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Selected Contributions of the ViennaHydro 2022
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Selected Contributions of the ViennaHydro 2022

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2023) | Viewed by 15279

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bernhard Semlitsch

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Energy Systems and Thermodynamics, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
Interests: CFD; turbomachinery; rotating stall; modal decomposition
Prof. Dr. Christian Bauer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Getreidemarkt 9/BA, 1060 Vienna, Austria
Interests: hydropower; modular pump turbine; pelton turbines; renewable energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydropower for future generations is a theme that like no other emphasises the long-range impacts of hydropower activities. All measures taken today will have a major impact on future generations. Therefore, it is necessary to make hydropower viable for the future.

The role of hydropower is ever-changing. Hydropower is and was an important supplier of electricity from clean and renewable resources. Due to longstanding experience in the field, hydropower is a highly developed and reliable technology. The significance of hydropower will increase in the future, enabling the transition to climate-friendly electricity production. The energy supply harvested from wind and solar resources does not balance the demand in electrical grids. Hydropower has the unique ability and potential to supply, store, and regulate energy levels in electrical power grids. Grid operators are increasingly utilising the flexibility of storage power plants to stabilise the electrical grid. To meet the demands and new challenges, existing hydropower technology must be developed further for future generations. Which research and innovations are required for the future of hydropower? It is precisely this exciting question that we want to pursue in this Special Issue with a variety of focus topics, as follows.

  • Innovation, trends and future technologies;
  • Flexibilization and smart grids;
  • Requirements from electrical grids to power generation and storage;
  • Quantum computing, digitalisation on machine- and system-level technological aspects;
  • Planning and operation of variable-speed pumped storage plants;
  • Operation, maintenance, rehabilitation and modernisation;
  • Design rules, standardisation and legal aspects;
  • Physical modelling and numerical simulations;
  • Experimental investigations of models and prototypes;
  • Cavitation under extreme load conditions;
  • Hydraulic systems and transient behaviour;
  • Market change, business models and economics of hydro power;
  • Sustainability and environmental impact;
  • Small hydro.

Dr. Bernhard Semlitsch
Prof. Dr. Christian Bauer
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • small hydro
  • flexibilization and smart grids
  • sustainability and environmental impact
  • hydraulic systems and transient behaviour
  • cavitation

