Abstract
Hydropower is facing new operational strategies as the increasingly competitive power market demands for higher flexibility. Consequently, turbines are forced to handle tougher operation and are prone to more frequent degradation. By implementing a real-time monitoring system, a better understanding of the behavior of components may contribute to detect faults at an earlier stage, reducing potential downtime. This paper will present the work done in the preliminary work of the author’s master thesis. The focus has been to characterize the normal behaviour of a Francis turbine through amplitude and frequency analysis. Steady-state measurements of pressure pulsations have been conducted on the Francis test-rig at the Waterpower laboratory at NTNU. Different hydraulic phenomena and respective frequencies were identified. In addition, the results revealed several unexpected frequencies and suspicious observations, and potential sources of these are discussed. Possible fault detection schemes based on peak-peak and frequency analysis are suggested. Alarm should be raised in case of mismatches in sensor relations, magnitude variations or if new harmonics or frequencies appears.
Highlights
IntroductionA situation has evolved that requires new strategies for the operation of hydropower plants
During the past decades, a situation has evolved that requires new strategies for the operation of hydropower plants
Alarm should be raised in case of mismatches in sensor relations, magnitude variations or if new harmonics or frequencies appears
Summary
A situation has evolved that requires new strategies for the operation of hydropower plants. Normal behaviour models aim to learn the typical relations and patterns for the operation of the system without symptoms of failure [6]. In this way, the real measured value from sensors can be compared with the estimated value from the normal model, where a deviation will indicate an abnormal situation that should be further investigated. When creating normal behaviour models, data from all possible states of operation are essential. This is crucial for a hydropower plant, due to the wide range of operating conditions. External factors, such as seasonal changes in water, must be considered in context
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