HyPower
Voith Hydro customer magazine

June 200918

Columbia River cuts powerful path I Globalizing know-how
in multi-turn coils I Expertise in generators enhanced

SUMMARY

6

46

News

Focus on the U.S.

4 New name for successful joint
venture5 Growth pattern sustained but
preparing for harder times ahead

Fish-friendliness
18 Fish-friendly solutions for thecustomers
The CRITFC’s view
22 Salmon – a corner stone of tribal life
Interview
26 U.S. hydro plans to keep up withexpected boom
The NHA’s view America’s
34 America’s largest renewable energy
resource set to double by 2030

Report6 Columbia River cuts powerful path
14 A network of agencies ensure
the Columbia River flows

56

43 Voith Hydro selected for AMP-Ohio
projects
50 Equipment for South African Ingula
pumped storage scheme
51 Two new hydro power plants
for China

Ocean energies
52 New developments in ocean energies

Politics
54 Sustainability in hydro – first HSAF
consultation phase now completed

Electrical expertise
30 Globalizing know how in multi-turncoils
46 Expertise in generators further
enhanced

Projects around the world

See backflap for the 100th
Brunnenmühle anniversary.

2

37 Overhaul of Bath County Pumped
Storage Station
38 Work continues on Rock Islandhydro project
39 Historic renovation in Bonneville
40 Refurbishing generators
at Conowingo Dam
41 Model testing for Folsom Dam
project begins
42 Four work together to refurbish
Lookout Point project

Events55 Conferences, seminars and symposia

Essay
56 Adventurous travelling in the U.S.
100 years ago

News from the Voith Group
60 Voith Turbo
60 Voith Industrial Services
61 Voith Paper

Today’s Brunnenmühle
62 100 years old and absolutely
state-of-the-art

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerEDITORIAL

Dr. Roland Münch
President and CEO of Voith Hydro
Member of the Board of Voith AG

Dear readers,
In my first year as CEO of Voith
Hydro I have had many opportunities to observe this business andI was able to meet many of ourcustomers.
The first excellent meeting with aU.S.-based group of owners andoperators for me happened intensely during Hydrovision 2008 in Sacramento, California. My impressionof the U.S. hydro business is theimpression of a market in full upswing. And this trend seems tocontinue despite the financial crisis.
The U.S. – as many countries –have the tremendous challenge tomeet their increasing energy needs
and cost with a fuel mix that will
have to be clearly oriented towards
CO2 reduction. The new administration of President Obama is – as we
can observe it – certainly setting
very new accents here.
There is no silver bullet, but a newmind set for international models
and a strong drive with new orientation certainly make things happen
unthought of for many years.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

Efficiency gains in existing systems
and the increase of the renewables’
share in the global energy mix are
our best bet.
Of course, the hydro industry’s
aspiration is to see more hydrodevelopment. From the large
number of dams in the U.S., only
2,400 are generating electricity.
The potential by “only” addinghydro power plants to these existing
constructions is considerable.
Built for navigation, water supply
or irrigation purposes, this infrastructure is already in place; adding
a hydro power plant will not create
a great impact on the environment
or local area. And it can tap a significant potential and create theopportunity of powering millions of
U.S. homes. With our recent contract for the Ohio River projects,
our largest ever for our U.S. location in York, Pennsylvania, we areproud to contribute to this effort.
In addition we are committed to thesustainable development of newhydro power stations for the future.

The Hydropower Sustainability
Assessment Forum (HSAF), has set
a first strong mark at the beginningof this year and proves evidence ofa new and extremely professional
process to develop guidelines andcriteria for sustainable hydro power
stations worldwide. Voith Hydro
fully supports and commits to thisprocess, and I hope we can inspireothers to further join forces here!
Last but not least, we have changed
our name: from Voith Siemens
Hydro Power Generation to Voith
Hydro. Nothing changes – but thename. Siemens will remain our
35 % shareholder and we will continue to be the same joint venture
as started in 2000: a leading andsuccessfully growing full-line provider of hydro power plant equipment and services.
To give me your thoughts and ideas
on any subject in the industry,please do not hesitate to mail me
under Roland.Muench@voith.com.

3

NEWS

Voith Hydro:
new name for successful joint venture
The company name is changing, but the successful course
will continue in mutual agreement: Since 1st April 2009,
Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation is Voith Hydro.
The shares remain the same.

In the year 2000, Voith and Siemens
had joined forces to create a joint
venture of the two leading manufacturers of hydro turbine and generator technology in the field of hydroelectric power. Since then, the joint
venture has been driven forwardwith great success. Now, the success stays, with the company
name changing due to a nameagreement that limits the use of
the Siemens brand. The sharesof the two joint venture partners
remain unchanged, though: Voith
holds 65 percent and Siemens
35 percent of the company sharesin Voith Hydro.

4

The joint venture has been able tosubstantially develop its competencies during the last nine years.
Today, Voith Hydro is a full-service
provider offering everything fromthe complete solution to individual
electrical and hydraulic components
from own engineering and production facilities.
Dr. Roland Münch, Chairman of
the Board of Voith Hydro, feels
confident, that also under the newname the company continues tostand for proven expertise, excellent research and development,
technical reliability and innovations
that gained worldwide recognition.

A look on the figures confirm thisassessment: Over the last years,
the joint venture successfully expanded its leading position in the
global market for hydroelectric
power. The order volume has grown
above one billion order intake perbusiness year for two years in a row
to nearly 1.4 billion Euro today (seepage 5), not least due to the highworldwide demand for emission-freeenergy. June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerNEWSVoith Group: Growth pattern sustained
but preparing for harder times ahead
In Voith’s fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, the company
once again successfully maintained the pattern of growth
witnessed in the preceding years.

Order intake rose 18.7 % to 6.1
billion Euro from a previous year’s
5.1 billion Euro. Sales were up
17.8 % to 4.9 billion Euro from
4.2 billion Euro – the highest levelin the history of the Voith Group.

Around 400 million Euro were spenton investments and acquisitions,while a further 250 million Euro
were channelled into research anddevelopment, thus laying a firm
foundation for the future.

Double-digit sales growth had
contributed to robust businessperformance. At the same time,
Voith further expanded its strong
position in the world’s key growth
regions with around 30 % of productand system sales in the forwardlooking markets of Asia.

President and CEO Dr. Hubert
Lienhard sees Voith’s products
provide answers to the pivotal
questions of the 21st century, addressing issues such as the efficientuse of energy and resources andthe need for clean, renewablesources of energy. With a healthybalance sheet and adequate capital
resources in place, he sees room tomaneuver in difficult times ahead.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerIn the first months of the current
fiscal year, the impact of the economic crisis varied throughout
the Group. Both new orders andsales remained stable in the Group
Divisions that service the markets
for oil, gas, energy and public transport. Voith is nevertheless confident
that the future holds strong businesspotential in its markets.
Voith Hydro’s order intake for fiscal
year 2007/2008 was another year
to grow, from almost 1.1 billion Euroto nearly 1.4 billion Euro. This good
trend continued in the first six
months of the current fiscal year. 

5REPORTREPORT

Columbia River
cuts powerful path

REPORT

The Columbia River is power. It’s also tradition. History.
Recreation. Transportation. Controversy. Arguably one of themost significant forces in the United State’s Pacific Northwest,
the Columbia River cuts an impressive 1,250-mile path, starting in Canada, winding through the states of Washington andOregon, and ending in the Pacific Ocean.

Through lush green surroundings,
steep rocky landscapes and passed
high Evergreen-spotted cliffs, theColumbia River is a provider – ofpower, food, transportation andrecreation. The historic river is notwithout controversy, as farmers,
utilities, native tribes and recreational enthusiasts compete for its
use across state and national borders.

“The river is a unifying force, andplays an integral role in the everyday lives of the region’s citizens”,
says Donna Sinclair, program manager at the Center for ColumbiaRiver History. “From salmon towindsurfing, the Columbia is at thecenter of the economy, society,policy and spirit of the Northwest.”

Almost everyone in the PacificNorthwest is touched by the
Columbia River, whether it’s because of the low electricity rates,
eating apples or cherries grownin rich soil irrigated by the riveror enjoying a direct product of
the river – fresh salmon.

Human life along the ColumbiaRiver basin dates back more than
15,000 years. Those early groups
fished the river, hunted and gathered plants, and they built theirdwellings along the river. Many
Native American tribes continue
to have a strong presence on the
Columbia River.

8

A long history of tradition

According to oral history passed
down from Native American elders,
tribal culture, pattern of movement
and many traditions were based on
the Columbia River and its salmon
season. Like the buffalo’s importance to tribes in the United States’Great Plains, the salmon from theColumbia River provided a valuable
resource that is still celebrated
today.
Europeans first became awareof the Columbia River in the 17th
century, charting its course onmaps in the late 18th century.
Then came the industrial revolution.
The Columbia River played a keyrole in transportation in those earlyyears.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerREPORT

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

9REPORT

Discovering the Northwest: The Lewis and Clark expedition
It was not before 1793 that a Scottish fur
trader reached the Pacific as the first European via an overland route on Native American trails crossing through the CanadianRockies and making the path for fur trade.
Through a book on this trader’s adventures,
President Thomas Jefferson’s interest was
awakened and the idea of a journey for the
exploration of this area was born: In 1801,
Jefferson made his personal secretary,
Meriwether Lewis to lead an expedition andchart the region. The goal was to find awaterway to the Pacific and explore the
newly acquired land of the Northwest.
Lewis, then 27, had no training in this sortof action, but could not reject the opportunity. He managed to convince his friend,
William Clark, age 33, to come along.
Clark was an experienced frontiersman andarmy veteran. In 1804, a party of 40 left
St. Louis, Missouri, to go West. The party
travelled relatively well, in part because
one of the French-Canadian trappers in thegroup was married to a young Shoshone
woman who, together with Clark’s African
American servant, was key to guiding,translating and smoothening tension
among the group and Native Americans
on their way.

10

The party travelled some 8,000 miles(12,900 km) in one and a half years, documenting everything that came their way.
It is reported though that the spelling intheir journals was so bad that it took historians a few extra years to sort out all theinformation. Notes on 122 animals and
178 plants, including some new discoveries
were recorded.
The party reached the mouth of theColumbia River in 1805, establishing Fort
Clatsop, where they stayed for the winter.
They headed back home in 1806.
Lewis was later appointed governor of
the Louisiana Territory but died a year later
under unclear circumstances. Even until
today, his death seems to be more related
to suicide than to murder. Clark obviously
was much better able to deal with this fate
and fame and was appointed governor of
the Missouri Territory, living to the ageof 68.
Their expedition laid important groundworkthat considerably helped the future U.S.
expansion toward the West.

As canneries, fur-trading and othercommerce grew, so did transportation on the river – first sail power,
and later, steam. Commercial vessels populated the Columbia, moving goods and freight in the region.
Now, roughly 50 million tons ofcargo each year is transported on
the Columbia River system. Barges
can operate on 475 miles of theriver system, playing a significant
role in moving cargo around theregion. Recreation on the Columbia
also began in those early settlement
times with steamboat tours up theriver from Portland. In the 1920s,
sport fishing for salmon and steelhead became popular, as well as
post-World War II activities suchas sailing, water skiing, canoeing
and other water sports. Around theColumbia River’s Gorge area –about 60 miles east of Portland –strong winds helped create aninternationally known destination
for windsurfing today.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerREPORT

The real business on the Columbia
started in 1932, when private powercompanies completed the Rock
Island Dam in the middle of theriver to start harnessing its power.

