal machine solutionfor the general prevailing conditions. The tur-bines reach their optimum efficiency with anozzle opening of 75 per cent and each produ-ce 4.5 MW of power. Conversely, they canalso be operated with a minimal flow rate of200 l/s. Coupled directly onto the Pelton turbines,three powerful synchronous generators fromELIN Motoren GmbH were installed. Theseare water-cooled machines with a brushlessexciter and a rated output of 6000 kVA. Eachof the generators weighs 50 tonnes and thebridge leading to the location of the power-house had to be specially reinforced so thatthey could be delivered.
TUNNEL MANAGEMENT REQUIRES FINESSEFROM THE E-TECHNOLOGY SPECIALISTSTogether with Geppert and ELIN Motoren,Schubert Elektroanlagen, the specialist in elec-trical technology and control technology fromthe Austrian state of Lower Austria, formedthe triumvirate that was responsible for provi-
ding all of the electromechanical equipmentfor the entire plant. It was in August 2013 thatthe team from Schubert led by the responsibleproject engineer Mario Manseder embarkedon the power plant project, which forSchubert was to be the biggest and most com-plex that had so far been undertaken in thecompany's long history. "From the generator terminal, the mainresponsibility for all of the measurement andcontrol technology rested with Schubert. Thisranges from establishing a connection withthe public mains power grid, installing emer-gency power generators and a safety powersupply across the entire electrical installation,fitting a fire alarm system, the safety lightingright through to the building systems, measu-rement technology and network technologyand incorporating the new process controltechnology into the existing control roomtechnology at the master control room,"explains Mario Manseder. In addition, theteam from Schubert was also responsible inthe area of the powerhouse for another packa-ge of measures and services – starting with themedium-voltage switchgear with cabling anddistribution, the machine transformers andauxiliary power transformers, and the medi-um-voltage switch cabinets through to themachine control, the process control techno-logy and the associated visualisation. Themost demanding challenges included pro-gramming the storage tunnel managementsystem. Manseder: "For us the objective wasto adapt the control and regulation of thepower plant to reflect the fluctuations in theelectricity market prices. This enables the ope-rator to generate the maximum return fromthe production of electricity." In the end, the
In a normal year, the three machine units will generate around 52.2 GWh of clean electricity.
The doping of the residual water and the fish ladderwas completely decoupled from the power plant
control system by the Schubert team.
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in December. In spite of the operation on atrial basis, the operators are delighted that itproved possible to achieve the half-year quan-tity for winter. It is pointed out that even in itsfirst few weeks and months of operation thepower plant generated power strictly in accor-dance with the fluctuations in the curve of thestock market prices. An essential requirementfor this is the storage tunnel, which is general-ly emptied during the day and then refilledovernight. The storage capacity of the entiretunnel is around 50,000 m3. The machinecontrol is designed in such a way that the tun-nel can be run almost completely empty befo-re the machines then automatically run down.
A PROJECT FOR 100 YEARS Against the background of tough economicconditions for hydro power in CentralEurope, the project in the Tyrolean Oberlandregion is viewed in an extremely positive light."The electricity price traded on the exchangehas fallen by 40% from the decision to goahead with construction to the present day.This is critical for the financing, but it mustnot be forgotten that hydro power is a long-term enterprise. This project is designed for
100 years. And ultimately I know of no majorhydro power project in the past which did notface the situation where the electricity pricewent up and down," says the project coordi-nator Jakob Klimmer in summary.The Stanzer Valley power plant became a veryspecial project thanks to the successful partici-pation model. Klimmer says: "If the regionand the local communities are involved, thereare far fewer problems. Many different forcesall pull together – and as a consequence thelevel of cooperation with the authorities wasalso exemplary. This was the only way that wewere able to implement the project in such ashort space of time." In total, the partners in the power plant pro-ject have invested 58 million euros in thepower plant project. This means that the pro-ject management team have managed to deli-ver the project for around 1 million euros lessthan the costs which were originally envisa-ged. There are still a few remaining tasks,landscaping and recultivation works as well asapprovals to be carried out over the new fewmonths. The official handover can only becommenced when the full design dischargecapacity has been reached.
total amount of time spent working by theteam from Schubert Elektroanlagen was23,000 hours.
WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE IMPLEMENTED A significant aspect is controlling the residualwater and fish ladder doping, which was con-figured entirely independently of the operati-on of the power plant. This is necessary inorder to ensure reliable doping in this areaeven if the power plant is shut down.Ecological considerations and measures gene-rally played an important role: "The residualwater specification is stipulated with differentlevels in different months, but at least 1.2m3/s must remain in the River Rosanna. Thismeans that the Stanzer Valley power plant isone of the first hydroelectric power plants inAustria to implement the latest specificationsof the Water Framework Directive in full." Electricity has been generated at the newStanzer Valley power plant since the end ofOctober 2014. Following the successful com-missioning of machine I, machine II beganoperating just one month later (inNovember), and machine III finally followed
Technical Dataw flow rate: 12 m3/s w head: 141 mw turbines: 3 vertikal Pelton turbines w manufacturer: Geppertw runner diameter Ø: 1.260 mm w number of nozzles: 6w buckets width: 425 mm w number of buckets: 18w turbine capacity: 13,5 MW w nominal rotation speed: 375 rpmw generators: 3 synchronous generators w manufacturer: ELIN Motorenw generator nominal output: 6.000 kVA w nominal current: 550 Aw cos phi: 0,85 w weight: 50 tow pipe material: steel w pipe distributor: ALPE w penstock: length: 500 m w pipe diemension Ø: DN2000 mmw vertical shaft: length 100 m w pipe diemension Ø: DN2200 mmw tunnel length: 4,8 km w tunnel dimension Ø: 3.600 mmw trash rack cleaner: horizontal cleaner (Braun) w steel hydraulics constructions: Braunw control technology: Schubert Elektroanlagen w project development process: INFRA w average energy output: 52 GWh
For further informations:
Schubert Elektroanlagen GmbHIndustriestraße 3
3200 Ober-GrafendorfAustria
Ing. Christian SchwarzenbohlerHead of Small Hydro Power Plant
[email protected]: +43 676-832 53 164Telefon: +43 2747-2535-164
www.elektroanlagen.at
All of the measurement and control technology as well as all the visualisations were delivered by the specialists from the company Schubert Elektroanlagen.
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einzödl in the Austrian state ofStyria is located in the northernpart of the city of Graz. It has
always been a mainstay in the history of hydropower in Graz. Back in the days when hydropower was exploited for mechanical purposes,submerged weirs were used to direct the waterfrom the River Mur near Weinzödl into achannel on the left and right running throughthe urban area of the capital of the state ofStyria. But what was regarded back then as avital artery for industry in southern Austriabecame less important over the course oftime. The advent of electricity meant that thedays of mechanical hydro power were numbe-
STRAFLO MACHINE UNITSThe power plant on the River Mur, whichstarted operating on 14 June 1982, had twohorizontally fitted machine units. They eachcomprised a twin-regulated Straflo turbinewith a runner diameter of 3,700 mm fromAndritz, Graz und Escher Wyss AG Zurichwith a nominal output of 8,300 kW and athree-phase AC synchronous outer rim gene-rator from the company Elin-Union AG witha nominal output of 9,500 kVA. In the areaof the weir of the Mühlkanal, a decision wasmade to construct a discharge power plantand a third machine unit was therefore instal-led. Also fitted horizontally, it consists of a
Following 30 years of successful operation, the Austrian energy provider VERBUND decided to revitalise the Weinzödl power plant,which began operating in 1982. The two Straflo® machine units, which were showing their age, had to make way for two modernKaplan bulb turbine generators. The first machine unit was delivered and installed in the spring of 2014. When the stator for thesecond machine group arrived on 23 December 2014, this was the final major component to reach the power plant in the Grazurban area. Following the final installation and a successful test phase, VERBUND expects that the plant will start operating inmid-March 2015.
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WORKS ON WEINZÖDL POWER PLANT COMPLETE FOLLOWING INSTALLATION OF THE SECOND MACHINE
On 23 December 2014, the delivery of the stator for the second machine representedthe arrival of the final major plant component for the Weinzödl power plant.
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red and the channels largely lost their usefulfunction. This was why in 1976 the right-hand channel was also completely shut down.However, the 23 km long Mühlkanal on theopposite side of the river was spared this fate– it supplies water to a series of small-scalepower plants to the present day. One yearlater – in 1977 – Steiermärkische ElektrizitätAG (STEG) commissioned a study to exami-ne the feasibility of constructing a run-of-river power plant at the site of the former sub-merged weirs. Following the positive conclu-sion of this study and further investigations,the Weinzödl power plant was then imple-mented from 1979 – 1982.
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single-regulated Straflo turbine with aninstalled capacity of 200 kW. The fixeddoping rate is 11 m3/s. With a power outputof 15.5 MW, the Weinzödl run-of-riverpower plant produced around 63,000 MWhof power per year.
CHANGE OF THE TYPE OF TURBINEIn 2002, the Weinzödl power plant and threeother STEG power plants were incorporatedinto VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH.Roughly a decade later, the new operatorbegan to modernise the inner workings of theplants. One essential point for planning in-volved the Straflo turbines which were instal-led. This is because what was regarded as thevery latest state of the art 30 years ago hasnow been superseded. The basic idea behindthe Straflo turbine is based on the concept ofthe turbine and generator unit. In this type ofmachine, the runner and generator are loca-ted right next to one another and the shaft isonly used for storage and not for power trans-mission. The generator poles are locateddirectly on the outer rim of the runner - out-side of the flow-carrying tube. As a result ofthis innovative but also complicated design,the concept places high demands on the sea-ling technology because no water must get tothe electrical parts of the generator. Strafloturbine generators therefore usually rely on acombination of lip and labyrinth seals. But to make sure the turbine works smooth-ly, regular maintenance intervals for themachine and in particular the system of sealsare mandatory. However, these intervalsbecome ever shorter as the machine grows
older and as a result of feed water that is par-ticularly rich in sediment. Maintenance costsand outlay increase continuously as a result.The managers in charge were therefore of theview that probably the best way to revitaliseand thus achieve the associated increase inoutput of the overall plant was simply tochange the type of turbine. This was a decisi-on which does of course make the wholeenterprise considerably more difficult, as pro-ject manager Meinhard Wessiak stressed:"Fitting a new type of machine into an exi-sting structure is probably the greatest chal-lenge with this project." The project team therefore decided to replacethe two Straflo turbine generators with twoKaplan bulb turbine generators. With anoutput of 16.4 MW instead of the original15.5 MW, the bottleneck capacity ofWeinzödl power plant is increased by around1 MW. But the annual output can be increa-sed by 13.5 GWh as a result. This is roughlyequivalent to the level of consumption of4,000 households.
STRUCTURAL MEASURES REQUIREDIn contrast to the old machines, some ofwhich were situated outside of the flow area,the two new ones are sunk entirely within theflow section. Moreover, the new generatorsare inclined at an angle of 8° from the hori-zontal, as a result of the hydraulically sub-stantially greater output. This meant that structural measures wererequired in order to adapt the two shafts tothe new design. In this way, the lip seals,whose maintenance constituted a major pro-
Precision was required by the installation teamfrom the company Chemserv: just a few cm ofclearance allow no room for any mistakes.
blem and resulted in additional costs, werealso eliminated.
INSTALLATION WITH A RAIL SYSTEM Following the completion of the constructionworks, the installation of the new generatorswas the next major challenge. The biggest dif-ficulty here was handling the generator partsas the dimensions and mass of the newmachines are much greater than those of theold Straflo machine units. The first of the twomachine units was delivered in the spring of2014 and fully installed. The installationwork was divided up here into several stages.The first stage was the delivery of the Kaplanturbine from the company Litostroj Power.Together with the rotor of the generator, thiswas installed in the adapted turbine shaft.The generator unit, a brushless synchronousbulb-type generator, was delivered by KoncarGenerators and Motors Inc. from Zagreb.The Croatian generator specialists won overthe people in charge of the project with theirrobust, reliable and reasonably priced machi-nes. In line with the wish of the customer, itwas designed for the highest possible level ofefficiency. In addition, relatively low excesstemperatures of the active parts of the genera-tor were agreed - below 65 degrees K. Thecompany Koncar was in fact actually able toundershoot this value by 20 degrees Kelvin -this was revealed by a measurement after thefirst generator had been installed. The pro-duction site in the Croatian capital is alsoonly around 190 km from Graz, which witha transport weight of 40 t crucially facilitatesthe logistics arrangements. When fully instal-
A mobile crane was used to transfer the component,weighing around 40 t, for installation. The stator gets
into the turbine-generator shaft through a hatch.
Precision was required by the installation teamfrom the company Chemserv: just a few cm ofclearance allow no room for any mistakes.
A mobile crane was used to transfer the component,weighing around 40 t, for installation. The stator gets
into the turbine-generator shaft through a hatch.
After the delicate passage through the hatch, thestator is installed on the moving carriage. For thispurpose, it needs to be tilted forwards by 8°.
After the delicate passage through the hatch, thestator is installed on the moving carriage. For thispurpose, it needs to be tilted forwards by 8°.
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led, the total mass of a generator is around 92t. Specifically customised for the Weinzödlpower plant, the two machines are designedfor constant operation with a nominal appa-rent power of 9500 kVA, with a power factorof 0.9 and a rated voltage of 5300 V. After theturbine and rotor of the generator have beensuccessfully installed, the stator is deliveredand assembled. This is lifted down into thenewly excavated generator shaft through ahatch. At the bottom of the shaft, the stator isfixed on a moving carriage which is placed ona rail structure. This process is a very delicateundertaking as the shaft and the rail structu-re, as has already been mentioned, are tilted atan angle of 8 degrees. The high componentwith its high centre of gravity must thereforebe tilted towards the rotor and be fixed in this8 degree position exactly in the middle. Oneof the ways this is done is using overheadanchors. The next step is to slide the statorover the rotor very carefully using the movingcarriage. This is a task that demands theutmost concentration from the installationteam performing the work to ensure that thestator does not tip over with an overhangingcentre of gravity. An air gap of just 6 mm illu-strates how precisely the workers need to ope-rate here. Finally, the machine is then provi-ded with a cap to make it watertight.
same volume of water, which would equate toan increase of just over 20%. "This would beroughly equivalent to the annual consumpti-on of a small town," reports VERBUND AG.In addition to generating more power, thelong-term benefits are also an extension inthe lifespan and the overhaul intervals of thenew Kaplan bulb turbines and Koncar gene-rators.
20% INCREASE IN ANNUAL OUTPUTOn 23 December 2014, the final criticalphase of the project began with the deliveryof the stator for the second machine group. Ifeverything goes to plan, the second machinewill also be connected up to the grid in mid-March 2015. Thanks to the replacement ofthe machine units, an additional annual out-put of 13,500 MWh is expected with the
The stator is screwed to the moving carriage and secured with overheadanchors - a delicate moment for the installation team in the turbine-generatorshaft. Following successful fixing, the stator can finally be slid over the rotor.
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The stator is screwed to the moving carriage and secured with overheadanchors - a delicate moment for the installation team in the turbine-generatorshaft. Following successful fixing, the stator can finally be slid over the rotor.
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he ceremonial state opening of the new Enerjisa BandirmaNatural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant – or BandirmaCCPP for short – took place at the end of 2010 and was atten-
ded by the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan. Enerjisa is animmense energy producer and invested around 550 million Euros in thepower station that – at full capacity – is capable of generating 916 MWand supplying an annual volume of 7000 GWh to the Turkish grid. Infact, the station is responsible for around 3.5% of Turkey’s total electri-city supply and it’s the largest and most powerful power station run onnatural gas in the entire country. Its overall efficiency rating of 59% alsomeans it is the most modern and effective facility in Turkey. Bandirma CCPP is situated in the port city of the same name on the
southern edge of the Sea of Marmara. The city is home to 130,000inhabitants and is an important business centre. The port is a particu-larly important transfer hub between Istanbul and Izmir. The new com-bined cycle gas and steam power station project was completed with theassistance of numerous established energy businesses, and attracted alarge degree of international attention.
SALT WATER INTEGRAL TO THE SYSTEM Seawater from the ocean below is used to cool down the thermic pro-cesses in the power station. It is pumped into the facility up a totalclimb of 30m and having been pumped through the heat exchangesystem, reaching a maximum temperature of 35°C, it is then fed back
As a rule, large-scale combined cycle gas and steam power plants consume immense volumes of cooling water. In many casesconsumption is so high that it makes sense to install hydroelectric facilities. This is exactly what was decided for the CCPPBandirma combined cycle gas and steam power station on the Marmara coast in Turkey. 15 m3/s of seawater are required hereto keep the machinery cool. Just a few months ago, exploitation of this hydroelectric potential was made possible by the expe-rienced Austrian hydropower specialists at Geppert as they provided and installed the electro-mechanical technology required.The Kaplan turbine is very well protected from the strongly corrosive effects of salty water and provides a constant power outputof 3.5 MW. This job set the experienced Tyrolean turbine manufacturers a number of challenges.
