Pumped Storage Hydropower Plants Research Articles

Dual Frequency Regulation in Pumping Mode in a Wind–Hydro Isolated System

Frequency control is one of the most critical tasks in isolated power systems, especially in high renewable penetration scenarios. This paper presents a new hydropower pumped-storage dual control strategy that combines variable-speed-driven pumps and fixed-speed-driven pumps. A possible case for implementation of such a control scheme is described based on El Hierro Island’s power system. This isolated power system consists of a hybrid wind pumped-storage hydropower plant and diesel generators. The pumped-storage power plant is divided into a hydropower plant equipped with four Pelton turbines and a pump station equipped with both fixed- and variable-speed pumps. According to the proposed control scheme, frequency regulation will be provided by a dual controller: a continuous controller for the variable-speed pumps and a discrete controller for the fixed-speed pumps. The Pelton units, which operate as synchronous condensers, also supply the power system inertia. Therefore, diesel units may be disconnected, decreasing generation costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Owing to the combination of both controllers and the inertia of the Pelton units, an acceptable frequency regulation can be achieved. This technique has been validated through computer simulations.

An MILP-based model for short-term peak shaving operation of pumped-storage hydropower plants serving multiple power grids

China's power grids have constructed many large pumped-storage hydropower plants (PSHPs) to relieve their increasing peak shaving pressure. Unlike PSHPs in a single power grid, the PSHPs directly operated by the dispatch center of regional power grids are required to simultaneously provide peak regulation services for several subordinate provincial power grids. This makes the daily operation of these PSHPs very challenging for both system operators and researchers. Hence, this paper develops a Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) based model for determining the optimal hourly scheduling of PSHPs serving several provincial power grids. The objective is to minimize the peak-valley difference of the residual load series of each power grid. The performance of individual units in the model will be considered, as well as the head effect for each unit in both generating mode and pumping mode. The study focuses mainly on the linearization of the commonly-used nonlinear objective function, constraints on the operation status of units, and turbine performance curves. These nonlinearities are then linearized with the aid of binary integer variables. The optimization results obtained from two real-world case studies are used to demonstrate that the proposed model is computationally efficient and shows good performance in relieving the peak regulation pressure of each power grid.

Numerical study of the Martelange mine to be used as underground reservoir for constructing an Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower plant

Abstract. Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower (UPSH) using abandoned mines has been considered as a potential high capacity Energy Storage Systems. In UPSH plants, the excess of electricity is stored in the form of potential energy by pumping water from an underground reservoir (abandoned mine in this paper) to a surface reservoir, while electricity is produced (when the demand increases) discharging water from the surface into the underground reservoir. The main concerns may arise from the water exchanges occurring between the underground reservoir and the surrounding medium, which are relevant in terms of environmental impact and UPSH efficiency. Although the role of the water exchanges has been previously addressed, most studies are based on synthetic models. This work focuses on a real abandoned slate mine located in Martelange (Belgium). The effects of different rehabilitation works to prepare the mine as an underground reservoir are assessed in terms of groundwater exchanges and their associated consequences.

Simulation Method for Generating Mode and Pumping Mode Switching of Pumped Storage Hydropower Plant

The switching between generating mode and pumping mode of pumped storage power station is significant for the grid control, for example, to compensate the power fluctuation caused by the renewable energy by using the pumped storage power station. In this paper, the simulation models of various states of pumped storage power station are summarized, and the control methods of each switching stage between the generating mode and pumping mode are proposed. The method to realize each switching stage is presented, and the simulation method of each switching stage of generating mode and pumping mode is established in MATLAB/Simulink, and the switching process is realized.