Turning darkness to dawnWith its heavy flow and large elevation drop, the river lends itself tohydro power. In fact, the ColumbiaRiver Basin is the most hydroelectrically developed river system in theworld, possessing nearly one-thirdof the country’s hydroelectric potential. With more than 400 dams in
the whole basin system – and about
150 hydroelectric projects – theColumbia River’s generating capacity is more than 21,000 megawatts –that’s enough power to generate
electricity for roughly 6 million
typical U.S. homes.
The two largest projects are theBonneville Dam, completed in 1938,
and the Grand Coulee Dam, completed in 1941.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerThe last dams on the Columbia
were finished in the 1970s.
The early structures were built asa result of the New Deal program,providing jobs during the Great
Depression in the U.S. after WorldWar I. The dams were built to provide irrigation, flood control andelectricity. Grand Coulee helps
irrigate more than 500,000 acres offertile – but arid – land in the area.
Where before few crops could grow,the central Washington state now
is a major agricultural resource,
known for producing apples, potatoes, alfalfa, corn, barley and beets.
In fact, due to Columbia River irrigation system, Washington State
produces more than half of all U.S.
production of apples, sweet cherries, pears and hops.
For most residents in the PacificNorthwest, hydro power brings a
tremendous opportunity – one notfound in other parts of the U.S.

In the state of Washington, almost
70 percent of electricity is produced
from hydro power, compared to only
three percent in the rest of the U.S.
Because of hydro power, the PacificNorthwest has some of the lowest
energy rates in the United States.
And since it’s a clean, renewableenergy source, residents will continue to enjoy low electricity rates
far into the future.
There’s no doubt hydro power has
become a part of the culture along
the Columbia River. The BonnevillePower Administration, the federal
agency that markets the electricity
generated at federal hydro power
projects on the Columbia River,hired folk singer Woody Guthrie in1941 to write songs about the river,
its history, its culture and the new
era of hydro power. Songs include
the popular “Roll on Columbia”, withthe lyrics: “Roll on, Columbia, rollon; Your power is turning our darkness to dawn.”

11

REPORT“ It’s a contested river”, says Sinclair, whose
Center for Columbia River History has well
documented the river’s key players.
But, over the years, the stake holders learned
how to better communicate with each other.
Donna Sinclair,
Center for Columbia River History

The folk songs are just as mucha part of the legacy along the river
now as the Columbia’s colorful“pre-hydro” history.

Hydro power fuels the PacificNorthwest’s technology boom

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The Pacific Northwest is known
for its innovative businesses andcorporations, especially in technology. Puget Sound is home to
Microsoft, Amazon.com, Starbucks
and Costco. And those companies
require a tremendous amount ofsafe and reliable energy to operate.
Without hydro power and the lowcost energy it provides, it’s unlikely
this region would have the jobs andeconomic boom it’s experiencing
today.
An abundance of low-cost power –a capacity of 2,000 megawatts –from two hydroelectric projects at
Grant County Public Utility District(PUD) in central Washington means
large companies like Microsoft andYahoo are building huge server
farms and data centers – which use
eight to ten times more electricity
per square foot than typical officebuildings – in the county because of
the inexpensive power.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerREPORT“ There is also moreroom for growth.
I think hydro hasa bright future.”
Tim Culbertson,
General Manager
Grant County PUD

Demand in the area is booming,bringing international customers likeREC (Renewable Energy Corporation), a Norwegian silicon manufacturer, to Grant County.
“The Columbia River means a great
deal to the entire Northwest”, said
Tim Culbertson, General Manager
of Grant County PUD. “The rivergives us a flexible, renewable energy source. Without it, we would bemuch more reliant on coal and otherresources.”

Lots of eggs, one basket: theColumbia River’s stakeholders
With so many stakeholders in the
Columbia River, there’s bound to
be competing interests, and plentyof controversy. In the U.S., hydropower operations are overseen byfederal agencies and utilities, butmany non-profit commissions andlocal and regional agencies also
have a say in how the river is used.
“It’s a contested river”, says Sinclair,
whose Center for Columbia River
History has well-documented theriver’s key players. But, over theyears, the stakeholders learned how
to better communicate with eachother.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

Commissions, pacts and accords
have been reached. There are still
disagreements, but Sinclair says
competing interests have more
empathy for the other side. And,
they are now willing to sit at a table
together to work out their differences.
Crossing so many borders, federal
governments, state governments
and county lines, the ColumbiaRiver is governed by a mix ofagreements. The Columbia River
Treaty, an agreement between the
United States and Canada, covers
the development and control of theupper Columbia River basin.

A unique balancing act
Signed in 1961 and finalized in
1964, the treaty dictates flood
protection and power generation,and mandated the constructionof three water storage facilities
in British Columbia, and a fourthin the U.S. Under the treaty, any
additional hydro power generated
in the U.S. is to be shared by bothcountries, equally.

The treaty was shrouded by controversy, and still today, there is concern because the treaty does notcover fish protection and otherenvironmental concerns – onlyhydroelectricity and flood control.
That’s because those early dams
were built before there were major
concerns about fish runs. The treaty
can be terminated with 10 year’s
notice any time after 2034.
One commission that plays astrong role protecting salmon in
the Columbia River is the ColumbiaRiver Inter-Tribal Fish Commission(CRITFC). Created in 1977 by four
Native American tribes with treaty
fishing rights on the Columbia River,
the CRITFC coordinates fish management policies and objectives
and works on restoring the salmon
runs.
The Commission calls themselves“co-managers of the river” says
Jeremy FiveCrows, a member of theparticipating Nez Perce tribe.
The Portland, Oregon-based Commission reached an historic 10-year
agreement with federal agencies
last year – ending years of contentious legal battles.

13

REPORT

Wanapum aerial view.

Priest Rapids power house view.

A network of agencies ensure
the Columbia River flows
The day-to-day operations of theColumbia River are overseen bya mix of governmental agencies,
utilities and private companies
managing 21,000 megawatts in
the Columbia River basin.
There are 31 federal U.S. hydropower facilities on the ColumbiaRiver and its tributaries. The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers operates
21 of them. The other 10 federal
operations are run by the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation, created in1902 to boost the economic development of the dry western states
through irrigation.
Three public utility districts (PUDs)– nonprofit, community-owned andgoverned utilities providing electricity, water, wholesale telecommunications and sewer services – operate five significant hydroelectric
operations on the Columbia.

14

The Grant County PUD, Chelan
County PUD and Douglas County
PUD hydro power operations havea combined peak capacity of almost
5,000 megawatts. Chelan PUD
owns and operates the nation‘ssecond-largest non-federal, publicly-owned hydroelectric generating
system. Two of the District’s hydropower stations, Rocky Reach andRock Island, are part of an 11-hydropower system on the main U.S.
portion of the Columbia River.
The district also has a third hydroproject on Lake Chelan, giving the
PUD the capacity of more than
2,000 megawatts.
Grant County PUD operates twohydroelectric projects, Priest Rapids
Dam and Wanapum Dam. Together,both operations have a combined
capacity of about 2,000 megawatts.

Douglas County PUD operates theWells Dam on the Columbia River,and has a capacity of 840 megawatts.
On the federal side, the Army Corps
is comprised of a mix of mostly
civilian and some military personnel.
It’s the world’s largest public engineering, design and construction
management agency.
“We are part of the Army, but weare engineers”, said Diana Fredlund,
Corps spokesperson. “In the PacificNorthwest, we are mostly civil
workers who manage the navigable
waters of the United States.”
The Bureau of Reclamation, theother federal agency with oversighton the Columbia River, oversaw
development of the Grand Coulee
Dam on the Columbia, which is thelargest electric power-producing

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerREPORT

facility in the U.S., as well as thenation’s largest concrete structure.
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is a federal agency
created in 1937 to market electric
power from the Bonneville Damand other federal hydroelectric
operations, and to create facilities
needed to transmit that power.
The Portland, Oregon-based BPA
sells all power from federally
owned hydroelectric projects inthe four-state region representing
about 35 percent of the electricity
in the area.
The BPA also owns and operates
24,445 kilometers of high-voltage
transmission lines, one of thelargest systems in the U.S. 

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerThe agreement allows for continuance of hydroelectric projects
and commits federal agencies tospend 900 million U.S. dollar on
improving Columbia River conditions for salmon runs. The salmon
population was in jeopardy even
before the dams were built, but
FiveCrows said the addition of thedams over the last 70 years meant
there was no chance of rebuilding
those habitats. Now, the region ishoping to restore those salmon runs
as much as possible.
Another governing board with authority on the Columbia River is theNorthwest Power and Conservation
Council, which was created by
Congress in 1980 to give citizens
of Washington, Oregon, Idaho andMontana a voice in determining thefuture of hydro power, and also toprotect the fish and wildlife affectedby the power resource.

Idaho’s Bill Booth, chairman of
the BPA-funded Council, said theColumbia River presents a uniquebalancing act between a need forcost-efficient energy provided byhydro power, and protection ofnatural resources.
“You’ve got to take a holistic approach”, Booth said. “You’ve got
to keep improving passage throughdams, through turbines, for fish.”Northwest Power and Conservation
Council, CRITFC and the otherstakeholders focus on four main
factors that affect fish runs.
The “Four Hs” include habitat,
hatcheries, harvest, along withhydro power.
For example, annual fish harvest
rates are tightly controlled based on
predictions of the size of fish runs.

15

REPORT

16

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerREPORT

In the case of hydro power, thefocus is on fish ladders and otherfish by-pass facilities, as well as
more fish-friendly turbine designs.
Other countries that are just now
starting to develop hydro powershould look to current projects to
help guide them. And all entities –from governments to environmental
agencies – need to work together
and look at the whole picture to
make hydro power a true success,
Booth says.

Hopes for the Columbia’s
futureAs for the Columbia River, its future
will continue to be both a source ofclean renewable energy, as well astransportation, irrigation, recreation,
food and ongoing tradition.
Governments and coalitions will still
debate its uses. In the future, someof the smaller hydro power stations
might go offline, unable to sustain
the costs of the new fish-friendly
requirements.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

But the larger facilities will likely
continue to evolve and modernize,with more efficient turbines.
“You’ll see retro-fitting of certain
dams – we’re already seeing that”,
Booth said. “You’ll see more efficient turbines.” And, Booth says, weshould see a boost in the health of
the salmon runs. “They are comingback”, he says. “It’s not too late.”
The future of hydro power is expected to continue evolving and progressing along the Columbia River,as all the stakeholders work toward
common goals – providing a reliable, renewable and affordable
energy source that is environmentally sustainable. There are still four
significant facilities on the ColumbiaRiver yet to undergo any modernizing upgrade – meaning there’s
plenty of room for hydro growth andefficiency in the future.
At Grant County PUD, Culbertson
says the future of hydro power likely
means building pumped storage
facilities to gain further electricity
flexibility.

