MAGAZINE FoR HYDROPOWER
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Hypower
HyPower#1 | 2012#25| Autumn 2014

ADAPTING pumped storage technology FOR THE FUTURE

multi-talented
FROM THE ARCHIVES

VOITH HYDRO’S PUMPED STORAGE HISTORYAMET cursus mauris sit amet

Lorem ipsum
Global expertiseSERVICE CAPABILITY from VOITH hydrofor customers worldwide

mauris sit ametconsequat vitae
AMET cursus

Vivamus elementum semper SIT

Imprint
Publisher:
Voith Hydro Holding GmbH & Co. KG
Alexanderstr. 1189522 Heidenheim, Germany
www.voith.com
Responsible for the publisher:
Ute Böhringer-Mai
Editor-in-chief: Lukas Nemela
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Join us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/voith_hydroPhotographs:
Cover: Rüdiger Nehmzow; p. 4-5: Dawin Meckel (2), p. 6: Adriano Gambarini/Duke Energy Brasil
collection; Fotolia/Anton Balazh (3), p. 8-9: Rüdiger Nehmzow; p. 11: Dawin Meckel; p. 12-13:
Illustration: Hokolo 3D (2); p. 15: Naturstromspeicher Ulm GmbH (2); p. 16-17: Dawin Meckel (3);p. 19: Telmo Banha; p. 20-21: Eskom Ingula; p. 22-23: Shutterstock/2265524729, Rather be Flying!;
p. 26-27: EnBW; p. 32: Dawin Meckel; p. 37: Manitoba Hydro; p. 38-40: Antonio Carreiro (2);p. 41-42: Antonio Carreiro (6); p. 44-45: Herbert Nitsch (3); p. 46: Dawin Meckel; p. 47: Fotolia/Anton
Balazh (3)All other photos are from Voith Hydro.

editorial

Multi-purpose,
multi-talent
Pumped storage hydropower has proven itself worldwide
to be the only technology that can store energy on an industrial
scale, with a very high level of efficiency. Indeed, 99% of theworld’s existing energy storage capacity consists of pumped
storage. But pumped storage is not only sizable and efficient:
It can also help to better stabilize the energy grid, and prevent
wasting surplus energy from volatile renewable energy sources
like wind and solar.
Voith is further developing this important storage technology
and providing tailor-made solutions to our customers that underlay the central advantages of pumped storage: namely,
fast reaction times and high flexibility. Innovations such as reversible machine sets and variable speed technology can rapidly and flexibly respond to changes in supply and demand
from the grid, and provide quick-reacting coverage in cases ofpower shortage.
For more than a century, pumped storage technology has
been storing energy for communities and industries worldwide. In fact, Voith’s Brunnenmühle pumped storage hydropower plant, completed in 1908, was the first of its kind inGermany. Today, the Brunnenmühle is the heart of Voith’s
global hydropower R&D network.
These days, the minds of policy-makers around the world
are turning more and more towards renewable energy production. Teaming up volatile renewables like wind and solar withstable renewables like hydropower and pumped storage will
provide the necessary stability for reliable renewable energy
production on an industrial scale.
This issue of HyPower will provide further insights into themulti-purpose, multi-talent that is pumped storage.
Enjoy the read!
Yours sincerely,

Ute Böhringer-Mai
Head of Communications
HyPower 2014 | 3

contents

contents

08

Discover more
about Voith
through its
other insightful
publications.

16

Agenda setting

8

PUMP FOR THE FUTURE
Pumped storage hydropower is atrusted, established technology –with a lot of future promise

30

20	A GLOBAL PROJECTInternational collaboration on
pumped storage in South Africa

Extending the lifetime of a pumped
storage plant in the United States

REGULARS

2 imprint
3	editorial
6 what’s new
7 ON TOPIC
43 world of voith
44 	guest perspective
46 	coffee break
4 | HyPower 201416 THE INVISIBLE POWERSTATION
This underground pumped storage
plant comes with high efficiency
and increased capacity

Variable speed technology gives
new potential to pumped storage

Leadership with a vision at Voith inSouth America

41 living the project
FROM THE ARCHIVES

Engagement and experience: aday “on site” in Brazil

Germany’s first ever pumped
storage plant

24	AMONG THE WORLD’SLARGEST
Supporting China’s hydropower
infrastructure – moving toward
renewables

GLOBAL EXPERTISE

32 a bright future
20 years of success for Voith
Hydro in Shanghai

SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS

26 SAVING IFFEZHEIM
18	A BOLD LEAP FORWARD

38 powering latin america

30 pioneering technology
FULL-LINE SUPPLIER

Hydro and wind power connect
in an innovative new project

Quality and reliability in new andold small hydro projects

22	adapting and evolving

green energy mix

15 wind and hydro:
JOINING FORCES

28 small hydromulti-talents

32

Speed and thoroughness for a
power plant in need

35 keeping the wheels
turningVoith service and modernization
excellence across Canada

PROJECT DIRECTORY

47	around the world
An easy-to-check reference of the Voith Hydro
projects mentioned in this edition of HyPower
HyPower 2014 | 5

what’s new
Sectionon topic

Modernization in
BrazilBRAZIL Reliable energy generation continues

on the Paranapanema River in Brazil as Voith
has completed rehabilitation of the first generating unit at the Chavantes hydropower plant.
Voith will modernize another three units at theplant, which has a total installed capacity of
414 MW, and has been in operation since1970. Managed by Duke Energy, Chavantes isgoing through a complete modernization process, covering the renewal of three generating
units, including turbines, generators and associated electro-mechanical systems. //another positive step forward, with the recent order for the extension of the Lam Ta
Khong pumped storage power plant inThailand. Lam Ta Khong is the first pumped
storage plant in Southeast Asia to beequipped by Voith Hydro: a great development for Voith’s presence in this emerging
hydropower region. Ordered by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT),
the project includes complete electromechanical equipment for the plant: two vertical pump-turbines of 255 MW each, two
motor-generators, automation systems,
electrical and mechanical balance-of-plantsystems, civil works, and site installation.
The completed extension will increase thecapacity of the Lam Ta Khong pumped storage hydropower plant to 1,000 MW – almost doubling its current capacity. //Scan the QR code below or visit
twitter.com/Voith_Hydro to keep up
with Voith Hydro news on Twitter. Be
sure to check out our feed
every Friday when weshare our hydropower
picture of the week!

6 | HyPower 2014

Major share5

99% of the world’s energy storage capacity is provided by pumped storagehydropower – with the remaining 1% supplied by batteries, compressed air
energy storage, and other storage technologies.

Large scale

The potential capacity of pumped storage is remarkably higher thanthe potential capacity of other forms of energy storage.
Pumped storage: 100-1,000 MWh
Compressed-air energy storage: 10-100 MWh

99%Hydrogen storage/power-to-gas: 1-100 MWh

1%Redox-flow batteries: 1-100 MWh
Flywheel: 0.01-1 MWh
Lithium-ion batteries: 0.001-1 MWh

Small, smart, efficient
ITALY / JAPAN With the Micro Tubular Turbine and Generator, Voith offers asmart, efficient product in the small hydro segment: a compact system thatcan be integrated in existing piping systems with minimum effort. Factories,
waterworks, sewage treatment plants and irrigation canals are possible application fields for the Micro Tubular Turbine that comes with belt-driven generator and a Kaplan turbine with adjustable runner blades mounted in a tube
to control flow. The standardized product delivers cost-efficiency and fast installation, requiring minimal engineering andcivil works during the execution phase. It
meets demand for an economical mini smallhydro solution, without compromising on Voith
standards. It comes in three sizes: S, M, or L,
arranged serially or in parallel to meet required
heads and flows, and has a typical range from
2 to 20 m head, 3 to 250 kW per single turbine.
Developed by Voith Fuji Hydro Japan, it has
been adapted by Voith Hydro Italy to meet
local requirements, and is already attracting
Micro Tubular: a smart soluattention on the market. //tion in small hydro2

142,000 MW is the combined generating capacity of
all the world’s pumped storage hydropower stations.

3

Extremely durable

The lifetime duration of a pumped storage hydropower plant by far
exceeds the life cycle of many other energy storage options.

Pumped storage is around twice as efficient as hydrogen storage.

78-82%
max. 70%

Pumped storage
Compressed air storage

circa 40%

Hydrogen storage

Lithium-ion battery

Pumped storage plantcirca 2,000 cycles>50,000 cycles

7
4

Cost effective
30
25
20

ge

typ

15

e

10
5
0

30
25
20

Redox battery(25.5 cents)

15
10

Compressed air
energy storage(8.1 cents)

50

Pumped storage(5.1 cents)

Technological maturity

Readiness-for-market of various storage technologies. Pumped storage isalready commercialized, well established – and continuously innovating.

Additional costs for energy storage per kWh for different
forms of short-term storage (referring to 2010 ).

High quality against the clock
replacing, operator Tata Power called on Voith Hydro in Noida, India. The order for the Bhira Pumped Storage project, now underway, comprises design,
upgrade, manufacturing, supply, erecting and commissioning of the new stator for the 200 MVA motor-generator. The new stator is due at the customer
within 11 months. The shutdown period cannot exceed 45 days, as the plant
supplies power to the megacity Mumbai. Tata Power, India’s largest integrated power company, called on Voith due to over a century of successful collaboration between the two companies: Voith first supplied the Tata Power
Khopoli powerhouse with four units of 13 megawatts each back in 1911. //6Highly efficientraStoindia When the stator at India’s largest pumped storage power unit needed#HYDROPICTUREOFTHEWEEK

1Capital requirement x technology risk

THAILAND A promising market has shown

Sizable, economical, durable, ecological: when looking at the potential of pumped
storage as a major player in our energy systems, the numbers speak for themselves.

€ct/kWhSoutheast AsiaN
Pumped storage

Comparing storage technologies

Flow batteries
Flywheel (high speed)
Lithium-based batteries

Supercapacitor
HydrogenFlywheel (low speed)
Adiabatic CAES

Compressed air
energy storage (CAES)

Synthetic natural gas

Pumped storagehydropower
Researchand development

Demonstrationand deployment

Commercialization

Current maturity level

Sources: 1 2 IEA analysis and EPRI (Electronic Power Research Institute), Electrical Energy Storage Technology Options, Report, EPRI 2010; own research 3 5 and 6 SRU 2011,
Bünger et al. 2009, Oertel 2008; supplemented by own data 4 DLR/Fraunhofer IWES/IFNE, Long-term scenarios and strategies for the deployment of renewable energies in Germany in view of European and global developments (BMU-Leitstudie), 2010. 7 Decourt, B., and R. Debarre, Electricity storage Factbook, Schlumberger Business Consulting Energy Institute, Paris, France and Paksoy, H., 2013; “Thermal Energy Storage Today” in IEA Technology Roadmap Energy Storage, p. 16., 2014.

HyPower 2014 | 7

Agenda SECTION
Setting

Pump
for thefutureMore than just a short-term energy repository,
pumped storage plants provide fast,
flexible and efficient support for ourelectricity grids. As we integrate more
renewables, their importance is set to grow.