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Tyrolean based turbine manufacturer Geppert delivered the electro-mechanicaltechnology for a small scale hydro power plant in the cooling water system of
the Enerjisa Bandirma Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant in Turkey.
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Bandirma CCPP is the largest andmost powerful gas power stationin Turkey.
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TYROLEAN HYDROPOWER TURBINE PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR TURKISH GAS POWER STATION
The specially designed Kaplanturbine is in permanent use
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wer projects on foreign soil, so transportingthe components did not pose any specialchallenges. Nevertheless, unpleasant obsta-cles were encountered. ‘For some inexplica-ble reason customs procedures were veryslow-moving and complicated. This led to aconstruction schedule delay of around threeweeks. Fortunately, we were able to catch upduring the assembly and commissioningphase, and managed to stay within the over-all completion deadline’ recounted ThomasMarthe. The hydropower station within thecooling water system of the combined cyclesteam power plant has now been in non-stopoperation since last June, and the power itproduces contributes in no small measure tothe environmental friendliness of the Turkishhigh-performance steam power station.
into the sea. It made good sense to use theremaining height difference of 26 metres forhydro-energetic exploitation. Obviously, theplant operators wanted to make the most outof this opportunity, so they decided to build asuitable hydropower turbine in the coolingwater system. This meant facing a multiplicityof challenges posed by salty water and thelocal particularities of the site, which is whythey called on the experience and products ofone of the industry’s best known manufactu-rers. Not only has Geppert from Hall in Tyrol,Austria, been producing turbines for over 100years, they have also gathered decades of expe-rience in the management and implementati-on of international hydropower contracts. InMay 2013 the Austrian company was awardeda contract to install the electro-mechanical faci-lities in Turkey. The system was successfullycommissioned at the beginning of last summer.
NON-STOP FULL POWER‘The cooling water is pumped at a constantvolume throughout the year. Hence, the com-bined cycle power plant is in permanent use atfull capacity. The plan is to schedule 2 weeksof complete downtime every 2 years for repairand maintenance work’ said Geppert’s projectmanager, Thomas Marthe (Ing.), expandingon the framework of the agreement. In termsof machine construction this entailed optimi-sing operational performance. Geppert’s desi-gners constructed the Kaplan turbine to takethese requirements into consideration. However, this proved less of a problem thanthe use of salty seawater, which is extremelycorrosive for metals in warm conditions of upto 35°C. Marthe continued: ‘It was the firsttime that we had dealt with a system that acti-vely uses salt water, so we had to spend a con-siderable amount of time discovering whichsubstances, materials and anti-corrosion coa-tings best suited the task.’ Ultimately, themain parts of the turbine – the mill wheel,control device, main wheel ring and suctionpipe – were all made of a high-grade rustproofDuplex steel alloy. The standard steel housingelements were coated with a very special anti-corrosion layer. This helped to ensure the
parts would work reliably within the coolingsystem for many years.
HYDROPOWER TURBINE INCREASES ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESSThe turbine was installed to take advantage ofa net drop of 25 m and a maximum volumeof 15 m3/s, and is usually taken to capacity bythe 3.5 MW motor. In addition to the turbi-ne the scope of delivery provided by Geppertalso included the generator, the closing flap, acompatible cooling system, and all the elec-tro-technical equipment. This station-within-a-station was provided as a turnkey project bya consortium led by Geppert, although a localconstruction company was responsible for allthe building agendas. The Tyrolean companyhas plenty of experience working on hydropo-
The 6-blade-runner was mounted in last year’s spring
On the right the new power house for thehydropower plant - and on the left the
pump station for the cooling water.
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ince the construction of the Dortmund-Ems Canal in 1899,initially one and then a total of three locks as of 1913 and 1926have been surmounting a height difference of 6.2 meters in the
southern section near Münster. Inland water transport has changedconsiderably in the past decades, however. In the past, shipping trafficwas characterized by towboats, but today, large motor vessels and push-towing units with lengths of up to 189 meters are the standard. Thispresents new requirements for modern locks and made a new construc-tion of the locks in Münster necessary.
HALF OF THE WATER REMAINS IN THE SYSTEMThe Münster I and Münster II twin locks exchange 8,000 cubic metersof water per lock process - half of the required quantity per chamber.This provides savings in water consumption. The lock process beginsonce the flap gates at the upstream head and the miter gates at thedownstream head are closed. The water flows via two longitudinal chan-nels on both sides of each chamber and through two transverse channelsinto the chamber with the lower water level. Through this exchange,both chambers reach the same level in the middle between the respecti-ve target marks. While the remaining water is drained downwards in thechamber for the descent, the other chamber is filled up by the waterintake structure. A total of ten closures in the channels regulate thewater level.
ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC DRIVE SOLUTION: INTELLIGENT AND RELIABLEElectro-hydraulic drives from Rexroth generate all the motion requiredfor the locking processes, the opening and closing of the flap and mitergates, as well as the eight circulating closures in the longitudinal chan-nels and the two transverse closures. For decades, the company has beenequipping locks with drive and control technology all over the world. Inaddition to numerous constructions in Germany, Rexroth solutions arealso being used in the Panama Canal, for example. The hydraulics have a major advantage in that the modular design enab-les the spatial separation of thrust and drive cylinders. This meant thehydraulic power units for the new Münster I and II locks could be pla-ced below the locks, protected in caverns. Only the cylinders directly atthe gates and closures are exposed to splashing.
ECOLOGICAL, RAPIDLY BIODEGRADABLE HYDRAULIC FLUIDThe 16 hydraulic power units each consist of two redundant motor-pump groups, with an installed output power of 2x15 kW for the rollergates and miter gates as well as 2x7.5 kW for the flap gates. TheA10VSO axial piston pumps used from Rexroth are particularly quietand achieve a level of efficiency which is well over 90 percent. They areable to generate the required flow by means of the swivel angle adjustingmechanism. A special feature of the Rexroth axial piston pumps is thatthe service life is independent of the hydraulic fluid. With the environ-
The second chamber of the new twin lock was put into operation in Münster in April 2014. The annual cargo guided throughhere corresponds to a traffic volume of more than half a million trucks. An electro-hydraulic system solution from Rexroth gene-rates and regulates all of the motion required for the locking processes. The hydraulic cylinders are equipped with the long-lasting corrosion protection, Enduroq, and a new generation of the contactless position measurement system, CIMS.
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Münster twin lock: unlimited travel forlarge motor vessels and push-towing units
WATER-SAVING TWIN LOCK IN MÜNSTER COMPLETED
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resistance, a salt spray corrosion test in accor-dance with ISO 4536 is carried out with aduration of up to 4,200 h.In addition, Rexroth matches the seals withthe coating and the respective application.Rexroth has developed a seal matrix for a widevariety of applications and surface technolo-gies in a comprehensive research project toget-her with the world's leading seal manufactu-rers. This systematic corrosion protectionreduces maintenance and maintenance costsand ensures the long-lasting functionality ofthe cylinders.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE EXPANSION PROGRAM The new construction of the Münster I andII twin locks ranks among the outstandingmeasures undertaken in the expansion pro-gram of the southern stretch of theDortmund-Ems Canal and ensures that con-siderably more than the average of 16,000vessels and push-towing units to date will behandled every year.
mentally friendly, rapidly biodegradablehydraulic fluid based on synthetic ester whichis used in Münster, the components used arealso able to achieve the same service life aswith mineral oil.The electronic components of the hydraulicpower units open up many possibilities fordiagnosis and permanent condition monito-ring. Technicians can call up operating statesand change parameters at any time.
PROVEN CORROSION PROTECTION IN SALT WATER Cylinders with a stroke of 2,200 mm openand close the 52-ton miter gates with a tracti-on force of up to 450 kN. The cylinder strokefor the 13.2-meter wide flap gates at theupstream head is 8,100 mm. The 10 rollergates for the longitudinal and transverse chan-nels are opened and closed by hydraulic cylin-ders with a stroke of 3,000 mm.All cylinders have corrosion protection for along service life. The piston rod coating hasthe task of protecting the steel substrate fromcorrosion, thus ensuring its function for deca-des. More than 30 years ago, Rexroth was thefirst manufacturer to start supplying pistonrods with ceramic coatings in the field of steelconstruction for hydraulic engineering and foruse on the high seas. Since then, the companyhas been evaluating the operating data of morethan ten thousand large cylinders worldwidein the widest range of applications and underthe most extreme environmental conditions. A fundamental finding emerged: reliable cor-rosion protection involves more than thecoating of the piston rod. Only the applicati-on-specific interaction of coating, tribology,and sealing technology ensures comprehensi-ve, long-term protection. Rexroth providessuch coordinated system solutions on the basisof its Enduroq surface technology.
The high velocity oxygen fuel spraying pro-cess, referred to as HVOF technology, is par-ticularly suitable for applications near towater. Nozzles are used to repeatedly applypulverized alloys to the piston rods at hightemperature and speed. In the completely pro-cessed state, the layer thickness of theEnduroq coatings is at least 200 µm. TheEnduroq coatings have already proven them-selves worldwide in numerous maritime andoffshore applications. The empirical values inthese harsh environments convinced WNADatteln to also use this corrosion protectionon the Münster lock.
CHEMICAL AND MECHANICAL TESTSNumerous chemical and mechanical tests arealso an integral part of the development ofnew surface technologies. Thus, in addition totesting scratch and wear resistance, a three-point bending test is also carried out, whereu-pon the outer layer must not show any cracks.To demonstrate the long-standing corrosion
Outstanding measure in the expansion program ofthe southern stretch of the Dortmund-Ems Canal
Downstream head with miter gate: cylinders with a stroke of 2,200 mm open
Locks replace 2,000 trucks dailyAs constructor, the Federal Waterways andShipping Administration (WNA Datteln) took overthe new construction of a twin lock with twoidentical lock chambers. The usable dimensionsare 190 meters in length and 12.5 meters inwidth. In order to ensure shipping traffic continu-ed unhindered during the construction work,which began in 1991, the new construction wascarried out in stages. The first lock chamber wasput into operation already in 2009, and its sisterchamber was completed alongside it in April2014. The annual cargo handled in the twin lockcorresponds to a capacity of more than 510,000trucks. The Münster lock thereby contributes torelieving the road network and reducing CO2emissions in Germany.
Author:Arnold Habermann / Bosch Rexroth AGDepartment: Sales Steel Construction for Hydraulic Engineering
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n early 2011 building work commencedon the Aue power plant in Baden inSwitzerland. The Limmat river flow
power station had started to show its age andthe license was due to run out in 2015.Hence, relicensing was a pressing issue, andfor the operators – Limmatkraftwerke AG –the task was to compile a suitable package ofmeasures to gain a license for the following60 years. One issue was adaption to the up-dated official requirements, and another wasthe need to modernise parts of the plant thatwere worn out and outdated. Two years wereestimated for the building work on a budgetof CHF 20 million.
NEW MACHINE GROUPOne of the key terms for relicensing was anincrease in the volumes of water discharged toguarantee the minimum water level. In orderto compensate possible production losses thedecision was made to add a water dischargepower plant to the weir with a power outputof 0.5 MW. As regards the license for the fol-lowing 60 years, the power plant had to bethoroughly modernised; in particular thethird machine group from 1925. ‘s’Grossi’ or
number of planning problems at the Auepower plant: ‘We are right next to the Aue pump stationhere, the largest ground water catchment inthe region. The big problem in the planningphase was that Baden’s most importantground water flow runs directly below ourpower plant, so we were forced to be verycareful when excavating’, explained AndreasDoessegger, project manager for Limmat-kraftwerke AG. Two options were discussedto avoid soiling the ground water. One wasdraining the excavation site and sealing itusing injection technology. The other was forthe building work to be carried out by divers.Ultimately, after intensive deliberation, theoption with divers was believed to involve theleast risk of contamination, greater financialviability and promised speedier completion.
DIVING MORE DIFFICULT THAN EXPECTEDThere are numerous hazards attached todiving and there is limited experience of thisspecific type of power plant diving work.Furthermore, the hand-sketched plans from1905 did not provide the divers with infor-mation about what to expect. Nevertheless,
The Aue power plant in Baden,Switzerland, was officially opened on the13th September 2014 after three years ofintensive building work. Limmatkraft-werke AG invested a total of CHF 25million in the rebuilding and expansionof their river power plant on theLimmat. The reason for the intensiveconstruction activities was that the licen-se for the power plant was due to run outin 2015, and the associated relicensingprocedures had to be followed. In order tocomply with licensing standards for thenext 60 years, the oldest of the machinegroups, dating back to 1925, was repla-ced completely. Since relicensing entailedguaranteeing a larger volume of diverteddischarged water, a water dischargepower station was added to the Auepower plant water diversion weir. Twoyears were planned for the overall buil-ding work. However, Baden’s mostimportant groundwater stream flowsright under the power plant at Aue andcaused considerable difficulties. In orderto avoid soiling the stream, the decisionwas made to dive.
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BADEN OPERATORS UPGRADE BY DIVING DOWNDuring the relicensing process the Aue power plant in Baden (CH) was reno-vated and a water discharge power station was added.
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‘Grandma’, as the group was lovingly called,had to make room for a younger and morepowerful system. The other two machinegroups that date back to 1966 were kept inoperation. The machine groups, and indeedthe entire power plant, are to be fitted withthe latest plant technology.
SUBTERRANEAN WATER FLOW COMPLICATED BUILDING WORKWhen machine group no.3 was installed in1925 the Francis turbine was a commonchoice for low pressure requirements. Backthen the Kaplan turbine had only been avai-lable for 12 years and had not yet becomewidely established. During relicensing nego-tiations the decision was made to change thetype of turbine in use. Limmatkraftwerke AGchose to replace ‘Grandma’ with a modern2.28 MW Kaplan tube turbine manufacturedby Andritz Hydro producing more than dou-ble the power of the old 1 MW Francis tur-bine. The new machine group is also muchlarger than the 90-year-old ‘Grandma’, neces-sitating a wider and deeper space for installa-tion. Work that initially sounded like stan-dard excavation and concreting soon caused a
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there were more arguments in favour ofunderwater building work. This was dividedup into 14 construction phases. 2-man teamsof were on constant rotation, since each diveris only permitted legally and medically to stayunder water for a limited period. At thebeginning of each building phase it wasnecessary to remove material, lift it out andsecure the working surfaces. Reinforcementsand formwork were put in place. Underwaterconcreting formed the final part of eachstage. In the very first building phase it soonbecame clear just how difficult the workwould be: ‘As soon as one of the divers beganto excavate the water misted up, so many ofthe steps had to be conducted despite poorvisibility’, Mr. Doessegger explained. Ofcourse, this had a significant effect on thetime needed to complete each step. All in allthe divers were busy with excavation work fora full two years.
NEW TURBINE – MORE POWEROnce building work was completed the entireexcavation was drained. ‘The cavity was drai-ned just before the turbine was delivered inOctober 2013, so we were very relieved wheneverything proved to be watertight, saidDoessegger. The new turbine is a bevel wheelKaplan tube turbine manufactured byAndritz Hydro. The wheels have a diameterof 2600 mm and rotate at 146 rpm. The max.amount of water to flow through the turbineis 45 m3/s, flowing down a net drop of 5.6 m.The new max. power output is 2.28 MW. Asynchronised generator has been mounted tothe turbine and produces 2600 kVA via abevel wheel gear (90°) hooked up to the tur-bine shaft. The heat generated is removed viaa cooling system and the water fed back intothe Limmat. Premel SA from Tessin was
responsible for the provision, installation andcommissioning of the generator and voltageregulator. Premel SA employed two projectmanagers and up to four assembly engineersfor three years on these projects. The highlyexperienced team dealt with the coordinationof the various groups and individuals, andexecution of the myriad tasks with ease.André Leibundgut, CEO at Premel SA, wasvery pleased having overseen the successfulcommissioning of three generators andemphasised the importance of this project forthe company: ‘The installation of these gene-rators shows that Premel is very present onthe northern side of Switzerlard and is capa-ble of completing large contracts. The reacti-on time of our employees in Dübendorf isvery good showing how close to customers we
are’. In September 2014 the commissioningof machine group no.3 marked the successfulcompletion of the ‘Kraftwerk Aue’ relicensingprocess. On the 12th September 2014Limmatkraftwerke AG held its project com-pletion ceremony in Baden and expressed itsgratitude to all the companies and individualsinvolved in the successful period of coopera-tion. The new machine group will enableLimmatkraftwerke AG to increase the annualproduction at the Aue power plant by 2.5GWh, the rough equivalent of 570 Swisshouseholds. The water discharge power plantproduces a further 3 GWh per year – theequivalent of around 670 households. In totalit is calculated that an overall investment ofCHF 25 million will be able to increaseannual power output by 5.5 GWh.
