HyPower
Customers magazine for Voith Siemens Hydro

November 2003

Summary

Editorial

3

Editorial
The future of hydro power:
back-up against blackout.
Focus on Africa
East African countries
liberalize their energy sectors

19

4

6

Gilgel Gibe on the way

20

Technological leadership
Opening ceremony at Europe’s
most modern pumped storage plant8

Improved power generation reliability
in Tanzania

22

Research to reduce hydro-abrasive wear

80 MW unit added to Gitaru
in less than two years

24

Customer contacts
Infra 2020: Sponsoring the third
Brazilian Forum of Electric Energy

10

12

13

14

15

18

Market splinters
Another Indian milestone:
Omkareshwar
Baspa II, India
Largest private hydropower station
connected to the grid

New brochures
25

26

17

Aimorés, Brazil, begins operation

Waterpower XIII, 2003 –Very well attended
Voith Siemens Hydro, USA,
names new officers

Operation training for Middle Marsyangdi,
in NepalPartnering and project expertise
Partnering with Hydro Tasmania
in Gordon modernization

New control system
for Germany’s Friedrichsau

ERLAC X prizes for best paper
presentations

Successful model acceptancefor Tai’An, China

16

Expertise in automation
Last step to digital governors
at Danube hydropower stations

Essay
The sound of the waves

Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation
The future of hydro power: back-up against blackout.

Dear readers, dear customers,

Dr. Hubert Lienhard
Chairman of the Boardof Voith Siemens Hydro
Power Generation

The recent blackouts in parts of the United States, Canada,
Great Britain, Denmark and Italy revealed something thatwas unexpected by the general public of these and otherindustrialized countries: We are fast approaching the limitsof grid capacity, stability and reliable electricity delivery to
an extent that is remarkable for post world war II times.

Only hydro power can provide capacities and offer the
many ancillary benefits that easily match or pass otherfuel types in generation. One of its great attributes is toprovide quick and flexible connection or disconnection
to the grid, and for this reason, it is ideal to balance peakor low load demand from the grid in large capacities.

Have any industrialized countries experienced much morethan flickering of light during the last 40 to 50 years, except
for emergency situations such as severe weather? Did weexperience regular power outages or interruptions of electricity supply?

Future electricity supply can only be safe and reliable, if
the energy mix in any country is done in a balanced concept to provide the power needed, with environmentally
optimum solutions, and meet Kyoto green gas reduction
goals at the same time.

No. It is a given that a developed and industrialized society
experiences an endless supply of undisturbed and safe
electricity.

Not an easy task: hydro power stands by – and so do we
as a supplier – to support operators, utilities and decision
makers with the advantages it has had for hundreds ofyears and to still develop solutions that make this fueleven more environmentally friendly.

We were especially proud that customers rewarded us withsome direct comments regarding the performance of ourmachines. A telephone call on the 15th of August between
our staff and Al Zelinski from St. Lawrence hydropower station of the New York Power Authority (NYPA) confirmedthat “unit no. 26 reverted to speed control unsynchronizedmode of operation [this is the most stable governor control mode] as you [Voith Siemens Hydro] designed it to do
and then ran ‘rock solid’ for the remainder of the incident”.
Further, he mentioned how much better it would have been
if NYPA had 16 unit “26” in service instead of only one.

Whether this happens in Africa – the market focus of thisissue – or other areas, we are always available to help you.
Whatever your opinions and business interests are:please do not hesitate to let me know what they are!

Yours sincerely

Dr. Hubert Lienhard

hypower 6/2003

Reading the many responses and comments following
these blackouts, you might have noticed that hydropower
stations, especially during the Northeastern blackout inNorth America, were able to continue operation and stabilize their grids or bring them back on line much faster.

My e-mail address is Hubert.Lienhard@vs-hydro.com
02
03

Focus on Africa

East African countries
liberalize their energy sectors
Energy is a basic requirement for human development, yet over 70 % of
people living in rural East Africa have no access to grid electricity or any
other form of modern commercial energy. Even though East Africa’s potential for hydro power is high, only a fraction is developed. Hydro power
projects are capital-intensive, one reason why African governments are notundertaking them as fast as they could. The deregulation and liberalization
now taking place within the energy sectors of East African countries such as
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania aim especially at attracting private investors,
who are also prepared to consider the development of small hydro power
potential.

Ethiopia – The water tower of Africa
Ethiopia occupies an exceptional position in tropical Africa. Well-irrigatedhighlands and rivers abounding in water, which fall from great elevations
into canyon-like valleys have given thiscountry the reputation of the “water
tower of Africa”. Its economically feasible hydropower reserves (an estimated 260,000 GWh/ year) far exceed
its own needs. These are ideal conditions for supplying the energy-starved
neighboring countries. However, lessthan 2 % of the precious hydro potential has been developed. Less than
15 % of the population has access toelectricity. In addition, there are ambitious plans to develop the food processing industry, the mining sector
and the tourism sector, all of wich will
rely on electricity.