T

his isn’t the first energy transition that we have witnessed
during the last century in Germany, but it is the first one that will
have a profound effect on the systemarchitecture of our electricity power
supply,” says Klaus Krüger, Head of
R&D at Voith Hydro. Using Germany as an example, he explains how
coal was replaced by oil during the
1960s and 1970s, which was in turnreplaced by nuclear power over thefollowing 30 years. “These transitions shared a common factor in that
only the primary energy carrierchanged – while the system architecture of the German electricity power
supply stayed the same.”
8 | HyPower 2014

HyPower 2014 | 9

Agenda Setting

As Krüger explains, energy storage systems did not have an important functionality in the previous service landscape, as there has always been asufficiently high and permanently available power reserve through coal and nuclear power plants. So far, energy storage has been undertaken via use of the
primary raw materials coal, gas, uranium and oil. Power generation followed
afterwards, as needed: “The order has
been first storage and after that generation,” he says. The generation of renewable energies from wind and photovoltaic sources, however, mostly occurs in
an uncontrolled way, without respect for
demand. It is in this way that the latest
energy transition has changed the orderof storage and generation. In this context, pumped storage power plants canhelp to significantly reduce renewableenergy curtailment, and can substitutefossil energy generation by releasing
stored energy from renewables.
In use since the early 20th century,
pumped storage has traditionally beenthought of purely as a means of storingenergy for peak load compensation.
However, with solar and wind power
playing an increasingly important rolein many countries around the world,
pumped storage is beginning to show its
full potential as a flexible, dynamic contributor to ensure stability of our electrical grids.
Wind and solar energy may be moreenvironmentally friendly than coal andnuclear power, but they are also less reliable, influenced purely by naturealone, and not at all adjustable. There
will be periods when these sources generate large amounts of energy, but there
will also be periods where they don’t.
“A grid needs reliable available capacity. The problem with photovoltaic
generation is that even if you have gigawatts of installed capacity, the reliableavailable capacity is almost zero. For on10 | HyPower 2014

Agenda Setting

1
2“A few years ago, it would takebetween two and three minutes
to get power on the grid. Now
we can provide maximum power
within 60 seconds.”
Jiri Koutnik, Head of Expert Support for power units, Voith Hydro

shore wind generation, it is around one
percent,” Krüger explains. In 2013, forexample, there was a sudden 8 GW
power gap in the power supply in eastern Germany due to unexpected mist
and fog affecting photovoltaic electricity
generation. “At times like this, you needa plan B, something fast and flexible that
can help make up energy shortfalls, orcompensate for excessive production.
Without it, the grid can become unstable and power outages can occur.”In the past, pumped storage power
plants operated on a clear “on” and “off”
schedule and only needed to switch between pump and turbine mode a coupleof times per day to balance the grid. But
as infrastructure has changed and de-mand for more electricity and increased
flexibility rises, pumped storage planttechnology has evolved. “Now, we pumpseven or eight times a day, for shortertime periods. The machinery has to befaster and more durable,” says Jiri Koutnik, Voith Hydro’s Head of Expert Support for power units. Referring to ternary sets, Koutnik says this: “A few years
ago, it would take between two andthree minutes to get power on the grid.
Now we can provide maximum power
within 60 seconds.”
Speed is at the heart of a further advantage offered by pumped storage
power plants, as it is able to provide a“black start” to the grid in the case of a1	Tai’An, China: Voith in China, Japan andGermany supplied equipment for thispumped storage plant.
2	Reisseck-II, Austria: Inspecting one of
the two runners supplied for the projectin the Alps.

Germany and theenergy transition
Germany has set itself ambitious targets:by 2022 it plans to phase out nuclear power,
and by 2050, 80% of its power is expected tocome from renewable sources.
A recent study from RWTH Aachen University, commissioned by Voith
Hydro, showed that the use of pumped storage could enable up to 5 TWhof additional renewable electricity to be utilized by 2050. But as Stephan
Kohler, Chief Executive of the German Energy Agency (dena), explains,
Germany still has work to do if this is to be realized. “The current economic framework means that important investments in pumped storage
are not being made. The advantages that pumped storage can bring to
the grid are inadequately remunerated – there must be more of an incentive to store energy efficiently.” Together with Voith and other prominentindustry partners, dena has launched the platform “Pumped Storage
Plants – Partners of the Energy Transition” to address this and other issues. It’s important to remember that investment in pumped storage is along-term one, he adds, with planning and construction periods of 10 to
20 years, and amortization periods of up to 60 years. With this in mind,changes must be made quickly if Germany is to realize its considerable
pumped storage potential. If it does, then “it can play a leading role whenother countries increase their use of renewable energies,” Kohler says. //Further links to pumped storage hydropower online
www.pumpspeicher.info
The dena platform: Pumped storage – partner of theenergy transition (German only).

power blackout. “A hydroelectric station needs very little initial power tostart – just enough to open the gates orvalves and to ensure the magnetizationof the generator rotor,” says Krueger.
“It can then put a large block of power
online very quickly to help restart fossilfueled or nuclear stations.”

www.wasserkraft.info
How pumped storage can be used to support renewableenergy through the energy transition – and into the future.

www.voith.com/psp
An overview of Voith Hydro’s pumped
storage products and services.

HyPower 2014 | 11

Agenda Setting

The anatomy of a pumped storagehydropower plantHere, an exemplary look at the inner life ofa plant and all its parts:

While pumped storage is a mature technology, it continues to evolve, and one
recent key development at Voith has
been the enhancement of variable-speed
technology. In Portugal, where fluctuating wind energy plays an important rolein the country’s power supply, Voith iscurrently installing two variable-speed
units at the Frades II plant (see page 18).
“Classic pump turbines can only run at
one speed, but with doubly fed asynchronous motor-generators, the pumpspeed can be varied. This allows greater
control and regulation of the electricity
taken from the grid, and it gives higher
operating flexibility and improved plant
efficiency,” explains Thomas Hildinger,
Vice President Generator Technology atVoith Hydro.
At Kops II in Austria, another example
of Voith Hydro’s innovative expertisecan be seen. Operating a ternary system,
made up of a motor-generator and separate turbine and pump set, the Kops II
pumped storage plant uses a hydraulictorque convertor – a unique Voith development – to switch between turbine
and pump operation in a matter of seconds. “You can also run both at the sametime, creating a hydraulic short circuit,”says Koutnik. “This allows you to control the power of the pump, even with afixed-speed generator, which significantly improves efficiency and flexibility, much like a variable-speed machine.”
To express it in numbers, Kops II candeliver up to 525 MW of peak energy tothe power network within seconds, ortake up to 450 MW of surplus energy
from the network into storage.
Also in Austria, at Limberg II, you
can find an example for reversible fixedspeed pump turbines with an ultra-wide
operation range. The two 240 MW reversible pump turbines supplied for the
Limberg II plant in the Austrian Alps
can work in both directions and, depending on the rotational direction, can
12 | HyPower 20141 	Intake gates
2	Penstock3	Shut-off valve
4
Turbine/pump turbine
5
Generator
6
Control room7
Low-voltage switchgear
8
Transformer
9High-voltage switchgear
10 Transmission line

1

10

2

6
9

8

A closer look at the generator and turbine
7

5

Slipring assembly

Generator
casing

4
3

Stator

Rotor

Guide bearing

Control device
and wicket
gates
Main shaft withpump turbine

Bottom ring,discharge ringand upper draft
tube cone

Spiral casefunction as either a pump or a turbine: aspace-saving and economically attractive solution. The most special feature,
however, is the plant’s wide head range
application. At Limberg II, the head forturbine or pump operation varies between 288 and 436 meters depending on
the water level of the plant’s huge storage lakes, which have a capacity of morethan 80 million cubic meters.
Not all operators require such regulated control over their grids, Koutnik

says, and countries use pumped storage
for different reasons. China’s large number of coal and nuclear power plantsmean that pumped storage is importantto provide faster reaction times tochanges in demand, while in India,
where blackouts are common, Voith isupgrading technology at the Bhira plant
to provide much-needed extra stability
to the grid. And even in Thailand, Voith
has just received the order to supply thecomplete electromechanical equipment

for the Lam Ta Khong pumped storage
plant. While the greater use of wind andsolar energy is bringing the topic of future grid stability increasingly into focus
in Europe and the US, Krüger believes
more pumped storage is required.
“Quite simply, you cannot continue toincrease the number of volatile energy
sources and assume that you don’t needmore storage, and rely only on power
cut-offs for consumers in industry andprivate households in the future.” //HyPower 2014 | 13

Wind turbine 1

Agenda Setting

Green Energy mix
Gaildorf

on pumped
storage
Heike Bergmann on the powerfulpotential of pumped storage.
Heike Bergmann, Member of the Management
Board of Voith Hydro Heidenheim, has been working for many years in the energy industry. Basedon her experience, she is convinced that pumped
storage plants, being multi-functional talents, candeliver an essential contribution to the conversionof energy systems to renewable supply.

What role do you envision for pumped storage plants in thechanging energy systems of the future?
As the portion of fluctuating renewable energies like wind andsolar is constantly increasing in the energy mix of many regions in the world, energy systems will require more pumped
storage plants. They are real multi-talents as they combine
storage, reliable performance and flexibility, all rolled into one
type of power plant. With these characteristics, they can prevent renewable energy from being wasted: they can store excess energy from wind and solar when energy surpluses occur.
Even when all thermal plants are shut down, pumped storage
plants can still take the energy surpluses and provide “negative
power.” Hours later, they can release this “green” electricity to
the grid, within a very short time – and exactly at the time
when it is needed. As a result, wind and solar plants do notneed to be throttled down – and stability is added to the grid.
What is the cost of a pumped storage plant compared with athermal power plant?
It is hard to compare plants that are powered by fossil energy
directly with pumped storage plants, as they pursue different
roles, and pumped storage does not generate expenses for fuelor certificates. However, one can say that the cost for each kW
from pumped storage is equal to approximately €1,350 on average. For a coal-fired plant, the investment cost amounts to€1,300 per kW. But it must not be forgotten: pumped storage
plants have a life span of 60 to 80 years, or even longer, with aconventional plant lasting only 30 to 40 years. Thus, the investment cost for a fuel-fired plant would have to be doubled
to compare.
14 | HyPower 20141 	Gaildorf integrates pumped storage
directly into on-site wind turbines.
2 	Inside the pumped storage plant.

And what about batteries – another form of storing energy?
Batteries are much more expensive than pumped storage today
and will remain so in the future. The cost of a lithium-ion battery amounts to at least €600 per kWh, while the storage partof a pumped storage plant accounts for €50 per kWh at the
maximum – or even less, depending on the location. In addition, batteries allow for significantly fewer charging cycles incomparison with pumped storage.
Voith Hydro in Germany has initiated a study by RWTH University in Aachen examining the contribution of pumped storage plants to the German “Energiewende.” In a nutshell, what
are the main results?
The study shows that pumped storage plants make an essential
contribution to the success of the German “Energiewende” –or, rather: the conversion of an energy system to renewablesources. The study proves that in Germany from 2030 on,
about 70 percent of the surplus energy from wind and solar canbe used if combined with pumped storage. Based on this assumed expansion, the entire pumped storage fleet could prevent the throttling down of 6 TWh of renewable energy by
2030, or 17.6 TWh of renewable energy by 2050. The use ofpumped storage plants is efficient and economically reasonable: the waste of renewable energy is reduced. We will need
fewer gas-fired power plants, as pumped storage power plants
can take over their role of bringing flexibility into our energy
system. Fuel costs can be lowered, and existing conventional
plants can be better utilized. Besides that, the volatility of energy prices will also decrease. //Reduction of electricity production costs in million euros/year
Saving of investment in gas-fired power plants
Saving of variable electricity production costs from storage cycles
Investment in pumped storage power plants
Economic benefits
In m € / y
954.8

1000

200

-600

MünsterWind turbine 3-5.1-102.5-179.2-184.4

-380

-1000

-960
scenario: 2030 / 60% renewablesscenario: 2050 / 80% renewables

184,4
Einsparung von Investitionen in Gaskraftwerke
Einsparung
variablerdurch
Speicherzyklen
Source: Institute ofPower Systems
andStromgestehungskosten
Power Economics, RWTH
AachenUniversity:
Investitionskosten“Supporting the Energy
Transition in Pumpspeicherkraftwerke
Germany through Pumped Storage: Potential for
Volkswirtschaftlicher
Improvement of Economic
Viability andNutzen
Supply Reliability”

For more information (in German),visit: www.naturstromspeicher.dePenstockLower
reservoir

1

Pumped storage
powerhouse

Wind turbine 4

will generate 20% more power than astandard wind turbine, says Alexander
Schechner, director of Naturstrom­
speicher. Due to the volatile nature of
renewable energy, the need for flexible
and more efficient energy storage has
been garnering growing interest in recent years.

