Equipment | Life extensions
New equipment is being used to help extend the life of hydropower projects in Canada, Switzerland and Nigeria
TWO NEW TURBINE AND generators from are set to be to be placed into service later this year at Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) flagship Sir Adam Beck I Generating Station (GS) in Niagara Falls, adding about 125MW of incremental peaking generation capacity for Ontario.
OPG said that installation and testing of the new G2 unit turbine and generator will be completed by spring 2022, and workers are continuing installation of the G1 unit turbine with a late summer 2022 target for completion. The overall project is tracking on schedule and to its $128 million budget. When it went into service a century ago, the Sir Adam Beck I station became the largest hydro plant in the world. The sprawling station, which took about 10,000 workers to build, set the stage for large-scale hydroelectric development in Ontario and cemented the province’s public power legacy. Today, the power of the Niagara River is harnessed not just at Sir Adam Beck I, but also by an entire complex of hydro operations, which includes the 1499MW Sir Adam Beck II GS and the 174MW Sir Adam Beck Pump GS. Together, this generating complex accounts for about 40% of OPG’s hydroelectric production, and will play an important role in powering Ontario’s economy and net-zero efforts in the years to come.
Decommissioned back in 2009, Beck I’s original 40MW G1 and G2 units operated on the now discontinued 25-hertz distribution system and provided power to steel mills in Hamilton and upstate New York.
Below: View of the Adam Beck Complex. Courtesy Ontario Power Generation
“It has been a busy past few years at the station,” said Dave Bonell, Senior Manager of Projects in OPG’s Renewable Generation division. “The investments we are making into Beck I will help the plant continue to
operate reliably and efficiently for many more years. And the clean power generated here will play an important role in supporting Ontario’s economy and fighting climate change. “The modern, larger units we are installing will
make more efficient use of the available water,” added Bonell. As testament to the station’s original design and durability, the project is reusing the existing 100-year- old penstocks and draft tubes. Andritz Hydro Canada was tasked with replacing the turbine and generator units, headgate refurbishment and significant electric balance of plant work at the plant. It recently contracted Michell Bearings to provide three sets of PTFE thrust pads for the project, replacing the current Babbitt solution within two historic turbine generator units According to Michell Bearings, the PTFE material
provides a greater safety factor when compared with the Babbitt alternative. PTFE is more durable and has a well-established and proven track record within the hydropower sector, increasing the life of the bearing by providing greater reliability. Dave Bonell, OPG’s Senior Manager Renewable Generation Projects, said: “Nearly 100 years ago, the Sir Adam Beck I station in Niagara Falls helped set the standard for 25 Hz frequency, which became the norm across North America, but there is no longer a demand for the 25 Hz power cycle, so it’s time to overhaul and upgrade these two units. “The new generator units will be lighter and more efficient, and able to make more energy with less water required to pass through the turbine.” Due to COVID travel restrictions, an external inspection on the pads was carried out remotely last year with an in person visit scheduled this year.
Refurbishment in Switzerland GE Hydro Solutions announced in March that it has
signed a service contract with HYDRO Exploitation SA, acting on behalf of the asset owner Electra-Massa SA, to refurbish two 120 MVA vertical synchronous generators at the Bitsch power plant station in Wallis, Switzerland. The main objectives of the generators’ refurbishment are to extend the lifetime of the plant for several decades and increase the performance as well as reliability of the power station. In addition, Electra- Massa SA aims to maintain the plant fully operational until and after the concession expires in 2048. The 340MW hydropower plant will be equipped with two new state-of-the-art generators tailored to meet the customer’s specific operational needs. They will replace the previous equipment which reached the end of its life. Consequently, the hydropower plant will benefit from more flexible generators that will improve the power plant’s overall efficiency. HYDRO Exploitation SA, that operates the plant for Electra-Massa SA, will act as the project owner’s
12 | April 2022 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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