He predicts continued growth along
the Columbia, especially since
relationships between utilities andnative tribes are better now thaneven a few years ago, and equipment is increasing in efficiency
and is even more environmentallyfriendly.
“Not only is there more room for theregion to work together to protect
our natural resources and provide
the best renewable resource for our
region, but there is also more roomfor growth”, Culbertson said. “I thinkhydro has a bright future.” Fish-friendly turbines
Fish-friendly turbines are helping Grant
County PUD operate at its full maximum
capacity – and helped the PUD meet tougher conditions to gain a new 44-year federal
license to continue operating the two dams.
Before the turbines were installed, the PUD
could not operate at full capacity becauseof concerns about migrating salmon andsteelhead. The new turbines, which aresupplied by Voith Hydro, are not only more
efficient, but have increased the number offish to successfully pass through the hydroproject – while still allowing more water togo through the turbines.

17

FISH-FRIENDLINESS

Wanapum aerial view.

Voith Hydro offers
fish-friendly solutions for customers
The recent energy concerns worldwide have placed the spotlighton the need for environmentally sustainable energy alternatives.
Hydro power is one of the largest renewable energy resources in
the world, accounting for 20 percent of all electricity generated
and 10 percent of the United States’ electrical supply.

Increasing environmental concerns
regarding the impact of hydro poweron fish and aquatic habitat havesparked the development of fishfriendly solutions for hydro power
generation. The two main challenges facing hydro power designers
are fish passage and water quality
for aquatic habitats. Voith Hydro iscommitted to developing state-ofthe-art hydro equipment designs

18

that are both cost effective andenvironmentally friendly.
Beginning in the 1990s, Voith
Hydro York (VHY), working withseveral clients including the Grant
County Public Utility District, theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers, andthe Chelan County Public Utility
District, began in-depth efforts tocreate environmental improvements

in turbine designs that improved fishsurvival. VHY engineers collaborated with scientists to understandthe biological effects on fish passing
downstream through the turbines.
The areas studied included the rateof pressure change, blade strikes,
abrasions or cutting due to sharpedges and cavitation. The investigators also examined design changes
to mitigate these effects.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerFISH-FRIENDLINESS

Wanapum generator floor.

damage to fish. Blade designs also
were altered to diminish the rate ofpressure change and component
shapes were changed to reduce
fluid shear.

Wanapum runner ready for installation.

The result was a fish-friendly Kaplan
turbine design that is being used
for power generation plants along
the Columbia River in the northwestern United States. The turbine
modifications decreased wicket
gate overhang and minimized gaps
between the machine blades andhub, as well as between the blade
and discharge ring. Thicker blade
entrance edges reduced the strike

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerThe goal was to increase fish passage survival rates toward 98 percent. Previous survival rates ranged
from 88 to 94 percent. The implemented fish-friendly improvements
to the Kaplan turbines have met
customer expectations in fishfriendly design.
While the enhancements were
aimed at improving the environmental efficiency of hydro power, additional benefits were derived, including improved plant energy generation and reduced operating andmaintenance costs. Today, many
progressive U.S. utility companies

are upgrading or installing new
turbines with environmentally friendly designs as part of their endeavors for improving energy generation
efficiency, as well as addressing arequirement of relicensing.
The Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) is the leadpermitting agency for private hydroelectric plants. The U.S. Fish andWildlife Service for the eastern partof the country, and the National
Marine Fishery Service for thewestern part, are other agencies
that make recommendations on fishmortality goals. In response to the1986 Electric Consumers Protection
Act these agencies have set theirtarget as “no fish production loss”
for all new hydro projects as well
as for any projects for which thehydraulic license is expiring.

19

FISH-FRIENDLINESSThere are hundreds of plants in
the U.S. that must pass throughrelicensing over the next decade;thus, fish-friendly Kaplan turbine
solutions are in demand.
Wanapum Dam

Located downstream from Vantage,
Washington, Wanapum Dam isnearing completion with the installation of the fifth unit of the 10-unit
Kaplan turbine project. The Grant
County Public Utility District project
incorporates the Voith Hydro patented fish-friendly turbines.
Beginning in 2003, Voith Hydro
York performed hydraulic and basic
engineering, followed by detailed
engineering, manufacturing andinstallation. The first unit was commissioned in February 2005, about
80 days ahead of schedule.

Fish survivability tests were conducted through December 2005
and the desired success rates wereachieved. The second and thirdunits for Wanapum Dam werecommissioned in September 2006
and November 2007, respectively.
All 10 units will be completed by
mid-year 2013.
Rocky Reach Dam

Rocky Reach Dam spans theColumbia River just a few miles
north of the city of Wenatchee,
Washington. The primary scopeof this completed project was
replacing the existing Kaplan units
with new units that include modern
designed replacement runners.
The project was necessary due
to a severe runner blade cracking
problem.

Rocky Reach aerial view.

20

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerFISH-FRIENDLINESS

Rocky Reach tailrace view.

Operated by the Public Utility District of Chelan County, Washington,
Rocky Reach Dam is the first Voith
Hydro project where the customer
specifically contracted for model
testing for fish-friendly solutions.
Model testing of the fish passage
alternatives were tested at theformer Voith Hydro Riva HydraulicLaboratory in Milan, Italy. These
tests included injecting model-size
fish into the water passageways togauge survivability.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerIn June 1994, after model testing
was completed, the contract forrefurbishing units 1 - 7 at Rocky
Reach Dam was awarded to Voith
Hydro. Fish-friendly modifications,primarily based on the eliminationof wedge-shaped gaps between
the runner blades and adjacentcomponents, were developed,
implemented on the model andtested. This modification was later
applied to all 11 Rocky Reachturbines, as well as other Voith

Hydro projects along the ColumbiaRiver at Wanapum and Bonneville.
The entire Rocky Reach Dam rehabilitation project was completed byVoith Hydro in March 2003.

Author
Joseph M. Cybularz
Project Manager,
York, PA, USA

Joseph.Cybularz@voith.com

21

THE CRITFC’S VIEW

Salmon – a corner stoneof tribal life
Nowhere has any community in the American West sacrificed somuch in the face of industrial expansion and development thantribal communities. Their physical and cultural livelihood wasplaced at risk as the land, waters, and the bounties from themwere exploited to meet an aggressive demand for resources.
And, today, in a turnaround, no western community has achieved
more in the face of adversity to restore and protect the environment than these same tribal communities.

22

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

THE CRITFC’S VIEWLong before written history, thecombined ancestral homelands ofthe tribes and bands of Yakama,
Umatilla, Warm Springs and Nez
Perce covered nearly one-thirdof the Columbia River basin in the
United States. Each of the four
tribes maintained an autonomy that
could be heard in distinct languages
and distinguished by individual
styles of governance. However,
the rivers provided a unifying figure:salmon. They relied on its abundance for physical and culturalsustenance. The salmon connected
them by river and through blood
forging alliances that exist even tothis day.
Today, the four tribes are aligned
through the Columbia River InterTribal Fish Commission (CRITFC).
CRITFC’s mission is to ensure a
unified voice in the management of
the fishery and to assist in protecting treaty rights through the exercise of tribal sovereign powers.

Though scholars relied on carbon
to estimate the tribes’ existence atover 10,000 years, their opening
chapter begins precisely at “timeimmemorial.” Since time immemorial these tribes gathered at places
like Celilo Falls on the ColumbiaRiver to share in the salmon harvest
where their ancestors practiced
restraint and worship so that thesalmon would flourish for future
generations. Their intent was neverto conquer nature because if theydid, it would defeat the very purpose of their existence and would
place their survival at risk.
In 1855 when these four tribes andthe United States negotiated treaties, their forefathers explicitly
reserved – and the U.S. agreed toassure – their right to fish in perpetuity across their ancestral homelands and at all usual and accustomed places. They kept their wordby ceding vast portions of their
homelands and in exchange theU.S. pledged to honor their ancestral rights.

At treaty times, ten to sixteen million
salmon returned up the Columbia.
As the settlers moved in they took acue from the tribes recognizing thewealth contained in salmon. Unfortunately, dramatic change occurred:commercial fishing lacked regulation, resource extraction tore into
riparian habitat poisoning cleanwaters, and dams harnessed thenatural flows to build a new economy with low-cost electrical power,
navigation, and irrigation paving theway for urbanization.
When you make life difficult for theriver, you make life difficult for thefish, and when you make life difficult
for the fish, you make life difficult for
Indian people. The tribes bore thebrunt as salmon runs plummeted.
In 1957, their ancient fishinggrounds at Celilo Falls disappeared
behind the Dalles Dam.
Treaties were intended to secure
peace, however as salmon populations declined, conflict ensued.

Celilo Falls.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower23

THE CRITFC’S VIEW

Repeatedly the tribes were in court
as their sovereignty and treaty
rights were challenged. In an attempt to fence them off the riverand monopolize the fishery, thecourt in U.S. v. Winans upheld theirtreaty, noting fishing was “not muchless necessary to the existence of
the Indians than the atmospherethey breathed”. In another attempt
to deprive the tribes of their shareof the harvest, U.S. v. Oregonaffirmed fair allocation; and in theapproach to enforce state laws overa tribal sovereign, Tulee v. Washington upheld that a treaty takes
precedence over state law.
Litigation is one approach yet thetribes never overlook the value ofnegotiation. Both ways are challenging, but the difference is in the
result.

24

Each individual tribe retains theautonomy to determine their courseof action. Yet, it is important tonote that the tribes hold the longest
track record for collaboration inthis country, clearly shown by their
sharing of the salmon harvest at
Celilo Falls and the treaty negotiations.
The tribes’ willingness to harmonize
diverse interests was recently represented in a trio of ten-year agreements. First, an agreement wasreached with the states under U.S.
v. Oregon, which provided a framework for salmon harvest and hatchery production. Harvest is set using
an abundance-based approach toprotect weak stocks while providing
harvest on strong populations.

Hatchery production will meet mitigation obligations for destroyed
habitat while being consistent withwild fish restoration.
Second, three of the CRITFC tribes
along with the federal agencies
that operate the river system andsell the hydro power signed the“Columbia Basin Fish Accords”.
The Accords commit the parties
to salmon, sturgeon, and lamprey
restoration actions.
Third, under the Pacific Salmon
Treaty, U.S. and Canadian negotiators recommended updated fishingarrangements under the Treaty.
The updates contain harvest reductions off the north Pacific coast to
enable more returning adult fish to
spawn in the Columbia basin.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

THE CRITFC’S VIEW

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NV`VbV

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8Va^[dgc^V

CZkVYVJiV]Tribal ceded lands and present-day reservations.

Having sustainable, harvestablesalmon populations requires a mixture of good science, smart politics,
collaboration, and when necessary,
litigation. Tribes have long beenable co-managers and make goodallies because they are in this forthe long haul and bring to the tabletribal fisheries programs that are
professional and determined.
Their watershed restoration extends
beyond tribal land to work withfederal, state and private land
managers to improve water quality
and habitat. Tribal biologists andtheir regional and internationalcounterparts collaborate to assure
the harvest is shared and within
limits. They use nature’s wisdom
to refine hatcheries to rebuild fish
populations. Their conservation
officers are in the rivers to protect
the treaty fishers and their rights.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

Projects under the Columbia Basin First Accord over ten years.

Tribal experts provide research andconsult with hydro operators on how
best to manage the system for fishsurvival. They are now gathering
the knowledge to address a changing climate. And, tribal leadershipis readily found in framing public
policy and outreach.
It has been no small feat and thetribes’ work is far from over.
The salmon have been the cornerstone of our lives for well over
10,000 years and we both intend
to be around for another 10,000
years. And we both intend to still
have our say.

