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- Conventional Hydro
TIP 384: In situ residual stress measurement for accurate fatigue lifetime assessment
Lead Companies
General Electric (GE)/ Alstom Renewable USA, /BPA
Lead Researcher (s)
- Mourad Heniche, Eng, PhD
- Dennis Petross, BPA
The main goal of the project is to help the condition assessments of key hydropower components through the measurement of residual stresses. To reach that goal, two major objectives were realized: (1) development of an in situ residual stress measurement method for critical hydropower components and (2) development of a methodology for treatment and incorporations of measured residual stresses into residual life assessments.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Turbine
Status
complete
Completion Date
2019
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 385: Enhancing Hydropower Reliability through Cavitation Monitoring and Noise Condition Assessment
Lead Companies
Alstom Renewable Energy, LLC/BPA
Lead Researcher (s)
- Luke Chase, BPA
- Francis Proulx, Alstom
This project aims to 1) develop a cavitation-erosion monitoring method that will be implemented in a monitoring system demonstrator and 2) thoroughly investigate the feasibility of using noise measurements for condition and monitoring assessments of hydro turbine-generator unit components.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Turbine
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 405: Kaplan Turbines Oil Leak Elimination
Lead Companies
CEATI
Lead Researcher (s)
- George Brown, BPA
This research will provide guidance on existing/in-situ oil-filled Kaplan turbins, and identify ways to detect oil leakage and reduce or eliminate it. The longer-term goal is to identify technology changes that can be undertaken to install new oil-less Kaplan technology.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Turbine
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 408: Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) Generator Modeling, Monitoring and Governor, and Voltage Control Optimization
Lead Companies
BPA/US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)/US Bureau of Reclamation (USBOR)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Dmitry Kosterev, BPA
- Steve Yang, BPA
- Gordon Kawaly, BPA
The project is a continuation of a multi-year collaborative effort between BPA Transmission and US Army Corps of Engineers in the area of generator modeling, monitoring and control optimization. This project completes work started under TIP 274 and focuses on the optimization of generator primary controls (AVR, PSS, governors) to provide essential reliability services.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Controls
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 413: Kaplan Oil-Less Turbine Testing & Specification Development
Lead Companies
Hydroelectric Design Center (HDC), USACE/PNNL/ BPA
Lead Researcher (s)
- Dan Patla, HDC
- George Brown, BPA
The project develops test stand design for evaluating the durability and effectiveness of the Kaplan Oil-Less bushings and mating materials. Project success enables testing confirmation of: 1. The reliability of the oil less turbine runners, 2. Adequate material pairings to achieve the reliability, 3. Development of specifications that allows future project replacements with Kaplan oil-less turbines.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Turbine
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 422: Turbine Optimization Model (TOM) development for capital investment decision making for FCRPS hydroelectric plants
Lead Companies
Hydroelectric Design Center (HDC), USACE/ BPA
Lead Researcher (s)
- Mark Parrish, HDC
- Gordon Ashby, BPA
The project will develop the Shuffled Complex Evolutionary - Turbine Optimization Model (SCE-TOM) for 5 FCRPS hydropower plants. SCE-TOM will be used in combination with other BPA economic planning tools to determine the feasibility and the most efficient timing for generator rewinds and turbine replacements at these facilities, including the optimal number of units to replace.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Turbine
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
Update to Mechanical Overhaul Guide for Hydroelectric Turbine Generators
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- #0354B
To provide updates to the previously published CEATI report Mechanical Overhaul Guide for Hydroelectric Turbines which provides guidance on the mechanical refurbishment of hydroelectric turbine generators.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Turbine
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
Expected 2020
- Conventional Hydro
Vibration and Alarm Settings for Hydro Machines with Hydrodynamic Guide Bearings
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- #0389
The results in this report propose that a dynamic vibration monitoring system could be installed in order to protect and monitor machines against unwanted high loads.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Turbine
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Water Start Up Time Model Validation Test
Lead Companies
Oregon Institute of Technology
Lead Researcher (s)
- Daniel Lee
This report is an Oregon Institute of Technology thesis project completed in partial fulfillment for the Masters of Science in Renewable Energy Engineering degree. The testing and research done for this report, investigate the phenomena of water start up time in the spiral case of hydro units. Water start up time is defined as the time it takes for water to accelerate from zero to rated velocity. From analysis of the literature there shows no published article of water start up time being measured and compared to theoretically calculated values. However a multiplier is used to create a buffer in the estimations of water start up time to use in the engineering and selection of governors for hydro units. The multiplier has also been widely used in computer model simulations which causes a dependence of this multiplier. In 2013 an article was published which challenges the hypothesis that water start up time has been over hypothesized and that the multiplier would be of a smaller value than what was hypothesized which would mean that the governing ability is more than what was expected. This proposal of a higher governing ability would mean that the hydro facilities that are currently standing has a higher stability rating than what was initially thought. The higher stability would allow for increased penetration of renewables onto the electrical grid. The lack of actual water start up time measurements as well as the infeasibility of testing on an actual hydro unit meant that a model would need to be designed, built, and tested. The model had two testing parameters that were examined. One of the parameters was flow rate that was controlled by the number of wicket gates that was installed into the system and the other was the reference height from the forebay to tail water. There were one hundred results from the test trials. The data from the trials showed a trend for the multiplier which was not constant as previously hypothesized and instead illustrated a parabolic trend that tapers into a linear digression. This result means that the range of testing was insufficient and the height range in which the trials were taking placed was subjected to higher variability. The results showed that the multiplier used in water start up time is not a constant and is variable based on the water level. The previous hypothesis stating that the water start up time is faster is false. In accordance with the results the trend showed that the actual water start up time is slower than what is hypothesized. This means at lower water levels the hypothesized governing ability is actually less than what is calculated to be using the current method of water start up time calculation for spiral cases. The theoretical analysis showed that with increased water level and flow rate showed that the multiplier has less effect on water start up time. The value of the water start up time tapering off from the experimental data shows that the trend for water start up time for both theoretical and experimental share similarities. An increased testing range of the water level in the trials will hypothetically lower the variability of the multiplier and in turn conform to a linear equation. The linear equation is shown to approach zero with increased head in which a static value can be achieved for a specified range.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Turbine
Status
complete
Completion Date
2015
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Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org