The government has recognized thefundamental importance of sustained,
reliable energy supplies for the development of Ethiopia’s economy andthat of its neighboring countries, andhas begun an extensive reform of theenergy market. The liberalization of
the market is above all intended to
attract private investors.
Because domestic and more particularly industrial energy consumption
is low in Ethiopia, regional integration and the interconnection to othernational power grids is paramount.
With the completion of different hydroelectric projects, which are now
up and running, and the implementation of power projects by the private
sector, Ethiopia would have excess
power for possible export. In addition,

cooperation in sharing the Nile resources has been extended, with nine of
the ten Nile basin states participating.
Tanzania – The Countryof the Great Lakes
Tanzania is bounded in the North by
Lake Victoria, in the West by Lake
Tanganyika, and in the South by Lake
Nyasa, plus the inland lakes, including Rukwa, Manyra, Eyasi and Natron.
In addition it has many rivers with themain river basins Rufiji, Kagera, Malagarasi, Ruvuma, Pangani, Wami andMare and several coastal rivers, ofwhich all have hydropower potential,
most of it undeveloped.

Tanzania has also realized that a dependable electricity supply is essential
for economic growth and decided toderegulate the energy sector and toallow private investment.

Kenya’s energy program is largely
backed by foreign investment. However, electrical shortages remain a
key barrier to development within
the country.

Tanzania has an estimated hydropower potential of 4,000 MW, of which
only about 14% has been harnessedso far. The exploitation of the hydropower energy still untapped would definitely help Tanzania and other neighbouring countries foster economic
growth and support the countries’ poverty reduction efforts.

The Ministry of Energy and Minerals
is responsible for all energy-related
matters in Tanzania. Under the Ministry, Tanzania Electric Supply Company Ltd. (TANESCO), a state owned
company, was formerly the only company responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.

Kenya – development basedon hydro power
The Kenyan government has beensuccessfully implementing a programof economic liberalization and reform
since 1993. Deregulation has helped
to boost most sectors of the economy
and to attract private capital.

At present, around 80% of power supplied in the country is generated fromhydro power stations. Most hydropotential is found on the Tana andTurkwel rivers. It is estimated that thetechnically feasible hydro potential
is 4,710 GWh/year, of which 62% has
been developed. No new hydro plants
are currently under construction, but
existing facilities have potential for
upgrading. On the other hand, there
are several small, mini and micro hydro plants in operation, with a total
capacity of around 14 MW, being considered for development by private
investors.

hypower 6/2003

Agriculture dominates Tanzania’s economy, accounting for 56 % of the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), providing
85 % of exports and employing 90 %of the work force. Cultivated crops are,however, limited to only 4 % of the landarea. Industry accounts for 15 % of the
GDP and is mainly limited to processing agricultural products and lighter
consumer products. Yet current energy production does not meet demand.
Many rural regions have no access toelectricity. The economic growth, which
is necessary to guide the country outof poverty, is also lacking.

04
05

Focus on Africa: Ethiopia

Gilgel Gibe on the way

The 184 MW Gilgel Gibe hydropower project is located in south central
Ethiopia, about 270 km from Addis Ababa. Upon completion, the projectwill contribute about 40 % of the present installed capacity of the country.
The operator is government-owned Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation(EEPCO), the main financier is the World Bank group (IDA) along with theEuropean Investment Bank (EIB) as a co-financier. The construction workon the powerhouse, tunnel and dam is now nearing completion. The commissioning of one of the three units is expected in November 2003. Voith
Siemens Hydro is responsible for the mechanical design, manufacture, delivery, erection and commissioning of the three 66.7 MW Francis turbine
units, including the digital governor system and turbine inlet valves.

An intensive training for a group of
ten EEPCO staff was held in spring,
2002, at Voith Siemens Hydro in Heidenheim.In addition to traditional training on design, manufacturing, control,
erection, commissioning, operationand maintenance, following issues
were also part of the agenda: quality
and procurement processes, bearing
behavior as well as general mechanical and electrical features. The groupalso witnessed the approval of the firstrunner and guide bearing for Gilgel
Gibe, manufacturing quality assurance
demonstrations such as tensile andbending testing, and paid a visit tothe hydraulic testing lab. The training
was rounded up by excursions to smallhydropower stations, some bulb installations and also a site visit to Germany’s impressive Goldisthal pumped
storage stations.

Voith Siemens Hydro is very pleased
with the results of the complete project and is looking forward to continuing the good relationship developedwith EEPCO on their second stagehydropower station at Gilgel Gibe.
For more information:
Dieter.Schwarz@vs-hydro.com

hypower 6/2003

The training agenda was tailored toexact customer specifications andspecific requirements for the future
operation of the plant.

