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Test Facility for Hydropower and Pumped Storage Technologies
Lead Companies
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Mirko Musa (musam@ornl.gov)
Hydropower and pumped-storage growth in the United States is contingent on validation of the safety, environmental acceptability, reliability, and performance of innovative technology that can deploy with significantly reduced costs relative to existing technology. A network of one or more federally supported hydropower test facilities offering technology testing and validation capabilities may be one way to achieve such validation. This project will characterize the requirements for these testing capabilities; catalog the availability of these capabilities within existing test facilities and federal water infrastructures; and summarize findings in the form of a Hydropower Test Facility Scoping Study Report. Beyond hydraulic and related (sediment, biological, safety, and instrumentation and controls) testing, the full spectrum of hydropower and PSH technology testing needs may also include the means to test the major mechanical, electrical, civil/structural sub-systems of hydropower technology. Overall, widespread use of a federally-supported test facility will further WPTO’s goals of commercialization of new technologies and deployment by hydropower owners and operators.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro, Pumped Storage
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Conventional Hydro
Testing Plan for Environmentally Acceptable Hydro Plant Oils
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- 03/103
The objective of this document was to produce a set of standardized tests (i.e., a test plan) for CEATI members to use for the evaluation of potential candidates to replace incumbent oils with environmentally acceptable (EA) oils suitable for use in various applications within power plants.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Water Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
Expected 2020
- Conventional Hydro
The Effects of Climate Change on the Water Resources and Hydropower Production Capacity of the Upper Colorado River
Lead Companies
Colorado School of Mines
Lead Researcher (s)
- Marina Kopytkovskiy
The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), comprised of the Colorado and Gunnison River basins, is regulated by 17 major reservoirs to provide water supply, flood control, and hydropower. It is the prime water source for much of the western United States, as well as key wildlife and fish habitat. Climate change is an issue of concern on the basin due to the sensitivity of snow accumulation processes that dominate runoff generation within the region. Climate models project an average warming of up to 4o F, coupled with a decline in precipitation falling as snow. There is no numerical consensus of the magnitude of change in precipitation, but there is general agreement that precipitation changes will be exacerbated by increased evapotranspiration rates, reducing overall runoff. This is expected to cause a decline in runoff and hydropower generation capacity. Potential impacts of climate change on the hydrology and water resources of the UCRB were assessed through a comparison of simulated stream flow, temperatures, and reservoir volumes and storage levels. Future climate conditions derived from climate centers: Meteorological Research Institute (MRI-CGCM2.3.2), Canadian Centre for Climate Modeling and Analysis (CGCM3.2 T47), and the Center for Climate System Research at the University of Tokyo with the National Institute for Environmental Studies and Frontier Research Center for Global Change (MIROC 3.2) under A2 and B1 emission scenarios were compared to historical conditions. From the joint venture of the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and other research and university facilities, bias-corrected constructed dialogues (BCCA) daily downscaled precipitation and climate data was processed and used to drive the Watershed Analysis Risk Management Framework (WARMF) hydrologic model to simulate future changes in the UCRB. WARMF performs daily simulations of snow and soil hydrology to calculate surface runoff and groundwater accretion to river segments, lakes, and reservoirs. All model scenarios project a reduction in 21st century flows, though the magnitude varies with location and elevation. Results illustrate basin-wide temperature increases at low elevations, with extreme seasonality increasing at high elevation stations in future climate. Reservoir levels in Blue Mesa declined more than 70%, but other reservoirs showed varying results dependent on location and climactic conditions. The resultant climate change scenarios will motivate adaptive watershed planning and management decisions and policies in response a changing climate and mitigate future concerns.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Hydraulic Forecasting
Status
complete
Completion Date
2015
- Conventional Hydro
The Impacts of Flexible Operation on Hydropower Assets: Generator
Lead Companies
EPRI
Lead Researcher (s)
- Francisco Kuljevan
With the increased penetration of variable renewable energy sources (wind and solar) in the electric grid’s energy mix, a greater need for a more flexible power system is required to maintain grid reliability. Hydropower has been shown to outpace its synchronous and inverter-base generation sources in a relative basis when providing the flexibility needed by the electric grid. Unfortunately, this flexibility comes with a potential decrease in fatigue life caused by the increased cycle activity, which was not accounted for when the assets were originally designed. With the use of electrical calculations, finite element analysis, and fatigue analysis, the study that is the subject of this report calculated the amplification damage factor caused by the flexible operation. The report focuses on two key generator components that have seen accelerated degradation caused by the change of operation patterns, from a baseload to a more flexible strategy.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Generator
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
The potential for restoring thermal refuges in rivers for cold-water salmonids
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Caroline Ubing