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 10060 KiB  
Article
Hybridization of a RoR HPP with a BESS—The XFLEX HYDRO Vogelgrun Demonstrator
by Serdar Kadam, Wolfgang Hofbauer, Stefan Lais, Magdalena Neuhauser, Erich Wurm, Luisa Fernandes Lameiro, Yves-Marie Bourien, Grégory Païs, Jean-Louis Drommi, Christophe Nicolet, Christian Landry, Matthieu Dreyer, Carme Valero, Alexandre Presas and David Valentin
Energies 2023, 16(13), 5074; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16135074 - 30 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2318
Abstract
In the XFLEX HYDRO Vogelgrun demonstrator, a run-of-river hydropower plant, the hybridization of one turbine-generator unit with a battery energy storage system is being investigated. This paper describes the integration methodology of the hybrid control algorithm without replacing the existing speed governor of [...] Read more.
In the XFLEX HYDRO Vogelgrun demonstrator, a run-of-river hydropower plant, the hybridization of one turbine-generator unit with a battery energy storage system is being investigated. This paper describes the integration methodology of the hybrid control algorithm without replacing the existing speed governor of the unit. Furthermore, the comparison of the performances of a non-hybrid and hybrid unit is discussed, and first experiences gained during the operation and monitoring of the hybrid operating mode are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Contributions of the ViennaHydro 2022)
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12 pages, 4971 KiB  
Article
Power Plant Transients including Hydraulic Short Circuit Operation Mode
by Christoph Geiger and Stefan Riedelbauch
Energies 2023, 16(11), 4492; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16114492 - 2 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2593
Abstract
Within the XFLEX HYDRO project, the possibility of increasing the flexibility of hydro power plants to support the Electric Power System (EPS) is investigated. The flexibility of the pumped-storage power plant Frades 2, as the target, should increase by extending the operating range [...] Read more.
Within the XFLEX HYDRO project, the possibility of increasing the flexibility of hydro power plants to support the Electric Power System (EPS) is investigated. The flexibility of the pumped-storage power plant Frades 2, as the target, should increase by extending the operating range for each unit and by using the hydraulic short circuit (HSC) operation mode. Transient investigations of the additional plant conditions are performed to ensure the safety of the plant. With a 1D model of the entire hydro power plant including both pump-turbines, valves, surge tanks, and the water-bearing components, extensive calculations are carried out to verify the safety of the existing plant for extended operation conditions. In particular, the study focuses on the synchronous and asynchronous emergency shutdowns of the plant in the new operating conditions as well as other operation-related power plant transients regarding the HSC mode. With the results presented in this paper, the flexibility of the plant Frades 2 can be increased. Delayed emergency shutdowns are identified as particularly critical during the study and should always be given additional consideration in transient investigations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Contributions of the ViennaHydro 2022)
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12 pages, 2429 KiB  
Article
Monitoring Pumping Units by Convolutional Neural Networks for Operating Point Estimations
by Hanbing Ma, Lukas Gaisser and Stefan Riedelbauch
Energies 2023, 16(11), 4392; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16114392 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1605
Abstract
To avoid the failure of pumping units, the monitoring of operating points with a subsequent assessment of the condition of the pump may support the decision for required maintenance. For that purpose, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are implemented to predict the operating points [...] Read more.
To avoid the failure of pumping units, the monitoring of operating points with a subsequent assessment of the condition of the pump may support the decision for required maintenance. For that purpose, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are implemented to predict the operating points of pumping units. Instead of using traditional flowmeter and manometer, vibration and acoustic signals are used to estimate the head and volume flow rate. An appropriate pre-processing of raw data is applied, enabling our method to predict well on different datasets. For the datasets measured in an anechoic chamber, the best model of each subset achieves relative errors smaller than 4.9% for the prediction of head and 7.6% for the volume flow rate. For cases where only small amounts of data exist, it is furthermore demonstrated that transfer learning from one dataset to another dataset provides an improvement in performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Contributions of the ViennaHydro 2022)
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14 pages, 9436 KiB  
Article
Variable-Speed Propeller Turbine for Small Hydropower Applications
by Eva Bílková, Jiří Souček, Martin Kantor, Roman Kubíček and Petr Nowak
Energies 2023, 16(9), 3811; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16093811 - 28 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2320
Abstract
Standard technical solutions are not cost-effective for many small hydropower sites. This study aims to demonstrate the workflow for the tailor-made variable-speed axial propeller turbine and provide proof of this concept. The turbine is designed to meet the site’s specific space limitations and [...] Read more.
Standard technical solutions are not cost-effective for many small hydropower sites. This study aims to demonstrate the workflow for the tailor-made variable-speed axial propeller turbine and provide proof of this concept. The turbine is designed to meet the site’s specific space limitations and operating range needs. The runner shape is adjusted to the variable-speed operation and defined hydraulic profile using a parametric geometry model and CFD-based optimization. The variable-speed propeller turbine shows excellent flow control while keeping the mechanical design simple. The tailor-made approach minimizes construction costs using existing structures and is highly suitable for mini-hydropower applications. The prototype—an atypical turbine designed for highly restricted space and installed on-site—serves as proof of the concept. The findings on the design of axial variable-speed turbines are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Contributions of the ViennaHydro 2022)
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20 pages, 4879 KiB  
Article
Numerical Investigation of Pelton Turbine Distributor Systems with Axial Inflow
by Franz Josef Johann Hahn, Anton Maly, Bernhard Semlitsch and Christian Bauer
Energies 2023, 16(6), 2737; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16062737 - 15 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3098
Abstract
In an agile power grid environment, hydroelectric power plants must operate flexibly to follow the demand. Their wide operating range and high part-load efficiencies allow for multi-injector Pelton turbines to fulfil these demands as long as the water jet quality is maintained. The [...] Read more.
In an agile power grid environment, hydroelectric power plants must operate flexibly to follow the demand. Their wide operating range and high part-load efficiencies allow for multi-injector Pelton turbines to fulfil these demands as long as the water jet quality is maintained. The water jet shape is governed by the flow in the distributor system. Pelton distributor systems with axial feed can potentially reduce the costs of the power station. Providing the flow quality at the nozzle outlet challenges the design of such Pelton distributors. Therefore, numerical simulations are performed to optimise a parameterised Pelton distributor system with axial feed. The effects of geometric parameter variations on its performance are studied. The criteria to evaluate the flow in distributor systems are presented, which are applied to quantify the power losses and secondary flows. Additionally, the second law analysis illustrates where the losses are generated. Due to various pipe bends, all designs exhibit a distinct S-shaped secondary flow pattern at the nozzle inlet. The simulations reveal that the power losses are greatly reduced by shaping the initial part of the branch line as a conical frustum. Deviation angles of the branch line close to 90° allow for lower secondary flow magnitudes at the nozzle inlet. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Contributions of the ViennaHydro 2022)
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10 pages, 2152 KiB  
Article
Increasing the Flexibility of Hydropower with Reinforcement Learning on a Digital Twin Platform
by Carlotta Tubeuf, Felix Birkelbach, Anton Maly and René Hofmann
Energies 2023, 16(4), 1796; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041796 - 11 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2111
Abstract
The increasing demand for flexibility in hydropower systems requires pumped storage power plants to change operating modes and compensate reactive power more frequently. In this work, we demonstrate the potential of applying reinforcement learning (RL) to control the blow-out process of a hydraulic [...] Read more.
The increasing demand for flexibility in hydropower systems requires pumped storage power plants to change operating modes and compensate reactive power more frequently. In this work, we demonstrate the potential of applying reinforcement learning (RL) to control the blow-out process of a hydraulic machine during pump start-up and when operating in synchronous condenser mode. Even though RL is a promising method that is currently getting much attention, safety concerns are stalling research on RL for the control of energy systems. Therefore, we present a concept that enables process control with RL through the use of a digital twin platform. This enables the safe and effective transfer of the algorithm’s learning strategy from a virtual test environment to the physical asset. The successful implementation of RL in a test environment is presented and an outlook on future research on the transfer to a model test rig is given. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Contributions of the ViennaHydro 2022)
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