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Focus on Africa: Tanzania

Improved power generation
reliability in Tanzania
The 200 MW Kidatu Hydropower Station in Tanzania, owned by TANESCO(Tanzania Electric Supply Company Ltd.), was built in two stages, with twounits being commissioned in 1974 and two more in 1978. Over the years,
the control system underwent various rehabilitation programs and extensions, resulting in a conglomeration of systems that made service andmaintenance of the plant extremely difficult. Voith Siemens Hydro of Norway has recently completed a total replacement of the existing outdated
automation, communication and protection systems.

Automation
Voith Siemens Hydro engineers replaced all parts of the existing control
system with a state-of-the-art automation system and a PC-based ManMachine-Interface (MMI). The generating units, auxiliary systems andthe switchyard were equipped withautonomous Unit Controllers (UC)on which all the unit-specific software runs.

To get accustomed to the new system, the power plant operators were
given basic and advanced computerand system training by Voith Siemens
Hydro. During the implementation
period, the staff was able to get agood grasp of the new technology.
This advanced training with the wellproven Voith Siemens Hydro technology enables the smooth operationof the power plant.

Water Household System
One part of the automation systemis the advanced Water Household
System. This is a special online software system implemented on thestandard automation hardware.
Among other things, the system
consists of online joint control andpower generation planning, including the consideration of start andstop costs, etc.

After a short period of operation, theWater Household System has significantly improved the average energy
output of the power plant, and the extra
investment has already paid for itself.
Protection
The SIPROTEC family from Siemens
was chosen as the new protection
system. Each unit has been equippedwith duplicated electrical and mechanical protection systems based on stateof-the-art, self-monitoring standard
equipment.

Communication
Due to technology failure, poor maintenance, landslides and bushfires,all communication between the powerhouse, dam and switchyard had
broken down. Voith Siemens Hydro
specialists, together with the client,evaluated several ways to solve theproblem and decided to install apower line carrier system (PLC).

The necessary work on the importanttransmission line was planned in detailand completed during a very short shutdown and interruption of the powertransmission. With its new equipment,
the automation system is already online with the remote control communication to the TANESCO Load Dispatch
Center.
Documentation
The last, but not the least importantpart of the rehabilitation project, was

the improvement of the plant documentation system. All information is
now compiled in one comprehensive
documentation system. From now on
the operation and maintenance staff
can get a clear overview of all details
in a short time and perform necessary
services more effectively.
For more information:
Einar.Roeset@vs-hydro.com

hypower 6/2003

Voith Siemens Hydro has prepared a
Relay Coordination Study for the wholescheme. Due to the new protection
scheme of Kidatu, grid stability andpower supply reliability in Tanzania
are improved noticeably.

08
09

Focus on Africa: Kenya

80 MW unit added
to Gitaru in less than two years
The Gitaru power station is located on the Tana River, about 160 km northeast of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Owned and operated by Kenya Electricity Generating Company Ltd. (KenGen), the plant with its two 72.5 MW vertical Francis units began commercial operation in 1978. In this initial phase,the civil design and construction had already made provisions for a thirdunit. Nevertheless, it was not before the second half of the 1990s, when
Kenya’s electricity demand began to exceed supply, that the decision to
install additional generating capacity was taken. A third machine would
provide additional energy during the rainy season, give year-round peaking
power and increase KenGen’s operational flexibility.
When tender documents for international competitive bidding were issued
in 1997, a very ambitious time frame
outlining an implementation periodof just 25 months was proposed. For
a project of this magnitude, the timeframe seemed unachieveable. Voith
Siemens Hydro accepted the challenge and promised an even faster project implementation of just 22 months.

including design approvals, interfacing with existing station systems andrelevant Kenyan regulatory authorities
as well as customs clearances throughthe port of Mombasa. To guarantee
minimum duration, simultaneous turbine and generator erection activities
were maximized and the impact of thecivil works on them minimized. A close
management of all activities and subcontractors involved was essential to
the success of the project.
Flexible project management
secures final success
Late into the project time line, it became clear that the civil works would
be completed late. This created aneven shorter time for the completionof the remaining turbine and generator build sequences and commission-ing. In spite of these changing circumstances, Voith Siemens Hydro was able
to adapt its original program accordingly and also cope with further delays
caused by customs clearance problems. Dry commissioning of turbinegenerator auxiliary equipment began
in early October 1999. At the beginning of November the unit was wateredup and synchronized with the Kenyan
grid. Commercial trials began in thatsame month – less than two years
from the initial contract award.
For more information:
Norbert.Pichowski@vs-hydro.com
hypower 6/2003

Simultaneous work to reduce
implementation schedule
The machines at the Gitaru plant rank
among the largest generating units in
the Kenyan system. The combined rotor-shaft weight of the original 72.5 MW
machines reaches approximately
175 tons. The additional vertical-shaft
Francis turbine-generator unit, which
Voith Siemens Hydro was to install,
was designed to be capable of delivering an even higher maximum continuous output of 80 MW. Since typicalerection programs for machines ofthis size can easily take 30 months
and more, it was necessary to reconsider the traditional erection sequences.
As the single turnkey contractor, Voith
Siemens Hydro was responsible forthe timely and efficient managementof all critical aspects of the project10
11