Transformation substation

2

Wind and Hydro:
Joining forces
An exciting renewable energy innovation puts
pumped storage right where it’s needed.

477.4

600

-200

Wind turbine 2

In a first-of-its-kind project, pumped
storage and wind energy have joined
forces at a new power plant in BadenWürttemberg, Germany.
Voith will supply equipment for thehighly innovative Gaildorf pilot project
by Naturstromspeicher, a German company that specializes in natural power
storage. The project, currently underconstruction, will combine wind energy
generation and pumped storage – witha difference. At Gaildorf, a natural lower
reservoir feeds four small upper reservoirs, built directly into the base of four
wind turbine towers. The complete towers will reach 178 m in hub height andeach have a 5 MW capacity. Due to theincreased hub height, the dual system

The chief restrictions in renewable energy come from nature and physicalspace, says Schechner. That is why it’s
important to make intelligent use of limited land – hence the integration of awater reservoir into in the wind turbine’s
structure. Another concern in the energy industry is the ecological footprint.
The next technological step, Schechnersays, is to construct penstocks out offlexible polyethylene plastic and implement them in existing pathways. “A forest has its own streets and infrastructure,” he explains. “A typical pipe runs
straight across and you have to cut
trees to make way for them. By curling
the pipes along the existing structure,
we can optimize environmental impact.”
Schechner hopes that Gaildorf’s implementation will encourage a more diverse, flexible approach to renewableenergy. Smaller power plants have thebenefit of easier installation, better control and more flexibility. Large projects
are more cost-effective by maximizing
the amount of possible energy production. Geography can best determine
what type of project to apply. By widening the variety, the hydropower industry
can increase renewable energy production and therefore run more efficiently,
Schechner says. //HyPower 2013 | 15

Green energy mix

1

The
Invisible
Power
Station
New pumped storage plant
Reisseck II functions as anenvironmentally friendly
battery in the Alps.

2

3

1 Installation works on the control device of one of the machine units.
2 	Voith engineers inside the cavern, discussing next steps.
3 The Rottau power station and Rottau Reservoir are connected to the
Reisseck-Malta system.

D

eep inside a mountain overlooking the picturesque valley ofMölltal in the south of Austria,
up to 250 highly skilled specialists are
hard at work. A network of undergroundtunnels and caverns has already been dug
and blasted out of the rock, and these are
now being fitted with state-of-the-art
hydropower equipment. In the main
cavern, 25 m wide, 58 m long and 43 mhigh, engineers are working under floodlights to install the machine units. But
what at first glance might look like a military bunker or the fantastic undergroundlair of a James Bond villain is in fact oneof the most modern and powerful hydroelectric facilities in Europe, where engineers from Voith are currently installing
two reversible pump turbines, each withan output of 215 MW.
Mölltal has a long history of hydropower, with the Reisseck-Kreuzeck system built from 1948 to 1961, and theMalta network completed in 1978, eachwith its own reservoirs, generators andself-contained hydraulic systems. With

16 | HyPower 2014

the launch of Reisseck II into service
this year, the Austrian energy provider
VERBUND has brought these two networks into the 21st century. “The newplant will connect two previously independent power plant groups,” says Martin Nussmüller, Project Manager atVoith Hydro. “This means it is not necessary to build new reservoirs and dams,
and a part of the penstock of the existing
power plants can be used. By connecting
these two groups, the overall capacity
can be increased by more than 40% witha relatively small amount of effort.”
In order to maximize the new facility’s output, VERBUND needed to install the most-efficient high-performance turbines on the market. “One of
the reasons for the contract award to
Voith Hydro was the outstanding highefficiency we could demonstrate during
the model acceptance test,” says Nussmüller. “The turbines have a very highpower density on the runner – thatmeans a small runner with an extremely
high power output.” The units are builtwith spiral cases that are made entirelyof stainless steel, use an operating ringand have a stay ring made from a single
forged part. They were completely assembled at the workshop of Voith
Hydro in Sankt Pölten and delivered asa single compact unit. “For this project
we were able to draw on the knowledge
and lessons learned from a large number of pumped storage projects completed by Voith in Austria over the last
few years.”
The move to renewable energy sources
is a major topic all across Europe. However, it is not as simple as just building
more solar facilities and wind farms, as
output from green energy sources canbe very irregular, and alone would leadto a highly unstable grid. Pumped storage facilities like Reisseck II are a majorpart of the solution. “The concept of
this power plant is to regulate the grid,and compensate for the energy peaks
and troughs from wind and solar plants
as well as from changing daily demand,”says Nussmüller. Each of the two turbines is reversible, acting as a pump or a

Watch a video about Reisseck here (inGerman):www.verbund.com/pp/de/
pumpspeicherkraftwerk/reisseck-2

generator, to store excess power or to
generate electricity as needed. Modern
systems need to be able to react quickly
to changes in the grid. “Because of this,quick response to load changes in thegrid was a major parameter for theplant. It can store and release energy
equivalent to that from a 200-turbine
wind farm, reacting almost instantly.”
This increased stability will benefit energy consumers not just in Austria, butalso the neighboring countries.
As Reisseck II will be connected to
the grid in 2015, the cavern is sealed andthe construction works cleared away.
With no new reservoir and no new dam,
only an access road to the site remains asevidence of the invisible power stationthat has turned the Reisseck-Malta system into one of the most powerful hydropower facilities in Europe. //Hydropower in AUSTRIAHydropower makes up almost 63% of
all renewable energy capacity in Austria.

HyPower 2014 | 17

Green energy mix

Green energy mix

A bold leap forward
Voith gives a new edge to a trusted technology at Frades II in Portugal.

Pumped storage hydropower has
been a vital part of our energy networks
for more than a century. In recent years,
such plants have taken on an evengreater importance, with a crucial supporting role in the move to renewablesources of energy. However, the technology that is involved has not changed
fundamentally – aside from continuous
improvements in efficiency and performance. All of this could be about tochange. Voith Hydro engineers are currently installing two 390 MW variable-

speed, reversible pump-turbine units at
the Frades II facility in northwestern Portugal. This immense pumped storagehydropower plant will not stand alone: itwill be an important addition to an existing eight-plant cascade system, Cávado-Rabagão-Homem.
Frades II is the third facility of thiskind to be built in Europe, and when it isconnected to the grid in 2015, it will be
the largest variable-speed pumped storage station in the continent. The future isvariable speed.

Variable speed for increased flexibility: a 3-D model of the Frades II machine.
18 | HyPower 2014

“The key element of this plant is a
special asynchronous motor-generator:
the DFIM, or doubly fed induction machine,” says Wieland Mattern, ProjectManager for Voith Hydro in Heidenheim.
“In contrast to a conventional synchronous machine that always turns at a
fixed speed in time with the 50 Hz gridfrequency, in the new DFIM machines
the mechanical rotation speed is decoupled from the grid frequency, andcan vary.” This has two main advantages. First: the new systems allow a fast
and flexible response to active and reactive demand from the power grid.
Whereas a traditional facility is either onor off in both motor and generator
mode, the new units can be run at any
speed within a given speed range, tomatch the current demands on the network. This was a major factor in thebidding process, and will be increasingly important in other markets, too.
Second: variable-speed facilities offer
additional stability in cases of voltage
drop, reducing the likelihood of a blackout and enabling the system to comeback into operation much faster following such an event, as compared withtraditional, fixed-speed turbines.
Building a variable speed motor-generator of this size came with its own
challenges. The rotor is a completely
new design. “Instead of salient poles
mounted to the rotor rim as for synchronous motor-generators, the Frades
rotor has three-phase bar windings
similar to the kind normally found in

stators,” says Mattern. “But unlike thestationary windings in the stators, thewindings on the rotor turn at approximately 375 rpm and are exposed
to high centrifugal forces.” In addition
to this, compared with conventional
synchronous machines, the rotor ischarged with much higher voltage andcurrent from a powerful frequency converter. This converter is 25 times more
powerful than for a fixed-speed facilityof this output, and is of course larger
and heavier. “All that impacts highly on
the design of the rotor, so it’s a completely new product development forthis project.” Voith Hydro also had todevelop a new electrical protection sys-tem. “The new converter is much fasterthan traditional models,” says Thomas
Hildinger, Vice-President of Voith Hydro
Engineering Center. “The new protection thus has to be adapted to meetthese increased demands.”
The end result of this technical innovation is a facility that brings additionalreliability and stability to the grid. And in
the search for improved performance,
small changes can have a big impact.
“In cases of reduced voltage, when thevoltage drops to 5% of normal, a classical, fixed-speed turbine can remain
stable for around 150 milliseconds,” explains Dr. Jiri Koutnik, Head of Expert

Support, Power Unit. “It then has to be
removed from the grid and resynchronized before it can be reconnected.
This can take up to a minute. The turbines in Frades II can retain stability for
up to 600 milliseconds.” This might notsound like a huge improvement, but it issignificant. “It can mean the difference
between normal continued operation
and, in extreme cases, a widespread,large-area blackout,” says Hildinger. //Hydropower in PORTUGALClose to 42% of Portugal’s renewableenergy capacity comes from hydropower.

The rotor hub with the newly developed, semi-automatic stacking platform at the pre-assembly spot, shortly before lamination bundling starts.
HyPower 2014 | 19

Green Energy mix

1

A global project1	An aerial view of the beautiful landscape around the Ingula pumped storage power plant.
2 Work on the plant has been a collaborative effort among several Voith locations worldwide.

International collaboration on one of Africa’s biggest-everpumped storage facilities.