The diving work was divided into 14 stages, alternatingbetween teams of two divers.
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pproximately 8 million people live inthe metropolitan region of Bogotá at 2600m above sea level. It is the
largest urban municipal catchment area inColombia and one of the fastest growingcities in South America. The main part ofBogotá consists of the main district, DistritoCapital or D.C. for short, which is subject tothe rule of central government and its special status is comparable with that ofWashington D.C. in the USA. The mostimportant infrastructural challenge posed bya city growing at such a rate is the provisionof sufficient drinking water and energy, whileexploiting the existing resources as universal-ly and efficiently as possible. The two drin-king water power stations, ‘Suba’ and‘Usaquen’, represent the move to use naturalresources efficiently.
MOUNTAINS AS SUPPLIERS OF DRINKING WATERSuba and Usaquen are the names given to the two drinking water storage tanks in
Bogotá. They are supplied by a number ofdams up in the mountains surrounding thecity and suburbs. The water is transportedfrom three supply networks - Chingaza,Tibitoc and La Regadera - to several drin-king water treatment plants in the city,where the water is stored in the tanks ready to be fed to homes and offices across the area.
WATER PRESSURE RELEASEDTHROUGH SPECIAL VALVES Until now, in order to relieve the water pres-sure in the pipelines, it was released usingspecial valves. However, this energy waswasted forever. The operators of the drinkingwater system, Acueducto de Bogota S.A.,decided to find a way of utilising the energyand contracted a consortium with the con-struction of two drinking water power stati-ons. Instead of disappearing through thepressure reduction valves, the pressure is nowtransformed into electricity and fed into the34.5 kV public grid.
Bogotá is the capital city of Colombia and draws its drinking water from a number of dams in the surrounding mountains. In total,three supply networks transport the water to storage tanks in Suba and Usaquen via drinking water treatment plants. Previously,to relieve the immense pressure within the water pipelines, the water had to pass through pressure-reducing valves. In 2011,Acueducto de Bogota S.A., the municipal utilities company in charge, decided to exploit this previously wasted energy and orderedthe construction of two drinking water power stations. The Colombian consortium contracted with the job imported Austrianhydropower know-how.
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TWO POWER STATIONS IN BOGOTÁ’S DRINKING WATERSYSTEM REPLACE PRESSURE REDUCTION VALVES
Bogotá is the capital city of Colombia and it is the largest urban municipal catchmentarea in Colombia. Also it is one of the fastest growing cities in South America.
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Suba is one of two drinking water storage tanks inBogotá. In order to relieve water pressure in the pipe-lines, the operator used pressure reduction valves. Nowa turbine uses this former wasted energy.
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HYDROPOWER ‘MADE IN AUSTRIA’The consortium – ‘Consorcio GeneracionBogotá’ – consisted of four Colombian com-panies and was the general contractor for allconstruction tasks, also taking responsibilityfor the delivery of the entire range of electro-mechanical machinery (including transfor-mers and 34.5kV a medium voltage plant),assembly, installation and commissioning,plus two years of operational managementand maintenance for the two hydroelectricpower plants. The consortium chose to equip the powerplants with the benefit of expertise providedby Gugler Water Turbines GmbH. Thislong-standing Austrian company providedtwo Francis turbines, the accompanying syn-chronised generators, shut-off doors, bypasssystems with hydraulic motors, LV and MV
switchboard controls, transformers and+SCADA controls. Gugler was responsiblefor supervising installation and commissio-ning at both power plants.
HORIZONTAL FRANCIS TURBINESA horizontal Francis turbine was installed ineach of the two power plants. In order not toput the quality of the drinking water at risk,both of the Francis wheels were milled usingforged, non-rusting material (CrNi 13 4).Additional anti-corrosion coating ensuredcompliance with all the statutory hygieneregulations. The power station known asUsaquen offers a net head of 71.5m at a flow rate of 2.85 m3/s. It can provide a poweroutput of 1810 kW. The turbine and the generator were built into the existing pumping station.
Water at the Suba power station only achie-ves a net drop of 52.5m but it can flowthrough the turbine at 5.65 m3/s; so the out-put generated here comes to 2645 kW. At the Suba plant a new power house had tobe built because of a lack of space.
INTERNATIONAL FLAGSHIP PROJECTIn August 2013 the two power stations situa-ted 2600m above sea level were successfullycommissioned. The flagship project inColombia highlights the opportunities andpotential of hydropower, and how resourcescan be used in multiple and efficient ways.The hydropower know-how provided byGugler Water Turbines GmbH underlinedthe high international standing enjoyed byAustrian specialists, adding another chapterto the country’s global successes in this field.
At the Suba plant a new power house had to be builtbecause of a lack of space.
A horizontal Francis turbine was installed in each of the twopower plants. The power station known as Usaquen offers a
net head of 71.5 m at a flow rate of 2.85 m3/s. Usaquen Power Plant
Turbine:w Type: Horizontal Francisw Manufacturer: Gugler w Flow Rate: 5.65 m3/sw Gross Head: 52.5 m w Capacity: 2645 kW
Generator:w Type: Synchronw Manufacturer: Indar w Capacity: 2850 kVAw Rotation Speed: 514rpmw Frequenzy: 60 Hz
Suba Power Plant
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Turbine:w Type: Horizontal Francisw Manufacturer: Gugler w Flow Rate: 2.85 m3/sw Gross Head: 71.5 m w Capacity: 1810 kW
Generator:w Type: Synchronw Manufacturer: Indar w Capacity: 2000 kVAw Rotation Speed: 720 rpmw Frequenzy: 60 Hz
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A horizontal Francis turbine was installed in each of the twopower plants. The power station known as Usaquen offers a
net head of 71.5 m at a flow rate of 2.85 m3/s.
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ven in the Alps, with their plentiful supply of water, the numberof streams on which it is today possible to construct new small-scale hydroelectric power plants has become clear and easy to
understand. In contrast to this, the potential for drinking water powerplants is far from being exhausted. In particular those communities thatare blessed with lots of water and obtain their drinking water in partfrom great heights find that in some cases they have the optimum con-ditions for this. The two communities of Stainach-Pürgg in Styria andthe community of Bach in Tyrol's Lech Valley recently showed how thispotential can be exploited.
OLD PIPELINE REQUIRING ACTIONFor Stainach-Pürgg, the original springs are extremely important. Theysafeguard the main thrust of the supply of drinking water to the com-munity. The karst spring was established and the source feed line con-structed back in the 1960s. At the time, an Eternit pipeline was laidunderground, but in the last few years its condition clearly left some-thing to be desired. The old pipeline with a DN125/150 diameterrepeatedly sprung leaks in recent years, leading to fractures of the pipe.The worst of the damage was repaired using PE pipes. There was the-refore a need to take action. Four pressure breaker shafts were installed between the highest point ofthe pipeline and the high-level reservoir from which the drinking water
enters the distribution pipeline. One study that was prepared in advan-ce ultimately concluded that the most economical solution was to usea section of pipeline which should enable a drop height of almost 300m. So enough of a drop to make it possible to operate a power plantefficiently with a feed rate of up to 30 l/s. "What gave me a bit of a headache right from the outset was the questi-on of how a high-pressure pipeline can be laid in this steep terrain. Inthe upper section in particular, it is so steep that when we carried outinspections we found ourselves climbing more than walking along theplanned route of the pipeline. In addition, the terrain is more or lessundeveloped. There was only one single possibility for accessing themarked-out route. Ultimately, three pipe depots were created fromwhere the pipes were then transported to their respective installation siteusing a digger," recounts Manfred Semmler, the project manager frome2, the planning office that was commissioned to carry out the work.
CAST-IRON PIPE IS THE IDEAL MEDIUMOn the other hand, the question of which pipe material should be usedfor the 1,020 m long section of pipe was very quickly answered.Semmler says: "It was clear to us that, with the pressure conditions thatexist, ductile iron from TRM was the only possible choice. We decidedto opt for the restrained VRS®-T connections as the entire pipeline wasto be run over the steep terrain with a DN200 diameter in a spiral form– and we were therefore not supposed to require any fixed points set inconcrete." He also points out that, in extremely inaccessible terrain,
Utilising drinking water to generate energy is an increasingtrend. More and more communities in the Alps want to uti-lise the potential energy that resides in the sources situated athigh altitude by having a drinking water power plant. Theplans usually become concrete when a pipeline system whichhas already become outdated is due to be replaced. In the pastyear, two Austrian communities demonstrated the ideal wayto implement such a project. The key aspect in both cases wasthe choice of optimum pipe material. Both of the developersopted for ductile iron pipes from the traditional Tyroleanmanufacturer TRM, which display their benefits in full par-ticularly when they are used for drinking water power plants.
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DUCTILE IRON PIPES - BACKBONE OFMODERN DRINKING WATER POWER PLANTS
The TRM ductile iron pipes for the Bach drinkingwater power plant were laid over a distance of 2.2 km.
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The new DN200 penstock for the Stainach-Pürgg powerplant was laid over a distance of 1,020 m through terrain
which in places was extremely difficult to access. In additi-on to the new TRM ductile iron pipeline, the remains of the
old Eternit pipeline dating from the 1960s can still be seen.
The new DN200 penstock for the Stainach-Pürgg powerplant was laid over a distance of 1,020 m through terrain
which in places was extremely difficult to access. In additi-on to the new TRM ductile iron pipeline, the remains of the
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Pipe laying in steep terrainwith the walking excavator.
TRM ductile iron pipes of the PUR Longlife DN200 type replace the old pipeline, whichin some places is made of steel pipes and in other places is made of asbestos pipes.
there would scarcely have been any possibleway of delivering bedding material. This wasyet another reason why the people in chargemade the decision to use TRM cast-ironpipes. Ultimately, bedding material is notabsolutely essential when laying the cast-ironpipes. Another important quality advantage for thepipe material which is used is its pipe insidecoating made from cement mortar. The pri-mary purpose of this is to protect the pipefrom the corrosive properties of the water, butit also helps to ensure the pipe has absolutelyno leaks at all. Particularly with pipes thatcarry drinking water, it is absolutely imperati-ve that no foreign materials whatsoever areable to get into the pipeline. In addition, theplanner also cites the extreme stability anddurability of the ductile iron pipes fromTRM. "In this project, we tried to installhigh-quality components wherever possible.Ultimately, this is a project which should alsohelp to benefit the next generation," says theproject manager.
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LAYING OF PIPELINE UNDER ADVERSE CONDITIONSNevertheless, the omens for the work to laythe pipeline were not good. The persistentrain last summer had saturated the ground,and some hillsides were even threatening toslip down. In view of these adverse conditionsand the difficult topography of the terrain, itwas simply astounding that just two menfrom the construction company commissio-ned to carry out the work were able to con-struct the entire pipeline in just eight weeks.All of the works were carried out using just aconventional 27 tonne chain excavator. In theend, the new pipeline was laid undergroundin the route of the old pipeline with a covera-ge of 1.0 to 1.40 m above it.
PROFITABILITY OVER THE LONG TERMWhen the construction works began to drawto a close in the autumn, it was time for theelectrical machinery equipment to be instal-led. A 1-nozzle Pelton turbine which is desi-gned for a bottleneck capacity of 75 kW was
used. All water-carrying parts are of coursedesigned to be fully suitable for use with drin-king water. The new drinking water powerplant was switched on for the first time inNovember of last year. And this was success-ful; the small-scale power plant has been run-ning continuously without any interruptionsince the autumn of last year. The grand ope-ning ceremony followed at the end ofNovember."The continuous feed rate from the originalsources does of course very much benefit theplant. This has so far never fallen below 27 l/s.This means that the operators can generallyexpect to achieve an annual working outputof 600,000 kWh," says Semmler. For the com-munity in the Enns Valley, the investment ofaround 620,000 euros is definitely not chik-ken feed. But with the guaranteed feed-intariff of 10.55 cents/kWh for 13 years, theproject will pay dividends over the long term.The people in Stainach-Pürgg are convincedof this. Moreover, today there is no longer anyneed to worry that precious drinking waterwill be lost on its way down the valley. In itsnew pipeline, it is safe and secure.
MILESTONE FOR TYROLEAN COMMUNITYThe situation was not dissimilar for the smallcommunity of Bach in Tyrol's Lech Valley.However, initial plans for a dedicated drin-king water power plant were on the tablethere back in the 1990s. Although at the timethey were deemed to be uneconomical, judi-cious planning and a collective will to coope-rate then helped the project to make thebreakthrough. The central element of theconstruction project was the costly constructi-on of a forest road which allows people to gainaccess to the route of the existing pipeline forthe first time.
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FOREST ROAD AS THE KEY TO SUCCESSIt was time for the old pipeline to be replaced.For the people from the community who wereresponsible for this, this was an appropriateopportunity to pick up an old idea again: theconstruction of a drinking water power plant.The more intensively planners and the localcommunity consequently looked at the pro-ject, the more obvious it became that thewhole enterprise would only be possible if suf-ficient access to the area of the constructionsite could be ensured. The basic requirementwas therefore for a forest road to be construc-ted. The construction of the 1.5 km long forestroad subsequently proved to be very deman-ding. Rocks, steep terrain crossings and theinaccessibility of the area presented a numberof challenges for the construction company.In general, the new pipeline route did notenvisage any major deviations from the exi-sting route. But what was important here wasto ensure that a sufficient gap from the oldpipeline was maintained. After all, operationof this pipeline had to be maintained in themeantime. The old pipeline could only beremoved once the new one was up and run-ning. The route of the new pipeline extendsover a total length of 2.2 kilometres.
PIPES GUARANTEE RELIABILITYThere was no doubt among the people incharge of the project about which pipe mate-rial should now be used for the new pipeline:Only DN200 cast-iron pipes from the com-pany TRM were considered. First of all thecriterion of operational reliability was the pri-mary concern, as the mayor emphasised, butthe issue of durability also played a major role.It was a stated aim of the community in theLech Valley to lay a pipeline which would bein service over many decades – and would nothave any failures, fractures or leaks.
In addition, with drinking water pipelinesespecially there is also always the issue ofhygiene criteria. In this regard in particular,the TRM pipes made from cast iron with thecement mortar lining comprising blast furna-ce cement or Portland cement offer a particu-larly high level of safety. In addition, thisinner lining guarantees a completely neutraltaste - a key prerequisite for contact with drin-king water.
PIPE TRENCH IS CUT OUTThe laying of the high-pressure pipeline indifficult terrain began on 2 June last year. Themost important tool for the constructionteam very quickly became the rock millingmachine, which excavated a 40 cm wide pipetrench from the rocky ground beneath. Of theroute of the pipeline over a distance of 2.2km, around 1.2 km needed to be cut using
The most important source of drinking waterin this community, which is situated at analtitude of more than 1,000 m, is consideredto be the forest spring. It is established at1620 m above sea level, its feed rate is around30 l/s, with the annual average hoveringaround 28 l/s. The community has been get-ting the majority of its drinking water fromthis source for around 70 years. An entireforest was cleared for the construction of thewell chamber and pipeline in the 1940s.Whereas the natural landscape of this area hasslowly recovered, the technical condition ofthe pipeline has steadily gone downhill. "Theold pipeline was no longer state-of-the-art –and was also in need of remediation. It wasmade on the one hand from old steel pipesand on the other hand from asbestos pipesand in some places it had been repeatedly'patched'," explains mayor Egon Brandhofer.
The ductile iron pipes used ensurethat pipes can also be laid in pipetrenches with lots of bends in them.
The perspective from the oppositeslope reveals how inaccessible the area for the route of the pipe is.
The rock cutter was deployed over a distance of 1.2 km.
Both the pipeline andthe cable tube werewrapped in a fleece
lining to protect them.
Both the pipeline andthe cable tube werewrapped in a fleece
lining to protect them.
Technical DataDrinking Water Power Plant Stainach-Pürggw Flow Rate: 30 l/sw Head: 299,70 mw Output: 75 kWw Penstock: length: 1.020 m Ø: DN200w Material: ductile ironw Manufacturer: TRMw Average Energy Capacity: 593 000 kWh
Drinking Water Power Plant Bachw Flow Rate: 30 l/sw Head: 420 mw Output: 155 kWw Penstock: length: 2.200 m Ø DN200w Material: ductile iron w Manufacturer: TRMw Average Energy Capacity: 700 000 kWh
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Laying a pipe on a steep slope requires even the most experiencedexcavator drivers to test themselves to their limits.