About CRITFC
CRITFC, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal
Fish Commission ensures that the four
tribes have an aligned and unified voicein the management of fishery of salmon
on the Columbia River and assist in theprotection of the reserved treaty rights,
laid down in the 1855 treaty with the U.S.
government, by exercising the inherent
tribal sovereign power from each tribe.

AuthorJeremy FiveCrowsis a member of the Nez Perce
Tribe and works for the
Columbia River Inter-Tribal
Fish Commission in Portland,
Oregon, USA

25

INTERVIEW

U.S. hydro plans to keep up
with expected boom
Interview with Mark GarnerMark Garner,
President & CEO of Voith Hydro York

Edward.Garner@voith.com

Mr. Garner, how is the YorkOperating Unit positioned withthe current booming demandfor clean energy in the UnitedStates?
Mark Garner: We’re seeing an

increasing demand for hydro power,
and the York facility is well-positioned to meet this growing need.
In the past 15 years, we’ve seena market primarily for rehab andrefurbishment of equipment. Now,
we’re seeing growth of new plants,
which was hard to imagine a few
years ago.
We are ready to take this business– both new and modernization –including the full-range expertisefrom components to total plantdesign, from mechanical and electrical equipment to complex automation and control solutions, tomeet the needs of the growing
market.
How did the York facility
prepare, in terms of skills
and growth, for this renewedinterest in hydro power?

We have always anticipated growthand conducted massive process
orientation and qualification drives
for our staff in all disciplines.

26

With strong headquarter facilities
in R&D and engineering, our global
positioning is strong. We havedeveloped expertise on modernization of current plants, and createdintegrated solutions and services.
When we saw a slowing of new
business years ago, we developed
new expertise that is now paying
off.
What was the biggest
challenge in this?

Certainly, the re-building of business segments and the understanding of a completely different growthmindset was a challenge. But thatwork helped us plan for the future,and come up with the first initiatives
on integrated offers and partneringmodels.
What are your assets andinvestments today?

We strongly value our employees
and our customers. We value ourdedicated employees who we honor
each year for their service. At theend of financial year 07/08 wecelebrated a combined 1,875 yearsof service for 61 colleagues having
reached milestones in their careers.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerINTERVIEW

Promise for new hydro promotion
by the new President who visited
Voith Hydro York last year during
the election campaign.

At the same time we welcomed
133 new employees who look forward to long careers with Voith
Hydro. We follow the visions andvalues set by the entire Voith corporation: “We never let a customer
down.” We offer what we call“engineered reliability” – not onlyin terms of highly engineered andreliable and safe products, but alsowith how we develop customer
relationships and keep them.
Our Board of Directors has approved capital investments of over
20 million U.S. dollar to expand ourcapabilities and capacities in York.
We will be adding to our factory two
new machine tools with other investments throughout the company.
How much is your operation
growing?

It’s growing fast. We hired 170
people in the last eighteen months.
To recruit experienced and skilledemployees and educate them on
our special demands is a huge
effort. But we were able to build on
recognition programs, motivatingand enabling our staff to develop
with the challenging growth of ourbusiness and keep pace with demand and technology.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerWhy do you think Voith Hydroin York and elsewhere canattract staff in such magnitude?

The corporate values of Voith andVoith Hydro offer a series of specificand unique working conditions.
We are a family owned business
and we are able to focus on trust
rather than deals – with both customers and employees.

It’s that kind of forward-thinking andteamwork that attracts top-notch
people to a company, and allows
us to grow in innovative ways.
How would you evaluate theinterconnection of U.S. hydrodevelopment with global drivers affecting your business?

The global demand for energy has
finally reached the U.S., which isseeing soaring prices for
Our historic roots, com“We are ready resources of all kinds, frombined with a long-estaboil to gas to daily products.
to takelished level of trust, have this business.” The seemingly once-abuncreated pioneering apdant fossil supply has peakproaches throughout our company’s
ed and will drive prices further up.
history. S. Morgan Smith was a
The public is just now realizing thefriend of Hanns Voith 80 years ago.
seriousness of the situation, andWorking together, they set up thethat alternatives must be found.
first cooperation on developmentof turbines. Also, Voith took a revoThis means renewable energy islutionary stance and grew internagaining favor in the public eye as
tionally, at a time when globalization
the one-and-only opportunity to
was far beyond people’s imaginacounter soaring gas and energy
tion. The first turbines in Niagara,
prices. And this, in turn, creates a
the largest at their time, were suprenewed interest in hydro power.
plied by Voith. And after this, thecompany’s units have constantly
There is an incredible amount ofcontributed to world records, fromgrowth potential for hydro power.
Niagara to Grand Coulee to Three
In the past 12 months we were
Gorges.
awarded two contracts for the four
Ohio River plants, where we are
only adding generation plants toexisting dams or locks.

27

INTERVIEW

28

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerINTERVIEW

No new dams are needed, so we
do not face environmental or social
issues. A recent study conductedby the Electric Power ResearchInstitute (EPRI) indicated that anadditional 5,000 MW of potential
conventional hydro generation ispossible at existing dam sites by
the year 2025. So the potential here
is incredibly high.
We also see the development of
new pumped storage in the U.S.
because the electricity grid becomes more reliant on intermittent
emission-free renewables suchas solar and wind. Wind and solar
need backup, also called firming.
Pumped storage is a proven technology that can store the energy
generated by the intermittent
renewables and we are well positioned to provide these plants.
What is the future visionof Voith Hydro in the U.S.?

We will continue to be an industry
leader in terms of engineering,
reliability and customer orientation– and very importantly – in innovative technology, not just traditionalhydro. Due to the long gap in new
power plant development, many
companies no longer have the skills
and knowledge on how to designand operate hydro power plants.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

But we are experts in this area,
and will continue to be innovative.
We believe hydro technology development is crucial for the U.S.’sfuture. But we also go beyond the
traditional power-from-water technology as a global organization.
The U.S. is lagging behind in allother technologies connected withrenewable generation, including
the “new hydro” of ocean energies.
The U.S. lacks the political framework and regulation. But we haveanother advantage over any othercompany here, in the U.S. andworldwide: Voith Hydro is a technology leader in ocean energies,
including commercially-operated
wave power plants and tidal current
technologies.
The future in the U.S. for Voith
Hydro is very strong. We will continue to build new plants and modernize existing facilities. As the
public continues its desire for clean,renewable energy, we expect ourcompany will be busy keeping up
with demand for years to come.

23,000 MW of potential for increases
in capacity by 2025. This includes:
2,300 MW capacity gains at existing
conventional hydro power facilities
5,000 MW of new conventional hydro powerat existing non-power dams
2,700 MW of new small and low head power
conventional hydro power(< 30 MW installed capacity)
10,000 MW from ocean wave energy
technologies
3,000 MW from hydrokinetic technologies(river-based)

Location Info
Voith Hydro in York, PA, is a major operating unit of Voith Hydro’s global network.
The company includes a full range of
mechanical production, and also capability
for electrical machines, such as generator
re-winding, bars and coils. In addition,
the York location has a hydraulic laboratory
for model testing, which is the only one
dedicated to hydro turbine development inNorth America.

AuthorCoby Leber
Supervisor,
Administrative Services,York, PA, USA
Coby.Leber@voith.com

29

ELECTRICAL EXPERTISE

Globalizing know how
in multi-turn coils
Exciting developments are underway at Voith Hydro in Mississauga,
Canada, as it unveils its global mandate to supply multi-turn coils.
This mandate has been enabled by significant investment in leadingedge coil manufacturing equipment along with the introduction of theMicalastic insulation system in North America. The current schedule
to supply Micalastic coils commercially is August 2009.

30

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerELECTRICAL EXPERTISE

The Micalastic insulation technology has enjoyed a remarkable
reputation for quality and reliability
for many years already.
The Mississauga location has beena market leader in providing generator modernization services within
North America in addition to supplying coils, having supplied coils toover 300 generators across 230
different generating stations overthe past thirty-five years. This represents over one gigawatt of machines serviced with coils producedin Mississauga alone.
Leading-edge in coilmanufacture

Voith Hydro has always demonstrated a technology leadershipapproach in the hydro industry inboth its design and manufacturing
approaches.

New coil forming machine.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerThis is evidenced once more thesedays by the significant new investment in leading-edge coil manufacturing equipment now installed in
Mississauga.
This new equipment consists of: Coil forming machine Electric press for coils
 Six-axis auto-taping machine Micalastic Vacuum Pressure
Impregnation (VPI) System.
One of the key improvements of thewinding manufacturing process isthe introduction of six-axis controlled taping for coils. The taping
machine wraps the fine mica tapewith an adjustable and consistentoverlap and tension around the slot
and end-winding portions of thecoils, thus ensuring uniform thickness over the full length of the coil,including the knuckle of the coil.
In combination with a modern andsophisticated VPI technology,
this also ensures a void free, highdielectric insulation system.

Benefits of this new coil manufacturing equipment to our customersare Best-in-class delivery cycle times
with shorter manufacturing cycles
 50 % less handling of coils in
production
 Highest quality product properties
 Unprecedented repeatability andreproducibility of coil dimensions.
Another key advantage of the new
equipment is in the design phasefor new generators and for generators being modernized. The highprecision of the new coil equipment
will allow design engineers in Voith
Hydro to further maximize theamount of copper in generators
which in turn will benefit customers
with machines that have higher
efficiencies and lower losses. With
regard to modernization solutions
efforts of Voith Hydro during thedesign phase, this new equipment
will allow to further increase generator up-rate potential to customers.

Advanced computerized design tools.

31

ELECTRICAL EXPERTISE

ECP

OCP

Six-axis auto-taping machine.

Corona-control finishes.

One global standard Technology offer to the marketplace that is technology specific
as opposed to site specific.
No matter where your Voith
Hydro product comes from, theuniqueness of technology andengineering approach aroundthe globe will be based on one
global standard and the philosophy of engineered reliability.

in insulation

The current insulation system being
used in Mississauga is Thermalastic. As such, coils currently produced for North America from thislocation were based on the Thermalastic insulation system. Both Micalastic and Thermalastic systems
are epoxy resin based and bothhave a long tradition in the industry
recognized worldwide for its technical features and reliability.
Voith Hydro’s approach has always
been to provide customers with thebest engineered solution for theirunique applications. Moving to one
global standard in insulation systems, Micalastic will offer technological advantages that will benefit
customers in many ways:
 Leading-edge technology ininsulation will ensure continuationof the best engineered insulation
systems for customer applications.
 Insurance of uninterrupted andstable supply of product to customers.

32

Micalastic in high-voltage
hydro generators

The common characteristics sharedby all types of Micalastic insulation
are the use of inorganic fine micatape as a base material, and heatcuring synthetic resins as a bonding
material. This, coupled with stateof-the-art manufacturing techniques
geared to the various types andsize of machines, makes for its
most outstanding features which
are high breakdown strength, longterm resistance to electrical stress,
and a low power factor (tan ) as
well as excellent resistance tomechanical and thermal stress.
The Micalastic insulation system
is based on Vacuum Pressure
Impregnation technology and meets
Thermal Class 155 (IEC)/Class F(IEEE) standards.