W

hen Voith experts from all
corners of the world collaborate, their achievements canbe impressive. One such achievement
can be found in the sweeping rural landscape of the KwaZulu-Natal region, ineastern South Africa, near a town called
Ladysmith. Here, partially submerged
under the sun-baked earth, is the immense Ingula pumped storage hydropower plant – set to be one of Africa’s
largest ever.
Planning for this enormous project
started back in the 1980s, explains
Markus Müller, Project Manager for
Voith Hydro Heidenheim. “Around 20
locations were considered before Ingula
was chosen,” he says. Three decades lat20 | HyPower 2014

er, as the project nears completion, it is
set to provide 1,368 MW of power per
hour. As Akihisa Hirata, Deputy ProjectManager of Voith Fuji Hydro notes, thepumped storage plant will considerably
aid in the “provision of a constant supply of energy across South Africa.”
Müller’s and Hirata’s contributions indicate the crucial international dimension and cooperation that has been socentral to this project. Indeed, Voith’srole in the Ingula pumped storage power plant is extensive. It has involved
pulling together resources from four
big company locations: Heidenheim inGermany, York in the United States,São Paulo in Brazil and Shanghai in

China – each in its own way ensuring
the project will be a success. Voith
Hydro in Heidenheim, for example, hasbeen responsible for carrying out themain work on the four pump turbines,
main inlet valves, the SCADA system,and electrical and mechanical balanceof-plant equipment. As Müller says,“This has entailed subcontracting workout to many other Voith branches
across the world.” Hence, he describes
it as “a truly global project.”
Another central partner has been
Hirata’s branch, Voith Fuji Hydro in Japan. This company in Voith Hydro’s
global network is responsible for building the four 373 MVA motor generators, which he says are “some of thebiggest we have ever supplied.” Besides
cooperation in the project, Müller andHirata also know each other from participating in the Voith Hydro Management Trainee Program, procuring skills
they can apply to their current project –and future projects. The program is another example of Voith’s global setup
and mindset.
Another proud Ingula participant
has been group affiliate Voith Paper inBayreuth, Germany, which in 2011 wascommissioned to provide heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.
On a technical level, the way thiskind of pumped storage power plant
works is not new, but it delivers: it
stores excess energy during the night,
or from renewables, in the upper Bed-

ford Reservoir, and releases water to thelower Bramhoek Dam reservoir to supply energy to the grid when needed.
Through this tried-and-true technology, the Ingula plant will be strongly
contributing to grid stability in easternSouth Africa.
Ingula is located in fantastic natural
surroundings, and the construction andplanning of the plant has kept this inmind. The rural scenery and beautiful
mountain vista have been minimally affected due to concealment of much of
the works underground.
Aside from the power station, theintegration of much of the apparatus
and equipment beneath the surface ishugely significant, says Müller. “There

2just isn’t the same impact environmentally when compared with a plant fully
above ground.” He is, however, appreciative of the general environmental
impact of such a major project, and ispleased that various wildlife institutions, such as Birdlife South Africa andfull-time environmentalists, have cometogether to form partnerships in orderto check that environmental legal requirements are adhered to.
As it nears completion, the Ingula
plant has been more than 30 years in
the planning and preparation. With
the expertise of a multitude of Voith
employees from various disciplines
drawn from across the globe, thispumped storage power plant is set tomake a major contribution to South
Africa’s rapidly expanding 21st-century
energy demands. //Hydropower in SOUTH AFRICA
In South Africa, hydropower makes up
almost 70% of renewable energy capacity.

HyPower 2014 | 21

GREEN ENERGY MIX

Adapting and evolving
Giving the gift of an extended life to a long-serving
pumped storage hydropower plant in the United States.

W

hat better way to mark a significant birthday than withthe gift of longer life? That’s
the present Voith has helped deliver toAmerican Electric Power’s (AEP) Smith
Mountain Project, which celebrates its
50th anniversary next year. Operated by
AEP subsidiary Appalachian Power,
Smith Mountain is a strategically important pumped storage power plant on
the Roanoke River in Virginia, US.
Completed in 1964, the project’s twodams and reservoirs created about 600
miles of new shoreline and about 25,000

surface acres of water when they reachedtheir normal “full” water level in 1966.
As well as providing electricity for theregion, the lakes and waterways have become a focal point for residents and visiting tourists alike.
long-serving, Multi-purpose
The Smith Mountain Project was developed as one of the first supporting
pumped storage facilities to complement an emerging nuclear power industry in the US. To afford an additionalsafety margin, nuclear plants are typically prohibited from load following, explains Greg Snyder, Service SalesManager at Voith Hydro in York, US.
Originally, Smith Mountain’s primary
purpose was that of a traditional pumped
storage plant. Today, the facility
complements AEP’s nuclear, gas andcoal base load plants in this traditionalway, and also helps enhance the valueof renewables such as solar and wind.

1

Voith employees work in
the interior of the Erzhausen
pumped storage plant.

22 | HyPower 2014

Voith has played an important part in
the development of all aspects ofpumped storage hydropower in the US
since its inception, both directly andthrough acquisitions over the years,
particularly Allis-Chalmers, S. Morgan
Smith, Westinghouse, and the joint venture with Siemens. The specific knowledge base of these strong firms all
helped Voith build a deep understanding of all facets of the American hydropower market, as well as incorporating
their OEM know-how and expertise.
The half-century-old Smith Mountain Project has three pump-turbines
and two conventional generators – a mixof conventional and pumped storage
units that also exists at other US hydropower stations. One of the life-extending projects that Voith Hydro in York
(VHY) has undertaken on the plant’s
motor-generators has involved the rewinding of the two conventional generator stator coils – a task carried out by
Voith Hydro in Mississauga, Canada.
Further recent works by VHY involved
a rotor rim shrink on unit three – thelargest unit at the plant – involving realignment to extend the life of the unit.
Trust and thoroughness“These successful works have resulted
in the development of considerable trust
and respect between the plant’s owners
and operators and Voith,” says Snyder.
Both the breadth of Voith’s expertiseand their willingness to go the extra
mile to ensure customer satisfaction
have been appreciated by AEP.
AEP Energy Maintenance Superintendent Jim Thrasher speaks enthusiastically about the way that Voith resolved
challenges that emerged at the initial
testing stage. “What Voith offered us
was above and beyond anything we had
expected, and they ultimately exceededboth the contract specifications and our
expectations,” he says.
“On the second unit, we found theoriginal poles were significantly damaged on the rotor. Voith was completely
open and transparent with us about the2

additional costs involved and they ensured that the sense of urgency we felt
about getting the job finished was transmitted throughout their own team andto their subcontractors. Their reputation for quality was fully justified bytheir work for us at Smith Mountain.”
And what of the three pump units?
Thrasher also says, with a hint of pride,that these units are still original and havenot been upgraded – something mostunusual for a pumped storage hydropower plant of this age. “People ask us
when we intend to do it, and we tellthem we’ll upgrade when we have serious problems. To date we haven’t hadany,” he says. These units were all madeby the Voith-acquired firm Allis-Chalmers. It just goes to show: quality really
does stand the test of time. //1	One of two dams at Smith Mountain.
2	The waterways which feed into Smith 		
Mountain form a playground for locals.

Hydropower in the US
The US ranks third in the world for
installed hydropower capacity – second
only to Brazil in the Americas region.

HyPower 2014 | 23

Full-Line SupplierHong Ping project
team with the first of
the bifurcation pipes
destined for the plant.

requirements. Using computer-based
simulations and carrying out detailed
model tests to find the best possible
technical solutions for the project, thedesign and engineering of the equipment began to take shape.

Among theworld’s largest

2

Voith is delivering hydropower equipment toincrease China’s mix of renewable energy.

China has launched itself on an
ambitious course to significantly increase its mix of renewableenergy. Pumped storage will play an integral part in these plans, assisting thenation in reaching its goal of generating
20% of its energy from renewablesources by 2020. According to the International Energy Agency, China’s State
Grid expects total pumped storage in-

24 | HyPower 2014

stalled capacity in China to reach 54
GW by the year 2020. Today, the country’s total installed energy capacity is approximately 19 GW.
As just one step toward this renewable energy goal, a new pumped storagehydropower plant, with equipment supplied by Voith, is under construction in
Hong Ping, Jiangxi province, some 750
kilometers southwest of Shanghai. In its

initial development phase, due for completion in 2015, Hong Ping will supply
1,200 MW of power. Once fully commissioned, it will generate 2,400 MW ofpower – making it one of the largest
pumped storage plants in the world.
Hong Ping’s scale is one of the challenges of the project, along with balancing hydraulic performance and operational stability to meet customer

The model acceptance test was completed successfully in July 2013, marking a major milestone in the project: results proved that efficiency rates
exceeded the guaranteed values. To
reach this point, Voith carried out morethan 100 optimizations, based on computational fluid dynamic analysis.
“Our advances in materials and design for Hong Ping, along with developments in other projects, like the asynchronous generator for large-scale
pumped storage in the Frades II projectin Portugal [see page 18 for more],strengthen Voith Hydro’s position as aleading pumped storage plant supplierworldwide,” says Danijel Anciger, Hydraulic Design Engineer for Pump Turbine Development in the Voith Hydro
Engineering Center, and involved in themodel development for Hong Ping.
Voith is supplying four complete
pumped storage units for Hong Ping,
including four synchronous generators,
reversible Francis pump turbines, governors, inlet valves, excitation, automation and power plant auxiliary systems.
Each unit will have a capacity of 300
MW. Voith received the order from theState Grid Corporation of China – thelargest energy provider in China.
The advances made for the Hong Ping
project include several turbine and gen-erator optimizations: innovations thatwill certainly find their way into otherpumped storage plants for other Voith
customers in the future.
The State Grid Corporation requested very stable start-up behavior forthe turbines, which required custom engineering for the runner profiles, Anciger says. At the same time, the customer
wanted very high hydraulic efficiency to
get the most possible electricity from its
storage capacity.
“Achieving stable start-up usuallymeans giving up a bit of hydraulic efficiency, but the customer wanted both.
We provided this by redesigning theturbines using precise measurement
equipment and a fast design process
loop in which we fed back measurement
results into the model design,” says
Anciger. Another innovative approachfor the turbine was achieving an optimallevel for balancing pump and turbine
operational modes.
Voith made optimizations to the generator by adapting its shaft to increase
the accuracy of the guide bearing from0.03 to 0.015 millimeter. This wasachieved by designing a single longwelded shaft, instead of using two shortshafts connected by bolts, says HelioMoino, the Executive Vice President
and Chief Production Officer at Voith
Hydro in Shanghai. Moino is responsible for manufacturing and quality activities, including the production of theHong Ping parts.
Voith also redesigned the pole withnew material and an air guide. The new3
polehelps cool the generator by im-proving the ventilation of the unit with
self-ventilation, instead of forced ventilation with fans. Pan Zhibin, the project
manager at Voith Hydro in Shanghai,says he was proud both of the new designs that Voith has created as part ofthe project and of solving each newcomplex challenge turning up in the
Hong Ping project. “Pumped storage
plants are very complex projects. It has
been quite a challenge to manage theproject with the new designs and materials. I am particularly impressed by theway engineering, purchasing and project management in Germany and China
worked together as one team to makethis happen.”
Voith took an interdisciplinary approach to solving technical challenges atHong Ping by holding a project convention and an expert review meeting early
on. Voith experts from various divisions
around the world met in Shanghai andworked together in groups dedicated tothe areas of turbine, generator and automation, as well as balance of plant, purchasing, manufacturing and field services, logistics and coordination.
Moino says, “With our innovative
solutions at Hong Ping, Voith is playing
an important role in stabilizing the gridand providing clean energy in China,
one of the world’s biggest engines of
economic growth.” //Hydropower in CHINA
China is the number one hydropower
market in the world, with around a quarterof all hydropower capacity.

HyPower 2014 | 25

Section
successful partnerships

successful partnerships
SECTION1
1 Outside view of the Iffezheim Barrage on the Rhine River.
2 The discharge ring being serviced in the Voith workshop.
3 A look inside the machine unit being serviced by Voith.

Saving Iffezheim
Voith Hydro provides services for aplant in need – preventing further
damage and ensuring rapid repairs.