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the milling machine. In the steeper section, blasting operations werealso unavoidable. The cutting operations delivered a not inconsiderablebenefit in particular for the ballast bedding for the pipes: The excavatedmaterial which was prepared with a particle size of 0.22 mm was ideallysuited to bedding down the pipes in a narrow pipe trench. In order toprotect them from any possible mechanical defects, they were wrappedin a fleece lining.
ANCHORING ON THE ROCK IN THE STEEPEST SECTIONWhile cast-iron pipes from the pressure class K9 with pressure resi-stance of PN40 were fitted in the top section, pipes from class K11 /
PN63 were used in the section at the bottom, some parts of which arevery steep. The very last section of the pipeline runs over an almost ver-tical wall of rock with a gradient of 70° to 75° - this was the most chal-lenging part for the team laying the pipeline: In this area shortly beforethe machine house it was no longer possible to lay the pipeline under-ground. It was secured with rock anchors and clamps on the fittingsfacing the slope. This meant that each pipe was securely fixed andanchored to the rock. The topography of the terrain resulted in onehigh point for venting and one low point for draining the pipeline. Thecomplicated pipe-laying work was completed at the end of August.
REVENUES BENEFIT COMMUNITYThe new power house is situated around 70 metres below the high-levelreservoir. From there, the water that has passed through the turbine ispumped back up to the high-level reservoir, depending on the particu-lar requirements. The machine house now contains a drinking waterturbine that rotates with a design output of 155 kW. It ensures that anaverage of around 700,000 kWh of power is generated each year. "Therevenue from the drinking water power plant is intended to benefit thecommunity directly; we want to use it to fund the construction of thenew community hall building," says mayor Brandhofer. Both the community of Bach and the community of Stainach-Pürgghave gone to considerable time and effort to exploit the hydro powerpotential of their drinking water. And they have done this with greatsuccess. In both cases, it has proved possible to deliver modern eco-friendly power plants which are integrated perfectly into the infrastruc-ture for the relevant supply of drinking water. A primary prerequisitefor the success of these projects was the construction of a high-qualityand extremely durable high-pressure pipeline made from ductile ironpipes from TRM. Ultimately, both projects have been constructed forthe benefit of future generations.
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teep terrain, difficult soil, poor weat-her and a stream crossing: these werethe greatest challenges to the laying of
the penstock for the Forstaubach Gleimingpower station. Given such conditions it isalso not surprising that the 3.2 km long pen-stock could be completed only just before theend of the year after a construction time of 7months.There’s nothing you can do against bad weat-her, but it was possible to counter the diffi-cult geological conditions in one section ofthe line using appropriately robust material.The soil investigations conducted before thestart of construction had shown that earth
Back in the middle of May last year construction work was commenced on a new hydroelectric power station of the Austrian federalforestery agency (Österreichische Bundesforste) in the Styrian-Salzburg border area. Forstaubach Gleiming GmbH’s plant, which isequipped with a dual machine combination, will be put into service this spring. However, before this the tricky job of laying thepressure pipes had to be completed.
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PIPELINE SUCCESSFULLY LAID FOR THEFORSTAUBACH GLEIMING POWER STATION
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movements could not be ruled out in themiddle part of the line. This is why ductilecast iron pipes from Tiroler RöhrenwerkeTRM were used for this section whilst GRPpipes from the German manufacturerAmiantit were used for the upper and lowerpart of the power station line.
EVERYTHING FROM A SINGLE SUPPLIERThe pipes for the “hybrid line“ were providedby the Lower Austrian pipe specialists EtertecGmbH & Co KG. The distribution companybased in Brunn am Gebirge convinced theoperators during the tender procedurethrough its excellent price-performance ratio
Completed after seven months of construction: the penstock for hydropower plant Forstaubach Gleiming.The facility is operated by the Österreichische Bundesforste (Austrian federal forestry agency).
All pipework and special fitings for the power plantpipeline were supplied by Etertec GmbH & Co. KG.
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in length was then executed as a GRP linewith a diameter of DN1200 and pressure fit-tings of PN 10 and 16. In view of the persistently wet weather whilstthe pipeline was being laid, the soil along thepipeline could not completely dry out at anytime. Combined with an extremely steep ter-rain in part, these were by no means favoura-ble conditions. Nevertheless, Pitzer, theSchlaming-based company entrusted withthe laying of the pipes, did a great job. Another challenge was to cross a stream withthe pipeline which proved to be an involvedundertaking due to the water conservationmeasures. Commenting on the complexity ofthe work, graduate engineer Gerhard Brei-tenbaumer from Austrian federal foresteryagency, explains that the situation was com-pounded due to the fact that traffic had to becontrolled in the lower area of the pipelinebecause it ran along a public road.
POWER STATION SOONTO GO INTO SERVICE A combination of two machine sets is used inthe machine house of the ForstaubachGleiming power station. A vertical-axisPelton turbine and a Francis turbine will bein operation – both from EFG. The decisionin favour of a double turbine solution wasmade due to the special hydrological conditi-ons in Forstaubach.With a net head of some 94 m and a flow rateof 2.100 l/s, the machine sets together willgenerate a total output of 1.7 MW and the-refore around 6.5 million KWh per year ofclean energy. The pilot operation is plannedfor the end of April.
and outstanding references for comparableprojects. In addition to the cast iron andGRP pipes, Etertec also provided all specialparts such as couplings, reductions, dischargeoutlets and specially made ventilation controlvalves.
1 LINE – 3 SECTIONSFrom the inlet structure built as sluice gate,the first section of the penstock was laidalong a length of 738 m in the form ofFlowtite GF-UP pipes with a diameter ofDN1400 and pressure rating of PN 6. In themiddle section of the line, cast iron pipesresistant to tensile and shearing force wereused over a total length of 1,217 m due to theuncertain soil properties. A transition wascreated for the different pipe materials usinga special moulding and the diameter of thepenstock simultaneously tapered toDN1000. Leading to the power house, thefinal section of the pressure line of 1,203 m
“Hybrid pipe“: The 3.2 km penstock ismade from cast iron and GRP.
The steep terrain and humid weather posed a special challengeto the technicians during the installation phase.
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• Penstock: ductile cast iron/GRP
• Net head: 94 m
• Pressure levels: PN 6 – PN 16
• Ductile cast iron pipe: DN1000
• Manufacturer: TRM
• Length: 1.217 m
• Flowtite GRP pipes GF UP: DN1400/1200
• Manufacturer: Amiantit
• Length: 1.941 m
Technical Data
CONTACT:[email protected]
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fter 67 years in operation, theMalgovert power plant, located in theRhône-Alpes region, is still one of the
top-performing power plants in SouthernFrance. It is operated by EDF (Électricité deFrance SA), the second-largest electricity pro-ducer in the world. The process water comesfrom the Tignes Dam, from where it passes a20-km-long process water gallery before itreaches the service chamber. The startingpoint of the retrofit project is the servicechamber, which is set at 1,492 m above sealevel. The total length of the penstock lines is1,459 m, they are supported by a total of 17massive concrete foundations. Between thesefoundations, at intervals of about 8 to 9 m,additional concrete saddle clamps are set up.Upstream, right before the power house, thepenstocks split first into 4 and finally into 8
pipe sections leading the process water to the8 installed Pelton turbines. The operatingpressure in the service chamber is approxima-tely 7 bar, at the power house it amounts toabout 85 bar.
PENSTOCKS ON AN UNSTEADY SLOPEThe penstock is situated in a geologicallyunsteady territory, especially the lower pen-stock section from about midway downstre-am. As has been documented for decades, theconcrete foundations move by about 4 cm ayear. The specific movements have been welldocumented and are known for each sectionof the penstock. To compensate these move-ments length-adjustable joints were placed.They were adjusted during the annual main-tenance works, as is the usual procedure.When the joint reached the end of its adjus-
The French 332-MW Malgovert power plant was put into operation in 1953. 65 years later, in 2012, Bilfinger VAM was com-missioned to refurbish the penstock system consisting of two parallel, above-ground steel penstocks with a diameter of 2.2 m. Theoperating pressure ranges from 10 to 85 bar. The refurbishment contract comprises the replacement of 15 percent of the entire pen-stock, including elbow pipes, joints, armatures and saddle clamps, among other components. The company had to replace allexisting saddle clamps of the lower half of the penstock with new side- and height-adjustable clamps. The installation works start-ed in 2013 and are to be completed in 2015. [by Ronald Hödl, Bilfinger, VAM, based on his presentation at Viennahydro Conference 2014]
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A table length the penstock was cut and thejoint was repositioned. Welding in a new steelring filled the resulting gap. Image 3 showshow the adjustment was executed. Each ofthese circular welding seams is a sign of therepositioning of the joint.Of course the movement of the slope alsoaffected the existing pipe saddles. Over theyears the concrete saddles shifted from theiroriginal position, in most cases they sank intothe ground. The existing penstock had notbeen designed with height-adjustable ele-ments and for this reason simple measureshad been taken over the years, such as puttingsimple supporters underneath the penstock(see image 4).Summarized, the status of the penstock beforerefurbishment reveals that the limited com-pensation of the length of the penstock resul-
Bilfinger VAM Anlagentechnik has been working on the refurbishment of the steeldouble penstock system of the French 332-MW Malgovert power plant since 2013.
REFURBISHMENT OF THE EDF MALGOVERTHYDROPOWER PLANT PENSTOCK
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ted in the installation of additional steel rings. The alignment of thepenstock close to the power house was out of line. Some rings wereinstalled with insufficient fillet welds. The concrete foundationsrequired new support. The gap between several pipe saddles and thepenstock amounted to up to 40 cm (Image 4) and was closed withprovisional supporters. In the bicurcations of the penstock, the flangeconnections ∅ DN2100 to ∅ DN1400 were welded on the inside, aswere the connections of the bifurcation from ∅ DN1400 to ∅DN1000.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH TECHNOLOGY FROM THE 1950SThe original penstock was manufactured in a way typical of the early1950s. Between the massive concrete foundations the thin-walled pen-stocks were supported by steel wire ropes or high-strength steel rings(Image 6). At the concrete foundations conventional pipes were used.The bifurcations were made of thick-walled cast steel. Baffle plateswere placed on the inside to reduce flow loss.The planning for the refurbishment of the penstocks started back in2007. Five years later Bilfinger VAM Anlagentechnik was commissio-ned with the mechanical part of the project. The contract comprisedthe manufacture and installation of the affected section of the pen-stock, of the connections, the steel construction components and thesupervision equipment. The entire project is executed by a consorti-um consisting of Bilfinger VAM Anlagentechnik and project leaderSpie Batignolles TPCI. The latter company is responsible for allnecessary construction measures, the construction site and the infra-structure of the site.
REFURBISHMENTS AND NEW INSTALLATIONSThe contract for the plant engineer experts in detail included providingnew components, which were to replace original elements, as well asrefurbishing old construction parts. Newly manufactured and installedcomponents comprised all of the 12 length adjustable joints in theaffected section – including manholes, all interface pipes (connectingthe old thin-walled, rope-supported pipe and the old thick-walledpipe), the branch pipes of the bifurcations 1400/1000, the bifurcations,the majority of adjustable pipe saddles as well as the drainage system.A smaller part of the contract were refurbishing works. Flange connec-tions of the bifurcations, corrosion protection of existing constructionelements, the armatures of the drainage system and even the frames ofthe bifurcations 1400/1000 were refurbished.During the replacement works and the installation of new elements,and eventually during the pressure tests, some defects of the compo-nents were ascertained. For this reason some construction elements hadto be redesigned and were integrated into the concept, such as thereplacement of steel wire ropes with steel bands on the connectingpipes. Furthermore all 4 bifurcations 1400/1000 were replaced withnew ones, as they had been welded on the inside at the underwater sec-tion of the flange connection.
OLD AND NEW REQUIREMENTSThe engineers of Bilfinger VAM Anlagentechnik faced huge challengeswith some important intersections of old and new components. Thefirst step was to define a harmonised basis for requirements of themanufactured parts from the old days and those of today. It turned outthat the definition of these standards was more difficult than their cal-
To compensate for the slope movement occurring by the years, new steel rings were installed
whenever the joint range was exhausted.
Schematic illustration of thepenstock: the double-lined penstockruns across a total length of 1,459 m.It is laid above ground and supportedby 17 foundations and further con-crete supporters placed at intervalsof 8 to 9 m. Before the penstockenters the power house it is dividedin two succeeding branchings.
The pipe with a new length-adjustable joint.The pipe with a new length-adjustable joint.
The original penstock showeda considerable gap to the existing pipe saddles.
A penstock section with the new pipe saddles alreadyinstalled. The image shows the wire rope support on
the existing penstock.
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culation. The definition concerned the safetyconcept, the standards, the inclusion of loa-ding cases – such as earthquakes, and generalsystem calculations. The latter was relevantsince the penstock system is now to be opera-ted as an “open system”, meaning the lengthis to be compensated through open and flexi-ble connections (joints), to name only one ofthe comprehensive calculations made.150 drafts were submitted to and accepted bythe client company by July 2014, revisionsnot included. Since the power plant has beenbuilt in the 1950s not all technical documen-tation was available.
REAL MODEL FOR TEST PURPOSESPrevious to the detail engineering works vario-us parameters had to be defined. The axis ofthe new penstock had to be partly re-establis-hed as it had shifted in some sections due toslope movements. The most important docu-ments for these calculations were recent mea-surements from 2012. Since the operating
66 May 2015
system was to be replaced by an “opensystem” the effects of any possible tiltingangle of the joints of up to 1 degree had to bedefined. Early on in the project a functionalmodel was built to receive well-founded data.The essential details were realized 1:1 to sub-ject the seals for the structure element to rea-listic conditions and thus collect the mostauthentic data.Furthermore various parameters and specifi-cations had to be considered regarding thesupports: first inspections made it clear thatthe existing penstock structure was in no waydesigned to withstand extraordinary forces,such as earthquakes. Due to a lack of reinfor-cement elements in the civil structure theload transfer is rather limited. To compensatefor the geological movements it is necessaryfor the supports to be adjustable vertically,laterally and axially. The aim is to embed thepenstock in a saddle design, which allows foroperation in any kind of loading conditions.At the connecting pipes several steel wire
ropes had to be removed to perform the wel-dings. As a consequence the ropes were repla-ced with clamping elements (steel bands). Thebifurcations were designed to withstand anoperating pressure of 85 bar – and a test ope-rating pressure of about 129 bar (Image 9).
MATERIAL AND WELDING QUALITYThe material used consisted mainly of steel,meeting EN ISO standards and specific pro-ject-related standards. High-performancesteel was used for the new penstock. Themain reason for its use was a possible weightreduction and the limited crane capacity onthe site due to the local conditions.The high number of welding works was car-ried out in accordance with the highest possi-ble standards. The high quality was confir-med by the results of the subsequent qualityinspection applying the common EN and ENISO standards. 85 percent of the weldingworks had been completed in July 2014 andshowed a welding defect rate of less than 0.55percent, that is 15 m of defective weldingseam per 2,745 m. 100 percent of the wel-ding seams on the penstock were checked byVAM's own quality controllers (Image 8),employing state-of-the-art equipment fornon-destructive testing. A novelty on the sitewas the application of an automated ultra-sonic weld inspection. More than 100 wel-ding seams were generated adding up to atotal length of 750 m.
THE CHALLENGE OF THE INSTALLATIONA minor, yet essential part of the project'ssuccess was the eagerness of Bilfinger VAMAnlagentechnik's team to adapt to the Frenchculture, local customs, etc. Some ofBilfinger's workers quickly managed to com-municate on the construction site with theirFrench colleagues in their language.The first task was to dismantle the existingpipes. The team had to work under time pres-sure, since the deadlines were given. Projects
The flange connection on one of the bifurcations 2100/1400 has been repaired. The originalconsist of thick-walled cast steel. They have been optimized against flow loss through baffleplates on the inside.
So far more than two thirds of thewelding works have been completed.The inspection showed a weldingdefect rate of less than 0.55 percent.
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like this can sometimes feel like a race against time. Furthermore theinstallation works began in the winter time and the team had to per-form their job in snow, wind and freezing temperatures.An important aspect was the safety on site: Bilfinger VAMAnlagentechnik has a record of extremely few workplace accidents.Before the construction works began exact standards concerning safetyon site had been elaborated together with the client and the safetycoordinator. Again Bilfinger's standards proved successful.
