OBJECTIVES:
- Identify the measurable parameters and their corresponding sensors in hydropower turbines, which can provide distinctive signals when affected by sediment erosion and cavitation.
- Develop correlations between the signals obtained at different stages of turbine operation and the possible cause of any deviation through a series of experiments and computer simulations.
- Establish a fault detection and diagnosis tool that can be employed in sediment affected power plants and emphasize on the commercial value of such a tool in the context of Nepal.
PROJECT TEAM:
| Principal Investigator | Dr. Sailesh Chitrakar |
| Activity Leaders | Prof. Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug Dr. Suman Pradhan Dr. Ram Lama Mr. Prajwal Sapkota |
| Researchers | Mr. Subarna Paudel Dr. Jennifer Dietrich |
| Project Date | 2023-2024 |
| Funding Agency | EnergizeNepal |
SUMMARY
Repair and maintenance of turbines is one of the major hurdles in hydropower plants of Nepal because of the wear caused due to excessive and hard sand particles contained in the flow. Hydropower companies employ periodic maintenance of the turbines in the frequency normally ranging between 1 to 3 years depending upon the severity of the sediment erosion in the plant. However, if a condition monitoring based maintenance can be employed in such turbines, any fault in the machines can be detected in an early stage, which could reduce the cost of repair/maintenance and increase the lifespan of the turbines. On the other hand, if the faults are tolerable, the cost can further be optimized by deferring the maintenance routine. In this project, it was aimed to develop such a monitoring tool applicable for sediment and cavitation prone sites, which can detect faults and diagnose the source of the faults. To understand the origin of the problem, this project focused on creating a database of the distinctive signals of the faults in the turbine through various sensors obtained from laboratory investigations. Through this project, we were able to:
- Develop a new test setup of Francis turbine for condition monitoring and fault diagnosis purpose at TTL
- Support 2 PhDs and 2 MS by Research students
- Engage 12 researchers/technician/experts from various background including 2 female
- Engage 7 undergraduate interns including 2 female students
- Publish 6 journal papers
- Gain competences for direct application in hydropower plants including Panauti HPP (already tested) and Upper Mailung HPP (discussions initiated)