Process Control

Six Sigma tools are currently being
used to monitor the coil manufacturing process and collect data on
an ongoing basis. This will eventually lead to process harmonization
across the locations of Voith Hydro
that manufacture this product:
Shanghai, China, São Paulo, Brazil,
and Mississauga, Canada. So, in
addition to the global standard ininsulation technology as such, theglobal process and its control will beconsistent. Global process control
ensures early warning and a failsafe system within production forthe highest quality and engineered
reliability to customers.
Going global

Micalastic coils have been thestandard outside North America forquite some time. Supply of Micalastic coils outside North America will
be seamless. Within North America,
the supply of Micalastic coils forthe majority of customers will be a
non-event since both Micalastic andThermalastic systems fundamentally share many of the same characteristics.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerELECTRICAL EXPERTISE

In fact, there are several customers
and machines in Canada and in the
U.S. that already have Micalastic
coils installed and supplied by theBrazilian location of Voith Hydro in
the past. These Micalastic coils
have performed absolutely flawlessly since that time.
DesignComputerized design tools allow
modeling of the performance of theentire generator. Optimization of thecoil design with respect to losses,
heating and overall rating is performed. Based on extensive test
results on completed projects, thecalibrated calculation allows thewinding performance to be guaranteed.

The range of applicability for multiturn coil windings is up to 150 MVA
and voltages up to 15.75 kV. Higher
voltages are possible by request.
The new coil manufacturing equipment in Mississauga was commissioned in January 2009 and theimpregnation system following in
April. Micalastic coil qualification
trials started in May and coils
will be commercially available byAugust 2009.
This indeed is an exciting chapter
for Voith Hydro, as it again demonstrates its technological leadershipin the supply of multi-turn coils
through its significant investment
in equipment and Micalastic technology in Mississauga, Canada.

We look forward to passing on thegreat benefits of this highly engineered product to our customers
all over the world.
Micalastic records in hydro Insulation system started andcontinuously developed since 1957
 More than 55 million accumulated
service hours
 More than 300,000 bars and coils
supplied More than 6,300 accumulated service
years Applied to approximately 500 hydro units
worldwide over 5 MVA

AuthorWilliam Malus
Chief Operating Officer,
Mississauga, Canada

William.Malus@voith.com

Micalastic Insulation System, the Voith Hydro VPI Technology
Relative dielectric constant, r, 20 °C, 50 Hz / 60 Hz≈4Tang  at 0.2 UN, 20 °C, 50 Hz / 60 Hz 1.5 % /  1.0 % – w/o resp. w. ICP1/

 0.15 % /  0.10 % – w/o resp. w. ICP

2 (Tang  / 0.6 UN – Tang  / 0.2 UN), 20 °C, 50 Hz / 60 Hz 0.25 % /  0.10 % – w/o resp. w. ICP

Max.  Tang  / step 0.2 UN (from 0.2 UN to 1.0 UN) 25

Breakdown strength, 50 Hz / 60 Hz, slot sidekV/mmSingle stator bars (half coil)kVUp  6.0 UN at slot sidekVUp  3.0 UN at front sidekV/mm

 50 (1.2 / 50 s wave)kV

Us  (4 UN + 5 kV) at slot sidekVStandard: Up = (2 UN + 6 kV)Surge voltage endurance along slot

Test voltage, 50 Hz / 60 Hz, UPRMS, 1 minSingle stator bars (half coil)(higher values can be applied after request)
Finish winding assemblykV

Ratio between test DC and AC voltage UpDC / UpAC

Up = (2 UN + 1 kV)
1.7

Test voltage, conductor strands, 50 Hz / 60 Hz

V

220

Permissible surge voltage on windings in operationkV

 3.5 UN at Uphase-corekV 5 UN at Uphase-phase°C

155, Class F

Maximum permissible temperature IEC 62114 / IEC 60034-18

Self-extinguishing

Flammability: as per model test
Test voltage, 50 Hz / 60 Hz, UPRMS, 1 min – Leads

kV

1.5 x UpUN = rated (line-to-line) voltage

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

33

THE NHA’S VIEW

America’s largest renewableenergy resource set to double by 2030
Strong commitment from both public and private partners
needed. As the world turns its attention to climate changeand U.S. leaders face growing concern over energy policy, theU.S. hydro power industry is charting a course that could see
America’s largest renewable energy resource double by 2030.

34

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

THE NHA’S VIEW

FERC reports interest in all sectors,
Today, hydro power generates
including proposals for 2,700 megaabout seven percent of all U.S.
watts of new capacity at existing
electricity – enough for nearly every
conventional facilities,
household in the 10 largest
20,000 megawatts of
U.S. cities. The Electric Power
StrongResearch Institute (EPRI) in
committment pumped storage, andapproximately 10,000
a 2007 report estimates thatneededmegawatts of proposed
the industry could expand its
ocean, tidal, and instream hydrokicurrent 96,000-megawatt capacity
netic technologies.
to add another 23,000 megawatts
by 2025, through efficiency imThis fast-growing industry demands
provements at existing facilities,
a strong commitment from bothby developing new tidal, ocean,public and private partners. FERC
wave and pressurized water techis already showing its leadership
nologies, and by adding hydrothrough efforts like its policies thatpower at existing non powered
allow developers of hydrokinetic
dams.
projects to connect to the electric
grid during pilot testing – an apMany believe this is just the beginproach that speeds energy to conning of the industry’s potential
sumers and gives developers revexpansion. U.S. Federal Energy
enue to support their work.
Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Chairman Jon Wellinghoff chalThe U.S. Department of Energy’s
lenged National Hydropower Asso(DOE) research efforts are also
ciation (NHA) members to double
showing dividends. DOE’s Adinstalled capacity, adding more thanvanced Hydropower Turbine Sys90,000 megawatts by 2030.
tem program helped to bring theVoith Hydro Kaplan fish-friendly
In fact, FERC is already reviewing
turbine design out of testing andmore development projects than it
into commercial use at Grant
has in a decade, reviewing projects
County (WA) Public Utility District’sthat could add some 30,000 megaWanapum Dam, where it has rewatts of new capacity.
placed existing units and createdadditional capacity.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

35

THE NHA’S VIEW

The industry is urging DOE to begin
full-scale testing of a second turbine, the Alden Laboratory design.
Brookfield Power has offered its
School Street Project as a site in
New York for testing the design’s
potential for addressing eel-passage issues in the Northeast.
NHA members are also active intesting applications that don’t require water impoundments, such as
Voith Hydro’s Wavegen technology.
Companies are testing promising
wave, tidal, and combined wind/hydro projects all along U.S. shorelines.
But, as EPRI noted in its landmark
2007 report, continued federal
funding for R&D is critical to expanding the U.S. industry. Congress
demonstrated its support for thiswork by approving 40 million U.S.
dollar in funding for next year – fourtimes the current federal funding
level. NHA is working with DOE andindustry to propose projects that will
use these resources to build cleanenergy resources.

36

As part of the recent Recovery Act,
Congress approved an extension
for production tax credits for renewable energy, through 2013, as wellas creating investment tax credit
and grants from the U.S. Treasury.
With NHA members reporting thattax incentives drive between 20 and
50 percent of their development
work, hydro development can play
an important role in economic development. NHA, its members, andother renewable energy organizations continue to press for long-term
extensions to these provisions.
NHA is also working with thenew presidential administration.
President Obama has stressed
his commitment to building thecountry’s energy portfolio throughrenewables and other clean-energy
and domestic resources – descriptions tailor-made for waterpower
technologies. With a fleet of newtechnologies and approaches at
the ready, the U.S. hydro powerindustry stands ready to serve.

About NHA
NHA is a member-driven association that
accomplishes its policy work and outreachthrough standing committees. NHA’s Boardof Directors serves as the association’s
policy board and uses recommendations
from the standing committees to base theirdecisions. Representatives from NHA member organizations across the country serveon these committees, providing expertiseand recommendations to ensure that NHA’s
initiatives serve the interests of the hydropower industry.
E. Mark Garner, President & CEO
of Voith Hydro York, is currently serving
as a Director of NHA.
http://www.hydro.org/

AuthorLinda Church Ciocci
Executive Directorof the National Hydropower
Association
linda@hydro.org

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerBATH COUNTY

Overhaul of Bath County
Pumped Storage Station
Voith York is nearing completion of an overhaul of the Bath County(Virginia) Pumped Storage Station which is owned by Dominion
Generation and Allegheny Energy. The station’s six pump-turbinesand motor-generators have been overhauled, providing increased
unit reliability of the 23-year-old facility.

Installed in 1985, the six pumpturbines and motor-generators at
the Bath County Pumped Storage
Station are now being overhauled toenhance the long-term serviceabilityof the facility’s electric generation
capacity. This facility is recognized
as one of the largest pumped storage stations in the world.
Working in partnership, Dominion
Generation and Voith Hydro staffs
reviewed the operational characteristics of the station to determine thelong-term operational goals andgeneration capabilities. These early
work sessions developed whatchanges should be considered forthe station’s equipment.

A significant challenge faced byVoith Hydro design engineers was
the transportation of the enormous
turbine components from the York,
Pennsylvania, manufacturing plant
to the station located in Mountain
Grove, Virginia. The major components to be transported weighed
approximately 100 tons. Transporting these items 250 miles overhighways and back roads requireda special 19-axle truck.
Voith Hydro York completed theBath County Pumped Storage
Station overhaul in March 2009.

AuthorRobert D. Steele
Project Manager,
York, PA, USA

Robert.Steele@voith.com

The major goal was to overhaul
the facility to extend the operational
life of the equipment. During thisprocess, a slight increase in theminimum dependable capacity of
the units also was established asa goal, generating 407 MW each.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower37

ROCK ISLANDWork continues on
Rock Island hydro project
The generator refurbishment and upgrade project for
the Rock Island hydro project awarded to Voith Hydro
in December 2007 is proceeding on schedule.

The installation of four modernizedgenerators at the Rock Island hydroproject, located 12 miles downstream on the Columbia River from
Wenatchee, Washington, began inlate March 2009. Voith Hydro Yorkis working closely with colleagues
at Voith Hydro São Paulo, Brazil,
and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada,
to supply necessary equipment toreplace the support structure of
the generators’ core. This includes
updating generator stator frames
and stator cores, as well as replacing stator windings.
The Voith Hydro processes will
ensure the coordination between
operating units so that parts are“ready to assemble” in the field.

38

Operated by Chelan County Public
Utility District No. 1, the Rock Islandhydro project was the first hydropower station on the ColumbiaRiver. Work began on the first four
power units in January 1930 andthe power station entered operationin February 1933. Powerhouse
expansion and installation of six
additional units by Chelan County
Public Utility District began in July
1951 and was completed in April
1953. Construction of the Second
Powerhouse, with its eight turbine
generators located on the westbank of the river, began in August
1974. The Second Powerhouse wasplaced in commercial operation in
August 1979. The current projecthas 19 total power units.

When Voith Hydro York completes
the Rock Island project in 2014,
the power output of the four refurbished generators will increase
the original nameplate rating of
16.7 MVA to 23 MVA.

AuthorRobert Baginski
Lead Engineer,
Power Systems Automation,
York, PA, USA
Robert.Baginski@voith.com

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

BONNEVILLE

Historic renovation
almost complete in Bonneville
Voith Hydro is completing a major rehabilitation of the Bonneville
Lock and Dam First Powerhouse, a National Historic Registry site
located in Cascade Locks, Oregon.