FLEXIBILITY AND BEST SKILLSOn average about 65 Bilfinger VAM Anlagentechnik workers are onsite, working night and day shifts. If more staff is needed the compa-ny's workforce can quickly and easily be supplemented. It is importantfor the team to have special machines and vehicles available at all times.The rather difficult accessibility of the construction site required the
use of walking excavators, snowmobiles and other specific equipment.The company has a large assortment of gadgets and machines. In cer-tain sections of the site even helicopter operations were necessary. TheBilfinger VAM Anlagentechnik team was able to demonstrate its greatflexibility in more than one situation, for example when the team dis-covered defective parts on the penstock and together with EDF had tocome up with a quick technical solution to remain on schedule. Thissituation revealed the perfect in-house collaboration between thedepartments for design, structural analysis and manufacturing as wellas the installation team on site. The refurbishment project is not yetfinished, but will undoubtedly be completed successfully. BilfingerVAM Anlagentechnik not only offered its renowned extensive know-how but was a reliable partner to the client in meeting the economicconditions to realize this complex project within its given limits. [by mechanical engineers Ronald Hödl and Clemens Keplinger]
New interface pipe withintegrated manhole.
Helicopter operations were required forthe transport of materials due to the diffi-cult accessibility of the construction site.
The refurbishment works are to besuccessfully completed this year.
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raun Maschinenfabrik, based inVöcklabruck, Upper Austria, has beenengaged successfully in the fields of
hydraulic steel engineering and the construc-tion of trash rack cleaning machines for over50 years. In a business area that is constantlygrowing, Braun offers individual solutions topower plants of all sizes with a comprehensi-ve product range. Braun's portfolio coversconventional cable winches, hydraulic teles-copic arm trash rack cleaners, fully automaticcleaning machines with articulated arms thatare movable along tracks, as well as all usualtypes of trash rack cleaners. Braun's largesttrash rack cleaning machine with an articula-ted arm is employed at the Sohlstufe Lehenpower plant in the center of the city ofSalzburg. This machine is a showcase projectin its own right as the parameters for dimen-sion and total weight have broken many in-house records.
LARGER – FARTHER – HEAVIERThe trash rack cleaning machine with an arti-culated arm is a tool that moves along tracks
BRAUN'S TRASH RACK CLEANERS PERFORM WELL AROUND THE WORLD
Braun Maschinenfabrik GmbH's largest trash rackcleaning machine with an articulated arm is employed at
the “Sohlstufe Lehen” power plant in Mozart's hometown.
and consists of a traction and a rotary drive.The balance weight, the booth, the switchbo-ard and the hydraulic power unit are assem-bled on the rotating upper operating console.The main arm has a total length of 14 m anda weight of 5 tons and is also attached to theupper operating console. The cleaner rake isattached together with the grabber to the lo-wer end of the 12.3-m-long articulated arm.During the cleaning process the rake tines ofthe cleaner rake enter the fine rack. At thisstage the grabber is open and will not closearound the collected debris until it reaches
the water surface. The grabber bottom is ro-tatable and is put into the initial position du-ring the cleaning process. After the cleaningprocess is completed the grabber bottom onthe upper end of the rake is slewed all the wayup. The collected debris falls into the rakethrough this “spooning-like motion”. Thenthe grabber closes and the trash rack cleanermoves to the container. During the emptyingprocess the grabber bottom is slewed all theway down and the debris falls out of the rake.In this position the grabber is securely hol-ding on to debris of any size.
Bhutan, Costa Rica, Germany,Albania, Italy, South Africa – these arejust a few countries where plant opera-tors rely on the technical know-how ofAustrian Braun MaschinenfabrikGmbH and the top-quality perfor-mance of the company's trash rackcleaners. The product range of thehydraulic steel engineering expertscovers trash rack cleaning machines ina variety of designs. From large-scale tosmall-scale power plants, Braun has thesolution to all requirements and appli-cation needs.
B
The product portfolio of the Upper Austrian hydraulic steel engineers offers the right cleaner solution for any powerplant. Pictured here is a conventional cable winch machine that keeps the inlet of the power plant free from debris.
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Between 2009 and 2014 many other extra-large trash rack cleaning machines with arti-culated arms were ordered by the Germanenergy suppliers EnBW and LEW/BEW forequipping various power plants on theDanube and the Neckar River. An extraordi-narily large unit is used at the Knochendorfpower plant on the Neckar River. Braun designed a tailor-made unit with acleaner rake breadth of 3.4 m. The completecleaning breadth amounts to 30.6 m. Themachine moves in both directions alongtracks of a length of 39 m. The trash rackcleaner, which was installed by companyexperts, is designed for the fully automaticexecution of 9 different cleaning positions.Trash rack cleaners with articulated armshave been part of the product portfolio of the
Upper Austrian hydraulic steel engineerssince 2005. Braun has built an excellentreputation in the field of trash rack cleanersand has been successful with countless plantsaround the world.
SMALL DESIGN – HUGE OUTPUTFor some years now smaller hydropowerplants have benefited from Braun's experi-ence in the planning and execution ofcleaning devices for large-scale plants.Because of the increase in orders by small-scale hydropower plant operators, Braun'sengineers have adapted their collected know-how of large-scale projects onto smallerpower plants. The results are tailor-made telescopic armtrash rack cleaners offering the most reliable
cleaning performance and an excellent cost-performance ratio, just as their “big brothers”do.The telescopic cleaners were first used in2012 in Upper Austria, at the inlet channelof the small-scale hydropower plant ofLudwig Hatschek AG, where the old, worn-out traveling screens had been replaced.The conclusion for the operator, one yearafter the cleaner was put into operation, isthat the functionality of the telescopic armtrash rack cleaners is absolutely identical tothat seen in larger plants. During fully auto-matic operations it keeps the protective rack,which is located at the inlet, free from debrisand in this way contributes considerably toan undisturbed and smooth operation of thepower plant.
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Braun Maschinenfabrik has manufactured trash rack cleaners for decades and hasbecome a reliable partner for large-scale as well as small-scale plant operators.
Smaller in design, but with the same reliable wor-king performance as its “big brothers”: The teles-copic arm trash rack cleaners of the power plantoperated by the company Ludwig Hatschek AG,based in Vöcklabruck.
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Smaller in design, but with the same reliable wor-king performance as its “big brothers”: The teles-copic arm trash rack cleaners of the power plantoperated by the company Ludwig Hatschek AG,based in Vöcklabruck.
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he Enerpass power plant was one ofthe biggest hydropower plant projectsin South Tyrol in the last few years.
For the installation of the penstocks the ope-rators of the Enerpass power plant relied onthe notable reputation of Gufler Metall, as somany other hydropower plant operators hadcounted on the company before. Havingstarted off as a two-men operation, GuflerMetall over the years has gained an excellentreputation through a variety of many success-fully realized projects. The company's know-how surfaces in the planning, the executionand the installation of projects in almost allsections of the hydraulic steel engineeringfield, as the following overview of GuflerMetall's product range shows.
FLOOD GATES AND FLAP GATESFlood gates are shut-off and control devices.They are important for the smooth operation
Within the last two decades Gufler Metall KG, a company founded in 1991 in South Tyrol, has risen from a small business to aleading company in the field of hydraulic steel engineering. In the early years Gufler Metall focussed on forging, but has meanwhileshifted to delivering the most competent assistance for everything that has to do with hydraulic steel engineering, metal constructionand penstock welding. The company has accumulated a long list of references in the recent past, having engaged in almost all hydro-power plant projects in the South Tyrolean area. In the following we'll have a closer look at the product range of the hydraulic steelengineering experts.
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SOUTH TYROLEAN HYDRAULIC STEEL ENGINEERS MEET ALL NEEDS
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of a hydropower plant as they enable an exactregulation of the flow rate and the completeshut-off or damming of the water. The pro-duct range of the hydraulic steel engineeringcompany, based in the Passeier Valley, is veryextensive, consisting of slide gates, rollergates, double flood gates and sluice gates withattached flap gates. Larger weirs are oftenprovided with flap gates of different sizes, themost common version being the fish bellyflap gate.These gates are powered by hydraulic cylin-ders and hydraulic power units using biode-gradable oil. The flood gates and the flapgates are robust in construction and builtwith high-quality steel to ensure long life andstout sealing.
PENSTOCK PROTECTION VALVESIn an emergency penstock protection valvesprevent huge or even irreparable damage to
the machine unit through a quick interventi-on. Gufler Metall's penstock protection val-ves make sure the electromechanical geardoes not suffer damage when water leaks. Inan emergency situation a falling weight isactivated within seconds through a reliablemechanical release mechanism setting off ahydraulic closing dynamic, which then locksdown the process water channel. GuflerMetall's penstock protection valves are deli-vered ready-for-assembly with inlet cone,bypass and junctions for ventilation.
TRASH RACK CLEANERSIn most cases an inlet trash rack needs anappropriate cleaning device in order to gua-rantee a smooth operation. Gufler Metall'ssturdy trash rack cleaners are the best soluti-on for protective racks of all kinds. The com-pany offers trash rack cleaners with a single ormultiple telescopic arm design as well as
Gufler Metall KG, based in the Passeier Valley, South Tyrol, offers comprehensive services for all things hydraulic steel engineering.
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The Coanda trash racks run without an additional rack cleaner due to an integrated self-cleaning effect.
cleaners with an articulated arm. Customerscan choose between electromechanical andhydraulic power units using biodegradableoil, just as with the flood gates and the flapgates. The power units are built into unob-trusive switchboards. Depending on the cus-tomer's requirements the movable parts ofthe trash rack cleaner will be provided ascrude steel, steel with protective coating orgalvanized steel. Moreover the hydraulic steelengineering company offers racks for classicTyrolean weirs with gap spacings of variousdimensions. The rack design can be executedin extra-robust wear-resistant layers as well aswith integrated plates for the residual flow.As for the material customers have a choice ofcrude steel, hot-dip galvanized or stainlesssteel.
COANDA TRASH RACKSOperators in modern Alpine small-scalehydropower plants turn more and more toCoanda trash racks for sediment depositionsystems. In most hydropower projects theseprotective racks are installed into the weirplant after the coarse rack. Their self-cleaningoperating technology can also be used asmaintenance-free protective filter for pen-stocks of all kinds. The installation of a Co-anda rack can considerably reduce plant, ope-ration and maintenance costs. These racks areavailable in various dimensions and are madeof stainless steel. They are mainly used withflowing waters, whether a water catchment isnewly built or simply remodelled. The nar-row rack bar spacing and the eponymousCoanda-effect reliably keep any sedimentparticles of 0.5 mm in diameter or higher outof delicate machinery parts, thus preventingplugging and damage. The operation of aCoanda trash rack is not even affected by fro-sty temperatures of -25° Celsius, as many of
Gufler Metall's reference projects, whichhave been in operation for more than twentyyears without any problems, can prove.
TOP SERVICE BY TOP PROFESSIONALSFamily-run Gufler Metall, now employing atotal of 15 people, links its steady success totwo interdependent key aspects. One is kee-
ping customer satisfaction at a maximum bysuccessfully combining high-quality on-timeservices with a fair cost performance ratio.The second aspect is having jobs only perfor-med by top-qualified experts, whom thefounding members, brothers Alfred andGothard Gufler, call their most valuableresource.
Hydraulic steel engineering components have to resist powerful forces in Alpine terrain.Certified Gufler Metall experts provide a top-quality performance.
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he way the Muhr screen drums work issimple, yet extremely efficient. The
screen drum consists of a cylindrical trashrack screen that rotates about its central axis.A built-in electric motor unit keeps the drumin constant rotary motion. This causes thecollected floating debris to be pushedtowards a wiping strip, where it is washedaway by the drag flow, resulting in a self-cleaning effect. As it integrates easily into exi-sting facilities without the need for extensiveconstructional work, the drum system withits self-cleaning capabilities helps to save costsand effort when it comes to debris removal.Another welcome characteristic of the new
Well known for their reliable hydropower systems, solution provider Muhr introduces a new, innovative protective screen drumsystem as the latest addition to their extensive product range. As an alternative to horizontal trash rack systems, the Bavarian-basedcompany’s patented RO-TEC screen drums combine high efficiency with optimum installation and maintenance characteristicswhile ensuring ecological compatibility.
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SCREEN DRUMS MAKE POWER PLANTOPERATORS’ HEARTS BEAT FASTER
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technology is its high level of fail-safety, aseach drum unit is equipped with its ownmotor, which allows it to operate indepen-dently from other units. Naturally, the motorunits are 100 per cent watertight, whichmeans the entire screen drum system can beflooded without risk of damage.
BENEFITS FOR OPERATORSAside from smooth, trouble-free operation, akey requirement for operators is that theunits must be easy to service and maintain.This is why ease of maintenance was a toppriority in the design of this brand-new pro-tective screen drum system. As a result, the
drums are not only quick and easy to install,they can be removed just as easily for main-tenance purposes. This way, any repair work– although unlikely to be necessary, thanks tothe use of durable technology and only fewmoving parts – can be performed safely andconveniently “on dry land”. In the meantime,stop logs can be fitted to the drum’s guiderails to ensure continuous operation of thefacility. Another big plus of the new drums is theextremely short installation procedure. De-livered by lorry, the units are lifted onto theguide rails (these must be provided in advan-ce at the building site) and installed properly
An innovative alternative to horizontal trash rack systems: RO-TEC screen drums by Muhr.
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by Muhr technicians. The entire procedure takes no longer than 60minutes. Once installed and electrically connected, the drums areready to go.
SCREEN DRUMS MADE TO MEASUREDepending on individual project requirements, the screeen drums canbe custom manufactured to suit the operator’s needs. Screen Drumsizes range between 500 mm and 2.800 mm in diameter and 500 mmto 10.000 mm in height. The screens are made from galvanised high-grade steel and are available in slot widths from 2 mm to more than50 mm. Operators can choose from a variety of grid profiles, depen-ding on the slot width and ambient conditions at the installation site.A potentially unlimited number of drums can be combined into a sin-gle screening system to accommodate facilities of any size.The RO-TEC drums are suitable for water sampling points of anykind, cooling water and process water treatment plants, and, of course,hydropower facilities.
ECOLOGICALLY SUPERIOR‘Fish friendliness’ is another beneficial feature of the screen drum.Thanks to the specially designed screen profile, water-based animalscannot get caught in the device or sustain injuries from sharp edges.Also, the round, drum-shaped design provides about 1.5 times the sur-face area of standard screens, which reduces the water flow velocityaround the device. This means a considerably lower risk of fish beingsucked into the system. With its low construction height, the compo-nents of this patented screen system also integrate smoothly into exi-sting river landscape. What is more, the resource-saving operation ofthe device requires no oils or other lubricants, which eliminates theneed for the disposal of problematic waste.
The screen drum suits many applications, combining well-designedtechnology and ecological compatibility. Thanks to their compactdesign, the screen drums integrate smoothly into existing facilities.
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o matter what the customer requirements, Danner Maschinen-bau GmbH construct and manufacture all their hydropowerweir gate components in-house. This includes everything from
weir baffles and radial gates with attached control flaps to variouskinds of sliding or roller gates. Over the years, the mechanical engi-neering firm with its team of 58 employees has built up a reputationthat reaches well beyond Upper Austria.Today, more than 400 customers from Austria and abroad rely ontheir extensive technical knowledge and experience. Apart from facili-ties in Austria, numerous power plants in Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria,Romania, the Czech Republic and Iceland carry the hallmark ofDanner technology.
40 M WEIR OVERFLOW IN THE STODERTAL A perfect example of how to integrate a power plant into the sur-rounding landscape is the Tambergau facility, located not far fromPetten-bach in the Hinterstoder region. Here, the water proceedsfrom the intake at the naturally designed overflow crest to a non-pressure channel and on to the power house, which resembles aresidential building. In 2008 Danner manufactured and installeda wide range of equipment for the power station, which has a stan-dard capacity of between 2.5 and 3 GWh. The items delivered andinstalled included, among others, a flap gate, a discharge sluice-gate, the segmental valve, the intake gate for the residual water tur-bine, the steel lining of the stilling basin, and the fine rack. Danneralso renovated the existing gate structure in the non-pressure chan-nel to put it back into good working order.
SUCCESSFUL HIGH-WATER CONCEPT Hydropower plant Möderbrugg in the Pölstal region in the Austrianprovince of Styria was equipped by Danner with a massive fish bellygate, which also eliminated residents’ concerns about possible floods. Agate measuring 14 m x 4 m was constructed and installed to ensure anefficient discharge of flood water. The entire structure is designed fordischarging the water of floods with a return period of 150 years.Overall, around 2,000 cubic metres of concrete were used for weir con-struction alone. In addition, Danner also supplied the entire hydraulicsteelwork structures, including the spillway gate with attached weirbaffle and the intake and fish pass gates, as well as a fully automatedtelescopic trash rack cleaner. Hydropower plant Möderbrugg was con-nected to the grid in October 2013 and generates around 7 GWh ofclean energy per year.