Market splinters

Another Indian milestone:
Omkareshwar

Voith Siemens Hydro, in consortiumwith Jaiprakash Industries Ltd., India,
has been awarded the contract to supply and install the new Omkareshwarhydropower station. The 123 million
Euro order covers the supply of allelectromechanical equipment, including eight vertical Francis turbines andsynchronous generators, each witha rated capacity of 65 MW, associated auxiliaries and a 220 kV outdoor
switchyard. The project is located on
the Narmada River in India’s federal
state of Madhya Pradesh. After commissioning in 2007, Omkareshwar willbe among India’s largest hydropower
stations with a total installed output
of 520 MW.
For more information:
Herbert.Weissmann@vs-hydro.com

At a formal signing ceremony of thecommissioning certificates for thethree units of the Baspa II hydropower station in India, the generators,
supplied by Voith Siemens Hydro
Power Generation, have been handed over officially to the customer,
Jaiprakash Hydro Power Limited.
The Baspa II power plant has supplied
electricity from the Himalayas into theIndian grid since June 2003.
With a maximum output of 360 MVA,
the run-of-river plant at an elevationof 1,825 m is reducing the peak load
shortage in the Federal State of Himachal Pradesh as well as in the Greater
New Delhi area. Voith Siemens Hydro,
as consortium leader had been awarded the contract to provide the com-plete electro-mechanical and control
equipment for Baspa II together with
VA Tech in January 1999. Baspa II
is the largest hydropower project inIndia operated by an IPP – an Independent Power Producer, JaiprakashHydro Power Limited (JHPL).
The award of this project marked the
beginning of successful cooperation
between two market leaders in thearea of hydropower in India, Jaiprakash Industries, the parent company
of JHPL and Voith Siemens Hydro.

Both companies signed a general cooperation agreement in November
2000. Recent orders for the hydropower stations of Baglihar and Omkareshwar (see left) show the continued
success of this collaboration and also
the substantial contribution of Voith
Siemens Hydro to the developmentof hydropower potential in India.

For more information:
Hubertus.Zimmermann@vs-hydro.com

hypower 6/2003

Baspa II:
Largest private hydropower station
connected to the grid

1213Market splinters

Successful model acceptancefor Tai’An
Another successful model acceptance test recently took place in the
Corporate Technology facilities of Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation.
The model for the reversible pump-turbines for the new pumped storage
plant Tai’An in China underwent extensive testing.

In the presence of experts of the customer, Shangdong Taishan Pumped
Storage Power Station Co., Ltd., efficiency and other performances guaranteed, as well as proof of secure operation of the prototype could be best
fulfilled. During a customer witness
test with Shangdong Taishan Pumped

Storage Power Station Co., Ltd, allparameters guaranteed were met.
Tai’An hydropower plant will be equipped with four reversible pump-turbine
units, each with an output of 250 MW.
Voith Siemens Hydro was awarded thecontract at the end of November 2002

and will supply four complete units:
pump-turbines, motor-generators,
spherical valves, supervisory andcontrol systems.

The first unit is planned to becommissioned end of 2005.
For more information:
Martin.Giese@vs-hydro.com

Operation training
for Middle Marsyangdi
Another hydropower station, Middle
Marsyangdi, with an installed capacityof 72 MW, will be put into operationin mid-2005.
The turbines – two Francis turbineswith a capacity of 36 MW each – andthe inlet valves and controls are supplied by Voith Siemens Hydro. And
not only these: the services provided
also include the communication ofexpertise for the optimum operationof the plant after completion. Voith
Siemens Hydro trainers gave theirexpertise on hydraulics, maintenanceand process technology to four guestsof Nepal Electricity Authority during
one month in Heidenheim. They deepened their new knowledge throughvisits in the Goldisthal and Glems
hydropower plants. During the final
exam 60 technical questions had tobe answered. All trainees passed withflying colors. “We learned a lot during
the four weeks and are now well-versed
in operating our hydropower plant,”
said plant manager Sunil Kumar
Dhungel.

For more information:
Karsten.Horn@vs-hydro.com

hypower 6/2003

Nepal’s most important energy
resources are biomass and hydropower. Currently, the country relies
on economic progress throughtourism, the labor-intensive small
and medium-sized industries and– in the long term – the export ofelectrical energy to India. At present, only approximately 1.5 %of the country’s commerciallyusable hydropower potential ofaround 25,000 MW is developed.