The Iffezheim Barrage is located in the Alsace region in
France, on the section of the Rhine that forms the border between Germany and France. It was constructed in the late1970s to enable better control of flow on the river, and simultaneously to allow the generation of electricity from a run-ofriver hydroelectric facility built into the barrage itself. In 1976,
Voith supplied parts of the plant’s four turbines, each with apower of 28.3 MW. Today, it is one of the largest hydroelectricfacilities of its kind in Germany.
In October 2013, engineers on site noticed a large
amount of water had leaked into one of the four runners. “It
26 | HyPower 2014

was really from one day to the next,” says Alois Taglieber,
Sales Manager at Voith Hydro Heidenheim. “A small amountof damage to one of the seals around the runner can lead toa huge leakage.” Following meetings with the customer, Voith
engineers got to work last December, with the task of refurbishing the non-moving parts of the affected runner.
Working conditions at the Iffezheim facility are challenging. Access is limited due to the plant’s design, and the individual machine parts are huge: the discharge ring alone is 5.9
meters in diameter. There are safety concerns as well, as
many machine components are sealed with an anti-corrosive
paint that contains asbestos. “We have a very good, closeworking relationship with the customer to ensure the highest
safety standards,” says Taglieber. On top of this, the true
scale of the job to do only became clear when the engineers
began to disassemble the enormous components of the runner. “As part of our work, we disassembled the bearings andperformed routine non-destructive testing – not because wethought there was a problem, but to guarantee smoothrunning for the next 40 years. This testing revealed corrosion

issues on the thrust bearings and the discharge ring as wellas on the shaft itself,” Taglieber explains. As a result, the main
shaft then needed to be removed for surface refurbishment –no mean feat for a piece of equipment weighing over 30 tons.
“We had to build scaffolding and load-bearing structures toremove the shaft – the site looked like a forest of iron beams,”
adds Taglieber.
Thanks to quick and flexible intervention by Voith Hydro’s
team of experts, in close communication and collaboration
with the customer, repairs are now well underway, with thegenerator due to go back on line by March 2015. Iffezheim isa perfect example of Voith’s after-market business section’s
successful work in preventing further damage and a possible
shutdown, and bringing a facility back to full operational capacity within a short time frame. //23Hydropower in GERMANY
Germany has set a target of generating
35% of its energy from renewable sourcesby 2020 – including hydropower.

HyPower 2014 | 27

Successful Partnerships

Successful Partnerships

Small hydromulti-talents
With innovative solutions
and a reputation for
reliability, Kössler is amarket leader in smallhydropower.

28 | HyPower 2014

For insights into the high quality that
Voith subsidiary Kössler guarantees,
two recent projects are a good example, showing the company’s excellencein after-market business (AMB) and newbuilds: an upgrade of a turbine and belt
drive in Hochstadt, Germany, and a
new hydropower plant at Tröpolach,
Austria.
Ensuring customer satisfaction via
an intelligent AMB culture is central to
the way Kössler functions, with the
Hochstadt upgrade as a fine example.
Back in 1985, Kössler played a leadingrole in the establishment of a small hydropower plant at Hochstadt. A highlevel of performance over three decades meant that the firm was called inagain to carry out an upgrade in early
2014, notably of a Kaplan A-Bulb turbine and belt drive.
“At the heart of the plant is a fourblade runner made of bronze,” explains
Kurt Schiep, Head of AMB at Kössler.
“Due to abrasion, it was no longer able
to achieve the maximum efficiency forthe power station.” The turn-around forthe project was short, and a start inJanuary meant the plant was up andrunning again by the middle of April.
Kössler experts repair-welded theblades at the outer diameter and leveled the runner chamber, while, for example, also overhauling the wicket gate

1 	The new small hydro plantat Tröpolach is fed by theOselitzenbach Torrent.
2 	New shine: the Kösslerrestored four-blade runnerfrom Hochstadt.

1
2

by inserting maintenance-free guidevan-shaft bushes. Added to the effectof rebuilding the main turbine guidebearing, says Schiep, “the output of theplant has been significantly increased.”
The age of the technology involved
was just one concern for the operator,
with sustainability also key to the customer’s corporate philosophy, explains
Schiep. “Now we’re finished, the plant
won’t need another upgrade for 30
years.” This is great news for the region’s energy supply – particularly forthe town of Hochstadt, he adds.
Across the Alps in Austria’s Carinthia
region, bordering Italy, is picturesqueTröpolach. This is ski country, with thehighly regarded Nassfeld slopes attracting many thousands of visitors every
season. As Karl Wieder, Head of Sales
and Planning at Kössler, explains,

Tröpolach’s climate and surrounding
environment made it an ideal location
choice for a new small hydro plant: specifically, “its very high rainfall and theOselitzenbach Torrent.”
To complement the optimal naturalenvironment, Kössler designers cameup with the perfect technological com-bination: two models of the company’s
turbines (the PV6i/1080/330) and generators (the PV4c/650/160), which,though not new, “are used here for the
first time in tandem,” Wieder says. The
result is the provision of 16.5 GWh of
eco-electricity – enough to poweraround 4,700 households. In such

beautiful nature, where the look and feelof the mountain vista is so important,
there is always concern for the environment. Ensconced in a winter sports
area, “with its energy-intensive ski facilities, the plant is good for the region,”says Wieder. Indeed, the operator
Kraftwerksgesellschaft
TröpolachGmbH calculates that the Tröpolach hydropower plant “saves the environment
6,811 tons of CO2 emissions and 11.9
kilograms of radioactive waste, reducing Austria’s carbon footprint”.
Kössler’s reputation has been built
on eight decades of carrying out successful small hydropower projects, as
the upgrade at Hochstadt and the newplant at Tröpolach evidently show. And
with small hydropower solutions verymuch in demand, the Voith Hydro company looks set to continue going fromstrength to strength. //HyPower 2014 | 29

from the Archives

from the Archives

Pioneering
technology
Together with Voith Hydro’s
Brunnenmühle R&D centerin Heidenheim, Germany’s
first pumped storage
plant was established overa century ago.
It is said that only when inventions
and ideas see the light of day can one
refer to them as being trendsetting andinnovative. Often, they are the combined result of a pioneering spirit andforesight, as well as an actual, practicalneed. This is true of Germany’s firstever pumped storage power plant, located at Voith Hydro’s Heidenheim corporate headquarters. When Friedrich
Voith launched construction of the plantin 1908, he played a crucial part in establishing a technology that has now
become essential for efficient electricity
storage. He could never have anticipated then how pumped storage would
become so important in the switch torenewable power generation a century
later: allowing large amounts of sustainably generated power to be stored efficiently, and distributed flexibly, helping

to ensure a reliable power supply and astable grid.
When the facility was being built, thefocus was on the practical, more immediate benefits it would bring. Here, innovation went hand in hand with thepressing need for a technical solution –a principle that still applies to Voith today. The objective of the plant was tosupply the Brunnenmühle water mill,acquired the previous year, with electricity and the water pressure necessary
for it to function as a development andtest laboratory for high-pressure turbines. Construction was also motivatedby a newly signed contract to deliver
12 Francis turbines to the Niagara Falls
hydroelectric plant – turbines which had
to be designed with the utmost precision for maximum performance and rotational speed.
In the summer of 1908, a reservoir
was built on top of the Schlossberg in
Heidenheim, about 100 meters above
the Brunnenmühle. The reservoir was
filled using multistage centrifugal

Brunnenmühle reservoir
Diameter:
36 m
Depth:
8m
Capacity:
8,000 m3

pumps, with water from a nearby well.
The electrical energy required for thesepumps came from a high-voltage line
installed by Voith, originating from another Voith hydroelectric and testing facility in Hermaringen, about 15 kilometers away. The principle was simple andingenious – and it still is to this day.
With inexpensive, excess energy (available mostly at night and on Sundays),
water was pumped up the mountain
into the reservoir. During the day, it wasallowed to rush down to the Brunnenmühle station to drive the power-generating turbines installed there, thus supplying the test facilities with the waterand pressure they needed. The day thehydraulic machines began operating as
a pumped storage plant, Brunnenmühle
became Voith Hydro’s first testing facility – a significant milestone in the company’s history. To date, it remains thetechnological core of the company,
and, with the support of centers ofcompetence in Shanghai, York, Noida,São Paulo and Västerås, it is the heartof Voith Hydro’s worldwide R&D work.
The reservoir of Germany’s firstpumped storage power plant still exists
today. Together with its turbines, generators, pumps and other equipment,
the site is registered as an historic landmark. The description in the registry ofhistoric places states that “all pumped
storage facilities in Württemberg [where
Heidenheim is located] played a pio-neering role in the development of thistechnology, in particular this very first
facility” – securing Voith’s significant
part in the history of pumped storage.
Voith may not have known in 1908
that the plant’s operating principle
would still be relevant over a century
later. But pumped storage technology
has now proven itself around the world
to be the most cost-effective, highly efficient, large-scale energy storage solution available. And, as it increasingly
supplies power grids worldwide withenergy from the fluctuating output of renewable power generation sources, therole of pumped storage takes on a new– and greater – relevance. //12

1 Construction of the eight-meter-deepreservoir gets underway.
2 The completed, filled reservoir on top of
the hills around Heidenheim.

30 | HyPower 2014

HyPower 2014 | 31

Global Expertise

Global Expertise

At work on
a turbine in
the Shanghai
workshop.

1910

A bright
futureVoith Hydro Shanghai marks the company's 20th
anniversary, with an eye on a promising hydropower future.

Construction of
Shilongba, China’s
first hydropower
plant, with turbinesand generatorsfrom Voith.

As Voith Hydro Shanghai (VHS)prepares to celebrate its 20th an­niversary this November, thetime comes to reflect on Voith’s pioneer­ing role in the development of hydro­
power and renewable energy in China.
The wheels first started turning in 1910
when the company provided turbines for
the Middle Kingdom’s first hydropower
station, Shilongba, in Yunnan Province.
After more than a century of part­nership with China, Voith can countamong its achievements the supply of
top quality equipment and services tolandmark projects such as Gangnan in
Hebei in 1967, the country’s firstpumped storage project, and Lubuge inYunnan, the first Chinese hydropower
project open to foreign contractors, fi­nanced by the World Bank, in 1983.
Business proceeds apace since VHS
was established in 1994 with Shanghai
Electric Corporation as a partner. VHS
has supplied the Chinese hydropowerindustry with localized design, en­gineering and manufacturing, thus con­tributing to the strength of the com­pany’s overall activities. It has since
become a major supplier to projects
such as the Three Gorges Dam – among
many other large-scale works. With aworkforce of 600 employees, 99% ofwhom are native Chinese, VHS is Voith
Hydro's second-largest manufacturingbase worldwide. Localization is key tothe company’s success, says Martin
Andrä, President of the VHS Board ofManagement. “Our localization efforts

32 | HyPower 2014

in all business areas – like design, en­gineering, manufacturing, project man­agement and field service – has enabled
VHS to become even more competitiveon the Chinese and South-East Asianmarkets. Geographical and cultural
proximity helps a lot.”

1994
Foundation of the Shanghai Hydropower
Equipment Company (SHEC)– a joint venture of Voith, Siemens andShanghai Electric Corporation.
Voith provides four 300 MW capacity turbines and motor-generators to Guangzhou
II, one of the world’s largest pumped
storage plants.

2004
Voith delivers thefirst of six 700 MW
machine sets –then the largest of
their kind – toThree Gorges Dam,the world’s largest
hydropower plant.

2007
Voith was awarded
the supply of eight
610 MW Francis
turbines to Jinping
II – the highest
head mega turbine
in China.

VHS gains from and fosters techno­
logical expertise through its local branchof the Voith Hydro Engineering Center
International – a network comprisingcenters of excellence around the globe.
The Shanghai branch provides system­
atic training and development courses
for employees and worldwide job rota­tion opportunities.
As part of an internationalization
drive, VHS develops products for chal­lenging new markets. VHS excels inmain inlet valves and performs systemengineering locally. That’s in addition tomeeting the demands of Asian and also
African markets, and supplying equip­
ment for further global projects. This
strategy owes its success to good perfor­
mance in the Chinese hydropower mar­ket and strong support from headquar­ters, says Tang Xu, Chief Marketing
Officer and Executive Vice President:“We have a diligent, loyal local teamwith good hydropower engineering
backgrounds, which developed quickly
from previous projects.”
VHS’ strong position as a full-line
supplier gives it an edge over competi­
tors. Skilled, quality engineering andmanufacturing lend it repute as a reli­able, international supplier. The compa­
HyPower 2014 | 33

Global Expertise

Global Expertise

2008
Voith was awarded the supply of
three generator-turbine-sets – the mostpowerful ever built at Voith – for Xiluodu,
the third-largest hydropower plantin the world.

ny strictly applies standards and cooperation common to Voith Hydro entities
worldwide, in terms of design, production, quality and performance. Regularproject conventions conducted with experts from throughout the Voith Hydro
network help to assure the optimum
performance of projects, Andrä says.
The benefits of hydropower for China
and its people aren’t limited to power
supply. When the Voith-assisted Three
Gorges Dam project was completed,adjusted river flows meant improved
flood control on the Yangtze River, especially the flat, flood-prone Jingjiang
section. The resulting reduction in the2012
Voith was awarded
the contract for
four 300 MW capacity pumped
storage units andauxiliary facilities
to Hong Ping (seep. 24).