The First Powerhouse was built inthe late 1930s by the United States
War Department under President
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. The hydroturbine/generator
units at Bonneville had never beenout of service for a major rehabilitation over the nearly 60 years ofoperation when the Voith Hydro
renovation project began in 1994.
The dam’s generating unit continued to operate smoothly whileeight turbine generator units were
replaced. The rehabilitation work
is more than 50 percent completeon the ninth of 10 units and work
is underway on the tenth unit.

The major goal of the project has
been to increase the reliability andsurvivability rate of fish passage
through the turbines. Voith Hydro’s
patented fish-friendly equipment
has raised fish survivability to approximately 98 percent, a major
improvement. In addition to becoming more fish-friendly, the Bonnevilleproject is designed to provide forelectricity generation, river barge
navigability, and enhanced tourism
for the northwestern United States.

Voith Hydro anticipates completing
the Bonneville Lock and Dam FirstPowerhouse major rehabilitation
project in calendar year 2009.

AuthorRobert D. Steele
Project Manager,
York, PA, USA

Robert.Steele@voith.com

One of the first dams built on the
Columbia River, Bonneville Lockand Dam has required special
attention during its renovation.
The First Powerhouse at Bonnevilleis listed on the National Historic
Register and is a tourist attractionin the northwestern United States.
Thus, Voith Hydro had to take greatcare in protecting the working environment of the facility as the power
generation units were replaced,
including protecting all of facility’s
historic ceramic tile floors.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

39

CONOWINGO

Voith Hydro refurbishing generators
at Conowingo Dam
Voith Hydro York has begun work on refurbishing three generator units at Exelon Power’s Conowingo Dam in Darlington, MD.
This 22 million U.S. dollar project continues a 20-year relationship of providing service and equipment to Exelon Power.

For this project, Voith Hydro is
supplying new generator stators,
surface air coolers and refurbishing
the generator rotor poles. The stator
frame will be built in York while
Voith Hydro Mississauga, Ontario,
will supply the new generator windings.
In addition to manufacturing andrefurbishing equipment, Voith Hydro
will re-work the foundation of thegenerator stator to accommodate
the new stator frame. The stator will
be pre-assembled off the criticalenergy pathway and then installed,saving down-time and loweringcosts for the customer.

40

The Conowingo Dam project began
in February 2009. Replacing one
generator per year, the entire rehabilitation project will be completed in
the summer of 2012. Individual unit
outages will be finished in 51 working days. When complete, thesethree units at Conowingo Dam will
boast a 75 MVA rating, up 20 percent from the current 61.8 MVA
rating.
Conowingo Dam is a large hydroelectric dam located on the Lower
Susquehanna River. Originallybuilt in 1926, this facility features
11 units (seven original and four
newer units) with a total capacityof 512 MW.

Spanning the Cecil and Harford
Counties border in Maryland,
Conowingo Dam also serves asa bridge for U.S. Route 1 acrossthe Susquehanna River.

AuthorKathy Chronister
Project Manager,
York, PA, USA

Kathy.Chronister@voith.com

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerFOLSOM

Voith Hydro begins model testingfor Folsom Dam project
Model testing for the Folsom Dam project began in April 2009at the Voith Hydro Inc. North America headquarters in York.
Systems engineers will be testing the new turbine runnerdesigns that will be used to upgrade the facility’s three hydropower generation units. Each unit will receive a new turbine
runner, coupling hardware and shear pins.

To prepare for the model test,
Voith Hydro engineers reviewed
existing drawings of the facility’swater passageways and createdmodel drawings for constructing ascaled-down replica of the Folsom
Dam. The model has been constructed and is being prepared fortesting at Voith Hydro’s S. Morgan
Smith Model Testing Laboratory.
Testing should be concluded by
the end of June 2009.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerIn September 2008, the U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation selected Voith Hydro
to perform the 7.1 million U.S. dollar
refurbishment of Folsom Dam.
All equipment manufacturing andmodel testing for the project willtake place in York.
Folsom Dam is located about
23 miles northeast of Sacramento,
CA, on the American River. The
multipurpose project was built by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and is operated by the Bureau of
Reclamation. Each of the dam’s
power generation units will havea new rated output of 70.8 MW ofelectricity.

Refurbishment of the entire Folsom
Dam power generation facility will
be completed in 2013. The firstrefurbished turbine will be deliveredin April 2011. The remaining turbines will be delivered in 2012 and2013.

Author
Joseph M. Cybularz
Project Manager,
York, PA, USA

Joseph.Cybularz@voith.com

41

LOOKOUT POINT

Four work together
to refurbish Lookout Point project
Four Voith Hydro Operating Units are collaborating to complete
the refurbishment of the hydroelectric equipment at Lookout
Point Dam in Lowell, OR. The project includes replacement ofrunners and rehabilitation of turbine equipment for two of the
facility’s three power generating units, with an option to extend
the project to include the third unit.

The 19.1 million U.S. dollar contract
is the largest U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers award that Voith Hydro
has received since 1994. Voith
Hydro was selected from six bidders because it presented the best
technical solution demonstratinga superior understanding of the
project challenges and the lowest
risk for performance success.

Voith Hydro’s York unit will oversee
the project’s management, fieldengineering and overall completion,
as well as manufacturing the runners and rehabilitating the majorityof the turbine equipment. The São
Paulo Operating Unit will manufacture the replacement turbine runnerblades and Voith Hydro’s Brunnenmühle staff will perform the project’ssystems engineering and model
testing. The Peak Hydro Solutions
Operating Unit, located in Eugene,OR, will handle the project’s fieldmachining needs.

Lookout Point Dam is located on
the Middle Fork of the WillametteRiver and has been in service since1954. Each hydro power generation
unit produces 47 MW of electricity.
Operated by the Bonneville Power
Authority, the dam’s primary purposes are flood control, power
generation, navigation and irrigation. The facility also provides
fishing, water quality control andrecreation.
The Lookout Point rehabilitation
project is scheduled to be completed by 2012.

AuthorRichard F. Dague
Project Manager,
York, PA, USA

Richard.Dague@voith.com

42

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerOHIO RIVER AWARDS

View on the Ohio River in Cincinnati.

Voith Hydro selected for AMP-Ohio projects
totaling 423 million U.S. dollar
Voith Hydro Inc. has received contracts totaling 423 million
U.S. dollar to provide the equipment for several hydroelectric
projects that will add 313 MW of emission-free generation toexisting dams on the Ohio River. Voith Hydro’s scope of supply
includes generators, turbines, automation equipment and thebalance of plant mechanical and electrical equipment.

American Municipal Power-Ohiois developing four run-of-the-riverhydroelectric plants at existingdams on the Ohio River. The first
three sites are Willow Island Locks
and Dam near Waverly, West Virginia; Cannelton Locks and Damnear Cannelton, Indiana; andSmithland Locks and Dam in
Livingston County, Kentucky.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

Combined, these three projects
include eight bulb turbines withan expected capacity of 208 MW.
A fourth project on the Ohio River is
jointly developed by AMP-Ohio andthe city of Hamilton, OH. The partners are constructing the Captain
Meldahl Dam project as a part of anaggressive hydroelectric generation
development program.

43

OHIO RIVER AWARDS

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One river – four states – one goal.
Four projects along the Ohio Riverto add hydro power generation toexisting dam sites.

3-D design of generator
and turbine components.

44

Meldahl Dam is expected to havea capacity of 105 MW and is thelargest of the four hydroelectric
projects AMP-Ohio currently has
under development. These projects
represent the newest large hydroelectric developments in the UnitedStates since the 1980s.

“AMP-Ohio believes in the valueof hydroelectric generation”, said
AMP-Ohio President/CEO Marc
Gerken. “Our hydro projects are apart of an asset development effort
designed to reduce our member
communities’ current over-exposure
to the volatile wholesale market.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower'*%:aZkVi^dc^c[ZZiB#H#A#

>aa^cd^h

OHIO RIVER AWARDSThis asset development effort, in
addition to these significant hydroprojects, also includes new fossil
fuel development, as well as windand solar. From our experience inbuilding and operating the Belleville
Hydroelectric Plant, we know thathydro power is reliable, predictable
and affordable. We’re pleased to beable to pursue these projects onbehalf of our member communities.”“Voith Hydro is thrilled to be partof this exciting development of
renewable energy in the UnitedStates. These projects represent
the largest order in our 132-year
history in the United States.
This also clearly demonstrates ourability of total plant expertise beyond equipment know-how”, said
E. Mark Garner, Voith Hydro York’s
President and CEO.

Ohio River.

“We recognize AMP-Ohio’s national
leadership in developing new, cleanhydroelectric capacity. Hydro power
is and will continue to be America’s
largest, most flexible renewable
resource and it has no carbon
emissions. This is a good move for
AMP-Ohio, its members and theircustomers.”
Voith Hydro was selected for theseprojects over several other international competitors because it provided the best technical solutions
for AMP-Ohio’s needs. Specifically,
Voith’s three-bladed bulb turbines
deliver world-class efficiency andperformance for a wide range ofwater flow conditions.

AMP-Ohio is the Columbus, Ohiobased nonprofit wholesale power
supplier and services provider for
126 member municipal electric
systems in Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia
and Kentucky. The organization
provides a diverse mix in its wholesale generation resources, which
includes fossil fuel, wind, hydroelectric, landfill gas and distributed
generation.

AuthorModel tests for the projects werecompleted in January 2009 andfinal reports were submitted in
March 2009. The power plants arescheduled for completion by late2012.

Willow Island Locks and Dam.

David J. Rittle
Project Manager,
York, PA, USA

David.Rittle@voith.com

Cannelton Locks and Dam.

Picture courtesy of Paul Seigle

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower

45

ELECTRICAL EXPERTISE

Expertise in generators
further enhanced
The year 2008 saw additions to the company’s generator expertisein engineering and manufacturing capabilities and capacities.
Two new electric generator workshops in Heidenheim, Germany,and Shanghai, China, were officially put into operation. Voith Hydro
now, together with the locations in Mississauga and São Paulo, hasfour large locations for generator manufacturing around the globe.

Preparations for the high-voltage testof Wehr’s motor-generator stator.
The stator windings’ insulation has
to withstand 45,000 Volt.

These four workshops have been
set up specifically in the strategic
markets in the vicinity of customers:
Manufacture, rehabilitation andservices are most efficient andsuccessful when carried out close
to the owners and operators inorder to enhance transport cost,
short delivery and flexibility.

“The aim of Voith Hydro’s investment in new infrastructure for the
manufacturing of generators is thecapacity and capability expansion of
our workshops to deliver excellent
hydro power units”, said Dr. Roland
Münch, CEO of Voith Hydro.
Operational excellence at its best
applies for all Voith Hydro locations:
All workshops manufacture according to the same guidelines andhighest standards regardless of
their location in the world.
For a few years now, the European
hydro market experiences a boom
in service business. Amongst others, this is due to the implementation of Germany’s Renewable
Energy Sources Act (ErneuerbareEnergien-Gesetz, EEG). Voith
Hydro Heidenheim’s response tothis boom was an expansion andrestructuring of its workshop to also
serve modernization of generators.