Training on the job for the guest
from Nepal

Middle Marsyangdi gates

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Partnering and project expertise

Partnering with Hydro Tasmania
in Gordon modernization
An alliance agreement has been formed between Hydro Tasmania and Voith
Fuji Hydro, Kawasaki, Japan, for the modernization and optimization of thehydroelectric equipment at Gordon power station, end of 2002.

Hydro Tasmania’s Manager, Power
Schemes, Simon Krohn, said thatthe project objective was to improve
the reliability and availability of themachines in readiness for Hydro
Tasmania’s entry into the National
Electricity Market. “Gordon power
station will be a key asset in meetingpeak load demands,” Mr. Krohn said.
“Since the power station was commissioned in 1978 it has served Tasmania as a base load station during
periods of low rainfall, when generation from our run-of-the-river assets
is also low. The refurbishment of theseunits will prepare them for their newrole as a peak generation plant.”

Lake Padder

Mr. Krohn said that the alliance agreement with Voith Fuji Hydro has thepotential to deliver better outcomes ina shorter time frame than traditional
contract arrangements. As the president of Voith Fuji Hydro, Dr. Martin
Kuechle adds: “Being the Japan based
entity of Voith Siemens Hydro Power
Generation, Voith Fuji Hydro is able toprovide our customer, Hydro Tasmania, with the comprehensive expertiseand state-of-the-art technology of theleader in hydro power modernization.”hydro power plants. This project is
one of a series of planned upgrade
projects that are part of Hydro Tasmania’s 10-year program of efficiency
upgrades and refurbishments.

Hydro Tasmania is the largest renewable energy generator in Australia,
owning and operating 2,262 MW of

For more information:
Martin.Kuechle@vs-hydro.com

The Gordon power station generates
energy from inflows into Lake Gordon
and Lake Pedder in South-West Tasmania. With three 150 MW Francis
turbines, it is the highest capacity
power station in Tasmania.

Wineglass Bay, Tasmania

Aimorés, Brazil,
begins operation

Voith Siemens Hydro is carrying out
the project under an EPC (Engineering
Procurement and Construction) contract, which stipulates a flat rate for
all work, materials, equipment supplies, installation and engineering
services.
In this project, Voith Siemens Hydro
is working for the CHA-Hydroelectric
Consortium of Aimorés, consistingof the partners “Vale do Rio Doce”,
the largest Brazilian mining and logistics company, and the Brazilian electricity company CEMIG, Companhia
Energética de Minas Gerais.
For more information:
Camila.Varussa@vs-hydro.com

hypower 6/2003

For Voith Siemens Hydro’s Brazilianunit, the construction of the Aimorés
power plant, located on the Doce Riverin the south eastern state of Minas
Gerais, is one of the most importantongoing projects. All of the three
Kaplan runners have already arrived
at the site and the first machine will
start operating in December. The project is progressing smoothly as scheduled. Once the last generating unit
has begun operation in May 2004,
the power station will have a total
capacity of 336.75 MW.

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Expertise in automation

Last step to digital governors
at Danube hydropower stations
Voith Siemens Hydro of Austria wasrecently awarded the 3.5 million Euro
contract for automating four Danube
power plants, thus continuing its successful collaboration with Austria’s
largest producer of electric power,
VERBUND. Voith Siemens Hydro has
already installed digital governors infour of VERBUND’s nine run-of-river
power plants. These generate a totalof more than 12 billion kWh, which
accounts for approximately one quarter of Austria’s total power production. The order for Aschach, Wallsee,
Ybbs, and Altenwörth power stations
includes the delivery of 25 digital governors, speed sensing and feedback
transmitters, the reconstruction ofboth control valves and the shutdown
circuit. The first unit will be commissioned at the beginning of 2004, thecomplete refurbishment of all power
plants should be finished by the endof 2008.
For more information:
Horst.Giller@vs-hydro.com

Photos: Courtesy of VERBUND Austria

AschachType: Run-of-river
Production in a normal year:
1,617.4 million kWh
Nominal capacity: 287,400 kW
Units: 4
Turbines: vertical Kaplan
Mean gross head: 15.3 m
Maximum flow: 2,040 m 3/s
Weir system: 5 weir openings
Navigation locks: 2 (230 x 24 m)
Barrage length: 40 km
Initial construction period: 1959-64
Province: Upper Austria

Wallsee
Type: Run-of-river
Production in a normal year:
1,318.8 million kWh
Nominal capacity: 210,000 kW
Units: 6
Turbines: vertical Kaplan
Mean gross head: 10.8 m
Maximum flow: 2,700 m 3/s
Weir system: 6 weir openings
Navigation locks: 2 (230 x 24 m)
Barrage length: 25 km
Initial construction period: 1965-68
Province: Lower Austria/Upper Austria