Human impacts to rivers have resulted in increased water temperatures that threaten cold water aquatic species such as salmonids. Higher summer water temperatures and lower winter water temperatures in rivers can lower fish viability by reducing fecundity, increasing morbidity and mortality, and reducing food sources. This can result in localized species extirpation and overall reduction in habitat basin-wide. For cold-water aquatic species recovery programs to meet their long-term goals, they must consider mitigating the impacts of warming waters with "thermal restoration" and creation of thermal refuges.Thermal refuge refers to areas within a stream corridor that buffer, lag, and cool/warm stream temperatures at biologically relevant scales and times . Thermal refuge can be expressed as biologically-available areas within a stream where cooler water temperatures exist at base flow conditions during summer and warmer water temperatures during winter. Thermal refuge restoration refers to physical and biological stream habitat restoration practices that result in creating or enhancing thermal refuges. This may be accomplished by creating and enhancing connectivity between surface and groundwater systems in the hyporheic zone (the interface between surface and groundwater along a river bed and floodplain). Re-vegetating the riparian zone to promote shading can also promote thermal restoration. This study will focus on the former mechanism as it relates to thermal refuges for salmonids including: Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and bull trout.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2022
- Conventional Hydro
Threat Assessment and Evaluation of Burrowing Crayfish in Reclamation Canals
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Aaron Murphy
Although crayfish are an important component of many freshwater ecosystems and a significant food source for other animals, dense populations can become a nuisance. In addition, some species have been displaced far outside their native range and established sustaining invasive populations. In either scenario, excessive crayfish burrowing can pose a threat to earthen embankment integrity.Personnel in the PN Region have observed excessive crayfish populations associated with canal seepage, embankment damage, and increased risks for failure. This project will assess conditions that may have caused crayfish to become problematic, investigate crayfish burrowing impacts, potential risks across Reclamation facilities, and explore monitoring and mitigation methods. The outcome of this project will be a document assessing conditions associated with excessive crayfish burrowing, as well as potential risks throughout Reclamation facilities. Control methods will also be discussed and recommendations/best practices created.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 258: Development of a State-of-the-Art Computational Framework and Platform for the Optimal Control of Multi-Reservoir Systems under Uncertainty
Lead Companies
Oregon State University (OSU)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Dennis Mai, BPA
- Dr. Arturo Leon, OSU
The research produced a robust and computationally efficient hybrid and parallelized framework for the real-time operation of multi-objective and multi-reservoir systems that accounts for uncertainty and flexibility. The resulting model could potentially replace the current tool used by BPA for short‐term operation of the FCRPS and be used as the main computational engine for future real‐time operation of this system under different streamflow and load scenarios.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Hydraulic Forecasting
Status
complete
Completion Date
2015
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 259: Short-Term Hydropower Production and Marketing Optimization (HyProM)
Lead Companies
Deltares USA
Lead Researcher (s)
- Chris Allen, BPA
- Dirk Schwanenberg, Deltares NL
This project advanced a state-of-the-art software infrastructure for short-term management of the FCRPS. It included multi-objective deterministic and stochastic optimization techniques with a modular, open-source, computationally efficient and multithreaded IT design. The project addressed the need for more precise knowledge of future stream flow, wind reserve, and power load, with a user-friendly tool to integrate those entities. This was vital to solving the multi-objective problem of reservoir management.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Hydraulic Forecasting
Status
complete
Completion Date
2015
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 274: Development & Demonstration of Applications for BPA & FCRPS Compliance with Modeling Standards & Performance Monitoring
Lead Companies
BPA/US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Steve Yang, BPA
The project developed and integrated a comprehensive set of power plant model validation and performance monitoring tools for BPA and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). It also developed capabilities at USACE to perform baseline testing and model validation needed to meet the WECC and BPA requirements.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Controls
Status
complete
Completion Date
2016
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 276: Enhanced Monitoring and Investigation of the Spread and Potential Impact of Aquatic Invasive Mussels in the Columbia River Basin, with Special Reference to Mitigation and Placement of Boat Cleaning Stations
Lead Companies
Washington State University Vancouver, USGS Columbia River Research Lab
Lead Researcher (s)
- Hannah Dondy-Kaplan, BPA
- Stephen Bollens, WSU Vancouver
This project provides BPA with tested products and tools to help delay the arrival and spread of zebra and quagga mussels to the Columbia River Basin (CRB) so that impacts to the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) are minimized; and to improve the efficacy of boat cleaning stations once they are developed by providing a basis for prioritizing their placement. For BPA Power Services, knowing which BPA facilities are most at risk allows for better planning of maintenance, repair and replacement schedules.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
complete
Completion Date
2015
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Have questions about WaRP?
Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org