THE BIG CHALLENGE: FLOOD PROTECTIONWorking on a hydropower project in Hauzenberg in Bavaria,Germany, Danner technicians were faced with the challenge of develo-ping a functional control flap solution to help protect the industrialpremises some 500 m further downstream from possible floods. Forthis purpose, the old overflow crest is soon to be replaced by a new,hydraulically operated control flap. As the water level was required notto rise, this led to a device with rather extreme proportions: 16 m inlength and just 0.8 m high. For the Danner technicians, this meantthey had to come up with a highly solid, torsion resistant solution. Soin August 2014 they went into high gear, working a busy schedule atthe production site in Pettenbach to complete the control gate. Thiscontract once again underscores the ability of Danner MaschienenbauGmbH to master the most complex of requirements.
Headquartered in Pettenbach in Upper Austria, DannerMaschinenbau GmbH has been serving a growing base ofsatisfied customers since its foundation in 1980. Whether withtheir turbines, hydrodynamic screws, hydraulic steelwork engi-neering or revitalisation work, Danner’s team of technicianshave consistently lived up to their customers’ expectations. Theyhave also proven their experience and know-how in weir gatesystems, which allows them to provide ideal solutions to suitany facility. By now, word of this high level of professional per-formance has spread beyond Austria.
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SUCCESS FOR AUSTRIAN MECHANICAL ENGINEERINGSUPPLIER IN WEIR STRUCTURE PROJECT
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fish-belly gate that protects residents in theStyrian Möderbrugg region from future floods.
The weir gate, blending smoothly into the landscapein the Hinterstoder region in Upper Austria.
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Patented removal HSR systems have been convincing customers of their safety, economic viability, efficiency and operationalreliability ever since 2001, as has been proven by the installation of over 61 desander plants in Switzerland, Austria andItaly. The HSR sander removal system is employed at small power stations, large water catchment plants, gravel rinsing chan-nels and for several other special applications. Their implementation in renovation projects has also been shown to be success-ful in increasing efficiency.
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DESANDER SYSTEMS FOR HYDROPOWERPLANTS – STATE OF THE ART
REQUIREMENTS FOR DESANDER SYSTEMSAND DESANDER EQUIPMENTDesander systems are expected to remove thegreatest possible amount of sediment fromwater passing through the plant. Rinsingchannels and gravel removal devices oftenhave to deal with very large sediment granulesizes. Furthermore, desander basins also haveto remove very fine sedimentation. Almostall of this work is done in a long and narrowabove-ground sand catchment channel thatruns along the preflood basin and rinses inthe same direction as the main flow; orbelow-ground in excavated rock caverns withrinsing against the direction of the watercatchment. In both cases a small cross-secti-on desander can raise the shaft in the rinsingchannel and lower building costs. The cross-section of sedimentation is determined bythe structures of the hydro-plant. An efficient removal system can reduce thecross-section of sediment and the rinsing pipecan be positioned in a fairly high position. Incombination with simple basin shapes, it ispossible to achieve significant constructioncost savings and implementation can be seento be viable in various projects.
Water catchment at Stanzertal power station:• 3 Sediment-Abzugrohre DN 600 x 44m,
3 x 2 sediment gauging devices
Tumpen-Habichen power station:• 6 sediment removal pipes DN 600 x 42.5m
desander• 1 sediment removal pipe DN 600 x 60m
gravel rinsing channel
Large-scale projects in Austria:
he system meets operator require-ments for large-scale plants with im-mense sediment precipitation; as well
as in smaller plants and for the renovation ofexisting infrastructure. Several benefits havecome to the fore, such as a very limited degreeof wear, despite dealing with extreme loads;lower maintenance costs and work, whileguaranteeing a higher degree of operationalreliability; significantly improved safety dueto a reduction of the susceptibility to build-up surges in the preflood channels, completecontrol of the rinsing process and a largedegree of acceptance among the authoritiesresponsible for granting licenses due to areduction of negative environmental impactto an absolute minimum.Fully automated, monitored, remotecontrol systems offer reliable
solutions for
inaccessible plants, for the reduction of staf-fing expenses and compliance with environ-mental and safety directives. The HSR sandremoval system stands up to the extremeabrasion generated by alpine stream catch-ments. Furthermore, it meets the currentrequirements of plant operators in terms ofeconomical operation and minimisation ofmaintenance costs.
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Typical water catchment equip-ment at a small-scale power station with
removal pipe, sediment gauge and rinse feeder
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REQUIREMENTS FOR POWER STATION FACILITIESModern power station facilities have to adaptto the needs of the market. They must be safefor customers, conform to general standards,and offer operational reliability, availabilityand serviceability. They also have to meetclient requirements, legal requirements, pro-duct and work safety standards, and be – andremain – in good working order. Optimisedlifecycle expenditure has to be achieved witha minimum of investment, high efficiencyand low costs of operation and maintenance.
Large water catchment with extremely large amounts of abrasive sediment. Surges havebeen reduced to a safe level by rinsing. ph
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For reasons of safety and environmental protection it is necessary to besure the preflooding basin is supplied in a careful and controlled man-ner. Minimal amounts of rinsing water and controlled concentrationsof sediment, combined with flexible and adaptable automated con-trols, both remote and on site, are now realistic aims. Operations cancompletely avoid rinsing during the daytime and supply water to thepreflooding basin gently and in a biologically friendly manner.Modern operative management requires maintenance and replace-ment to be conducted without downtime. Electro-technical devicesare expected to be maintained and made operable with as little inter-ruption, effort and expenditure as possible. Inspections and cleaningwork need to be carried out with the necessary efficiency, while alsocorresponding with current work safety standards. Today, manymoving electrical, hydraulic and mechanical components in desandingbasins that deal with water with high concentrations of sediment, nolonger meet all the latest specifications as regards reliability, availabili-ty, maintenance and safety. Flushing gates often require special techni-cal set-ups.
PATENTED SEDIMENT REMOVAL SYSTEM HSRThe HSR sediment removal system was developed as a customised wel-ded construction and was optimised during a series of elaborate hydrau-lic model tests. The diameter is selected according to the overall dimen-sions. In practice, in the majority of cases this involves the installationof removal systems with a diameter of 600mm. There are standardisedsolutions with a diameter of 800mm for larger desanders and also smal-ler 400mm diameter standardised solutions.
Based on the scale model experiments it was possible to reduce theamount of water required for rinsing to less than 20% of the volumeneeded by a conventional narrow rinsing channel, so for most versionsof the preflooding basin, there is no need for alert-water. The resultantsaving of rinsing water can rise to over 90%.The removal pipes can be placed in a desander basin with a square cross-section without a drop in efficiency. This provides a simple, low-cost,high-volume desanding chamber with a minimal excavation section, ora higher installation height with less digging required. In the cornersabove the rinsing pipe and on the opposite side, dependent upon theangle of precipitation, there are persistent sloping sediment deposits.The rinsing and emptying processes do not remove them completely.However, for the ongoing removal of sediment this is not an issue. Anideal and clean solution is the setting in concrete of a 45° slope alongthe removal pipe.An extension pipe is required in the removal units for cleaning purposes.The sediment removal pipes can be operated and maintained simplyand cheaply. Repairs and replacements can be done easily and withoutgreat effort or expense. The sediment removal elements enable the sedi-ment basin to be designed in such a way as to allow easy access; andmaintenance can be conducted in a hazard-free environment.
The removal system consists of the following parts:• Steel pipe (cone) connector integrated during construction and lin-king up to the rinsing pipe• Extension pipe for viable servicing opportunities• Modular rinsing pipe with evenly spaced rinsing chambers• Adjustable lid to fine-tune the rinsing jet openings
Rehabilitation is possible by new rinsing chests and cover plates instal-led in the rinsing slot with a minimum of adaptive work. It has beendesigned in such a way as to allow problem-free installation in the nar-row rinsing channels.
The rinsing pipe and rinsing chest are designed in such a way as to faci-litate the following functions:• Opening the rinsing organ triggers the rinsing process• A hydraulic switch effect triggers the removal process • The systematically established turbulent flow makes it possible toincrease drag speed without additional loss• The rinser can be directed from the initial opening to the rinsing ope-ning, and closed once rinsing has been completed.
Efficient sediment removal withaffordable construction andsafe inspection access.
A comparison of a cross section of a conven-tional desander basin with the opportunitiesopened up by the installation of an HSR sedi-ment removal system: Digging and excavationsavings, significantly higher positioning of therinsing pipe. This makes it possible to installrinsing pipelines, even in very flat terrain.
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Improvement in the efficiencyand operational availability ofa desander with worn out bla-des: HSR sediment removaland low/no-wear base platesfor the restoration of the baseand corners.
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There are two distinct rinsing procedures:• Rinsing procedure during operation (automatic operation possible):Uninterrupted catchment: Maximum efficiency of solid materialremoval using the least possible volume of water. To ensure full use ismade of the sediment removal system it is necessary to be equippedwith a rinsing pusher that can be set to operate at a suitably high speed.• Emptying procedures (can also be done via remote control).Complete removal of all solids (according to the shape of the settlingbasin). This rinsing process is used when the water catchment systemis switched off, to empty the precipitation basin, to ensure subsequentdistribution of the preflooding basin, and for inspections.
In the case of desanders with a concrete ceiling, a maintenance hatchwith an opening large enough for installation and servicing work is animperative recommendation. This also goes for assembly and installa-tion aids on the desander roof. The opening is designed to enable theinstallation of a rinsing pipe.HSR sediment removal systems can also be built into gravel removalsystems, gravel rinsing channels, driftwood and flotsam collectors,equalising basins and cold water basins. It can cope with stones up tothe size of those used under railway tracks, and even larger stones ifcovered by sufficient water.
FLUSHING GATESGood experiences have been made with low-cost, rust-free plate feedrods with self-cleaning guide grooves and covered seals. Minimal life-cycle costs can be achieved when replacement servicing is carried out.For heavy duty usage there are high performance rinsing feeders withself-cleaning guide grooves and non-rusting, well protected sealing sur-faces. Robust hydraulic engines drive the feeders very effectively.
SEDIMENT GAUGINGFull capacity vibration probes meet today’s maintenance requirementsvery cost effectively. There is no need to install underwater deviceswhatsoever. The probes can be serviced and replaced without interrup-ting operation or lowering water levels. Access shafts to sediment gau-ging devices are highly recommended.
STILLING GRIDSSedimentation basins react very sensitively to sudden additions to flowvolumes. For this reason stilling grids are mostly installed at the end ofa sloping inflow cone. The components can suffer damage if filling istoo rapid or if there are sudden cloudbursts. The individual parts have
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Modern, low-costsediment gauging device.
to be light and easily replaced. Modern manufacturing methods enablethe production of robust and affordable grids of non-rusting steel, thusfulfilling all current product safety and work safety requirements.
WATER DISCHARGE FACILITIESA constant water level and the correct placement of low-sediment-con-tent water allow logically calculated and precise water discharge facili-ties for preflood channels and basins. Seasonal adaptions to dischargevolumes are achieved simply. Compensation of rinsing water loss canbe managed with the necessary effort. Separate water discharge facili-ties are more economically viable and provide clearer and exacterrecords of the amount of water discharged in comparison with directdischarge via the sediment removal facilities.
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENTSteps and access facilities enable maintenance work and inspections tobe conducted safely. Inspection hatches, built-in lifting gear and thecorresponding design of desander basins and sediment removal infra-structure make servicing a safe job.
Further reading:- Bernhard Truffer, Martin Küttel, Jürg Meier: „Wasserfassung Titer der
GKW – Entsanderabzüge System HSR in grossen Entsanderanlagen“, Wasser Energie Luft 2009 Heft 3, CH5401 Baden
- Prof. Dr. Robert Boes „Wasserbau Fassungen“; Professur für Wasserbau ETH Zürich
- Christoph Ortmanns: „Entsander von Wasserkraftanlagen“; Dissertation 2006, VAW ETH Zürich
- Heinz Patt, Peter Gonsowski: „Wasserbau“ 7. Auflage 2011, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
Author:Prof. Jürg Meier, Dipl. Masch. Ing. ETH, Institut für Anlagen- und Sicherheitstechnik SITEC,HSR Hochschule für Technik RapperswilOberseestrasse 10, CH 8640 Rapperswilwww.sitec.hsr.chRust-free stilling grid construction - optimi-
sed for reliability, maintenance and safety.
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or decades there were no viable alter-natives to weirs made of concrete andsteel. However, rubber dam technolo-
gy has developed rapidly in the last few deca-des. One pioneer, the European market lea-der in this sector, is Hydroconstruct, a com-pany based in Steyr in Upper Austria. Havingnow completed almost 100 dam systems andbeing armed with 37 years of practical expe-rience, Hydroconstruct’s know-how is unsur-passed. The secret of the company’s commer-cial success lies in a well-balanced blend ofexpertise in hydraulic engineering, creativity,prudent partnerships and ample research.Both the standards and functionality of theirproducts are constantly being adapted anddeveloped true to the motto ‘standstill is astep backwards’.
Ashta power station in northern Albaniachose to install a Hydroconstruct rubber damsystem along a length of 250 m and at aheight of 2.5 m. The elasticity and workabi-lity of the material facilitates the productionof asymmetrical shapes, horizontally and ver-tically bent forms.
LOW COST AND LOW MAINTENANCEFlexibility and simple operation make therubber dam a good choice for weir operators.The low installation costs and minimal buil-ding and maintenance requirements are bigadvantages of this system. The excellentrobustness of the material allows debris, drift-wood and ice to be discahrged withoutobstruction. Rubber dams are also environ-mentally benign. The absence of mechanical
In 1977, Hydroconstruct from the Austrian town of Steyr built its first inflatable rubber dam for a place called Celje in Slovenia.37 years later the system is still in operation. Today, the Austrian company has successfully completed over 90 projects and is theEuropean market leader in this sector. Affordable construction and installation, problem-free functionality and reliability are justsome of the aspects responsible for the triumphal advance of the rubber dam system. Constant research and development have alsoenhanced functionality of this system over the years. Now it is no problem to achieve weir heights of up to 4.5 m with such a mem-brane. Segmental construction enables weirs of almost any required width to be built. The 3-fold safety concept enables the systemto work completely autonomously, and to minimise flood risk.
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HYDROCONSTRUCT RUBBER DAMS PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE
The Hydroconstruct rubber dam in Bezau, Bregenzerwald, is 25 mlong and can dam water up to 3.2 m deep.
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SEGMENTS OF OVER 100 M IN LENGTH The material for Hydroconstruct’s tubemembrane is a synthetic form of rubber usedin two components with special polyamidewebbing. The useful life of the membraneallows operators to plan for over 40 years ofoperation. The replacement of the tube ele-ments at the end of this period is remarkablysimple. A special vulcanising press operatedby an associated business, RUBENA, makesit possible to manufacture weirs with a heightof 4.5 m in one single piece. By producingthe weir in segments there are almost nolimits to the width of dam. One section,manufactured in one piece, can be over 100m in length, depending on the height of thedam. The only limitation here is the trans-port weight. Hence, the operators of the
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The Spathara Weir constructed for Albania’s Ashta power station is one ofEurope’s largest rubber dams. Constructing the system in segments enablesthe Hydroconstruct rubber dam to reach a length of 250 m.
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parts means there is no risk of lubricants leaking into the water.Wintertime operation is equally simple and unproblematic. The inte-riors of the tubes are kept ice-free by the constant circulation andpumping of water.
HOW THE RUBBER DAM WORKSThe system developed by Hydroconstruct is filled with water.Compared with air-filled systems there is much greater stability andthe tube can be filled or emptied precisely – from completely full toabsolutely empty. Control precision of ± 2 cm is achieved with highlysensitive electronics. The rubber dam is attached to the foundationand the sides of the weir using special clamping rails. Volume is increa-sed by filling the tubes, via the shaft system and through the pipes
installed within the foundation. The crown of the dam is raised allo-wing the head water level to rise. Filling and emptying of the tubes isusually regulated by a pump system. Water is pumped into a fillingshaft and is linked to the regulating shaft via the tube which serves asthe ‘communicating vessel’. The system is equipped with all the devi-ces required to guarantee water level regulation.
3-FOLD SAFETY BACK-UPIn the eventuality of a power failure Hydroconstruct’s rubber has a 3-fold safety back-up system:
Firstly, the dam can be lowered via a hand-operated valve in the•regulating shaft.
Secondly, when the head water level rises, the water in the tubes•is pressed out by the pressure of overflow water. Consequently,the crown of the weir sinks automatically.
Thirdly, emergency release can be achieved by opening an outlet-•driven by gravitational force. This works using a ‘bucket’ that fillsup once the maximum level has been reached, opening the hatchautomatically. The weir reacts automatically when flooding occursand provide the maximum degree of protection for the surroun-ding land.
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r. Roland, if you were to build a powerstation for yourself, what would theideal generator be like?