Eigen analysis of wind–hydro joint frequency regulation in an isolated power system

The wind energy penetration rate is being increased in majority of European countries. However, a high penetration rate could endanger the stability of power systems, particularly in small islands. Hydropower plays an important role in the regulation and control of isolated power systems with renewable sources, but it may not be able to maintain the frequency within grid requirements. This is the case of El Hierro power system (Canary archipelago), where a hybrid wind–pumped storage hydropower plant (PSHP) was committed to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Currently, frequency regulation is only provided by the PSHP and diesel generators. Therefore, it is proposed that variable-speed wind turbines (VSWTs) contribute to frequency regulation, thereby minimizing the need for fossil fuels. This study aims to conduct an analysis on the effect of the VSWT contribution to frequency regulation in the power system of El Hierro. It is based on classical control tools from a linearized mathematical model considering different VSWT regulation strategies. The eigenvalues, damping ratio, and participation factors of the state variables have been obtained. The more significant oscillation modes in the dynamic response of the system have been identified. According to this modal analysis, a methodology for the adjustment of the PSHP and VSWT controller gains is proposed. An improvement in the quality of frequency regulation while maintaining the El Hierro system frequency within grid requirements has been proved based on simulating different events related to wind speed or variations in the power demand, using a nonlinear model of the combined wind–hydro power plant.

Effects of Lake–Reservoir Pumped-Storage Operations on Temperature and Water Quality

Pumped-storage (PS) hydropower plants are expected to make an important contribution to energy storage in the next decades with growing market shares of new renewable electricity. PS operations affect the water quality of the connected water bodies by exchanging water between them but also by deep water withdrawal from the upper water body. Here, we assess the importance of these two processes in the context of recommissioning a PS hydropower plant by simulating different scenarios with the numerical hydrodynamic and water quality model CE-QUAL-W2. For extended PS operations, the results show significant impacts of the water exchange between the two water bodies on the seasonal dynamics of temperatures, stratification, nutrients, and ice cover, especially in the smaller upper reservoir. Deep water withdrawal was shown to strongly decrease the strength of summer stratification in the upper reservoir, shortening its duration by ~1.5 months, consequently improving oxygen availability, and reducing the accumulation of nutrients in the hypolimnion. These findings highlight the importance of assessing the effects of different options for water withdrawal depths in the design of PS hydropower plants, as well as the relevance of defining a reference state when a PS facility is to be recommissioned.

Economic viability of pumped-storage power plants participating in the secondary regulation service

This paper analyses the economic viability of twelve pumped-storage hydropower plants equipped with different fixed-speed and variable-speed units and with and without considering hydraulic short-circuit operation. The analysed plants are assumed to participate in the day-ahead energy market and in the secondary regulation service of the Iberian power system. A deterministic day-ahead energy and reserve scheduling model is used to estimate the maximum theoretical income of the plants assuming perfect information of the next day prices, the residual demand curves of the secondary regulation reserve market and the percentages of the real-time use of the committed reserves. An estimate of the minimum theoretical pay-back period is obtained from the maximum theoretical income as a result of the scheduling model. Results indicate that the economic viability with and without variable speed units and operating or not in hydraulic short-circuit mode is not discarded if the plants also participate in the secondary regulation service, and that the minimum theoretical pay-back periods can be reduced significantly when the plant is equipped with variable speed units and/or operates in hydraulic short-circuit mode. In addition, the maximum theoretical income obtained with the used optimization model and the proposed pumped-storage hydropower plants are significantly higher than the real income obtained by plants that are currently operating in the Iberian system.

Frequency Regulation of a Hybrid Wind–Hydro Power Plant in an Isolated Power System

Currently, some small islands with high wind potential are trying to reduce the environmental and economic impact of fossil fuels by using renewable resources. Nevertheless, the characteristics of these renewable resources negatively affect the quality of the electrical energy, causing frequency disturbances, especially in isolated systems. In this study, the combined contribution to frequency regulation of variable speed wind turbines (VSWT) and a pump storage hydropower plant (PSHP) is analyzed. Different control strategies, using the kinetic energy stored in the VSWT, are studied: inertial, proportional, and their combination. In general, the gains of the VSWT controller for interconnected systems proposed in the literature are not adequate for isolated systems. Therefore, a methodology to adjust the controllers, based on exhaustive searches, is proposed for each of the control strategies. The control strategies and methodology have been applied to a hybrid wind–hydro power plant on El Hierro Island in the Canary archipelago. At present, in this isolated power system, frequency regulation is only provided by the PSHP and diesel generators. The improvements in the quality of frequency regulation, including the VSWT contribution, have been proven based on simulating different events related to wind speed, or variations in the power demand.