New control system forGermany’s Friedrichsau
Ybbs
Type: Run-of-river
Production in a normal year:
1,335.9 million kWh
Nominal capacity: 236,500 kW
Units: 7
Turbines: 6 vertical Kaplan
Mean gross head: 10.9 m
Maximum flow: 2,650 m 3/s
Weir system: 5 weir openings
Navigation locks: 2 (230 x 24 m)
Barrage length: 34 km
Initial construction period: 1954-59
Province: Lower Austria
Altenwörth
Type: Run-of-river
Production in a normal year:
1,967.6 million kWh
Nominal capacity: 328,000 kW
Units: 9
Turbines: horizontal Kaplan bulb
Mean gross head: 15 m
Maximum flow: 2,700 m 3/s
Weir system: 6 weir openings
Navigation locks: 2 (230 x 24 m)
Barrage length: 30 km
Initial construction period: 1973-76
Province: Lower Austria

In May 2003, SWU (Ulm Municipal
Works) entrusted Voith Siemens Hydrowith the delivery of a new control system for its Friedrichsau hydropower
station. This project further consolidates a cooperation, which had its
successful beginnings with the modernization of the Donaustetten hydropower plant.

A new control system will now transfer the system to automatic operation
as early as October 2003. This represents a very short delivery time, madepossible by the standardized modules of the VSHycon Efficient Systemand the continuing partnership between SWU and the specialists at
Voith Siemens Hydro.

The Voith Kaplan turbine has beenin trouble-free service at Friedrichsau hydropower station for the past
50 years. Each year its generators
produce al-most 50 million kWh ofenergy, approximately the power foran average of 14,000 households.

For more information:
Hans-Joachim.Hanke@vs-hydro.com

hypower 6/2003

1 horizontal Kaplan bulb

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Technological leadership

Opening ceremony at Europe’s
most modern pumped storage plant
On 30th September 2003, Goldisthal in Thuringia,
Germany, at present Europe’s most advanced pumpedstorage plant, received its official acceptance forcommercial operation. Including Germany’s Chancellor
Gerhard Schröder and the Prime Minister of Thuringia,
Dieter Althaus, the owner and operator Vattenfall Europe AG welcomed numerous government officials andindustry leaders to the inauguration.

CEOs are pleased about the Voith Siemens Hydro gifts
for the Goldisthal visitor center from left to right:
Reinhardt Hassa, Vattenfall and Dr. Hermut Kormann, Voith AG

It took six years to build this pumpedstorage project – from the groundbreaking for the access tunnel into
the cavern to initial start-up of commercial operation of the first of four
pump-turbine units in February 2003
and the official opening ceremony.
The construction and operation ofGoldisthal will secure 50 permanent
power station jobs and approximately

80 related industrial jobs in the Thuringia region. Moreover, the project
has also resulted in an additional flood
protection area and water reservoir of
2.9 million m 3 for use in dry periods.
The pump-turbines, each rated at
265 MW, were supplied in a consortium with VA Tech Hydro and CKD
Blansko Engineering, in which Voith
Siemens Hydro Power Generation
was primarily responsible for the hydraulic design and the entire control
system, including the technology ofvariable-speed turbine control installed in two of four machines. With
its advanced technology, Goldisthal
is setting several international standards, including: the gigantic machines can be synchronized to thegrid from standstill to full power inrecord time in world comparison.

Another novelty for European pumpedstorage plants: two of the four machines operate in “variable-speed”
mode and for this reason variationsin the electrical grid can be balanced
much easier than with traditional
pump-turbine units.
Goldisthal pumped-storage plant is
expected to reduce peak load deficits
and to provide a reserve for lossesof larger power station blocks in the
Vattenfall grid. These features makea significant contribution to the safe
operation of the grid. At maximum
head, each pump-turbine can produce
325 MW of clean, renewable energy.

For more information:
Frank.Felber@vs-hydro.com

hypower 6/2003

Dr. Hermut Kormann, President andChief Executive Officer of Voith AG,
presented a component of the variablespeed pump-turbine model runneras well as graphic displays for thevisitor center to Reinhardt Hassa,
Member of the Board of Vattenfall
Europe Generation AG & Co. KG,
and chief charge of the Corporate
Division “Power Stations”.

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Technological leadershipResearch to reducehydro-abrasive wear
After more than six years, the German-financed research program on requirement-based coating in Chinese hydropower plants has led to new
findings, both on how to reduce the effect of hydro-abrasive wear by erosion prediction and also on erosion protection. In addition to laboratorybased examinations, the real scale performance of the measures to reducewear was tested at the San Men Xia hydropower plant in Henan Province,
China. The project, financially supported by the German BMFT (Federal
Ministry for Research and Technology), had a considerable volume.