46

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerELECTRICAL EXPERTISE

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower47

ELECTRICAL EXPERTISE

The expansion of the generator
workshop took place in two steps.
The first step was to implement a
new work area for the rehabilitationof generator stators and rotors.
Heart of the workshop is a 1,000
tons press which is an in-housedevelopment for the manufacturingof rotor coil windings. Stacking of
new stator cores, assembly of stator
windings and re-insulation of poles
was feasible from spring 2007 on.
In a second step a new workshop
area was extended as well as
an area for the assembly of coils
and pole cores was established.
A special assembly cell for generator windings was designed andinstalled.

48

Having the new workshop complete,
Voith Hydro Heidenheim offers fullservice for generators and turbines
to be viewed by visitors first-time
during festivities of the Brunnenmühle’s 100th anniversary (seebackflap).
The first motor-generator in the new
German workshop was the unit of
the pumped storage plant of Wehrin Germany’s south. With 300 tons
and 300 MVA, the machine is one of
the largest of its kind in Europe, andin operation since 1976. The generator stator was newly manufactured and tested thoroughly. In the
final voltage test, the stator windings’ insulation had to withstand
45,000 Volt, more than twice therated voltage during operation.

The giant left the Heidenheim
workshop in August 2008, while its
generator poles were still being
overhauled in Heidenheim. Martin
Andrä, CEO of Voith Hydro’s German Operating Unit, was pleased
to see the generator leaving theworkshop: “The delivery of thisgenerator clearly signals our ability
to competitively supply from ourGerman workshop new or modernized electrical components for suchhigh-performance generators.”
The new electric generator workshop at the manufacturing facilities
in Shanghai opened in October
2008. Over 80 high rank representatives from trade and industry as
well as from federal, state and local
governments attended the opening
ceremony.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerELECTRICAL EXPERTISE

During the opening festivities in Shanghai,
employees demonstrate insulation of
stator bars which is the heart of stator bar
manufacturing.

Assembly of stator windings requires
extremely thorough work to assure safeand highly reliable performance of thewindings during operation.

The Chinese workshop offers
3,500 square meters for the manufacture of generator poles andstator bars and is equipped withmachinery for the manufacture ofunits up to 700 MW. This is theequivalent of one coal-fired power
plant. The workshop will meet thegrowing needs for large-capacity
and high-quality generators in thebooming hydro power markets ofChina and other Asian countries.
At the moment, the generator for
Xi Luo Du (see page 51) is produced in the new workshop.

“With new infrastructure and modern tools we feel ourselves very wellequipped to meet our customers’
demands”, said Dr. Roland Münch.
“It strongly emphasizes our position
as a full-line supplier for hydropower units.”

AuthorDr. Udo Erich Wunsch
Head of International
Production,
Heidenheim, Germany
UdoErich.Wunsch@voith.com

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower49

INGULA

Signing of the contract in Johannesburg.

The plant will be built close to Ladysmith,South Africa.

Equipment for South African
Ingula pumped storage scheme
Eskom, the major South African utility, has awarded a contract toVoith Hydro for the equipment supply to the Ingula pumped storage
project. Order value runs up to 140 million Euro. Contract signing
between the two parties took place in Johannesburg.

Voith Hydro will supply the complete
electro-mechanical equipment withthe four pump-turbines at a rated
output of 342 megawatts each, four
motor-generators and the complete
automation and control system forcommissioning in 2013. The company’s German and Japanese Operating Units are joint partners in thisproject to design and manufacture
the equipment, with the motorgenerators coming from Kawasaki
in Japan, while the pump-turbines
will be supplied from Heidenheim,
Germany.
The Ingula pumped storage plantis being built close to the city ofLadysmith in eastern South Africa.

50

This region contributes a major
share to the country’s electricity
generation. The Bedford Stream
will serve as an upper reservoir
and will be connected to the powerhouse by a headrace tunnel ofaround two kilometers in length.
A tunnel of similar length will bebuilt in the tailrace area to lead thewater into a lower reservoir towards
the Braamhoek River.
With commissioning in 2013,
Ingula’s four pump-turbine units
will significantly contribute to gridstabilization by pumping waterfrom excess electricity during
low demand periods to the upper
reservoir and releasing for peaking
energy generation.

Ingula is the first new pumped
storage scheme in South Africa in
25 years. In 1983, Eskom built andstarted the Palmiet pumped storage
plant in the Western Cape Province.
Pump-turbines and motor-generators in this plant were also suppliedby Voith Hydro.

AuthorNorbert Pichowski
Regional Marketing Manager
for Africa,
Heidenheim, Germany
Norbert.Pichowski@voith.com

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerXI LUO DU & LI YUAN

Two new hydro power plants in China’s
national energy development strategy
Growing more rapidly than others, China is currently one of
the most important hydro power markets in the world. With theawards of Xi Luo Du and Li Yuan on the Jinsha or “Golden Sands”
River, Voith Hydro has again received the go-ahead for two largehydro power stations in the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan.

Xi Luo Du will be equipped withthree generators and three Francis
turbines at a rated capacity of
784 MW each. Upon completion,
Xi Luo Du will be one of the biggest
hydro power plants worldwide withan overall capacity of 12,600 MW.
It will be operated by the China
Three Gorges Project Corporation.
In spring 2009, the first design
liaison meeting with the customer
and the consultant took place inGermany. After two weeks of intensive work they agreed on the layoutof the generating unit and the basic
design of major components.

Li Yuan will be built in the middle
reaches of the Jinsha River whichplays a vital role in China’s electricity strategy. This strategy aims
to supply the densely populated
east of the country with electricity
from the sparsely populated west.
From 2013 on, the plant will generate low-carbon energy with a rated
capacity of 2,448 MW. Voith Hydro
delivers four sets of turbines, ringgates and further equipment. The
contract has a volume of around80 million Euro. One of the key
challenges for project execution
is the tight delivery schedule.

AuthorClare Chen
Communications Coordinator,
Shanghai, China

Clare.Chen@voith.com

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower51

OCEAN ENERGIESNew developments in ocean energies
at Voith Hydro
Early in 2009, the Scottish Government granted consent for
the world’s largest wave power project. With it the Siadar wave
energy project on the Scottish island of Lewis should be oneof the first projects to operate under the Scottish Government’s
proposed multiple Renewable Obligation Certificates scheme,
the revenue support system to promote the development ofmarine energy generation.

“It is an important step on the way
to the full commercial employmentof wave energy”, said Matthew
Seed, CEO of Voith Hydro Wavegen. The operator of the planned
facility will be RWE npower renewables, a UK-subsidiary of RWE
Innogy. RWE npower renewables
and Voith Hydro Wavegen havebeen working together on the
project since 2006.

52

The scheme will harness powerfrom the Atlantic waves in Siadar
Bay to generate electricity from
4 MW of installed capacity. The
produced energy could meet the
average annual electricity needsof around 1,500 homes in theWestern Isles.
Last summer, Jim Mather, Scottish
Government Minister for Enterprise,
Energy and Tourism, officially started operation of Voith Hydro Wavegen’s new 100 kW turbine.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerOCEAN ENERGIES

Picture courtesy of RWE npower renewables

It will not only be deployed in the
Siadar scheme but in future wave
energy projects worldwide. It applies Voith Hydro Wavegen’s oscillating water column technology andwas developed with support fromthe Scottish Government’s Wave
and Tidal Energy Support (WATES)
scheme.
At that time Matthew Seed was
already convinced that Voith Hydro
Wavegen had extended the range
of application for wave energy
plants with this turbine to include
more energetic and hence more
economically attractive environments.

First experiences proved him right:“The 100 kW turbine is showing
similar reliability to the well proven
20 kW machine. It is also extracting
much more power and operating at
close to rated power even with thelimited capture width of the Limpet
plant on Islay.”
But the Siadar project is not the
only common activity in oceanenergies with RWE Innogy.
In February 2009, Voith Hydro and
RWE Innogy have announced theformation of the joint venture ofVoith Hydro Ocean Current Technologies.
With the new company, both partners will accelerate the development, manufacture and marketingof ocean current technologies.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerRWE Innogy will make a significant capital investment and hold20 percent in the new company
while Voith Hydro will be the majority shareholder with 80 percent.
The total investment guaranteedby both partners over the next few
years equals over 30 million Euro.
The establishment of the joint
venture is already approved by therelevant anti-trust authorities.

AuthorDr. Jochen Weilepp
Head of Ocean Energies,
Heidenheim, Germany

Jochen.Weilepp@voith.com

53

HSAF

The IHA World Congress will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Sustainability in hydro –first HSAF consultation phase now completed
The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum (HSAF) of
the International Hydropower Association (IHA) has presented
the outcomes of the first consultation phase of the current
Sustainability Assessment Protocol development process.

Constituted in March 2008, the14 members from different sectors
have made considerable progressin several follow-up meetings allover the world, concluding the firstyear of work with an intense consultation.
The objective of the Forum is toreview and refine the existing IHA
Sustainability Assessment Protocol
in relation to the development andoperation of hydro power plants,
aiming to establish a broadly endorsed assessment tool.
Experts on environmental, socialand economic aspects, together
with government representatives of
Norway, Iceland, China and Zambia
support the Forum over its two
years.

54

The Forum comprises several NGO
groups, including the WWF, Oxfam,
Transparency International, and the
Nature Conservancy, commercial
and development bank representatives, and the IHA.
Sustainable hydro power stations
whether planned, implemented or
operated – will be of the essence
to global energy demand for clean
and renewable energy generation.
Development of a certification toolthat measures what is – or is not –sustainable in hydro power projects
is the major task for the industry
to achieve a global and unified
standard.

The outcomes report and Forum
responses are now available in
IHA’s website www.hydropower.org/
sustainable_hydropower/hsaf.html.
The Forum is coordinated by
Dr. Helen Locher who can bereached at lh@hydropower.org.
A broad report on further outcomes
will also be presented by the Forum
IHA’s 2009 World Congress from
June 23 - 26, 2009 in Reykjavik,
Iceland.

AuthorBarbara Fischer-Aupperle
Head of Communications,
Heidenheim, Germany

Barbara.Fischer-Aupperle@voith.com

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerEVENTS

Conferences, seminars
and symposia

Date

Event / Further information

June 16 - 17, 2009

Workshop on Regional Cooperation in Sediment Management

Kathmandu, Nepal

in Hydropower Projects

Voith Hydro paper presentation

June 23 - 26, 2009

Advancing Sustainable Hydropower

Reykjavik, Iceland

Congress of the International Hydropower Associationwww.ihacongress.org
Voith Hydro panel participation

July 27 - 30, 2009

Waterpower XVI 2009

Spokane, USA

www.waterpowerconference.com
Voith Hydro paper presentations
Please visit us at booth no. 1000.

August 16 - 22, 2009

7th International Symposium on Cavitation

Washington, USA

www.cavitation.engin.umich.edu
Voith Hydro paper presentations

September 24 - 25, 2009

Zwölftes Internationales Anwenderforum

Bozen, Italy

Kleinwasserkraftwerke (OTTI)

www.otti.de
Voith Hydro paper presentation

October 14 - 16, 2009

Brno, Czech Republic

3rd IAHR International Meeting for Cavitation and
Dynamic Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Systems

http://khzs.fme.vutbr.cz/iahrwg2009
Voith Hydro paper presentations

October 26 - 28, 2009

Hydro 2009

Lyon, France

Progress – Potential – Plans

www.hydropower-dams.com/hd_72_0.htm
Voith Hydro paper presentations
Please visit us at booth no. 92.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower55

ESSAY

Adventurous travelling 100 years ago:

Seasickness anda roast fit for cannibals
56

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerESSAY

These are the impressions of a Voithian who traveled to
Niagara Falls in 1909. One hundred years ago, the turbines at
Niagara Falls made Voith world-famous. They were the largest
units of their time and are still operational. These turbines
are an excellent example for the legendary Voith reliability or,as one would say today, “Engineered reliability”.

