ALSTOM HYDRO

PELTON POWER PLANT

POWER

ALSTOM HYDRO PELTON POWER PLANT

Producing cos t e f fec t ive clean
renewable energy has become an
issue of growing importance in the
current context of climate change,
increasing cost of fossil fuels, and the
need for individual country energy
independence.
Hydropower is by far the worlds
leading renewable energy source
because it is a mature technology
and one of the most economic power
sources available.
In addition, it has a number of specific
advantages that other renewable
energy sources dont have, such as
the possibility to store large quantities of energy for several weeks or
months, only releasing this energy

when it is most needed, to meet

power consumption levels during
peak demand periods.
Pelton hydropower plants are particularly well adapted for sites with high
heads. The high energy density levels
associated with these sites require
a relatively low investment per MW
capacity, resulting in competitively
priced electricity.
Furthermore, these types of power
plants are characterised by fast
response times and one of the widest
power adjustment capabilities possible. These plants are thus an ideal
solution for providing ancillary services such as primary and secondary

network regulation, spinning reserve

or black start.
Based on the combination of competitively priced electricity, peak power
sales revenues and the supply of
ancillary services, Pelton hydropower
plants show very favourable economic
performance levels, in open electricity
market environments.

WHY CHOOSE A PELTON HYDROPOWER PLANT?

MAIN FUNCTIONS
Can store large amounts of energy for weeks or months
Act as a quick response for peak load energy supply
Provide ancillary services (network frequency & voltage regulation, reserve capacity, black start capability, reactive power production)
KEY ADVANTAGES
Clean, renewable power source
Relatively low cost per installed MW
High efficiency over a wide range of power output
Fast output adjustment capability (very complementary to thermal power plants)

ALSTOM HYDRO THE PLANT INTEGRATOR

Alstom Hydro provides a complete
range of Pelton hydropower plant
electro-mechanical equipment. This
includes turbines, generators and
control systems as well as optimised
hydro-mechanical and balance of
plant equipment.

Turbines

Generators

Depending on the customer preference, these can be supplied either

separately or as an integrated turnkey
plant. In the latter case, specialised
Alstom teams have developed specific
skills for optimising the complete
plant configuration so that the highest
global water-to-wire performance is
achieved.

Hydro-mechanical equipment

Control systems & BOP

PELTON HYDROPOWER PLANT CONTROL SYSTEMS

Alstom Hydro developed and qualified specific control system solutions
as well as dedicated machine control
equipment, in order to guarantee safe,
optimised power plant operations.
In 2008, Alstom Hydro launched the
ALSPA CONTROPLANT Series 7
control system, a major evolution
for Alstom Hydro control systems.
The turbine speed load governor
(NEYRPIC T.SLG) and the automatic
voltage regulator (CONTROGEN
AVR), both Alstom Hydro proprietary
equipment, are integrated in the ALSPA
CONTROPLANT system.
This new CONTROPLANT solution
was designed to meet three key requirements: reliability, modularity, and
openness.
Reliability of the system is aimed
at meeting the highest plant availability standards. This is guaranteed
through the use of industrial products from carefully selected market
leaders, the use of secured communication networks and the capability

of the system to implement redundancy at all levels.

Modularity allows to define cost
effective customized solutions by
using pre-qualified modules, for
medium to large new or retrofit
plants, in simplex or non-redundant
configurations.
Openness is achieved through the
use of Ethernet at all levels, supporting both a large set of international
communication protocols and gateways to connect third party equipment.
A complete set of dedicated plant
control software is provided with the
CONTROPLANT system, providing
all standard control room functions,
enhanced human-machine interface
(HMI) with advanced information
management tools, remote access
through web server, report generation,
alarm management, statistics etc.
Complement ar y CON T ROC A D
engineering software tools are provided for maintenance and configuration

of ALSPA CONTROPLANT, and a plant

simulator is available for personnel
training.
Finally, the Hydroset sof t ware
package provides a complete set of
advanced hydro process functions
such as joint unit control, dam control
and valley control optimisation. The
latter is achieved through long term
and short term forecasting tools.