2014
Voith to supply
three 470 MW
Francis turbinesand generators, automation systems,
and BOP E&M forthe expansion of
Tarbela, Pakistan –following other international contracts inSouth-East Asia.

Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River: the world’s largest hydropower plant.

likelihood of potentially devastating
floods – from approximately once every
10 years to once a century – will protect
lives and livelihoods.
China already has an installed hydropower capacity of 280 GW (by2013) – that’s almost 25% of all global
installed hydropower, giving it by far
the biggest share of all nations. And it
has vast further hydropower potential:
around 400 to 500 GW. The Chinese
government’s five-year plan emphasizes
renewable energies, with the goal ofachieving a 45% CO2 emissions reduction by 2020. Developing hydropower
as the most powerful of these is key toachieving that goal, Andrä concludes. //Improved original: Voith-restored 1920s components at Pointe du Bois.

KEEPING THE WHEELS TURNING
Through services and modernizations, Voith helps get
the best out of long-established Canadian plants.

The world’s fourth largest producer of hydroelectricity,
Canada is also one of few countries that generates the majority of its electricity this way. With approximately 500 hydropower installations and 1,500 individual units, with an averageage of about 60 years, it is also a highly mature market – andthis leads to a high demand for services and modernization as
equipment ages.
Present in every Canadian province and territory for overa decade, Voith Hydro enjoys a strong reputation in the field ofafter market business (AMB) services. Headquartered in Brossard, Québec, Voith Hydro Canada focuses on engineering,customer service, business development, project management and project administration for large hydropower, smallhydropower, automation and the service businesses. Voith’s
34 | HyPower 2014

Canadian Hydropower Service Center for AMB, which is also
the company’s center of excellence for multi-turn coils, is located at a modern plant in Mississauga, Ontario, while thesubsidiary Vortex Hydro in Granby, Québec, has added toVoith’s strength in such areas as auxiliary mechanical systems, specialized hydropower products and consulting.
In the case of the Pointe du Bois run-of-river hydropower
plant in Manitoba, Voith’s AMB services were in demand.
Completed in 1926, Pointe du Bois is the oldest power plantstill in operation on the Winnipeg River. The operator, Manitoba Hydro, engaged Voith in 2010 under a time and materials
contract to undertake service work on five units – some close
to 100 years old. However, as the work progressed, a wide
range of ‘out-of-scope’ conditions emerged. Each as-found
HyPower 2014 | 35

Global Expertise

Global Expertise2

1 	The reservoir at
GM Shrum Generating Station.
2 	Installing a newhead cover at GM
Shrum.
3 	The dam at Pointe
du Bois, Manitoba.

3

1

condition different from expected was carefully documented
within a Field Problem Report specifically developed for the
project, and a costed solution proposed by Voith. Innovation
was also needed in technical areas. Sophisticated scanningtechniques were used by Voith engineers to create a 3D cloudof data points to accurately model an upstream runner crown,band and blades, making it possible to accurately replicate
the Pointe du Bois’ original 1920s components.
“Some of the units had not been in operation for many
years”, says Neal Cumming of Voith Hydro’s AMB center
based in Mississauga, “and it gave us tremendous satisfaction to know that by providing economically viable solutions
we have been able to bring some of the machines at the plantback to life.”
The Pointe du Bois project has highlighted another aspect of project planning: appropriate staffing. Having determined Manitoba Hydro’s needs, Voith suggested using a hybrid crew comprised of both Voith employees and local
unionized labor. Directed by a Voith Site Manager, this teamincludes two Manitoba Hydro technicians, who will gain valuable experience in execution of in-situ turbine rehabilitation.
“It is this kind of thinking outside the box, putting ourselves in
36 | HyPower 2014

our clients shoes, that has established and helped to reinforce
a strong working relationship between Voith Hydro andManitoba Hydro,” says Cumming. “Facing situations that­haven’t been dealt with previously in an open manner has
helped to create solutions that are best for both parties.”
Manitoba Hydro continues working together with Voith at
Pointe du Bois and has recently extended the previously
awarded AMB work scope still to be performed for the modernization of units 12, 13 and 14 at the plant.
“It’s an exciting side of the business,” says Michael Secordof Voith’s AMB work. Secord has recently been appointed
Head of AMB for Voith Hydro in Canada. “We’re building ahighly responsive service. We want to respond to our clients’maintenance and improvement needs quickly, and we also
want to make it as easy as possible for them to avail of ourservices.” Secord is also exploring ways that ‘big data’ might
be used to enhance maintenance support. His intention is todevelop a new ‘reliability centered maintenance unit’ in Canada,
which will use the constantly growing banks of operational
data to accurately predict wear rates, for example, and theireffect on output performance.

MODERNIZATION: INTO A NEW AGE
Apart from the growing importance of the services business,the increasing number of hydropower plants in Canada thathave been running for several decades now also leads to a
growing trend towards modernizations and refurbishments.
Those typically also involve new designs to improve efficiency,
increase output, improve reliability or reduce maintenancecosts, and Voith Hydro comes with broad experience in thisfield providing optimum solutions for existing hydropower
plants, and with a number of successful reference projects,
particularly in Canada. Technical advances mean that significant, sometimes exceptional improvements in performance,
output and reliability are possible. Voith typically achieves increases in turbine efficiency of more than three percent, andoutput gains of between 15 and 25 percent are not uncommon. At Hydro-Quebec’s La Tuque power plant on the SaintMaurice River in Quebec, for example, Voith increased theoutput of three units by more than 50%, notes Pierre Séguin,
Head of Business Development at Voith Hydro Canada. “Oursuccessful partnerships with our customers are proof of excellence in rehabilitation,” observes Séguin. Voith now owns
the technologies developed by many of well-known original

equipment manufacturers, such as Westinghouse generators
and Allis Chalmers turbines and generators. In tackling thechallenges of AMB or refurbishment, therefore, Voith brings aunique and very broad level of insight and knowledge to­almost every project.
Expecting the unexpected is also important. During refurbishment of the GM Shrum Generating Station in British­Columbia (see images 1 and 2), it emerged that repair welding
over the years had impaired the efficiency of the original turbine runners. New runners and hydraulic profiles, however,
have improved efficiency substantially, improving reliability
and cutting maintenance costs in the process.
Helping customers review options to achieve a good balance between higher future revenues, lower maintenancecosts and the immediate capital cost is a major but highly rewarding challenge, says Laurent Bulota, Head of Proposals atVoith Hydro Canada. “The future design life of modernizations
we are handing over now could be 50 to 80 years, but thereturn on investment has to be under 10 years – and ideallyachievable within five,” says Bulota. He notes that in Canada,
the world’s fourth-largest hydropower producer, knowledgeable buyers of hydropower services demand high quality, reliable, long lasting, state-of-the-art solutions and equipment:
qualities reflected in Voith Hydro’s own core values. //Visit voith.com/hyservice formore on Voith Hydro’s service
business.

Hydropower in CANADA
Close to 90% of all renewable energy
capacity in Canada comes from hydropower.

HyPower 2014 | 37

GLOBAL EXPERTISE

Powering Latin
America

Marcos Blumer
The President and CEO of Voith Hydro in Latin America
sees the company as an “upside-down parliament”: withthe customer on top of the parliament and the CEO atthe base. Having been with Voith for 25 years, much ofthat time in the Paper division, he joined Voith Hydro in2010 as Chief Production Officer, taking care of the
production facilities in São Paulo and Manaus.
Impressed by hydropower already as a child, he wasconvinced to join Voith thanks to a presentation given by
German engineers to his university class in Brazil.

A conversation with Voith Hydro in Latin America’s President andCEO Marcos Blumer and Chief Marketing Officer Alfredo de Matos.

Having assumed the new positionsas CEO and CMO of Voith Hydro in
Latin America, what are your main
targets for the company?
Blumer: My understanding of being
CEO is to serve the company, to become better every day and to do everything to develop the best solutions forour customers. There may be various
objectives and initiatives, but all have
one superior goal: to serve our customers and to make Voith Hydro their preferred choice. This is based on threepillars: our entire organization needs tobe customer-oriented – the customer
always comes first. Secondly, we aim
to be a lean, fast and efficient company.
And we want to establish a great-placeto-work environment, in order to havethe best people.
De Matos: In this spirit, we also aim at
further expanding our local presence inthe markets. We want to strengthen our
network in the regions, establish moreregional offices with local people todeepen our understanding of market
needs, rules and processes. This does
not mean, however, that we will moveaway from global Voith standards –technical leadership, high quality andthe optimum solution are principles that
continue to apply everywhere aroundthe globe.
38 | HyPower 2014

What is the current status of these
localization efforts in Latin America?
De Matos: First of all: we are alreadyused to the local markets. We are here,
experienced, and we have a strong heritage. Celebrating the 50th anniversaryof Voith this year means 50 years in
Latin America – not just Brazil. In thepast few years, we have already successfully established offices in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile. Mexicoand Argentina are our next steps.
What role does the Manaus facility
play in this context?
Blumer: Our newly established manufacturing facility in Manaus is locatedvery close to what I call “the next hydropower frontier” in Brazil. The potential
for hydropower plants in this area isclose to 90 GW, with only 14% already
explored. Manaus is also capable ofcovering production needs for othercountries in northern Latin America.
Beyond localization, are there any
business segments you particularly
want to promote?
De Matos: One of our targets is to promote and expand our service business,
especially with regard to integrated services and asset management. We want
our customers to know that we havevast experience and can offer comprehensive service solutions for their hydropower plants. To further improve ourservice offering, we are streamlining
processes so that we can respond to
customers even faster.
Blumer: Closely connected to integrated services is the field of automation.
We are offering stand-alone solutions in
automation and have increased ourmarket share significantly. Besides new
installations, we’re also digitizing oldhydropower plants with our modern
HyCon automations systems, and supplying governors and excitation systems when existing hydropower plants
are being modernized.
De Matos: As Mr. Blumer correctly
pointed out, automation is also a good
example of our continuous innovation
drive: to adapt to the markets, and introduce new – and constantly update
existing – products and services. Our
automation lab is one of the bestequipped across Voith Hydro globally,
where we are customizing solutions to
our customers, which can later be used
on a global scale.
Is Voith Hydro well known for its
products and services in the Latin
American markets?
Blumer: We have become a real full-line supplier in recent years. Many customers are aware that we are supplying
the whole package: automation, balance-of-plant, integrated services, construction. This approach correlates
closely with the market trend, especiallyfor large and mega projects. We support our customers in a “water to wire”
solution: a technically integrated solution from water inlet to grid connection.
And we offer our customers a onestop-shop experience, with fewer interfaces and less risk for them.
How would you characterize the hydropower markets and customer
structure in Latin America?
De Matos: First and foremost, one has
to realize that each Latin American market is different. This is one of the reasons for our local approach. The largehydro segment in Brazil is characterized
by very large projects from 200 up to
8,000 MW, which are usually tenderedby the government, with large private
electrical companies, or special-purpose companies together with investment funds as our customers. Stateowned companies also play animportant role as part of consortia.

