WATER / WASTEWATER 19 Full hydropower ahead
By 2030, Germany wants to supply almost half of its total electricity requirements from renewable energy sources. Hydropower will play an important role in this. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy, its potential in Germany is largely exhausted. However, since hydropower flows continuously day and night and can be regulated at a moment’s notice, existing facilities are being modernized as much as possible and made more efficient. Without any support at all from the ‘Renewable Energy Sources Act’ in Germany, hydropower technology, with its high economic efficiency performs amazingly well in the face of unequal competition and helps reduce the load on the grid infrastructure by providing constant output.
Located a short distance the inlet structure, a VEGAWELL 52 suspension pressure transmitter provides redundancy with a second measurement, complementing that of VEGAPULS 64.
An international comparison
Despite its undeniable advantages, hydropower accounts for only a very small percentage, just over 3.5 %, of the total electricity generated in Germany. And among renewable energy sources, it accounts for only 10% of the total. In this respect, Austria and Switzerland paint a completely different picture: hydropower is the most important source of electricity in those countries, accounting for well over 50% in each. And worldwide, despite a downward trend, water still generates more than two thirds of the total electricity supply. This discrepancy between Germany and other countries is due to its different topology: “Hydropower is extremely demanding,” says Jochen Schneider, getting to the heart of the matter. “The impoundment depth and the water fall height must have certain values for the yield to be profitable. My colleagues in Austria work on a completely different scale. Damming heights of 70 meters and more are common there.”
Modernise – but thoughtfully
Like a big waste filter: the water that gets caught on the screen is returned to the Danube via a special channel.
Besides simply raising the water level, the modernization of the Böfinger Halde includes measures to avoid ecological damage. Drainage pipes and drawdown wells have been installed to prevent the groundwater level from rising. To provide a way for fish to swim around the power plant, a natural stream has been created instead of a fish ladder. “Nature has quickly recaptured
this new environment on its own,” explains Schneider, “and given the landscape aesthetic appeal here at the water’s edge. People have identified with it and begun using it enthusiastically as a local recreation area.” The turbines and generators in the Böfinger Halde power plant will thus continue to spin for a long time to come. And the noise they make is a sign that everything is running smoothly. Interestingly, the turbine manufacturer intends to use the noise in the near future to improve plant availability. He is working on an acoustic monitoring system that can detect any deviation of the noise from the normal state. The idea is to use that information to deduce when the ideal time for replacing mechanical parts has come.
How a hydropower plant works
Hydropower plants normally supply electricity continuously – day and night, whether it’s stormy or calm. Basically, they still work exactly the same way as the proverbial “clattering waterwheel mill on the rushing brook.”
The power of the flowing water is increased by a weir system with multiple sluice gates. Damming up the river water creates or increases the height difference. The higher this so-called drop height, the greater the efficiency. On rivers that only have a small downhill gradient, what is lacking in height can be compensated by correspondingly larger flow rates.
Author Contact Details Claudia Homburg, Marketing, VEGA Grieshaber KG • Am Hohenstein 113, 77761 Schiltach, Germany • Tel: +49 7836 50-0 • Email:
info.de@
vega.com •
www.vega.com
New 2 cell conductivity sensor designed for low conductivity and ultra-pure water applications
HORIBA Instruments has recently launched the new 300-2C-C 2-cell conductivity sensor cartridge and flow cell. This combination is ideal for low conductivity measurements including ultra-pure water applications.
The stainless steel 300-2C-C 2-cell conductivity sensor cartridge has a nominal cell constant of 0.1 cm-1 and can measure conductivity from 0.01 to 500 µS/cm or resistivity up to 20 MΩ-cm. It also has built-in temperature sensor that enables the meter to detect sample temperature and display temperature compensated readings. The cartridge must be attached to a conductivity sensor head, either 300-C-2 (with 2m cable) or 300-C-5 (with 5m cable), compatible with versatile LAQUA WQ-300 series smart handheld meters.
The detachable glass flow cell is intended for continuous flow applications. The inlet is to be connected to a water source using a flexible tube to prevent exposure of water to atmospheric carbon dioxide that can affect the reading. It is designed for use with 300-2C-C 2-cell conductivity sensor cartridge in determining the conductivity or resistivity of flowing water.
The 300-2C-C 2-cell conductivity sensor and flow cell are available in individual packaging as well as in 2-cell conductivity sensor kits. Each sensor kit comes with 2-cell conductivity sensor (either 300-C-2 or 300-C-5 sensor head with 300-2C-C sensor cartridge), 4 bottles of 60-ml conductivity standards, and flow cell (optional).
More information online:
ilmt.co/PL/LKOe For More Info, email:
email: For More Info, email:
53415pr@reply-direct.com
WWW.ENVIROTECH-ONLINE.COM AET ANNUAL BUYERS’ GUIDE 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