While the journey from the Heidenheim headquarters to Niagara Falls
takes less than a day now, it wasa true adventure lasting several
weeks 100 years ago.
This is when Albert Ungerer set off
to attend a meeting, leaving toposterity a humorously written dairy,
which, like all Voith documents ofhistorical value, can be enjoyed at
the Business Archives in Stuttgart.
Albert Ungerer joined Voith on 3rdJanuary 1898 at age 23. Later he
was a director in the turbine construction department.

Here are some amusing treats fromhis traveling journal:
22nd September 1909 – at sea

Sea purple, half rain, half sun;mankind appears to develop a huge
appetite – if this continues, everybody will be suffering from gout by
the time we reach New York.
23nd September 1909 – at sea

We have been cruising around on
the ocean for some hours. Afterconsulting the steward, we haveopened the portholes in the cabin,in order to enjoy the sea air as
unhindered as possible, even during our sleep. There are clothes
hooks on both sides, I have chosen
the ones on the bow side and lo,
it was good.

Albert Ungerer crossed theAtlantic by ship in 1909.
His experiences are written
down in his diary.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower57

ESSAY

Gigantic: the turbines for the
Niagara Falls helped Voith to gain
worldwide fame 100 years ago.
They are still in good operating
condition. The second man fromthe right is the young Hanns Voith.

58

At dawn I am awakened by gently
rushing waters, at the same time
my position in the berth changes.
I jump up – too late. Splish-splash,a curious wave slips through thewindow and Mr. Siedenburg’s(a co-traveler) wardrobe is pickled
in brine. As a precautionary measure against a repeat, I close thehatch and am pleased with myself.
Next time, I will again hang myclothes to the front. In plain clothes,Miss Farrar (a former star of Berlin
opera) is not exactly a paragon ofheavenly splendor and beauty, butthere is something very likeable
about her appearance.

She manifests a certain amount of
tastelessness by wearing a spooky
skunk bonnet, which is possibly
very precious, but also simply
disgusting, and also by an evenmore disgusting lapdog, black withyellow spots, probably a crossbetween a bulldog and a fire salamander.
24th September 1909 –and what had to happen,
happens

The ship is rolling heavily, attendance at mealtimes is sparse.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerESSAY

25th September 1909 –29th September 1909 –and it gets worse

grilled steak – a grim affair

Our suitcases perform witches’
dances in the cabin, the walls groan
and creak, it is impossible to get
any sleep, therefore out! One cannot stand up, one needs to dresswhilst sitting down and I feel very
peculiar with every move. Will give
shaving a miss, I’d rather attend
dinner as a porcupine than witha half-amputated nose. I have toforego the morning bath – just get
on deck and into the fresh air.
The ocean looks magnificent in its
wildness, it resembles a moving
mountain range, and the waves
play with the ship colossus as if
it was a shuttlecock. If one asks
people about their well-being, they
just utter “ugh” and poke their
tongue out.

I am ordering tomato soup and asirloin steak, whereupon he (thewaiter) starts by planting a small
table in front of me, and then brings
bread, butter or rather – well, let’scall it butter –, iced water and thesoup – a horrible, reddish, flourybroth mixed with sugar. Afterwards,
a delightful blacksmith aroma wafts
through the room and a complete
ox rib appears, approximately two
kilograms, burnt on the outside anddripping with blood on the inside.
They call it “grilled” – it is a grimaffair! I cut a piece off this cannibal
roast and apply a generous measure of mustard, salt and pepper,
in order to overcome the outer tasteof charcoal and the inner taste ofnothing at all… 

Despite the turbulences at sea,
Albert Ungerer reaches New Yorkunharmed.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower59

NEWS FROM THE VOITH GROUP

Voith Turbo
Optimized cost and fuelconsumption, fewer emissions

Apart from various hybrid solutions
for the rail vehicle industry, Voith
Turbo also offers solutions for
optimized fuel consumption andlower emission outputs of existing
fleets. With Voith EcoConsult, thedrive systems manufacturer has
created such a tool.
The Voith eco-solutions currently
consist of the Voith HydroBrid witha hydrostatic and an electric recuperation unit, the Voith MicroBrid
with stop-start function, and theexhaust heat utilization system
SteamDrive. These solutions canbe developed further individuallyboth for railcars and locomotives.

60

Voith Industrial
Services
In parallel, Voith Turbo has also
developed relevant configurationand simulation tools. These allow
establishing and analyzing theindividual operation conditions ofrail vehicles. On the basis of thisdata, it is possible to identify themost economical process for reducing life-cycle costs (LCC) and fuelconsumption. As a result of improved fuel consumption, CO2
emissions can also be significantly
lowered.
With the new Voith EcoConsult
toolbox, Voith Turbo offers a consultation program that identifies optimum solutions from the portfolio
of innovations. At the same time,
vehicle operators can also further
improve the performance of their
existing fleets. 

Acquisitions 2008

Voith Industrial Services widens theportfolio with two major acquisitions.
It acquired a majority stake in theengineering company CeBeNetworkand thus expands its service portfolio in the engineering segment.
Simultaneously it acquired newcompetencies in the aviation industry.
CeBeNetwork is an engineering
company specializing in complex
development projects. With 360
employees and a turnover of around52 million Euro, it is one of thelargest providers of engineering
services to the aerospace industryin Europe, and with its network of
35 cooperation partners, has accessto the knowledge and expertise of
5,000 engineers and technicians allover the world. EADS is one of themost important customers of CeBeNetwork.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerNEWS FROM THE VOITH GROUP

Voith Paper
Voith Industrial Services further
forged ahead with its expansion
strategy and acquired the German
Ermo group with 750 employees
and a turnover of 80 million Euro.
“With Ermo, we have acquired acompany that not only supplements
and complements our portfolio but
also matches our company culture
perfectly”, says Markus GlaserGallion, Member of the Board ofManagement of Voith Industrial
Services Holding GmbH. Ermo isa premium provider of technicalservices primarily for the petrochemical industry and for power
plants. In Europe it is leading in
shutdown management and maintenance, and like Voith Industrial
Services, it also provides services
to the chemical as well as to thepulp and paper industry. June 2009 I 18 I HyPoweracquired Canadian Yankee
hood supplier PremiAir

Voith Paper has acquired PremiAir
Technology Inc., Montreal, Canada
on October 1st, 2008. PremiAir who
is active in the area of air systems
for the pulp, paper and tissue industry is well known for its extensive
know-how and high level of technology in engineering, designing,
manufacturing, and servicing ofYankee drying hood systems.
PremiAir started its business23 years ago. The Yankee drying
hood systems have a very highreputation. Their Yankee hood
“The Ultra” sets standards when it
comes to high temperature hoods.
Several hood references operating
at temperatures up to 650 °C(1200 °F) are established, offering
the potential to increase productivity(for rebuilds) as well as improved
tissue quality compared to standard
hoods.

Dust and mist removal systems,
heat recovery systems, and allservices to assess and improveexisting installations are part ofthe product and service portfolio.
PremiAir will be embedded in Voith
Paper’s Air Systems Group withlocations in Bayreuth, Mönchengladbach (both in Germany) and now inMontreal, Canada. By this acquisition Voith Paper Air Systems completed its portfolio with regard to
products and services in all areas of
air systems for the pulp, paper, andtissue industry. Voith Paper’s Tissue
division is now able to provide
complete tissue machines startingfrom stock preparation and endingat the rewinder / roll transportation
system. 

61

TODAY’S BRUNNENMÜHLE

The Brunnenmühle:100 years old
and absolutely state-of-the-art

62

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerAround 200 customers and partners
from 25 countries came to celebrate
the anniversary and the re-openingof the laboratory. A symposium
opened the event, providing a comprehensive view on hydro power’s
range of offers and opportunities
in the background of global growth
and related increase in energy
demand. Apart from new views onhydro power and ocean energies,
it also set focus on the growing
importance of sustainability, safety
and environmental issues in hydropower implementation.

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerThe next day brought guests to
the re-opening of the modernized
Brunnenmühle where they had
the opportunity to see and feel thelaboratory.
Dr. Roland Münch said in the opening ceremony: “Although everybody
of us hopes that we don’t needmodel tests anymore in 100 years
time: We certainly feel well prepared
for the future. Happy Birthday,
Brunnenmühle!”

63

TODAY’S BRUNNENMÜHLE

June 2009 I 18 I HyPower64

TODAY’S BRUNNENMÜHLE

The new test stand equipment
also includes the HyConTM 400
automation package which wasdeveloped in-house, as well as
high-performance computers.

Test rig team enjoys the new set-up.

Voith Hydro’s central technology location for hydro power,
the Brunnenmühle, turned one hundred in mid-November 2008.
For the occasion the laboratory had been completely modernized and expanded, with a new office building added to match
growth and to be prepared for the continued boom in hydropower business.

The laboratory and the new officebuilding had seen an overall-investment of more than 20 million Euro.
Today’s testing capacities havedoubled and provide significantly
shortened cycle times.

New super-computers allow foreven more precise simulations
for prediction of flows in hydraulic,magnetic and electrical fields ofhydro power units.

Today, as during its commissioning
one hundred years ago, only thenewest technologies are applied in
the Brunnenmühle – making it oneof the world’s most modern andhigh performing test laboratories.

The six test stands in the hydraulic laboratory of Brunnenmühle in Heidenheim after refurbishment

65

Test rig

Turbine typeMax. turbine output

Max. head

Universal high pressure test rig(UHD 1)

Francis and Kaplan turbines

1000 kW

200 m

Universal high pressure test rig(UHD 2)

Pump-, Francis and Kaplan turbines

1200 kW

240 m

Universal high pressure test rig(UHD 3)

Francis and Kaplan turbines

600 kW

150 m

Low pressure test rig

Kaplan turbines

220 kW

60 m

Pelton test rig(horizontal)

Pelton turbines

750 kW

200 m

Pelton test rig(vertical)

Pelton turbines

750 kW

200 m

June 2009 I 18 I HyPowerImprint
Published by:Voith Hydro Holding GmbH & Co. KG
A Voith and Siemens Company

Editor:Barbara Fischer-Aupperle
Editorial coordination:
Marie-Luise Leonhardt
Voith Hydro Holding GmbH & Co. KG
Alexanderstr. 1189522 Heidenheim, Germany
Fon +49 7321 37- 63 54
Fax +49 7321 37-78 28
Marie-Luise.Leonhardt@voith.com
www.voithhydro.com
In cooperation with:
Manfred Schindler
Werbeagentur OHG, Aalen, Germany“Strategies 360”, Seattle, WA, USA

8000

Copyright:
No part of this publication may be copied,
reproduced or otherwise disseminatednor may any of the content in it be usedin part or in whole in other works in any
form whatsoever, without express written
permission of the editor.

www.msw.de

Print:
Wahl Druck GmbH, Aalen, Germany