And how about other Latin American
markets?
De Matos: Typical projects have arange of 80 to 150 MW, and projects
are contracted differently by market: inChile, for example, private companies
predominate, while we see a semiprivate market in Peru and Colombia,
with some government auctions besides the participation of both stateowned as well as private companies.
Blumer: We have a complex mix ofcustomers, so we need to be flexible
and adapt to meet their different demands. As an example, projects in Brazil offered in auctions will be won by thelowest price per MWh. A different approach is design-to-cost solutions: expertise from the customer, the civil contractor, and from Voith Hydro is blended
to find the best solution for the customer, gain optimum efficiency for the project and bring it on line faster. This isfeasible through our strong technicalexpertise. I see it as a growing trend.
Is international funding increasinglya factor?
Blumer: Yes, funding will increasingly
become a key topic in the future – andit comes in multiple dimensions: projects in Latin America are financed from
China, for example, while Brazilian
companies are at the same time investing in projects in Africa. Global financing
will be a trend we need to take part in.
With our global presence and cooperation, Voith Hydro is well prepared forthat, as we can offer local expertise tocustomers from around the world.
De Matos: Here, key account management comes into play: Voith Hydro is atrue global company, and we will increase working together with our operating units in other markets to serve our
globally active customers, in both directions: for Latin American customers
and their global business, as well as, forexample, big utilities from Europe thatare active on the American continent.
Back to the Latin American market:
What are your estimations on the
future development of this region?
Blumer: In general, Latin America isand continues to be a good region forhydropower development due to its
vast natural water resources. We will
see an increasing market share ofcountries outside Brazil. This is not
because the market will decrease in
Brazil, but because other countries
will increase their hydropower share.
Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Argentina have good hydropower potential
and are very promising markets, too.
De Matos: Besides new units, large
and small, we place a lot of emphasison the services business: both integratHyPower 2014 | 39

GLOBAL EXPERTISE

Alfredo de Matos
The Chief Marketing Officer of Voith Hydro in
Latin America has 22 years of experience in the
B2B industry, many of those in executive
positions in the energy sector. Having done
business on five continents, he joined Voith
Hydro in 2013. He aims at moving the company
forward based on his motto “winning andleading” – that is, winning long-term customer
relations and leading the hydropower market foranother 150 years.

ed services and modernizations. Our
expectations are high since the hydropower fleet across the entire region isaging – many plants are 25 years old or
more. Customers are keen on retrieving
any possible extra megawatt from theirassets, and want to keep them up todate by upgrading them with the mostmodern HyCon solutions in automation
and asset management. Voith Hydro isvery experienced in such services andmodernization projects, which are always very customized jobs. You cansee our successes in this area acrossthe region: projects like Passo Fundo or
AES Água Vermelha.
Blumer: At the same time, the market
environment has become more competitive, particularly in small hydro, as foreign players enter the business, andgovernment regulations have forced
small hydro to compete with wind andbiomass – which is hard when you only
look at the costs per MWh and do nottake into account the other benefits ofhydro, like contributing to grid stability or
long life cycles. We need a supporting
legal framework here, which in somecountries also means a change toward
more simple and reliable regulations.
De Matos: As you can see from all that
we have just stated, I am quite confident Voith Hydro has a lot to offer. We
need to focus on our broad experienceand heritage, our technical leadershipand our deep know-how. We want toassertively show that as a real full-line
supplier we are capable of serving theever-changing needs of the market:
from single components to turnkey solutions, from new automation solutions
to future trends like the use and end
benefits of big data within plants.
You mentioned the regulatory framework: is it in favor of hydropower, or
do you hope for improvements?
De Matos: Across the various Latin
American governments, clear energy

40 | HyPower 2014

matrices and long-term policies are ofhigh importance, but as of today there
are too many uncertainties. Also, withregard to permission processes andenvironmental licensing, we need clearer rules and more efficient paths. Incentives for investment in modernizations are another, more specific, but
important issue, which governments
could easily use to stimulate the supplyof additional gigawatts to the grid.
Blumer: Clearer regulations andimproved processes will also lead to agreater acceptance of megaprojects
like Belo Monte. Hydropower has somuch to offer. It strongly contributes tothe development of our economy andsociety, and enables people to evolvefrom deep poverty to middle class: local
development based on hydropower
provides access to education and medical care and, ultimately, greater future
opportunities.
What is your personal connection tohydropower – and to Voith Hydro?
De Matos: What I like most abouthydropower is the complexity of thetechnology, the variety and flexibility ofsolutions, the fact that everything iscustomized, coupled with its tremendous renewable aspect. Voith, to me, isstrongly characterized by its clear set ofvalues, its significant heritage and history,
and the committed people with their real
focus on never letting a customer down.
Blumer: To me, hydropower is an exciting and passionate world. It is amazing
how a technology launched a long time
ago has developed in such a way that itis still an unbeatable source of clean,reliable energy. Voith is one of the few
companies where employees givethemselves a nickname that stems fromthe company name: Voithians. I thinkthat the principles, values and culturethat have made Voith strong during thelast almost 150 years will also guide us
into a strong future. //

9:00

6:00

6:00 	Eric Junior; his wife, Andreia;
and their son, Gabriel, enjoying
breakfast together before Ericheads to Água Vermelha to begin
his workday.
9:00 	Eric values communication withhis team highly. “There are always people who want to saysomething … and I am here tolisten to them,” he says.
11:00 	Consulting a team member atwork on the modernization ofequipment at Água Vermelha.
14:00 	Hard hats on: discussing safety
at the plant with a team member.

14:00

11:00

LIVING THE PROJECT
On the job with a Voith Hydro Site Manager at Água Vermelha – illustrating
personal engagement and technical experience of Voith’s people “on site.”T

he time is 6 a.m., and Eric Junior
is eating breakfast with his wife,
Andreia, and their son, Gabriel.
Here begins a routine that repeats itself
every day, in myriad forms, in markets
served by Voith Hydro across the world.
Eric is a long-serving Voithian who coordinates a successful team in providing
field services on Voith Hydro projects.
Currently, he is Site Manager for theÁgua Vermelha hydropower plant near
Fernandópolis in Brazil – the latest in aseries of service roles he’s held at Voith.
“Living in Fernandópolis is great. Peo-ple here are very helpful and polite,” remarks Andreia. Along with Gabriel andthe family dog, Max, Andreia has been
Eric’s companion at each project he has
carried out for Voith. But things haven’t
always been so easy. In a country as large
and multicultural as Brazil (with morethan 200 million inhabitants spread over
8.5 million square kilometers), Eric andhis family have encountered an enormous variety of people, climates and environments at the sites of the many different hydropower projects he has
worked on. Among these are “Cana Brava, Quebra Queixo, Jumirim, Corumbá

IV, Furnas, Baguari and Santo Antônio,”
Eric recalls.
The family has now been based in
Fernandópolis, in the southeast of Brazil, for nine months. Água Vermelha,
where Eric works as Field Services Coordinator, is located on the Grande River, which traces the border between thestates of São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
The plant has been in service since1978, and its six generating units have a
total output of 1,396 MW. Eric, once a
Voith customer, has worked for thecompany since 2002, when he cameacross an opportunity to join the “Field
HyPower 2014 | 41

Global expertise

World of voith

3

4

16:00

17:00
16:00 	Checking up on a Voith automation panel inside the power plant.
17:00 	Eric Junior inside the powerhouse of the Água Vermelha hydropower plant.

Fromscreen tofabricVoith Paper engineers have

Services family,” as the Field Services
team is affectionately known.
Eric began working for Voith as aCommissioning Engineer. By his own
account, this afforded him great technical and life experience. “In the Cana
Brava project, I was incredibly excitedwhen I got the chance to participate in
the commissioning of a Voith machinefor the first time.” The team, according
to Eric, was small and got along very
well. “The most challenging places elicit
the best memories,” he remarks.
Eric arrives at Água Vermelha tobegin his working day. A large Voithlogo looms to the left. That’s the place
where some 170 employees and suppliers work in various shifts in the areas ofplanning, quality, occupational safety,site management and technical services.
They are responsible for the modernization of generators, turbines, hydromechanical components and their respective mechanical and electrical balance ofplant systems.
As the saying goes in Portuguese,some people are like “a log of wood in aflood.” This expression is used to describe those people who constantly stopby to chat with everyone they pass. And
that is a precise definition of Eric’s
workday. As Voith’s Site Manager, he isboth a role model and a person his em42 | HyPower 2014

ployees trust. “The Field Services teamneeds to know that someone is listening
to them, and they should be comfortablegiving us their feedback. That is why I
make a point to spend a great part of myday roaming around the site. There arealways people who want to say something or who have questions, and I’mhere to listen to them.” However, when
he first started in his role, Eric noticed
some colleagues were a bit uneasy.
“They thought: ‘How can such a young
person, with so few gray hairs, be taking
up a coordination role?’” he jokes. But
things have changed: Eric now has a few
more gray hairs, as well as his team’s
trust and admiration. “Both relationships with customers and with colleagues are based on trust. And for us, atVoith, trust is an attribute we never sacrifice. I usually say that the customer’s
trust is a consequence of the outcome
they get. Voith really delivers on its part,
because we strive to meet that goal every single day.”
Eric aligns his work with the wider
Voith customer strategy. “We want to be
the number one option for the customer. In our field activities, we are absolutely focused on the project’s goals, aswell as on our commitment to delivering a final product with the reliability
for which the Voith name stands. We
are always attentive in correctly identi-

fying our customer’s needs – as well asother opportunities to develop our
products, regardless of whether we arefocusing on speedier construction processes or solutions to render operationand maintenance easier.”“Working in the field is to truly live theproject, combining technical expertiseand relationship skills to find solutions
for challenges that arise,” says Eric.
“What we experience in the field makes
us understand that you never start a
project knowing all that is going to happen. In the same way, we never finish aproject knowing everything about it.
There’s just too much to absorb. It’s anincomparable experience in life!”
At 6 p.m., the sun is setting as Ericsays good-bye to his “family” at the site.
“Here we are a team, playing for boththe customer and Voith to come out as
winners. We are responsible for understanding and addressing the customer’s
expectations, as well as for ensuring thatour projects yield the best possible return. In order to do that, we have towork together as a group, and that is
why our success is a shared reward,”
concludes Eric.
With that, Eric excuses himself forjust a few more minutes to discuss service business with another colleague
who has stopped him to chat. //used computer simulation todevelop new, highly effective
dryer fabrics for the papermaking industry. In papermaking, the drying process depends on these fabrics, whichtransport the wet paper
through the dryer section.
In studying the drying process via computer simulation,
Voith Paper engineers have developed Evaporite and EvaporiteHigh, two better-performing
dryer fabrics. These are more
durable, with higher air permeability, resulting in more effective drying. Minimum threadcrossing points make the fabric less likely to develop tinyholes and subsequently trap
microscopic dirt particles –which can lead to decreased
air permeability.
The first dryer fabrics from
Voith Paper’s new CleanWeaveproduct range have been developed for the production of
paper packaging. CleanWeavetechnology has already provenin practice to significantly improve drying and machine efficiency compared with conventional dryer fabrics. Expansionof the range is planned, withfabrics for the production of all
paper types in development. //A cool solution
Voith Industrial services has helped the Shanghai-based branch of a German au-

tomotive manufacturer make significant cost and emissions savings with a transformation plan involving pumps, compressor stations and air conditioning systems in the customer’s Shanghai plant. In a logical yet innovative approach, water required to cool theplant’s machinery during operation is now chilled overnight and stored for production
during the day: with energy prices at their lowest during the night time, this has led tosignificant savings. Furthermore, transforming frequency conversion control to theplant’s facilities at times of peak and off-peak demand has optimized energy and electricity allocation. Energy consumption data at the plant is monitored, and using this input, Voith can further help achieve optimal energy efficiency. Subsequently, the customer will save 2,843.6 tons of coal and about €200,000 in electricity costs annually. //Quick, reliable, efficient
Voith Turbo is delivering equipment fora hydropower plant in a cross-division cooperation. At Scottish pumped storage
power plant Foyers, the two pump turbines have to run up to full power in lessthan 30 seconds: the only way to react
flexibly and promptly to grid fluctuations
and secure grid stability in Scotland. The
water supply of each pump turbine iscontrolled by a spherical valve that must
open at extremely short notice to ensure
a quick change of operational mode. Two
hydraulic cylinders drive the sphericalvalve as fluctuating power demands.
Hydraulic power packs from Voith Turbo
H + L Hydraulic supply the two hydrauliccylinders quickly, and – most of all – reliably, with the required oil power. The hydraulic power packs have redundant design and thus ensure extremely highavailability: should one of the functionrelevant components fail, another component can take over the function without
having to shut the system down. The hydraulic power packs are also highly energy efficient, need little installation spaceand require very low cooling outputs. The
operator thus benefits from low operating
costs. //HyPower 2014 | 43

guest perspective

Guest Perspective

Pushing
the limits
Freediver Herbert Nitschdives to great depths –without an oxygen tank.