ALSTOM HYDRO REINFORCES PELTON TECHNOLOGY

Pelton turbines are particularly well
suited for heads between 200 m and
1800 m. Since 1927, Alstom Hydro
has supplied over 300 Pelton turbines
worldwide, with power ranges between
1.2 MW and 202 MW, for heads
between 120 m and 1247 m. Alstom
Hydro Pelton turbines have either one
or two injectors for horizontal shaft
and between one and six injectors for
vertical shaft configurations.
Alstom Hydro produces turbines that
are adapted to the needs of each project and take into account customer
specifications such as water head,
water discharge, operating range and
power generating requirements, in
addition to power plant space considerations.

Pelton scale model test laboratory

After this, the complete turbine is

model tested in its complete operating range in the hydraulic scale model
test laboratory.

As turbine efficiency is of key importance in power plants, Alstom Hydro

has heavily invested to create a Global Technology Centre in Vadodara,
India to make further developments
in this area. The centre, which was
built in 2008, includes a Pelton scale
model test laboratory with one of the
highest head testing capacities for
Pelton turbines in the market.
The most up-to-date design technology is used in both of the Alstom Hydro
Global Technology Centres (Grenoble,
France and Vadodara, India), to create
optimised shapes for Pelton turbines. This covers all hydraulic water
passage parts, such as the manifold,
injectors, runner, housing and the
tail water channel. Alstom engineers
use the latest in-house and market
computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
software, sophisticated 3D surface
generating tools and Finite Element
Method (FEM) techniques for this
purpose.

Horizontal shaft Pelton test-rig

Real life power plant conditions are

simulated in the laboratory in order
to test how the life-size horizontal and vertical Pelton turbines will
operate on site. Experimental tests
are carried out using a scale model of
the turbine, which includes all hydraulic parts, in order to optimise turbine
efficiency, overall hydraulic behaviour
and the final hydraulic design. Tests
cover a variety of aspects including
head, discharge, output, efficiency
and runaway.

Computational fluid dynamics

WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT ALSTOM HYDRO PELTON TURBINES?

Alstom Hydro Pelton turbines have
a number of advantages compared
to Francis turbines for high heads,
because they provide:
Increased flexibility with a jet dispatching capability
Increased safety using deflectors in
case of overspeed
Easier access to the runner for maintenance and dismantling (particularly important in case of silt abrasion)

Manifold hydraulic design

Alstom Hydro manufactures both

cast and forged runners for Pelton
turbines. Although more expensive,
the forged version offers the best
material qualit y. Alstom Hydro
customers can benefit from specific
technology initiatives:
An optimised manifold design for
improved jet quality and runner
efficiency
A specific needle design for self-

closing injectors, for improved jet

quality and head loss reduction
A specific advanced jet dispatcher
governing function
A specific spherical valve design for
increased safety and flexibility
A Hooped Pelton patented runner
design that minimises fatigue
stress, vibration levels and replacement cost.

A SPECIFIC ADVANCED JET DISPATCHER GOVERNING FUNCTION

One of the key advantages of Pelton
turbines is their broad range of power
output levels.
It is possible to select the number of
active jets required in order to always
ensure turbine operating at optimum
efficiency levels.
In order to do this, Alstom Hydro has
embedded a specific advanced jet
dispatcher function in the NEYRPIC
T.SLG, which continuously adapts
the number of jets in operation.
This advanced function is available as
an option in the NEYRPIC T.SLG.
The jet dispatcher also manages
the injectors opening and closing
sequence, to guarantee load balance

Jet dispatcher efficiency curve

on the turbine, in order to minimise

power fluctuations and transverse

mechanical loads, during configuration transitions.

A SPECIFIC SPHERICAL VALVE DESIGN

The main power plant inlet valve is a
critical piece of plant equipment as it
plays an important role for both the
safety of individuals and the plant itself, particularly in the case of turbine
nozzle closure failure.
Spherical valves can fulfil these
functions and are the best solution
for Pelton turbines with heads over
300 m. The spherical valves design
provides a metal-to-metal tightness
eliminating head limitations. They also
facilitate safe maintenance operations
on downstream equipment.
Alstom Hydro can provide spherical
valves with diameters and working
pressures adapted to customer needs.
To date, the biggest diameter produced by Alstom Hydro measured 3.5 m
and the maximum working pressure
was 1610 mWC. Alstom Hydro prod-

uces three types of spherical valves

and is one of the only manufacturers
to propose valves with a monobloc
welded body.
The Alstom Hydro spherical valve
range includes:
Valves with a monobloc welded
body
Valves with a body in 2 bolted
asymmetrical parts
Valves with a body in 2 bolted symmetrical parts