Optimal Joint Energy and Secondary Regulation Reserve Hourly Scheduling of Variable Speed Pumped Storage Hydropower Plants

This paper presents a mixed integer linear programming model for the hourly energy and secondary regulation reserve scheduling of a price-taker and closed-loop variable speed pumped-storage hydropower plant, considering the energy losses due to the use of electronic frequency converters. The plant participates in the day-ahead energy market and in the secondary regulation service of the Iberian electric power system. The model is utilised to compare the income of the plant with and without considering the variable speed technology, with synchronous or asynchronous machines, with and without bypassing the frequency converter in generating mode, and with and without perfect information of the electric power system data. Numerical testing results demonstrate that the operation with the variable speed technology could help notably to enlarge the income of the power plant and that the secondary regulation reserve market might be the main source of revenue for the power plant.

Hydro-mechanically coupled finite-element analysis of the stability of a fractured-rock slope using the equivalent continuum approach: a case study of planned reservoir banks in Blaubeuren, Germany

Construction works associated with the building of reservoirs in mountain areas can damage the stability of adjacent valley slopes. Seepage processes caused by the filling and drawdown operations of reservoirs also affect the stability of the reservoir banks over time. The presented study investigates the stability of a fractured-rock slope subjected to seepage forces in the lower basin of a planned pumped-storage hydropower (PSH) plant in Blaubeuren, Germany. The investigation uses a hydro-mechanically coupled finite-element analyses. For this purpose, an equivalent continuum model is developed by using a representative elementary volume (REV) approach. To determine the minimum required REV size, a large number of discrete fracture networks are generated using Monte Carlo simulations. These analyses give a REV size of 28 × 28 m, which is sufficient to represent the equivalent hydraulic and mechanical properties of the investigated fractured-rock mass. The hydro-mechanically coupled analyses performed using this REV size show that the reservoir operations in the examined PSH plant have negligible effect on the adjacent valley slope.

Analysis of Causes of Uplift Anomalies in the Čierny Váh Subsoil

The pumped storage hydropower plant of Čierny Váh was created by means of damming up the valley of the Čierny Váh River. The dam is 18.5 m high above terrain and 375 m long in the dam’s crest. Total capacity of the reservoir is 5.1 million m3. Complicated geological conditions in the subsoil of dam’s body – fractured dolomite with local occurrence of tectonic breccia and clays, with the occurrence of intense disturbances - called for the construction of the grouting curtain in the dam’s subsoil. Its depth is about 20 in the area of the riverine plain, and about 60 m in the areas of abutments. During foregoing operations of the structure, more than 30 years, local anomalies in the uplift development in the right abutment’s subsoil of the lower reservoir dam were recorded. Their abnormally high values on the downstream side of grouting curtain have become the subject of extensive discussion and a stimulus for its remediation. To ensure reliable operation of the hydraulic structure a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the long-term operation of the reservoir on the dam safety was carried out. This included an examination of the causes of anomalous development of uplifts using FEM numerical modelling. The paper presents obtained results from this analysis.