Roland: I would first of all ask myself what itshould be capable of and then have it designedand built by Hitzinger to these requirements.What the ideal generator needs to do is to bestfulfil customers’ requirements.
Which questions and requirements are at thetop of the list?Roland: Naturally, efficiency and dissipationare of the essence, but this is not all there is to itby far. I have to ask myself how the generatorwill be operated. To answer this question, as theoperator I of course need to know the hydro-graph curve. This is supplemented by questionslike “Are noise emissions an issue?”, “Is mecha-nical robustness playing a main role?”, “Canshock propagation occur?”, “or maybe floods?”.And there can be several more.
This means generators are tailor-made for eachcustomer?Roland: Absolutely. In our factory, you will notfind a generator not showing a customer ID. Wedo not have an anonymous production. Webuild generators from scratch, from magneticdimensioning to the insulation system to thesuitable iron to copper ratio. It is part of ourcompany’s philosophy to address the questionsand suggestions of customers during the plan-ning phase, to counsel them and finally supplythem with a machine that keeps them satisfiedfor decades.
Does that mean that suggestions from custo-mers can prompt further development of gene-rators?Roland: This is exactly what this means. We fre-quently see impulses from practical operationtrigger designs. I would even say that most sug-gestions are market-driven. One thing should
For more than 60 years, Hitzinger has been providing three-phase generators for hydropower and other applications from itsprimary location in Linz, Austria. Not least thanks to their technological maturity, alternators from the long-standing UpperAustrian manufacturer are regarded as unsurpassable on the power generation market. We asked Ing. Helmut Roland whichphilosophy and what formula for success drive the engineers. The experienced mechanical engineer has been dealing with gene-rator design for 36 years, heading Hitzinger’s R&D department for several decades. In an extensive interview, Roland providedus with an interesting insight of the world truly committed designers of electromechanical equipment.
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M not be forgotten: Innovations in mechanicaldesign usually are not the result of a stroke ofgenius but basically requires intense communi-cation.
Where else do suggestions for further develop-ment of Hitzinger generators come from?Roland: First of all, there is maintenance andrepair. I frequently visit repair shops to see whatissues they are confronted with. Also, old genera-tors from the 1930es and 1940es are particular-ly interesting. Looking at old windings, you seethat the engineers of the time have spent anincredible lot of thought within the given possi-bilities. There is a lot to be learned from them,even though especially in the materials fieldthere has been a lot of progress. But there hadbeen quite good material in the past as well.
What about now: Are you increasingly usingnewly developed material?
THROUGH LOVE OF INNOVATION TO MARKET LEADERSHIP
The generator manufacturers based in Linz, Austria, areparticularly proud of the home-designed winding machine
that was optimised several times over the years.
The generator manufacturers based in Linz, Austria, areparticularly proud of the home-designed winding machine
that was optimised several times over the years.
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Roland: We are rather open-minded but very conservative when it comesto application. New materials require laborious, intensive testing andanalysis. We only use what has passed and fulfils our expectations 100 per-cent. You need to differentiate: We are looking intensely at the polyestermaterials used. Although there are standards, guidelines and acceleratedageing tests, it is impossible to determine exactly how long such a plasticwill ultimately last. At the windings, we have been using high-grade insu-lation materials for some time that result in various improvements. Thesheets already come with numerous options. We enjoy the benefits of co-operation with Linz-based manufacturer, voestalpine. They supply state-of-the-art high performance steels low in loss and at the same time highin durability and performance.
What exactly does this mean?Roland: This means that we buy only steel grades with full temperature sta-bility. The same is true for the coating material used. This allows pyrolysisat 450 to 500° C for maintenance or repair without thinking twice. Theorganic material in the winding system is dissolved completely while thesheet metal and its coating remain unharmed. This quality of steel alsoallows utilization of thinner sheets. This reduces losses and results in higheryields for customers.
This presumably also requires close co-operation with the suppliers?Roland: Absolutely. We attempt to co-operate with all our vendors as clo-sely as possible. This means that not only vendors come to us to deal with
the issues and challenges of our production but that I am also most welco-me at all times to visit the development teams of these companies to con-tribute my suggestions. In this way, many interesting new aspects come ourway over time.
Efficiency levels are very high already. Are there still attempts to add theoccasional tenth of a percent more?Roland: As a matter of course, this remains an issue. It is part of our phi-losophy. Basically, though, our efficiency levels are internationally verycompetitive. In my 36-year career with Hitzinger, I have not seen a singlegenerator not fulfilling its efficiency rating.
Which screws remain to be turned to further increase efficiency?Roland: I think that the magnetic steel sheets are key. Still, the questionneeds to be answered in which area the efficiency should be raised. Duringpartial load or during full load, depending on in which mode the generatoris operating most of the time. Any improvement should maximise the over-all yield for the operator. For good reasons, in bids for tender published bymajor power companies, every working point of the machine is reviewed.They often include specifications for many details such as the copper to ironratio, excitation or various material issues.
Do you have an advantage working for this kind of customers?Roland: We love working with customers who challenge us to the full. Forme, there is nothing quite like discussing a generator with all its details
The generator dimensioning software developed in-houseover several decades is one of the most effective tools the alternator designers in Linz have at their hands.
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with experts from TIWAG, EVN, KELAG orother utilities. Even in initial talks, frequentlydetails are discussed like how the cooling ventsshould be designed, how the sheet packets shouldbe pressed or which electrical sheet or coatingshould be used. It is our satisfaction, after all, tosee the customer’s satisfaction with the generator.
How is Hitzinger reducing the electromagneticnoise?Roland: From a calculation and measurementpoint of view, this is a highly complex and dif-ficult issue. This is why we rely on a close co-ope-ration with the University of Linz. The AustrianCenter for Competence in Mechatronics(ACCM) utilises state of the art methods to mea-sure noise emissions, providing us with a comple-te noise profile of our generators. This wouldotherwise exceed our capabilities.
Among the quality features of a synchronousgenerator is its high-speed performance. Howcan a manufacturer ensure this?Roland: It is essential for this to take the mecha-nics into account as early as the basic magneticcut. There is a lot that can be done in the rotor’sgeometry. We have a number of design variantsup our sleeves like whether or not to use a notchradius or additional pole supports. The designprinciples of the pole supports or corner reinfor-cement wedges we have developed are automati-cally entered to our calculation software.
Is the resin also a factor?Roland: Absolutely. We use a specific resin for therotors and another for the stators. To achieve bestpossible reliability, we have performed countlessperformance and cracking tests in all conceivabletemperatures. We also tested many different insu-lations on the wires and filtered out the opti-
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mum. These aspects are not even added to ourrated safety tolerances, they are really an additio-nal unquoted safety buffer.
Hitzinger has successfully expanded its portfolioto include larger equipment rated up to 4 MVA.Did this require major efforts in design work?Roland: It was really more difficult than itwould appear. In mechanics, the effects of twicethe mass are by no means proportional but growexponentially. Fortunately, though, we can relyon our excellent engineers who deliver outstan-ding calculations especially with regards tovibrations, structural integrity or bearingdimensions. All parameters are finally entered tosoftware we have been developing over severaldecades for the purpose.
Can you tell me some more about this calculati-on software?Roland: This programme is not for sale in anysoftware shop. Over several decades, we havebeen successively developing and more and morerefining it. We calculate the mechanical andelectrical characteristics of every single generator.Within seconds, the software runs a multitudeof algorithms and modules largely developed in-house with specifications and exclusion criteria,etc., returning a design specification that can beused as is. Many envy us for this software. It wasadapted such that it can be used by sales to showcustomers realistic designs following a few para-meter entries. It is also relevant for turbinemanufacturers, as we can use it for dimensio-ning the entire drive train provided the runneris overhung-mounted on the shaft. This is apowerful tool.
Hitzinger also supplies generators for ships tocustomers around the globe. Would you say thatsome of the expertise there can be transferredto hydropower applications?Roland: Of course. Look at vibrations, for exam-ple: For a mine sweeper, it is vital to keep vib-rations at a minimum. We were able to cross-transfer quite some knowhow. In marine and off-shore applications, you often find extreme opera-ting conditions requiring a high quality level.We were able to use some of our experience forthe longevity of our hydropower generators. Ortake the issue of sea water: Getting in touch withsalt water, which can happen from time to time,should not be a problem for a Hitzinger generator.
Have you been able to profit from Hitzinger’sexperience with diesel-electric locomotives?
Many production operations are still indispensable manual work.
Day by day, about 250 qualified employees at theLinz plant keep quality at the well-known high level.
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Roland: Yes, we have already built asynchro-nous generators. They have great efficiencyvalues but can only be used in low power appli-cations and are difficult to regulate.Consequently, demand is rather low. We havealso produced permanent magnetic generatorsfor tests but have left this technological pathagain. Given the current state of things, wehave doubts that it will prevail. It cannot beruled out, though, that this technology will pos-sibly gain in importance in the future.
Hitzinger ships to customers around the globe.Does this high degree of internationality comewith additional challenges?Roland: No, for us the required voltage level orother electrical characteristics of a generator orits corrosion protection are just details like allothers, as we build every single generator toorder.
Are you seeing potentials for improvement?Roland: I see opportunities for improvement ona daily basis, especially if I include the nume-rous requests and suggestions arriving everyday. We have great pleasure if we are confron-ted with special requirements and issues andcan fulfil them. We have no catalogue of gene-rators from which to choose the appropriateone. We are keen on dealing with the customer’squestions so we finally find the perfect productfor them. This philosophy has brought us to thepoint at which we stand today. For this, com-munication is key.
Thank you very much!
Roland: Absolutely! Many of our railway gene-rators work in places with a particularly hot orcold climate. We have supplied equipment forRussia, where auxiliary heaters were undesiredbut the engine is required to start anew with noproblems such as broken insulation after a nightwith ambient temperatures dropping to -40° C.We have already been able to utilize thisknowhow in hydropower generators.
Which areas of generator design have undergo-ne the greatest changes in recent years?Roland: This was clearly in the conditions formains parallel operation. Smart Grids is thebuzzword. They are supposed to meet the chal-lenges posed by power feed from volatile forms ofenergy such as wind and solar. This is whynowadays the generators in use in hydropowerplants are expected to contribute to keeping gridsstable. In case of a mains short-circuit, forexample, immediate disconnection is no longeraccepted. Instead, the excess current must conti-nue to be supplied to the grid so it can be rebuilt.Grid operators can specify how much activepower and how much reactive power a genera-tor may supply to the grid. The regulations forthis have been around for some time but theyare not strictly executed everywhere yet. Thiswill come, and our generators are designed tomeet these requirements.
Are you offering consulting services for yourcustomers addressing these complex issues?Roland: Yes we do and this is very important aswell, as requirements for mains parallel opera-tion differ greatly from country to country.Addi-tionally, there are primary European gui-delines that need to be taken into account.Each generator we build for any customer meetsthese new requirements and is ready for possibleupgrading.
Can older generators be upgraded?Roland: Not in all cases. Older models need tobe operated using the old mode of operation. Itwill be necessary to discuss with grid operatorshow and how long this will be possible.
Are you maintaining a comprehensive documen-tation archive?Roland: Yes, of course. We have a dedicateddepartment for this. We frequently receiveenquiries from repair shops for specific informa-tion, design worksheets or winding details ofolder generators. Usually this is not a problemeven for generators that are 30 or 40 years old.
Does Hitzinger outside of the well-known syn-chronous generators also produce asynchro-nous generators or even permanent magnetgenerators for hydropower applications?
Hitzinger uses different customresins for rotors and stators.
Ing. Helmut Roland has been headingthe Hitzinger R&D department for many
years. He has been dealing with generator design for 36 years.
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ithin the past three years the author visited Nepal several timesas member of the Austrian partner team performing an inter-national academic exchange project supported by the Austrian
development agency under the APPEAR track. Teaching, super-visingand research issues played an integrative part at this project to under-stand the past and present energy situation – demand and supply - in thiscountry and to develop new theses as a basis for policy makers.
COUNTRY INFORMATIONNepal, known as the roof of the world, is geographically surrounded byIndia from east, west and south and China in the north as seen atFigure 1. The total area of the country is 147.181 km² with a popula-tion of 26.5 million (as per 2011 national census).
The country consists of three ecological zones along north to south cal-led Mountain, Hill and Terai respectively. This classification is alsovalid for socio-economic, cultural and ethnic divisions of the country.
ECONOMICAL AND ENERGETIC BACKGROUNDLooking at the country development one significant parameter is theGross Domestic Product (GDP) and its development. Analyzing thedefinition of GDP we realize that it bases strongly on the populationand its growth rate, economic productivity and of course on energyavailability as all national produced goods and services are counted. Figure 2 shows the past growth rate from 1986 till today and differentscenarios for the future up to 2030.In the past we saw a non tendentious trend which complicates the pro-gnoses for the future. Therefore 4 anticipated growth scenarios have been
considered by Bhattarai [2] to capture the future energy demand. Theselected different growth scenarios for this purpose are business as usual(3,9% GDP growth), low (4,4%), medium (5,6%) and high economicgrowth (6,5%) respectively. Official sources sometimes publish highereconomic growth rates but questionable is the energy supply side forsuch a country development. Breaking down the energy demand intoseveral categories of consumption we can notify that the biggest demandis still the residential sector with a share of approx. 90% of the total ener-gy needed. This means that most of the energy is needed for heating,cooking and nowadays electricity production with gen-sets because ofthe power cuts up to 16 hours a day in the dry season. Transport andindustrial sectors don’t play even today these roles as maybe expected(Fig. 3). The finished study based on [2] showed a remarkable situationfor the country and its future development respectively industrialization.
Energy is beside water probably the most crucial thing peopleneed for living and developing. Without available energydaily live would be harder and social development couldn’traise as fast as seen in the past at high industrialized coun-tries. Theories like this are well known but the reality is veryoften different. The following article should give a smallglimpse about the energy situation in Nepal also known asthe roof of the world. [by Ass.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Eduard DOUJAK / Institute für Energy Systems and
Thermodynamics / Vienna University of Technology]
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NEPALS NEEDED ELECTRICITY TRANSITIONTOWARDS MORE HYDROPOWER
Figure 3. Sectoral end-use consumption of energy and sources in 2010. (Source [3]).
Figure 2. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in past and future scenarios. (Source [2]).Figure 1. Geographical Map of Nepal. (Source [1]).
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Looking at figure 3 it gets clear that the residential sector with under-lying energy consumption for cocking and heating is the biggest andmost important one. Remarkable is also the share of 85% usage of solidbiomass for daily life purposes. Another notable value is the 9% shareof petroleum products because there are no national resources for thisenergy source and they have to be imported via India. By today theother sources play a lower important role. When importing fossil fuelsfrom outside of Nepal the external trade balance as an economicalparameter has to be considered in the same way like the GDP before.And here we can notice a significant change due to the people’s changein lifestyle. Since 2011 the value of imported petroleum products clim-bed above 100% of the total export’s earnings which means a deficit atthe trade balance (see Figure 4). This gap is closed nowadays by remit-tances from the emigrated young Nepali abroad.
As this situation is not really sustainable for the country logical questionsabout energy transition and change appeared. To answer questions likethis a present energy source analysis has to be done. Nepal has on theone hand no crude oil reserves but on the other hand a unique topologywith high mountains and therefore enough water for a substantial hydropotential. The biggest problem up to now are accurate data sets to esti-mate the hydro potential and the possibility of hydropower develop-ment to fulfil the energy transition from petroleum products towardselectricity produced by hydropower plants. This gap has been closed byBajracharya [4] who performed the latest hydro potential study.
HYDRO POTENTIALNepal is topographically divided into three major river basins whichare the Koshi, Narayani and Karnali basin. The rest of the landscapecontributes maybe 10% of the catchment area. Therefore the study wasperformed by taking these three major river basins into account.Basically we have to estimate the head drop H and river discharge Q toget the hydro potential of a given area or river section. Head drop canbe calculated manually from the topographic map or automaticallyalong the river system from Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using GISsoftware. Regarding the river discharge several data sets have to betaken in account and combined to fulfil the task which is in fact moredifficult than the head drop estimation. Within the study the Soil andWater Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model has been used byconsidering data from the (i) Digital Elevation Model (DEM), (ii) stre-am network, (iii) land use map, (iv) soil map and (v) weather data (pre-cipitation, temperature, solarradiation, wind velocity, relative humidi-
ty). With this methodology following Run-Off-River (ROR) potentialat annual mean flow and 30% flow exceedance for the river basins havebeen found (see Figure 5).