Spherical valve with a monobloc welded body

ADVANTAGES OF SPHERICAL VALVES

WITH A MONOBLOC WELDED BODY
Light weight compact size for easier
installation
No risk of water leakage between
body coupling flanges
Innovative design for easier bearing
and seal maintenance operations,
without plug extraction

THE HOOPED PELTON RUNNER DESIGN CONCEPT

Traditional Pelton runner buckets have
both a hydraulic function, converting
waters kinetic energy into a force,
and a mechanical function, converting
this force into torque on the shaft line.
This results in cyclical forces on
the bucket attachments that cause
fatigue and vibrations, necessitating
frequent inspection.
In response to this problem, Alstom
Hydro has developed and patented a
Hooped Pelton runner design, capable
of providing the same hydraulic efficiency levels as a standard Pelton, but
better able to withstand mechanical
stress. Instead of the traditional allin-one Pelton casing, the Hooped

Hooped Pelton system

Pelton buckets are manufactured separately and attached to two hoops.

The Hooped Pelton buckets have only
a hydraulic function and the hoops
carry out the mechanical function by
transmitting the torque to the shaft
line.
ADVANTAGES OF HOOPED PELTON
RUNNERS
Lower maintenance costs and fewer
plant outages
Greatly reduced vibration levels (by
up to 90%)
Reduced replacement costs
Shorter delivery time
Increased material quality levels
Higher quality silt abrasion protective coating
Fatigue stress levels are reduced by
replacing the individual bucket attachments with the Hooped system.
This eliminates the need for repeated
quality inspections and associated
labour costs and plant outages.
Replacement costs of ageing runners are reduced, as it is possible to

replace individual buckets instead

of the complete runner. As Hooped
Pelton runners are manufactured
in several parts, this enables better
optimisation of the supply chain and
a significant reduction in delivery time
for customers. A high level of material quality is guaranteed as buckets
are cut out of high quality small
cast or forged stainless steel pieces.
The individual buckets provide optimal conditions for the application of silt
abrasion protective hard coating to all
areas.

Computational fluid dynamics

ALSTOM HYDRO SILT ABRASION PROTECTIVE SOLUTIONS

Caused by the presence of solid silt
particles in water, silt abrasion causes
severe damage to turbines and plant
outages in extreme cases. In Pelton
turbines, silt abrasion can impact the
needle tip, nozzle seal rings and runner
buckets resulting in lower turbine performance and shorter turbine
operating life.
Alstom Hydro develops, case by
case, design and coating solutions
for customers to combat silt abrasion
problems through:
The application of a protective layer
of hard coating to components
The development of turbine designs
that take into account critical erosion zones
ALSTOM HYDRO HIGH VELOCITY
OXY FUEL (HVOF) HARD COATING
This technology is particularly well
suited to Pelton runners. Coating is
sprayed onto all surface areas using a
robot. The high abrasion and fatigue
resistance of the HVOF coating is
achieved using a metal substance
embedded with tungsten carbide ceramic powder. The application technique used creates a high-density layer
of coating with very strong bonding
capabilities, which is on average
0.3 mm thick.

Silt abrasion test-rig

SPECIFIC HYDRAULIC DESIGN

INITIATIVES
Analysing the flow dynamics in
order to adjust the turbine design
profile in areas that are more prone
to erosion
Use of numerical computational
fluid dynamics simulation tools to
predict effects of silt abrasion on
turbine performance

65 m/s and silt concentration levels

up to 10 kg/m3. The results of these
tests enable Alstom Hydro to evaluate
the life span of existing coating solutions and to develop even better high
performance solutions for customers.

LABORATORY ABRASION
MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES
In 2008, Alstom Hydro installed a
new high-tech silt abrasion test-rig
in their Global Technology Centre in
Vadodara, India.