Comparison Between the Salient-Pole Synchronous Machine and the Doubly Fed Induction Machine With Regard to Electromagnetic Parasitic Forces and Stator Vibrations

Pumped-storage hydro power plants have been mainly equipped with fixed-speed salient-pole synchronous machines (SPSM). However, the upgrade from fixed-speed technology to variable-speed technology, using doubly fed induction machines (DFIM) brings many benefits in terms of stability and efficiency. This article deals with a DFIM obtained by replacing the rotor of an existing SPSM. The original SPSM had a fractional-slot winding. Although this winding configuration was not causing any problem in the SPSM, it leads to vibration issues in the case of the DFIM. It is shown how this special winding is responsible for electromagnetic forces leading to vibrations and why these vibrations were unnoticed in the case of the SPSM. The influence of the operation point (speed, power factor) on the force magnitude and resulting vibrations is studied. Using a simple and efficient algorithm, it is shown how the winding can be reconnected in order to lower the exciting force.

Including a virtual battery storage into thermal unit commitment

This research-in-progress paper investigates the concept of a virtual battery storage and its integration into the unit commitment of the conventional and pumped-storage hydro power plant fleet in Germany after the nuclear phase-out in 2023. The study suggests that the efficiency of power supply with conventional power plants increases by substituting pumped-storage hydro power plants with a virtual battery storage, which is pointed out by decreasing operation of conventional power plants, costs and CO $$_2$$ emissions. Additionally, the paper shows a conflict between efficient storages and gas power plants, since batteries allow to store cheap power from base load power plants with high CO $$_2$$ emissions.

Water chemical evolution in Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower plants and induced consequences

Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower (UPSH) is an alternative to manage the electricity production in flat regions. UPSH plants consist of two reservoirs of which at least one is underground. For this last reservoir, abandoned mines could be considered. UPSH related activities may induce hydrochemical variations, such as the increase of the oxygen (O2) partial pressure (pO2), which may entail negative consequences in terms of environment and efficiency, especially in coal mined areas where the presence of sulfide minerals is common. This work assesses the main expected environmental impacts that UPSH using abandoned coal mines may induce.

Dynamic analysis of a pumped-storage hydropower plant with random power load

This paper analyzes the dynamic response of a pumped-storage hydropower plant in generating mode. Considering the elastic water column effects in the penstock, a linearized reduced order dynamic model of the pumped-storage hydropower plant is used in this paper. As the power load is always random, a set of random generator electric power output is introduced to research the dynamic behaviors of the pumped-storage hydropower plant. Then, the influences of the PI gains on the dynamic characteristics of the pumped-storage hydropower plant with the random power load are analyzed. In addition, the effects of initial power load and PI parameters on the stability of the pumped-storage hydropower plant are studied in depth. All of the above results will provide theoretical guidance for the study and analysis of the pumped-storage hydropower plant.

A nonlinear generalized predictive control for pumped storage unit

In this paper, the control problem of pumped storage unit (PSU) has been studied. A nonlinear generalized predictive control (NGPC) method has been applied to design the controller for a PSU. The NGPC controller is designed based on instantaneous linearization model of the control system, and the parameters of the linearized model are identified online by the recursive least square method (RLSM). Besides, in order to minimize the modelling error on initial state, a prior-knowledge learning method has been proposed to get the initial parameters for control model estimation. To verify the effectiveness of the NGPC controller, we chose a pumped-storage hydropower plant in China as the experimental subject and the simulation experiments respect to the control system are designed. The processes of start-up and speed disturbance under no-load condition have been simulated to testify the robustness and efficiency of the NGPC controller. Comparative experiments have been conducted, while the NGPC controller, a PID controller and a fractional order PID (FOPID) controller have been compared. Experimental results show that the designed NGPC could effectively restrain the oscillation of rotational speed in different working conditions of PSU and demonstrates higher robustness and stability than both the PID and FOPID controllers.