Nitsch is now back to freediving, which
he says “feels like finally being backin the real world” again. To another attempt at his 1,000-foot goal, Nitsch
takes a “never say never” approach –which implies that he will try again.

2

1

1

Herbert Nitsch descends into the blue, aided by a
guiding wire – and his supporters on the surface.
2	When freediving, preparation is everything.

Breathe in deeply. Hold it. See if you
can continue to hold it for nine minutes.
For most, not breathing for this amountof time would simply be impossible. Butfor Herbert Nitsch, it’s entirely achievable. Nine minutes (and four seconds,
to be precise) is his personal record forstatic apnea – that is, holding a single
breath underwater.
But this breathtaking personal bestis a modest achievement comparedwith the other feats of which Nitsch has
proven himself capable. More than adecade of involvement in the sport offreediving has seen the former pilot
hold over 30 world records in all eightrecognized freediving disciplines.
Freediving is the sport – perhaps art– of diving underwater for extended periods of time without a breathing apparatus, sustained only by the last breath
you took before descending into thedeep blue.
However, it’s not as simple as taking a huge, gasping breath and plunging below the surface. Nitsch explains
how he prepares to go underwater: “Ithelps to try to relax every muscle, andbe in a very calm, almost sleep-likestate,” he says. “I try to take more air in
my lungs by ‘packing.’ This is a technique whereby the epiglottis acts as apiston to push more air in the lungs.”
With this technique, Nitsch can expand
his own lung capacity from an alreadyamazing 10 liters to an impressive 15
44 | HyPower 2014

“The mind is amazing instimulating the body to
go beyond limits you firstbelieved were impossible.”
Herbert Nitsch, freediver3

liters. Compare this with the lung capacity of the average adult male, which
is six liters. This technique, paired withspecial training to stretch the diaphragm and lungs, helps to make thelungs more flexible so they can expand
to hold more air, and compress morefrom pressure at depth, thus enablinghis incredible breath-holding times.
For someone who has earned suchaccolades in an ocean-based sport, it’ssurprising to learn that Nitsch is selftrained, and hails from a landlocked
country: Austria. To suit his circumstances, says Nitsch, “I figured I needed a different and more efficient approach to training. Where some otherelite freedivers had the advantage oftraining regularly in the ocean, I cameup with a combination of breath-holdtraining on the couch at home, combined with cardio and muscular training.” When competing, Nitsch arrives
early and goes “spearfishing and fun
freediving” in the sea to prepare.

Since 2010, Nitsch has focused solely
on the extreme “No Limit” freediving
discipline. In No Limit dives, freedivers
use a weighted sled to descend as far
as they possibly can on a single breath.
An air-filled balloon aids their return tothe surface. Nitsch holds the current No
Limit world record: an astonishing 214
meters, for which he was dubbed “TheDeepest Man on Earth.” His focus on
No Limit diving illuminates a singleminded determination: his ultimate goalof diving to 1,000 feet (304.8 meters).
On 14 June 2012, when attempting
to reach this goal, Nitsch almost didn’t
emerge from the blue. A blackout in thedepths led to his suffering a severe formof decompression sickness, known as
Type II DCS. That day, Nitsch reached253.2 meters (830.8 feet). However,
because the accident forced him toabort the dive, his record attempt was
not officially recognized. His existing record still stands, yet to be equaled or
broken. Following a hard-won recovery,In the moment when he is plunging
down, his lungs demanding oxygen andall his human instincts inclined to agree,
Nitsch needs to take control and harness all his energy for the dive. “I focus
on the important things of the moment,
and I try not to think about anythingelse. I tune out any bodily sensations
and use my energy solely to concentrate on the essentials.”Fittingly, preserving resources issecond nature to Nitsch. Without his
extraordinary ability to do so, he
couldn’t perform in his sport the way hedoes. This belief extends beyond his
own physical resources: Nitsch is aproud ocean conservationist, holding
an advisory role with the Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society. This environmental consciousness carries over into his
everyday life in landlocked Austria: “I
decided to get rid of the car, and I bikeeverywhere in my home town of Vienna.
And, I am currently in the process ofdesigning a fast ocean-going eco-sailing boat that uses wind and solar power only, without a combustion engine.”
It’s another remarkable pursuit froma man who refuses to treat apparent
limits as insurmountable. “Freediving
taught me that as long as you keep believing things are possible, they are. The
body is amazing in what it can do, andthe mind is amazing in stimulating the
body to go beyond limits you first believed were impossible.” //For videos and more on
freediver Herbert Nitsch, visit
www.herbertnitsch.com
HyPower 2014 | 45

Coffee break

Balanced energy
Responsive, flexible, capable: Voith Hydro
CEO Dr. Roland Münch on the power andpotential of pumped storage.

Dr. Münch, have you ever gotten stuck in an elevator during a blackout?
Traveling frequently to visit our Operating Units worldwide,
I’ve experienced a few power outages, but fortunately neverin an elevator. However, that’s an interesting point: blackouts
are occurring increasingly – and most commonly – in thosecountries where energy generation and consumption are notconsistent, and especially where peak demand is not being
covered permanently. Hydropower – and pumped storage inparticular – is very capable of contributing to a solution tothese problems, as it can stabilize the grid and cushion peakdemands.
How can hydropower stabilize power grids or even prevent blackouts?
Hydropower is the only renewable energy that meets baseload requirements, so it plays a key role in providing a stable
and reliable power supply. Pumped storage plants make aparticularly important contribution: they can cover peak demand by providing large amounts of energy, reacting very
flexibly and within a short time. And they offer a variety of ancillary services to the grid to support reliable supply. This isespecially important for power grids that are increasingly fed
with electricity from fluctuating renewable sources like windand solar.
Can you describe these services in more detail?
Ancillary services support the transmission of capacity andenergy from generation resources to consumers and maintainthe reliable operation of the transmission system. This includes regulation services like balancing grid frequency, as
well as voltage support. Pumped storage plants can provide
all types of balanced energy for frequency-maintaining purposes. They are exceptionally well suited to providing reactive
power in a flexible way, to keep voltage at a proper level, andthey are black-start capable. That means that after a blackout, they can be restarted without having to rely on the power
grid – thus restoring the power supply. If I ever do get stuck in
an elevator, I will count on pumped storage power to get thatelevator moving again.
46 | HyPower 2014

Based on that: does pumped storage play a major role in
the expansion of renewable energies?
Pumped storage plants can essentially contribute to converting the power supply network. They achieve this both with theservices they offer to the energy system, and via their basic
function: high-efficiency energy storage facilities storing excess electricity from renewable energies and feeding it backinto the grid when needed. Pumped storage technology is the
only cost-effective method that has proven itself over the longterm to store energy on a large scale and make it available on
short notice. And to top it off, it has a very high efficiency
level of 80% or more.
Is there sufficient potential for new pumped storage
power plants?
Yes. Potential implementation exists worldwide. A study initiated by Voith focusing on Germany’s “Energiewende” (thetransition to renewable energy sources) shows that in thiscountry alone, all planned pumped storage projects can expand capacity by about 8,000 MW – thereby
almost doubling current capacity. China has concrete expansion plans
and immense potential. Here, too,
we’re talking about possibly doubling capacity by 2030. Voith isalso involved in new constructions
and upgrades of pumped storage
power plants in the US, Southeast
Asia, South Africa, and Portugal. With
our many years of experience stemming from more than 200 pumped
storage projects and a broad
technological portfolio, wewant to continue to be a key
player in the expansion andfuture development of
pumped storage technology. That way, no one
will have to get stuck in
an elevator again. //

8

9

7

automation systems, electrical andmechanical balance-of-plant equipment.
7 Hong Ping, China: Four complete
300 MW pumped storage units, including
generators and reversible Francis pumpturbines, governors, inlet valves, and excitation, automation and auxiliary systems.
8 Bhira, India: Service project covering
design, upgrade, manufacturing, supply,
erecting and commissioning of a newstator for the 200 MVA motor-generator.

(24%)

10
11

9 Lam Ta Khong, Thailand: Supply of two
255 MW vertical pump-turbines, motorgenerators, automation systems, electricaland mechanical balance-of-plant equipment.
10 Pointe du Bois, Canada: Service
contract for maintenance and repair works
on several turbines in the 75 MW plant.
11 Smith Mountain, USA: Rehabilitation
project for generators at the plant, including rewinding works, stator coil supply androtor rim shrink.

(18%)

(40%)

12,13

12 Água Vermelha, Brazil: Modernizationof six units with a total capacity of 1,396
MW, including a complete overhaul ofgenerators and turbines, associated electromechanical systems and the renewalof many components.
13 Chavantes, Brazil: Modernization of
three generating units, including turbines,
generators and associated electromechanical systems in the 414 MW plant.

Hydropower potential in South America: 904 GW
Installed capacity: 162 GW

Hydropower potential in North America: 388 GW
Installed capacity: 155 GW

The Americas

All projects mentioned in this issue of
HyPower and Voith’s scope of supply

Asia PacificHydropower potential in
Asia Pacific: 1,754 GW
Installed capacity: 420 GW

output of 215 MW, and governors.
4 Tröpolach, Austria: Supply of two smallhydro turbines working in tandem with a
combined capacity of 7.9 MW.
5 Frades II, Portugal: Complete electromechanical equipment, including two
390 MW variable-speed reversible pumpturbines and two asynchronous motorgenerators.
6 Ingula, South Africa: Four motorgenerators and 342 MW pump-turbines,(6%)

Figures on hydropower potential based on Hydropower & Dams Yearbook 2013.

1 Iffezheim, Germany: Service contract
for maintenance and repair, including therefurbishment of all non-moving parts of
one of the four 28.3 MW bulb turbines.
2 Hochstadt, Germany: AMB contract for
Kaplan-A bulb turbine overhaul, including
repair-welding of blades, leveling of runnerchamber, wicket gate overhaul and rebuilding of main turbine guide bearing.
3 Reisseck II, Austria: Supply of two
reversible pump-turbines, each with an

Hydropower potential in Africa: 435 GW
Installed capacity: 26 GW(30%)

Europe and Africa

6

Hydropower potential in Europe: 873 GW
Installed capacity: 247 GW

5

1-4

Project
DirectoryPublished by:Voith Hydro Holding GmbH & Co. KG
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Tel: +49 7321 37 0
Fax: +49 7321 37-7828
www.voith.com

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