HVOF protective coating spraying

The abrasion test-rig is designed to

carry out experimental research on
severe turbine silt abrasion by simulating conditions comparable to those
on site. It is designed to take into
account a water jet flow speed up to

ADVANCED GENERATOR TECHNOLOGY

MODERN GENERATOR DESIGN
TECHNIQUES
Alstom Hydro has extensive experience with all types of horizontal and
vertical generators driven by Pelton
turbines. Design concepts are based
on the most up-to-date calculation
methods, ensuring both reliable and
economic operating.
In reply to design requirements for
high-speed units and in order to
guarantee high availability and stability of the power-generating unit,

Mechanical FEM* calculation of a pole & plate

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Alstom Hydro generator main features include:

Structural design with oblique
elements
Permanently pre-stressed stator
core
Vacuum Pressure Impregnation insulation system (VPI) & slot ripple
spring
Self ventilated rotor rim (standard
or high speed design)
Self pumping bearing pads
OBLIQUE ELEMENTS
Oblique elements are designed to
meet requirements like roundness,
concentricity and stability of the
generator in all operating conditions.
The oblique element stator frame
provides a rigid connection against
eccentric displacement but allows
free concentric thermal expansion.
T his ar r angemen t als o avoids
buckling of stator laminations,
which occurs in rigid frames with
non-flexible foundation connections.
In addition, the connection to the base
plates is totally maintenance-free.

PERMANENTLY PRE-STRESSED
STATOR CORE
The clamping bolts are positioned
in the stator yoke and ensure high,
constant distribution of the stator
core pressing. Spring elements compensate any potential settling of the
stator lamination in order to maintain
the pre-stress in the stator core over
long service periods.
Alstom Hydros stator core lamination
pressing system is specially designed
for units with high load cycles due to
frequent starts and stops.
*Finite Element Method

VPI INSULATION SYSTEM

The reliability of the stator winding
is determined primarily by the quality of its stator winding technology.
Alstom Hydro has been using the
MICADUR insulation system for
more than 40 years. Additional
research has led to further improvement s to this system, providing
excellent results on units even under
severe conditions.
To ensure permanent thermal and
mechanical coupling between the
stator bar surface and the stator core,
the straight portions are supplied
with round-packing consisting of
a double-folded conductive polyester
foil, filled with a curable rubber
compound. This system also ensures
excellent grounding after installation
due to the gap-free installation.

MICADUR stator bar insulation

hoses, to the warm oil collecting ring,

and then on to the external oil cooler
before coming back to the cool oil
collecting ring, located below the
bearing.

The uniform VPI production process

ensures high insulation quality of
the MICADUR insulation system with
the following main advantages:
Class F temperature requirements
are met
High dielectric strength and voltage
endurance values with low loss
factors
Proven system for all units up
to 30kV
Excellent corona-resistance
Highly resistant to oil, water, and
other coolants
Excellent mechanical properties
SELF PUMPING BEARING PADS
Alstom Hydro has developed a simple
and effective oil-fed bearing pad
system that can be used for all types
of generators.
D e signe d w i t h p umping gap s
(pockets), the guide bearings act as
pumps as soon as the machine is started. Oil travels through drains located
at the end of the pumping gaps, via

the associated supervision and monitoring elements and pre-start check

functions.
ADVANTAGES OF ALSTOM HYDRO
SELF PUMPING BEARING PADS
Failure and maintenance-free
system
Increased bearing operating availability and reliability
Safe run down is ensured in case of
failure of the whole auxiliary power
supply
Reduced start-up time of the unit
Overspeed security

Self pumping bearing pads

The pumped oil flow increases with

the speed of the moving bearing surfaces. Therefore, in case of runaway,
much more oil is pumped through
the system. This prevents excessive
temperatures of both the oil and the
bearing. This eliminates the need for
external electric driven pumps and

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PLANT INTEGRATOR, CONTROPLANT and CONTROGEN are trademarks of Alstom. ALSPA, NEYRPIC, CONTROCAD and MICADUR are registered trademarks of Alstom.

PWS/LEAF/THPLTN09/eng/HYD/01.09/FR/6712 ALSTOM 2009. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is provided without liability for information purposes only and is subject to change without notice. No representation or warranty is given or to be implied as to the
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