Deriving Optimal End of Day Storage for Pumped-Storage Power Plants in the Joint Energy and Reserve Day-Ahead Scheduling

This paper presents a new methodology to maximise the income and derive the optimal end of day storage of closed-loop and daily-cycle pumped-storage hydropower plants. The plants participate in the day-ahead energy market as a price-taker and in the secondary regulation reserve market as a price-maker, in the context of the Iberian electricity system. The real-time use of the committed reserves is considered in the model formulation. The operation of the plants with the proposed methodology is compared to the ones that use an end of day storage of an empty reservoir or half of the storage capacity. Results show that the proposed methodology increases the maximum theoretical income in all the plants analysed both if they only participate in the day-ahead energy market and if they also participate in the secondary regulation service. It is also shown that the increase in the maximum theoretical income strongly depends on the size of the plant. In addition, it is proven that the end of day storages change notably in the new reserve-driven strategies of pumped-storage hydropower plants and that the proposed methodology is even more recommended if the secondary regulation service is considered.

Downstream effect of a pumped-storage hydropower plant on river habitat conditions and benthic life — a case study

AbstractIn spite of many investigations about the impact of reservoirs on river continuum, the downstream effects of a pumped-storage hydropower plants (PSHP) still have been less known. The aim of the study was to evaluate the downstream effect of the PSHP Čierny Váh in regard to the Serial Discontinuity Concept assumptions or studies assessing more frequent types of hydropower reservoirs. We predicted that the increase of water temperature and the alteration of food sources will hierarchically be the most relevant factors determining macroinvertebrate community composition. We focused on mayflies, caddisflies and non-insect benthic invertebrates due to their appropriate responses to discontinuity. We also determined the influence of the hydropower plant on life cycles and productions of the most abundant species of mayflies and caddisflies. We recorded the unique effect of the PSHP Čierny Váh on its downstream environmental variables. According to the nested ANOVA results, temperature regime, transported organic matter, benthic fine particulate organic matter and periphyton biomass were the environmental variables significantly modified by the river discontinuum. Significant differences were also found in the case of macroinvertebrate species richness, density and diversity. Nevertheless, based on the forward selection test for predictor effects, none of the environmental variables affected the macroinvertebrate assemblages significantly. However, the redundancy analysis revealed a separated group of macroinvertebrates preferring conditions characteristic for the site immediately below the reservoir. Regarding the impact of the reservoir on life histories, we revealed the shift in hatching, emergence and duration of life cycles of the abundant mayflies (except

Frequency-Adaptive Modified Comb-Filter-Based Phase-Locked Loop for a Doubly-Fed Adjustable-Speed Pumped-Storage Hydropower Plant under Distorted Grid Conditions

The control system of a doubly-fed adjustable-speed pumped-storage hydropower plant needs phase-locked loops (PLLs) to obtain the phase angle of grid voltage. The main drawback of a comb-filter-based phase-locked loop (CF-PLL) is the slow dynamic response. This paper presents a modified comb-filter-based phase-locked loop (MCF-PLL) by improving the pole-zero pattern of the comb filter, and gives the parameters’ setting method of the controller, based on the discrete model of MCF-PLL. In order to improve the disturbance resistibility of MCF-PLL when the power grid’s frequency changes, this paper proposes a frequency-adaptive modified, comb-filter-based, phase-locked loop (FAMCF-PLL) and its digital implementation scheme. Experimental results show that FAMCF-PLL has good steady-state and dynamic performance under distorted grid conditions. Furthermore, FAMCF-PLL can determine the phase angle of the grid voltage, which is locked when it is applied to a doubly-fed adjustable-speed pumped-storage hydropower experimental platform.

Value of perfect information of spot prices in the joint energy and reserve hourly scheduling of pumped storage plants

The value of perfect information of the day-ahead energy prices is studied in the context of the operation of a closed-loop and daily-cycle pumped-storage hydropower plant, participating in the spot market as a price-taker and in the secondary regulation reserve market as a price-maker. The impact of the real-time use of the regulation reserves is also taken into account. Results show that the value of perfect information of the spot prices in the Iberian electricity market decreases if the plant also participates in the secondary regulation service. Several novel indicators to better explain the value of perfect information are presented and evaluated. Finally, several regression models to roughly estimate the value of perfect information of any price forecasting model are obtained. These might help to evaluate the investment in pumped-storage hydropower plants.