Figure 5 shows that the first impression of a hugh hydro potential wascorrect and confirms an old hydro potential study from the 1960s.Much more interesting is the fact that up till know only approximately700MW have been harvested. Thus shows the really hugh hydropotential in Nepal. Correlating with the shown energy demand aboveit gets clear that a transition from expensive petroleum products toclean and cheap electricity out of hydropower could be done easily.This would mean that instead of using expensive LPG for cocking achange to electric stoves feed with cheap electricity from hydropowercould solve the present energy situation. Additionally it would help tohave smokeless food preparation with less impact to the women athome which reduces health complaints as well.Both studies [2] and [4] performed under the APPEAR project of theinstitute have shown the need for transition of the energy supply sideif the country development and industrialization should step forward.The government has already noticed this situation and negotiatespower purchase contracts with private investors. Beside this somepower stations are developed by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA)itself. One major problem up to day is the existing electrical grid. Thislacks in construction and is the bottleneck in developing more hydro-power plants than up till now.The following part of this article should show a brief impression abouthydropower plant development in Nepal and its difficulties. Even ifthis country seems to be an Eldorado for private investment and instal-lation of new hydropower plants, the landscape, affordable manpowerand legislation have to be considered.
HYDROPOWER PLANT SITE VISITSPart of the experience exchange of this project was the site visit ofvarious Hydropower Plants to get an impression about the difficultiesbut also possibilities of construction at this nice country. Small as wellas Large Hydropower Stations and also at different development stageshave been visited. Table 1 should give an overview about the visitedsites and development stages.
Out of table 1 some hydropower plants will be discussed to give an ideaabout the construction of a hydropower plant at such rural areas.Fo
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Figure 4. Relation between total export’s earnings and the value of imported petroleumproducts. Note that values higher than 100% mean a foreign trade deficit. (Source [2]).
Figure 5. Estimated theoretical Run-Off-River (ROR) potential at annual mean flow(left) and at 30% flow exceedance (right). (Source [4]).
Table 1. Visited Hydropower Plants during project visits
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A) HYDROPOWER PLANT UPPER TAMAKOSHIThe construction site for the Hydropower Plant Upper Tamakoshi islocated northeast of Kathmandu close to the Chinese border near the vil-lage Charikot (see Fig. 1). It is the biggest Hydropower station underconstruction in Nepal today. After its completion it will be used as a dailypeaking Run-of-River hydropower station with an installed capacity of456 MW and a planned annual energy output of 2.281 GWh.
The beginning of the project can be found in the mid of the 1980s ofthe last century. In 1985 the project identification took place with aplanned installed capacity of 113 MW. A first pre-feasibility study wasdone from the Austrian geologist Dr. Christian Uhlir in 1999. His mainidea was to use the natural dam at the Tamakoshi River for the use of thepower plant. The natural dam, which was built by landslides in formerages, is shown in Figure 6. Dr. Uhlir planned an installed capacity of 120MW. Nevertheless, his idea was not realized. After some years, more fea-sibility studies were done from the NEA and Norconsult AS from theyears 2001 to 2005. Finally the detailed engineering design was done bya joint venture of Norconsult AS and Lahmeyer International from 2007to 2008. The financial arrangement for this project was finalized 2011.
Before starting with the construction site some 68 km of road access tothis rural area has to build. Only the construction of this site suppor-ting road lasted about 5 years from 2006 till 2011. Within this timethe financial arrangement was done. Figure 7 gives an impressionabout the problematic of road construction at this country.
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In Figure 8 the layout of the Upper Tamakoshi hydropower project isdepicted. Starting from the dam, a headrace tunnel with a length of7.86 km connects the reservoir with the penstock (which is built as avertical shaft), the surge shaft and the powerhouse, where 6 units ofPelton turbines are located in an underground cavern.
Figure 9 gives an impression of constructing the headrace tunnel wit-hout tunnel boring machine (TBM) just made by drilling and blastingand Figure 10 shows the drilling of the vertical shaft for the penstockafterwards.
Upper Tamakoshi is one of the biggest hydropower plants up till nowand will supply enough electricity to the electrical grid to reduce powercuts to zero within June and September. This time period of the year isalso known as the rainy season which means a lot of heavy rainfalls dueto the monsoon and therefore high sediment loads at the river. Thesesediments usually affect the turbine runners heavily.
B) HYDROPOWER PLANT MIDDLE MARSYANGDIThe Run-of-River hydropower plant Middle Marsyangdi has an installedcapacity of 70 MW. Two units of Francis turbines were put into operati-on in 2008. Additional key figures of the project are listed in Table 3. Fo
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Figure 8. Project layout of Upper Tamakoshi (Source [5])Table 2. Key figures of the Hydropower Plant “Upper Tamakoshi”
Figure 9. Headrace tunnel construction. (Source [5])
Figure 7. Access road to construction site
Figure 6. Natural Dam at Upper Tamakoshi Power Plant (Source [5])
Figure 10. Pilot hole drilling by raise boring machine
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During the wet season in Nepal (approx. from June to August) pro-blems occur due to heavy sediment erosion. In Figure 11 a Francis run-ner of Middle Marsyangdi is depicted. The runner was used duringtwo monsoon seasons. The sediments from the Himalayan region cau-sed serious damages on the inlet of the turbine. This fact is a challen-ging future task for the hydropower station Middle Marsyangdi and aswell as for other hydropower plants in Nepal which are in a Himalayancatchment area
C) HYDROPOWER PLANT ANDHIKHOLAAn interesting upgrading project in Nepal is done at the Andhikholahydropower station. The plant was built in 1991 with an installedcapacity of 5.1 MW. With the upgrading, the capacity will be increasedup to 9.4 MW. The key figures of this project are listed in Tab. 4
At the Andhikhola project water from the Andhikhola River is chan-neled into the Kaliganddaki River as shown in Figure 12. In the middleof the headrace and tailrace tunnel, the power house with 3 Peltonunits is located. Because of the fact that the mountains in this regionconsists of soft rock (see Figure 13) the dropshaft has to be built verti-cally with a length of 234 m. In this shaft, the two penstocks are located, an old existing one and anew one which was built to increase the capacity of the power plant.It s a very unique fact, that this tunnel represents the only access tunnelto the powerhouse. All material, electromechanical equipment and aswell workers has to be moved through this vertical tunnel by a craneplatform (see Figure 14).
For the upgrading process from 5.1 to 9.4 MW, modifications at thedam structure, settlement basin, powerhouse cavern and headrace tun-nel have to be done for example. The actual status (May 2014) of theconstruction progress of the dam structure is shown in Figure 15. Forupgrading the electromechanical equipment, the cavern was enlarged.All the excavated material was removed through the 1087 m long tail-race tunnel. This tailrace tunnel was widened during the upgradingprocess. Due to the weak rock conditions, the walls began to deform atsome positions in the tunnel. A lot of effort to support these weakpoints by using steel profiles has to be done.
CONCLUSIONPerforming this international university linking project we learned a lotof hydropower development in foreign countries. Nepal has a hughhydropower potential and the need to explore it. Welfare and health-care could be increased if a transition from expensive petroleum pro-ducts towards sustainable hydropower will be performed. The potentialis there, it is just to raise it. The author would like to thank all projectmembers for their contribution throughout the entire project and wis-hes Nepal a successful energy transition towards a better future for thecountry.The presented article gives a small glimpse of the experienced visits.Experience and information exchange are appreciated.
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Table 3. Key figures of the Hydropower Plant “Middle Marsyangdi”
Table 4. Key figures of the Hydropower Plant “Andhikhola”
References [1] http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/nepal.pdf, accessed and downloaded
19.04.2015
[2] Bhattarai, N.: National Energy Demand Projections and Analysis of Nepal. Doctoral thesis, 2015,
Vienna University of Technology.
[3] Nakarmi, A.M.; Mishra, T.; Banerjee, R.: Current Energy Scenario of Nepal: An Overview. in:
Proceedings of the 17th International Seminar on Hydropower Plants, Vienna, Austria, 2012.
[4] Bajracharya, I.: Assessment of Run-Of-River Hydropower Potential and Power Supply Planning
in Nepal using Hydro Resources. Doctoral thesis, 2015, Vienna University of Technology.
[5] Internal presentation by camp leader at site visit. May 2013
Figure 11. Sedimentation and Damage of Turbine due to Sand Erosion
Figure 12. Painted power plant scheme at theentrance of the Hydropower Plant “Andhikhola”
Figure 15. Dam Structure construction andPowerhouse enlargement progress at Andhikhola
Figure 13. Rock conditionsFigure 14. Access through the drop shaft by crane platform
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hen Reeco Austria set about loo-king for a location for its new hydropower trade fair more than six years
ago, the decision was made to opt for theAustrian cultural city of Salzburg. With 2.6million overnight stays, the city is more popu-lar than ever before and this trend has been onthe increase for a number of years now. Butwhat made Salzburg particularly attractive tothe event organiser was its geographical locati-on. Salzburg is an important transport hub atthe centre of Europe. The fact that a goodchoice of venue was made with Salzburg isalso demonstrated by the success of the tradefair, which is still in its infancy. AlthoughRENEXPO Hydro was held "only" for thesixth time between 27 and 29 November2014, it has already become established as amust-attend event in the industry. With 125exhibitors, 800 congress participants and3,500 visitors from all over the world, theGerman-speaking hydro power industry clear-ly demonstrated that it is in very good health.The level of interest in hydro power in Austria
and neighbouring countries remained undi-minished in 2014 and this was in spite oftough times resulting from the low electricitytariffs and the conditions imposed by theEuropean Water Framework Directive.
INCREASE IN EFFICIENCY AND ECOLOGYBut as well as the expansion in hydro power,this year there was a particular focus onincreasing efficiency and the ecological inte-gration of new and existing plants in thetopics covered at the four congresses. The firstcongress day was dominated largely by techni-cal themes such as the counter-pressure Peltonturbine, pumps in turbine operation, kinetichydro power, special formwork for hydro
power construction, alternative materials usedin turbine construction, cylinder rakes anddevelopments in the field of power plant auto-mation. Special attention was given on theopening day in particular to the press confe-rence held by Global Hydro, which with"HEROS 3" unveiled revolutionary and"smart-grid-compatible" power plant automa-tion. The talk which followed on from this inthe afternoon was very well received.
NETWORKING IN HISTORIC SURROUNDINGSOn the evening of the first day, networkingtook place in a very special ambience. ReecoAustria invited people as a real treat to attendthe "Hydro networking evening" at Fortress
RENEXPO Hydro, which is held everyyear, has long been one of the fixeddates in the diary as the "hydro poweryear" draws to a close. For the sixthtime now, from 27 to 29 November2014 experts, hydro power operatorsand other interested parties met atSalzburg exhibition centre to find outmore and swap information about thelatest developments, trends and eventsin the industry. The event organiser,Reeco Austria, and the total of 125exhibitors offered the 800 congress par-ticipants and 3,500 visitors an extensi-ve range of information, events andexpert presentations. The packed pro-gramme of lectures was also given aslightly lighter flavour with an excursi-on to the Lehen "designer hydroelectricpower plant", which is located imme-diately adjacent to the venue. This yearan additional highlight was added tothe schedule with the "Hydro networ-king evening" at the world-famous"Fortress Hohensalzburg". Once againthis year, RENEXPO Hydro continuedto establish itself as a key industry eventin the heart of Europe.
RENEXPO HYDRO ESTABLISHES ITSELF AS THEINDUSTRY EVENT IN THE HEART OF EUROPE
W
Reeco Austria invited people to come to Salzburg to attend the annual RENEXPOHydro. The level of interest remains high in the sixth year of the event and it has therefore already become one of the must-attend events in the industry.
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Hohensalzburg. This exclusive get-togetherwas attended by representatives from mini-stries and associations, from research organisa-tions and engineering offices involved in theindustry. "This meeting encourages professio-nal interaction and also enables closer collabo-ration," says Diana Röhm, project managerfrom Reeco Austria.
ECOLOGY DOMINATED THE SECOND DAYThe next day of the congress focused on eco-logical topics. The "2nd Professional Con-gress for Ecological Hydro Power Develop-ment" highlighted how modern power plantconstruction is possible within the frameworkof the ecological and hydraulic engineeringrequirements of the EU Water FrameworkDirective. One key theme addressed here wasfish bypasses and their level of engineering.The talk on "ethohydraulics" even mentionedthe art of picking up the fish at the powerplant. In the afternoon, the visitors were able tojoin an excursion to the nearby Lehen hydroe-lectric power plant on the River Salzach.
PIPE SYSTEMS AND MEASUREMENT,REGULATION AND CONTROL TECHNOLOGYAlongside the ecological talks, on the secondday the agenda also featured the "2nd Semi-nar: Pipe Systems for Hydroelectric Power
Plants: State of the Art and Revitalisation inPractice". In the talks which were attended bymany people, the experts informed the con-gress participants about the latest develop-ments and products in the field of hydropiping systems. The packed programme ofseminars was rounded off on the second daywith the series of talks on "measurement,regulation and control technology".
ELECTRICITY EXCHANGE AND ENERGY CONSULTINGPower plant operators got their money'sworth in particular on the third and final day.The generously offered and free expert talkswere very well attended. In the "HYDROForum", the visitors were able to learn moreabout products and developments from theexhibitors. Reeco Austria offered hydro poweradvice to the visitors provided by the qualifiedengineer Andreas Sendlhofer, hydro enginee-ring expert from the state of Salzburg. The 1stInternational Electricity Exchange, which wasbased in the exhibition area of RENEXPO PV(photovoltaics), was extremely popular.Energy providers offered advice on changingelectricity supplier. Operators of PV andhydroelectric power plants were able to findout more information about selling theirgreen electricity. "We hope that this currently
unique event will be replicated many timesover," says Röhm. The congress "EU EnergyCertificate in Salzburg – Questions andAnswers", which took place for the sixth timeat RENEXPO®, has likewise become esta-blished as a must-attend event for the indu-stry. More than 200 participants listened toexperts from the worlds of business, scienceand politics to be brought right up-to-date onthe latest advice about energy.
ONE RENEXPO ENDS AND THE NEXTRENEXPO IS ALREADY PLANNEDThe 6th RENEXPO Hydro is barely over andalready the plans for the next one are wellunderway at Reeco Austria. This year,RENEXPO Hydro will take place from 26 to28 November 2015. The plans and ideasalready seem to have been developed: "Weparticularly want to expand our catchmentarea towards eastern Europe and recruit evenmore congress participants and visitors fromthe new EU Member States," says Johann-Georg Röhm. The intention is also to expandthe network. There are already numerousenquiries from interested companies, associa-tions and state organisations in this regard.
You can find further information on the inter-net at www.renexpo.at.
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Amiantit Germany GmbH · Am Fuchsloch 19 · 04720 Mochau · Tel.: + 49 34 31 71 82 - 0 · [email protected] · www.amiantit.eu · Member of the AMIANTIT Group
GRP pipework systems for hydropower facilitiesFlowtite pipes are manufactured from glass-fibre reinforced polyester resin (or GRP for short). GRP has very low weight but is extremely durable and remarkably flexible. Flowtite pipework is suitable for all kinds or pressurised and unpressurised applications where traditional methods used piping made from cast iron, steel, ferroconcrete or stoneware.
Some key benefits of pipework systems made from GPR:• Variable diameter, from DN 100 to DN 4000• High pressure resistance, up to 32 bar• Flexible length (standard lengths are 3, 6 and 12 m)
Austria:
ETERTEC GmbH & Co.KGoffi [email protected] www.etertec.at
Switzerland:
APR (Schweiz) [email protected]
Germany / South East Europe / Benelux:
Amiantit Germany GmbH [email protected] · www.amiantit.eu
Troyer offers high-quality construction of water turbines and hydroelectric power plants. For generations, our tailor-made solutions have helped our customers optimizing energy generation from waterpower in a safe, efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable way.
Troyer SpA [email protected] Tel. +39 0472 765 195
Power play.
www.andritz.com
CompaCt HydroGlobal supplier of electromechanical equipment for compact hydro power plants
aNdrItZ Hydro GmbHEibesbrunnergasse 20, 1120 Wien, ÖsterreichTel.: +43 50805 0, Fax: +43 50805 [email protected]
Since more than 30 years aNdrItZ
Hydro supplies equipment for small
hydropower plants up to 30 mW under
the name of CompaCt Hydro. The
small hydro market is an essential field
of business for ANDRITZ HYDRO. More
than 3,000 units with a total capacity of
9,300 MW have been installed until today.
Every month 11 COMPACT HYDRO plants
are put into operation. Our COMPACT
HYDRO program combines environmen-
tal friendliness with high efficiency of the
system.
We focus on the best solution – from
water to wire.
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I N T E R N A T I O N A L H Y D R O
FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
HYDRO
Ver l agspos t amt : 4820 Bad I s ch l · P . b .b . „03Z035382 M“ – 13 . Jah rgang
zek
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