Submerged Wall Instead of a Penstock Shutoff Valve—Alternative Protection as Part of a Refurbishment

Abstract

Hydropower is an important source of renewable energy. Due to ageing infrastructure, more and more existing hydropower plants have to be refurbished and modernised. This includes a complete review of the design parameters as well as the change of specific parts. Investments should be targeted to improve the overall performance of hydropower plants and ensure a long lasting life extension. This paper presents the concept of the submerged wall as a local high point in the headrace tunnel, which can—in combination with the intake gates—replace existing penstock shutoff valves. Such a replacement was conducted for the hydropower plant Schneiderau in Austria, which also allowed us to prove the concept based on measurements including a simulated break of the penstock. The presented solution can help to reduce investment costs and also minimise maintenance efforts and therefore is an attractive option for classic penstock shutoff valves for comparable projects.

Analysis of Sub-Atmospheric Pressures during Emptying of an Irregular Pipeline without an Air Valve Using a 2D CFD Model

“…Not only sub-atmospheric pressure conditions can be reached during emptying operations but also hydraulic events with a single phase (water) during pump stoppages, regulating valve closures, and rupture of hydraulic installations. In these situations, negative pressure can be reached in installations, such as water supply networks, sewer systems, hydropower plant, among others [4,5].…”