Hydropower plants capture the energy of falling water to generate electricity. A turbine converts the available energy from falling water into mechanical energy. Then a generator converts the mechanical energy from the turbine into electrical energy, which is supplied to the electrical grid.
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Falling water is the power source that is used to turn a metal propeller-like piece called a turbine (Pelton Wheel in Utica’s case), which then turns a metal shaft in an electric generator, which produces electricity.
In most cases, a dam is built on a river that has a large drop in elevation (there are not many hydroelectric plants in Kansas or Florida). In Utica’s case, the snowpack stores a huge amount of water during the winter and spring, which melts and runs off into reservoirs in the high country (Alpine, Utica, Union and New Spicer) along the Highway 4 Corridor, which store water and release water throughout the year. A reservoir on the North Fork Stanislaus called McKay’s Point Reservoir diverts water into an 18-foot-diameter tunnel, which runs from Arnold to Camp Nine, where the water is used to make power by the Northern California Power Agency.
In Avery, Utica has a pipe that taps that tunnel and it receives water via gravity that it runs through a 27-mile-long conveyance system. On its way down the hill, it is stored in several reservoirs before passing through two penstocks and two powerhouses in series – one in Murphys and the second in Angels Camp.
Gravity causes the water to fall through the penstock (large pipe). The farther the water falls, the higher the pressure inside the pipe (head pressure), and the more energy can be produced.
At the end of the penstock there is a turbine propellor (Pelton Wheel) which the high-pressure water turns. The Pelton Wheel is connected to a large, metal shaft that goes up (or over) into the generator, which produces the electrical energy. The generator is connected to a substation and electricity is provided to homes and businesses. The water’s potential energy is used when spinning the Pelton Wheel, and then it continues past the Pelton Wheel where it exits into an afterbay (small pond). Learn about the history of the Pelton Water Wheel Co. and how many were installed in Calaveras County by reading this eBook.
Once the water leaves the powerhouse, it flows back into a stream or river, where it builds energy as it continues to fall down the canyon. Further downstream, that water can enter another penstock and be used to make power again.
At hydropower plants, large turbines made of steel weigh as much as 172 tons and turn at a rate of 90 revolutions per minute.
These metal giants are designed to operate for decades, but the stainless-steel alloys of turbine runners often become corroded or cavitated from being submerged in water. Corrosion and cavitation affect other metal components of both small and large hydropower facilities, such as intakes, wicket gates, and spillways. The hydropower industry is also impacted by biofouling—the growth of invasive species like zebra mussels on turbines and other structures from accumulated bacteria.
Materials science can play an important role in hydropower by improving overall system performance and lowering costs associated with turbine repairs. Innovative technologies enhance hydropower’s capability to provide efficient grid services to the nation.
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PNNL has led research for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office to explore the potential of Solid Phase Processing (SPP) to enhance the performance and life of new and repaired hydropower components. SPP can improve hydropower capabilities, resilience, and efficiency, benefiting hydropower owners and operators, power regulators, and the economy.
PNNL also has developed materials to deter zebra mussels from attaching to hydropower structures, which causes operational interferences at facilities. These mussels create biofouling challenges at hydropower facilities, specifically related to maintenance and operations. Biofouling is the multi-phase process where collections of microorganisms grow on a surface and create bacteria.
PNNL has two SPP capabilities to help address these hydropower needs: cold spray and friction stir processing. PNNL’s SPP technologies pair next-generation materials with efficient manufacturing approaches to lower the operation and maintenance costs of dams, reduce the duration and frequency of outages, and extend the life of hydraulic structures.
The goal of the cold spray technique—a research project which is currently underway—is to tackle cavitation damage to turbine blades and improve the performance and service life of repaired turbines. Cold spray techniques may dramatically reduce the frequency of dam outages and costs associated with dam maintenance.
The portable system works by shooting metal particles at high speeds into damaged areas. The result is a solid-state weld between the particle and the turbine surface. And unlike other welding repair techniques that cause material degradation, cold spray keeps turbine blades in their original shape. The repaired metal can exceed the strength of the original metal.
Friction stir processing is another type of welding technology that eliminates the use of adhesives, bolts, and rivets. The PNNL-developed technology enables welding of materials that are generally unweldable. Friction stir processes allow metals with different melting temperatures and chemically different materials to be joined.
The technology may be used to embed sensors into turbines to monitor difficult to observe environments. Additionally, the life of hydropower components could be extended with the use of less expensive base materials and could be welded onto harder materials in damaged or high wear areas.
SPP research is conducted at the Applied Process Engineering Laboratory.
Scientists at PNNL developed an innovative coating that improves hydropower operations and can reduce plant shutdowns to remove zebra mussels. Superhydrophobic Lubricant Infused Composite (SLIC) prevents mussels from attaching to hydropower structures. SLIC is an environmentally friendly coating that can be adjusted to the water conditions commonly found at hydropower facilities. SLIC was developed in support of the Water Power Technologies Office and in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and BioBlend Renewable Resources.
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