Particle trajectories in a Kaplan
turbine and local flow velocity

Prediction of hydro abrasive
wear on a Francis runnerHydropower plants located at rivers
carrying an extremely high amountof abrasive particles during the flood
seasons have to deal with the severe
situation of hydro-abrasive erosion.
This is still a major obstacle to theeconomic utilization of hydropower
resources in those countries. The aimof the aforementioned research project had been a comprehensive program to develop up-to-date measuresagainst silt erosion.
Optimized hydraulic shape
Different approaches are possible
to reduce wear in hydraulic turbines.
It is not always possible to carry out
catchment area treatment to avoid
abrasive particles being washed into
the river water or to remove particles
before entering the hydro turbine. Nevertheless, a solution had to be found
to reduce the damage by abrasive particles. During the research project,a process was developed to modify
the hydraulic shape of turbines andsignificantly reduce hydro-abrasiveerosion. This is performed by highly
developed CFD tools (Computational
Fluid Dynamics), which optimize
the hydraulic design by determining“hot spots” of hydro abrasive wear.

Areas are indicated, where the wear
rate reaches extremely high values.
At this stage of the engineering process, design changes can be madeand modifications can be implemented easily. The main emphasis is onachieving a more homogenous hydroabrasive erosion on the hydraulicsurface of the component, rather
than having local “hot spots”. At
the end of the process an optimized
design is achieved, both in regard
to hydraulic behavior and erosion
prevention. These measures canonly reduce the erosion attack, but
not completely prevent it.
Material-based solutions
The second goal of the project was
to develop a material-based solution
to protect the surface of hydrauliccomponents. Material tests were carried out to examine available basematerials and coatings in orderto obtain a rating of wear-related
properties.
Two groups of materials, each relying on completely different protection
mechanisms, were clearly dominating
the high end of this classification.
Based on the experiments and examinations, two materials, one fromeach group, were selected for thepilot applications on the Yellow River.
A “hard”, HVOF-applied TC/CoCr coating (High Velocity Oxygen Fuel), named
Diaturb ® 532, and a “soft” PU-based
coating, Softurb ® 80, were chosen toprotect the pilot turbine and its components from hydro-abrasive erosion.
The San Men Xia research project included a monitoring phase of two years,
during which the turbine parts were
inspected several times. The unit was

Combination of different
coating systems

also in operation during the flood
seasons with an average sand concentration of 20-30 kg/m 3. At the endof this phase the protection systems
had fulfilled the requirements. The
combination of erosion prevention
by design optimization and coatingbased erosion protection, lead toa significant reduction in wear.
On an overall basis, the result of theresearch project is very satisfying.
Wear rates at the newly designed andprotected surfaces are minimal compared to the original runner parts.
The experience from the research
project was included in a process improvement of the protection systems.

For more information:
Michael.Engelhardt@vs-hydro.com

hypower 6/2003

Application of the Diaturb ® 532 coating

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Customer contacts

Infra 2020: Sponsoring
the third Brazilian Forum of Electric Energy
Voith Siemens Hydro Brazil was one of the main sponsors of the third Brazilian Forum of Electric Energy which took place on July 7 and 8 in São Paulo.
Under the title “Infra 2020”, more than 500 Brazilian and international executives from the electric energy sector discussed the country’s future generation, transmission, distribution and commercialization of energy issues.
The forum of 25 private and stateowned companies of suppliers,
investors, etc. clearly succeeded in

drawing the Brazilian government’s
attention to the current problems in
the country’s energy sector. A signifi-

cant lack of private investment, whichis threatening to bring a new energy
crisis, was identified as the central
problem to be addressed.

For more information:
Camila.Varussa@vs-hydro.com

ERLAC X prizes for best paper presentations
During the biannual gathering of ERLAC – the regional Latin American meeting of CIGRE from May 18-22, Voith Siemens Hydro São Paulo was honoredwith three awards for the best case studies presented during the event.
Out of a total number of 28 case studies
presented in the session held on rotating machinery showcasing specialties
and latest technological developmentfrom the companies involved in generation, transmission and distributionof electrical energy, Voith Siemens
Hydro presented fourteen. The winners were Jorge J. R. Echeverria with
“Methods of identification and analysis of problems of electromagnetic
origin in the stators of synchronizedt 3033 e

New brochures
The latest Voith Siemens Hydro
brochures are now available:

For more information:hydrocontact@vs-hydro.com

t 3301 e

machines”, Thomas Hildinger, Joao
C. Benedetti and Ciao W. Kramer with
their paper on “A new concept for isolation of excitation winding in hydrogenerators”, and Thomas Hildinger,
Marcelo G. Tavares and Joao F. Namoras on “Virtual Assembly”.
For more information:
Camila.Varussa@vs-hydro.com
t 3304 eWaterpower XIII, 2003
Very well attended
Waterpower XIII was held at the end of July in Buffalo, New York, USA witha record 1,400 participants compared to the expected 900 attendance. The close
proximity to the world renowned Niagara Falls presented the opportunity tocelebrate a special anniversary for Voith Siemens Hydro – the 100th anniversary of the installation of Voith turbines at Niagara Falls in 1903 with a special leaflet focusing on the historic installation.
Voith Siemens Hydro York’s involvement in the bi-annual event as an exhibitor and supporter of the conferencewith company staff for panel discussions, session leadership and presentation of technical papers played
an important part in this successful
conference.
Voith Siemens offered a separate exhibit room that allowed in-depth pre-sentations and discussions with visitors
on environmental solutions including
fish-friendly and aerating turbines,
Integrated Services, WaterView andgenerator technology.
The company sponsored social events
included a conference wide reception
held at the New York Power Authority’s Robert Moses Power Vista. It also
held a special customer event in thehistoric Buffalo and Erie HistoricalMuseum. One hundred forty guests
were entertained in the only remaining permanent structure from the 1901
Pan American Exposition.
Wolfgang Heine, Executive Vice President and General Manager took theopportunity to address the guests
and say a personal farewell to his
customers as he prepared to retire
and leave the Board of Voith Siemens
Hydro York at the end of the year.
Mr. Heine also introduced the new
Directors. (see next article)
For more information:
Carol.Rose@vs-hydro.com

Voith Siemens Hydro, USA, names new officers

E. Mark Garner

Brian Greenplate

Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation Inc. has named E. Mark Garner
its President and Brian Greenplate,
Executive Vice President.

Wolfgang Heine

Mark Garner joined the company asplant manager in 1988. He served asVice President of turbine operations
until 1999, when he was promoted to

Wolfgang Heine, Executive Vice President and General Manager, will retireat the end of 2003. He spent the past
14 years at Voith Hydro and Voith
Siemens Hydro Power Generation in York.

hypower 6/2003

Executive Vice President. He became
President on October 1, 2003. Brian
Greenplate was previously the Vice
President for Sales and Marketing andassumed his new position as Executive
Vice President on March 1, 2003.

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EssayThe sound of the waves

Water – the elixir of life. Life on the continent that has seen human settlement longer than any other has always been governed by this fundamental
insight. In Africa, people are conscious in every aspect of their existenceof the extent to which they depend on this element. It is therefore hardly
surprising that water occupies a central position in their culture and in every
area of what we have come to know as the fine arts.

Some anthropologists are of the opinion that music has its origins in thevery heart of the this continent. Even
today, music and dance are a traditional accompaniment to every important situation in day-to-day life.
Music coordinates the work processes and provides rhythm, dancing tomusic has a mystic power and, forexample when the planting season
comes around, is used to call for therain needed for the crops to grow.
Many of the songs handed down fromone generation to the next describe
the strength and might of water.

In the Western world, at least in
regions that do not suffer from ashortage of water, this element has
acquired a lively, jovial character inmusic, reflecting the more positive
character attributed to it. In North
America, many music-lovers areconvinced that the blues would nothave come about without the influence of a mighty river. The lower
reaches of the Mississippi are regarded as the birthplace of America’s
entire culture of popular music.

In Europe’s musical history there havebeen many examples of water beingtransferred from the river or seabedto the musical score, one of the bestknown is “Vltava” (“The Moldau”) by
Bedrich Smetana, who was born in
Eastern Bohemia in 1824.

This tone poem, lasting twelve minutes,
describes how the river flows fromthe two springs that are its source –represented by warbling flutes and clarinet runs – until it grows in size andpasses through the woods and fields– a famous melody – and reaches thedangerous rapids of St. John, dramatically portrayed by passages by thestringed instruments. Finally, the Moldau emerges proudly from these conflicts of the elements to join othermighty streams on their way to the sea.
Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)
has left us a splendid aural exampleof water at its most impressive. With
all the tonal opulence of the baroqueperiod, he wrote his celebrated “Water
Music”, dedicated it to the British King
George I and arranged for it to be performed on the River Thames in 1717.
Another musical theme from theworld of water bade fair to become
the rallying song of an entire generation. “Aquarius”, the best-known
song from the musical “Hair”, announced the “dawning of the ageof Aquarius”. This sign of the zodiac and the influence of the planet
Uranus were taken by the “flowerpower” movement as their inspiration to “make love, not war” in thehope that a better world would comeabout and that a protest against all
forms of violence could be organized.
Even this brief selection from a topicarea that is almost unlimited in its
scope shows us that water is an existential topic and plays a significant
part in the artistic heritage of all theworld’s cultures.

hypower 6/2003

Many internationally successful artists in these musical categories have
put forward this theory. Powerfulperformers such as Ike and Tina
Turner, John Lee Hooker or Luther
Allison all obtained their inspirationfrom the Mississippi Delta and became in their turn the icons and models of several later generationsof musicians.

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Copyright 2003
Reproduction permitted,
provided source is given.

www.msw.de

Editorial coordination:
Barbara Fischer-Aupperle

10000

Voith Siemens Hydro
Power Generation GmbH & Co. KG
Alexanderstraße 1189522 Heidenheim/Germany
Tel. +49 7321 37 68 48
Fax +49 7321 37 78 28
www.voithsiemenshydropower.com